Heir to the Monado. Shulk General Discussion/Social Thread

[Oblivion129]

No way he's going to be a secret character with X being developed right along side smash. I have a feeling it'll be at E3 where most of the unrevealed newcomers will be announced. We only have essentially 4 months till it comes out so they can't keep us waiting forever. With Shulk being one of the most highly anticipated characters there's no chance they wouldn't give him a super awesome trailer (ima watch it like 50 times a day when it comes out). Besides, Greninja got one so I'm pretty confident Shulk will get one too.

You're right, he'd be great promotion for X. It just seems like there will be at least a few secret newcomers and it could be anyone, even someone hype-worthy like Lucario was secret in brawl. I assume secret characters will receive a trailer anyways. I'd prefer Shulk revealed before, though, to get some nice Shulk pics and his stage.

 

[Deleted member]

You're right, he'd be great promotion for X. It just seems like there will be at least a few secret newcomers and it could be anyone, even someone hype-worthy like Lucario was secret in brawl. I assume secret characters will receive a trailer anyways. I'd prefer Shulk revealed before, though, to get some nice Shulk pics and his stage.

I believe that every single newcomer will receive a trailer.
I prefer it if Shulk was revealed before so that Sakurai can go into depth as to how Shulk plays and I could see pics featuring Shulk. Shulk could promote X at E3, but I dunno if he will strictly do that in SSB4. If he gets in, it will mainly be on his own merits rather than X promotion, which is a game that he may or may not be in.

 

[Oblivion129]

If he gets in, it will mainly be on his own merits rather than X promotion, which is a game that he may or may not be in.

No doubt, Xenoblade alone is good enough to merit a character and stage. Monolith Soft could ask Sakurai to reveal him after an X trailer at E3, though, to intensify the hype. Not that X needs any more hype than it already has, but it could happen.

 

[Deleted member]

No doubt, Xenoblade alone is good enough to merit a character and stage. Monolith Soft could ask Sakurai to reveal him after an X trailer at E3, though, to intensify the hype. Not that X needs any more hype than it already has, but it could happen.

I think that Sakurai might ask for permission from Monolith if he could reveal Shulk. I dunno how the process works since Next Level Games Tweeted the same day Little Mac got revealed.
I say that Sakurai might reveal Shulk to coincide with the X trailer. I say that game could use a bit more hype... especially when we know little about the game.

 

[DaDavid]

I'd honestly argue that X definitely could use more hype, so maybe a reveal trailer would serve to do that? Though showing more of X itself would obviously be the best option if that's their goal.

Again I guess it's just hard for us to have our finger on the pulse of gamer's in general. Shulk is requested by Smash fans, but E3 isn't for the Smash fans. It's for gamer's in general. So in all honesty, IS Shulk one of the most anticipated/wanted/known Smash candidates for all gamer's? I honestly don't think so.

But I honestly don't know what that means for the guy. He sits in a spot where E3 reveal makes sense so he can piggy-back off of the hype of larger reveals (Palutena, Ridley, K.Rool, etc) and help to generate a huge overall hype. But, it also makes about as much sense to keep him a secret and create some post-launch, "who the hell is this awesome guy?" or "Holy crap he's really in!" type hype from people unaware of Xenoblade and Xenoblade fans respectively.

 

[Neo Zero]

I'd honestly argue that X definitely could use more hype, so maybe a reveal trailer would serve to do that? Though showing more of X itself would obviously be the best option if that's their goal.

Again I guess it's just hard for us to have our finger on the pulse of gamer's in general. Shulk is requested by Smash fans, but E3 isn't for the Smash fans. It's for gamer's in general. So in all honesty, IS Shulk one of the most anticipated/wanted/known Smash candidates for all gamer's? I honestly don't think so.

But I honestly don't know what that means for the guy. He sits in a spot where E3 reveal makes sense so he can piggy-back off of the hype of larger reveals (Palutena, Ridley, K.Rool, etc) and help to generate a huge overall hype. But, it also makes about as much sense to keep him a secret and create some post-launch, "who the hell is this awesome guy?" or "Holy crap he's really in!" type hype from people unaware of Xenoblade and Xenoblade fans respectively.

I'm not so sure. Xenoblade I believe sold really well didn't it? Plus it had the media petition campaign of Operation Rainfall which put it on a lot of people's radar. X meanwhile is one of the premier promoted Nintendo titles, this was one of the things Nintendo proudly showed off to basically say "Hey, look at this awesome game, this will make you want to own a Wii U".

Of course you said it best, showing more X gameplay is the best way to really promote X, but what about people who aren't RPG fans or haven't heard of Xenoblade? Well, by showing Shulk pre launch, you make people more interested in X and possibly even Xenoblade, sort of how Marth and Roy spurred America to want Fire Emblem, helping it become a global success. Of course, Marth and Roy were unlockables, but gaming was much different 13 years ago to where it is now, so I'd say that E3 is the perfect time to show Shulk, regardless of his status as starter or unlockable, while you also show off X to promote both titles. Will he get lost in the shuffle? Most likely yes, but it's E3, where AAA titles reign and he isn't a huge 3rd party like Mega Man or Snake.

Still though, it gets the Smash audience interested in X and the X RPG audience more interested in Smash, it's win win. Having him be secret could ruin a lot of that. Palutena and Chrom, two characters I think are very likely, make good unlockable newcomers for example, they're from very known series, and neither has anything to really promote right now and they already have series representation in Pit and Marth (Ike plz ;-; ) so those audiences are already intrigued. Shulk being from a newcomer series needs to be promoted front and center.

 

[CardiganBoy]

I read that Xenoblade Chronicles did pretty good on sales for a game with little advertisement, plus it was so critically acclaimed universally by critics and players alike, so imo that gives a character a huge weight in regards to choose him for Smash Bros.

 

[MAGMIS]

You're right, he'd be great promotion for X. It just seems like there will be at least a few secret newcomers and it could be anyone, even someone hype-worthy like Lucario was secret in brawl. I assume secret characters will receive a trailer anyways. I'd prefer Shulk revealed before, though, to get some nice Shulk pics and his stage.

Also while shulk being revealed at e3, at the same time X from monolith soft game will show up at e3 also. Showing gameplay on both games. Nintendo taking spotlight at e3 I can see it now. lol

 

[foolssigma]

I've wanted to make a more detailed post about Xenoblade stage selections for a while so here goes...

The environments in Xenoblade overall are so impressive that some such as myself may find it difficult to narrow down potential stage choices for Smash, so here are some of my favorite candidates (in no particular order):

Edit: This is taking me a lot longer than I anticipated so I'll just do these periodically by stage.


Prison Island

Spoiler

-A floating island located above Eryth Sea, on Bionis' head. It is named Prison Island because in legend the ancestors of the High Entia imprisoned something there. Without spoiling too much, Shulk fights Metal Face and could potentially serve as a boss. I would prefer the fighting take place on the top of Prison Island, although the inside is cool too.

Prison Island in the distance above Eryth Sea (which is another popular stage choice):

Spoiler

With such a beautiful atmosphere, opting for a moving stage going outside, inside, and on top of Prison Island isn't that bad of an option.

Metal Face:
-Arguably the most iconic villain from Xenoblade. Metal Face is the reason Shulk sets out on his journey.

Spoiler

Exterior:
It is extremely difficult to find an image of the top of Prison Island. I tried my best.

Spoiler

Interior:

Spoiler

Spoiler

Song Picks:

Besides the usual You Will Know Our Names, One Who Gets In Our Way, etc. Here are some songs from Xenoblade:

******Remember, Youtube comments may contain spoilers.*******

Prison Island theme (Great song, although maybe not the best for battles):

Spoiler

I've also never seen this song suggested, but it is another one of my favorites:

Spoiler

Now that I feel like I've posted something meaningful for once in this thread, I'll move on to other possible stages at some point.

 

[Whit]

I'll be honest, the only reason I picked up Xenoblade is because I heard it was to be Smash related. This was way back like a year ago when I saw the Namco worker leak mentioning that a few characters and Shulk were going to be in smash. I had no idea who Shulk was at the time, but if he was going to be in the new Smash bros I wanted to know him even though JRPGs weren't my usual thing. Next thing I know I'm playing (and loving) Xenoblade Chronicles and am now a diehard fan. My point is this: If Shulk gets to smash, Xenoblade and X are going to receive a absolutely huge boom of mainstream popularity. I believe E3 is the perfect place to reveal Shulk to get people boarded on the Xenoblade hype train.

 

[DaDavid]

I'm not so sure. Xenoblade I believe sold really well didn't it? Plus it had the media petition campaign of Operation Rainfall which put it on a lot of people's radar. X meanwhile is one of the premier promoted Nintendo titles, this was one of the things Nintendo proudly showed off to basically say "Hey, look at this awesome game, this will make you want to own a Wii U".

Of course you said it best, showing more X gameplay is the best way to really promote X, but what about people who aren't RPG fans or haven't heard of Xenoblade? Well, by showing Shulk pre launch, you make people more interested in X and possibly even Xenoblade, sort of how Marth and Roy spurred America to want Fire Emblem, helping it become a global success. Of course, Marth and Roy were unlockables, but gaming was much different 13 years ago to where it is now, so I'd say that E3 is the perfect time to show Shulk, regardless of his status as starter or unlockable, while you also show off X to promote both titles. Will he get lost in the shuffle? Most likely yes, but it's E3, where AAA titles reign and he isn't a huge 3rd party like Mega Man or Snake.

Still though, it gets the Smash audience interested in X and the X RPG audience more interested in Smash, it's win win. Having him be secret could ruin a lot of that. Palutena and Chrom, two characters I think are very likely, make good unlockable newcomers for example, they're from very known series, and neither has anything to really promote right now and they already have series representation in Pit and Marth (Ike plz ;-; ) so those audiences are already intrigued. Shulk being from a newcomer series needs to be promoted front and center.

Well that all just kinda reaffirms my belief that showing him off pre-launch both makes sense and yet doesn't. Xenoblade sold well given it's limited release, but it is still pretty niche. A newcomer from a new series theoretically drums up interest in the series, but if he's obscure enough (which again, Xenoblade MIGHT be. I don't really trust us as massive supporters to really gauge that since the bias is a bit more than negligible haha) people will just go "Eh?" Especially when they realize how damn difficult it is to get Xenoblade specifically. This lukewarm reaction isn't really what you want, which is why I say E3 might make all the sense in the world since he'd essentially be the Villager of this year. Exciting some and at the very least not angering others. On the flip side, there are other more recognizable reveals that would do the exact same thing, such as the ones you mentioned: Palutena and Chrom.

Now could Shulk pre-launch get interest going in "X?" Yes, definitely. But in my opinion it would do no more than if he was kept secret. Marth and Roy needed no pre-release buzz for Smashers, and gamers in the West in general, to take their inclusion and create the FE interest we've reached today. In fact, I've always supposed that the fact that they were hidden characters and caught all of us in the West off-guard is part of what contributed to their incredible reception. Shulk similarly, in my opinion, would make more of an impact on people new to Xenoblade/X as a secret "who the hell is this guy?" to first be encountered in game.

I guess all I mean is that Shulk is weird in that aspect. He's not really a shoo-in for either inclusion in the game, or either method of reveal if he is in. He's a weird in a lot of ways to me, but that's probably what makes him interesting to speculate about and support compared to other potential newcomers who I simply would be indifferent to.

 

[SkittleE]

Long time lurker on this thread, reporting for duty. Finally got tired of stalking, and I thought I'd never see the day.

I hope very desperately that Shulk gets in SSB4, but I am not expecting him nearly as much as a lot of you. After reading what everybody's had to say, I give him a 60% chance, maybe, but I really don't know much about how this all works, and I don't want to get my hopes up too much just to have them crushed. (Xenoblade is my favorite game, after all.)


What I want most out of a stage is a traveling stage around the Bionis, like Delfino Plaza (as has already been discussed, I guess). Alternating between day and night, of course. I just can't make up my mind between Gaur Plains, Satorl Marsh, Prison Island (on the outside looking over Eryth Sea, of course), and a sweet shot of the Bionis and the Mechonis just looking generally awesome as they do, so a traveling stage works best. And as much as I despise stage hazards (I refuse to play on any Metroid stages or Spear Pillar for this very reason), Metal Face as a boss on Prison Island would be awesome.


I would probably die of happiness if Shulk got a CG trailer, at E3 or otherwise. I just don't think I could stand to wait until after the game has been released to see if he's in it, especially since I would have to wait for other people to find him (alas, I will be getting the Wii U version of the game). Imagine, characters (Link and Mario and Kirby or something I don't care they aren't the coolest part of this) running from something, and being surrounded by a hazy black horde. They try to fight it, to no avail. Their attacks do nothing. They get surrounded by even more, the circle closing tighter, imminent doom approaches, and BAM! CUE MECHANICAL RHYTHM, SHULK DROPS IN, THE BLACK THINGS ARE REVEALED AS MECHON, HE STARTS KICKING INSANE AMOUNTS OF BUTT, HE HAS VISIONS OF THEIR ATTACKS AND IS DODGING EVERYTHING, NOTHING CAN HIT HIM, IT'S LIKE LEVEL 80 NEW GAME+ PLAYERS AGAINST A FEW LEVEL 2 COLONY SKEETERS, ABSOLUTE DESTRUCTION, WOW THIS IS SO COOL WAIT WHERE DID SKITTLE GO OH LOOK HER HEART STOPPED

...I might be a bit too excited about the prospect of this. Heheh. I'm really surprised most of you mention You Will Know Our Names for Shulk's trailer, and not Mechanical Rhythm, which begins with a bang and maintains that brain-exploding coolness the whole way through. ('Course, I'm not the biggest fan of YWKON. Maybe because its presence came with too many heart attacks during the game.)

 

[Fandangox]

If Shulk is in he will surely get a CGI trailer. I am pretty sure all newcomers will. If he is in and ends up being a secret yet to be revealed character, I am pretty sure he will still have a proper reveal and info post 3ds launch since the Wii U version would not be out yet.

Basically I expect them to keep promoting the Wii U version the same way they have been after the 3ds version is out. Most of the footage and shots are from that version, so I expect the POTD to continue and for Sakurai to reveal the secret characters for that version like he did in the Dojo after Brawl was out.

 

[Banjodorf]

Yeah, I'm pretty sure Sakurai stated directly that all newcomers are getting a fancy trailer.

And you make an excellent point about them still needing to hype the Wii U version, so even when the 3DS version is out and we're probably hopefully super mega please all enjoying our shiny fancy SmaShulk, we'll see screenshots of the secret newcomers in HD and all that jazz.

 

[SkittleE]

He did? That eases my mind greatly, whew. And hopefully Nintendo has learned their lesson from their Wii U advertisements (or lack thereof), and will continue hyping SSB4 until all versions are out. (Seriously, the Wii U needs it.)

 

[Creo]

Don't worry, everyone. If Shulk does indeed end up being revealed, it goes without saying that we'd receive an original trailer, along with at least one stage and song thrown into the mix. Come E3, I do believe we'll get some good information on X (specifically within a new trailer), and I still believe Shulk's reveal will coincide with said game, whether it be directly before or after its presentation. Need I remind you that just a couple of months post E3, Nintendo will be attending Gamescom as well (though I'm mostly referring to this for Nintendo games as a whole as I wouldn't expect Shulk to be revealed near 3DS release; Perhaps further X information, though!).

As far as stages are concerned, while I wouldn't consider this to be my personal most-wanted, does anyone else feel that Colony 6 has a good chance? It may just be me, but it's certainly a relevant area, and it could work as a traveling stage (when fully rebuilt), or perhaps they can play with it gradually changing its progress and layout as time passes? I don't know, but for some reason, I just feel as if it is a likely possibility. Ha ha.

Some songs I'd be interested in seeing in the game would include:
- Unfinished Battle
- Prologue A
- Prologue B
- Central Factory
- Zanza
- Satorl Marsh (night, though both day and night if it became a stage)
. . . Amongst many others, of course. The soundtrack of this game is just abundant with viable choices. I'd have to further think about what I believe would be the (let's say) 7 most likely songs to appear (I'd assume by default, at least one of the given songs would have to correlate to whatever is the given stage).

 

[Deleted member]

Don't worry, everyone. If Shulk does indeed end up being revealed, it goes without saying that we'd receive an original trailer, along with at least one stage and song thrown into the mix. Come E3, I do believe we'll get some good information on X (specifically within a new trailer), and I still believe Shulk's reveal will coincide with said game, whether it be directly before or after its presentation. Need I remind you that just a couple of months post E3, Nintendo will be attending Gamescom as well (though I'm mostly referring to this for Nintendo games as a whole as I wouldn't expect Shulk to be revealed near 3DS release; Perhaps further X information, though!).

If Shulk is revealed, then we are guaranteed to get a stage from Xenoblade.
Shulk's reveal would come with X footage alongside it, but I am a bit worried. What if the trailer isn't focused on him? I would love to have a "Trailer 2" with more veterans getting revealed, but I want Shulk to have his own entire trailer. I suspect that this could happen... especially when E3 would also be a good time to reveal Pac-Man. I wish that we could have one more Direct before this month ends and we could have just another newcomer. It's a bit greedy yes, but I rather have some options to get narrowed down before E3. There are a lot of high profile characters they could reveal at E3...
I sense that if Shulk isn't revealed at E3, then his last chance would be hoping that the game is released in August and he gets revealed in a Direct before the game is released. If he isn't revealed, then we must find out ourselves if he is in or not when the 3DS version comes around.

As far as stages are concerned, while I wouldn't consider this to be my personal most-wanted, does anyone else feel that Colony 6 has a good chance? It may just be me, but it's certainly a relevant area, and it could work as a traveling stage (when fully rebuilt), or perhaps they can play with it gradually changing its progress and layout as time passes? I don't know, but for some reason, I just feel as if it is a likely possibility. Ha ha.

That could be a good idea for a stage. As I've mentioned before, I rather see Gaur Plains be our Xenoblade stage. I don't think that Colony 6 would get chosen as a stage over others.

Some songs I'd be interested in seeing in the game would include:
- Unfinished Battle
- Prologue A
- Prologue B
- Central Factory
- Zanza
- Satorl Marsh (night, though both day and night if it became a stage)
. . . Amongst many others, of course. The soundtrack of this game is just abundant with viable choices. I'd have to further think about what I believe would be the (let's say) 7 most likely songs to appear (I'd assume by default, at least one of the given songs would have to correlate to whatever is the given stage).

I would love to see these songs in Smash...
1. You Will Know Our Names
2. Gaur Plains
3. Satorl Marsh - Night
4. Mechanical Rhythm
5. Unfinished Battle
6. Colony 9
7. One Who Gets in Our Way
Zanza and The God-Slaying Sword would also be good tracks, though they don't really fit in with the fighting atmosphere of Smash; I can see them use Satorl Marsh - Night purely because it's popular and to make it the out-of-place song.
I would love to hear a remix of Engage the Enemy in this game.

 

[SkittleE]

For me, Mechanical Rhythm and Zanza are absolute must-haves. So I guess my list is a bit like this:

1. Mechanical Rhythm, Zanza
In no particular order:
- To the Final Battle
- Engage the Enemy
- One Who Gets in Our Way
- Gaur Plains
- Prologue B

There are plenty of other songs I'd love to see in the game, but I better keep it down to just those or else we'll be here all day.

 

[Banjodorf]

Preferred song lists? Alright.

1. You Will Know Our Names
2. Mechanical Rhythm
3. One Who Gets in Our Way
4. Central Factory
5. Mechonis Field
6. Gaur Plains
7. To the Last Battle

I also expect Colony Something to show up somewhere. Honestly any song from the game would be excellent.

 

[MAGMIS]

If shulk gets represented as for the upcoming game "X" from monolith soft that's "IF" he does.

I assume his final smash would be getting in those "Doll" (which are what the mechs are called in the game) which would be pretty awesome similar to landmaster fox Final smash.

 

[Hype Train]

If Shulk is revealed, then we are guaranteed to get a stage from Xenoblade. Shulk's reveal would come with X footage alongside it, but I am a bit worried. What if the trailer isn't focused on him? I would love to have a "Trailer 2" with more veterans getting revealed, but I want Shulk to have his own entire trailer. I suspect that this could happen... especially when E3 would also be a good time to reveal Pac-Man.

On the bright side, trailers that aren't enitrely focused on one character (such as the Villager's) tend to garner more views, which could be a really nice boon for Shulk in particular.

And on the subject of music selection, I'm surprised none of you are interested in hearing an arrangement of the main theme. Though maybe they should aim for something a bit more upbeat than what we got in Xenoblade... This would be a very good start (oh, the feels...) Besides that, almost any track from Xenoblade would be good to hear in this game, but Grandeur is a must-have if we're getting Gaur Plain/Bionis' Leg as a stage. It's such a criminally-underrated track and yet it represents a major part of what makes Xenoblade such a great game.

I assume his final smash would be getting in those "Doll" (which are what the mechs are called in the game) which would be pretty awesome similar to landmaster fox Final smash.

Yes, please.

 

[SkittleE]

Grandeur is great, and I love it dearly, but it doesn't really make for a good fighting theme. Neither does the Main Theme, really, but a more upbeat version might work well.

 

[Hype Train]

Grandeur is great, and I love it dearly, but it doesn't really make for a good fighting theme. Neither does the Main Theme, really, but a more upbeat version might work well.

Yeah, I kind of agree. Still, I don't think it would hurt to get one or two tracks from Xenoblade which don't necessarily make for good fighting music. The game's ending theme is also excellent, but unfortunately pretty unfitting as well.

On a sidenote, should we be expecting a few tracks from The Last Story and Pandora's Tower too on the Xenoblade stage? This one would work really well, but I wouldn't say the same for TLS's main theme. Maybe the Final Boss theme? Also, I'm really liking what little music we got to hear from X so far, but music from that game seems really unlikely as of right now.

 

[Banjodorf]

Aren't Last Story and Pandora's third party? All my sources seem to say that. They definitely don't seem to be connected to Xenoblade (which is of course completely first party) through anything but fans and Op Rainfall.

Mistwalker and some other nameless studio did them I thought.

I'm honestly unsure what "non-Xenoblade" tracks should play on the stage, but I'm sure Sakurai could find one if he needs one.

It seems insulting to Isaac fans but...maybe a GS song could go there if he's not in too?

Uhhh...so if hypothetically Shulk is in, and we got to choose a second playable character, who would you want?

I'm all for Reyn, Dunban or Seven, personally.

Spoiler

Reyn Time is the best FS.

 

[Deleted member]

Aren't Last Story and Pandora's third party? All my sources seem to say that. They definitely don't seem to be connected to Xenoblade (which is of course completely first party) through anything but fans and Op Rainfall.

Mistwalker and some other nameless studio did them I thought.

The back of The Last Story box says "(C) 2011-2012 Nintendo/Mistwalker", much like the back of the Xenoblade box says "(C) 2010-2011 Nintendo/Monolith Soft." I don't own Pandora's Tower at the moment, but I assume the same applies there.

On the subject of stage music, I would like to hear Gaur Plains, Mechonis Field, Mechanical Rhythm, You Will Know Our Names, and One Who Gets In Our Way. You Will Know Our Names in particular would work well with a reveal trailer or an in-game unlock battle.

 

[CardiganBoy]

Talking about Xenoblade Music, the ones i would love to hear in SSB4:

- Gaur Plains: This song just captures how vast and gorgeous the Bionis leg was, the first time you step in that place and the music starts playing was sublime. Imo this should be the song playing in Shulk's trailer.
- Colony 9: Another song with that great adventurous feel.
- You Will Know Our Names: What can i say? just imagine having a chaotic battle while this song is playing, everyone will be at the edge of the seats.
- One Who Gets in Our Way
- Main Theme (Arrangement): A more battle-esque version of the Main theme.
- Mechanical Rhythm
- Zanza

I would also love to hear some "Town Medley" or something like that.
Some songs from Xenoblade could easily become fan favorites in SSB4, even for people who haven't played the game.

 

[ZXMechonHunter]

Ether Mine master race.
Kidding.
You will know our names, Mechanical Rhythm, and Zanza are the essentials in my opinion. I have a really big soft spot for Time to Fight, and I'd love to see Mechonis Field make it in too.

 

[Vintage Creep]

Shulk is basically the only newcomer character that I would be extremely disappointed and pissed off to not see playable in the game.
Mostly because it makes so much sense and is so important to Nintendo right now, that I wouldn't understand why Sakurai would pass on that.
Ridley, King K. Rool, Professor Layton, Paper Mario... Sure, I want them very much but I could see why their inclusion would be an obstacle to the development of the game or simply that Nintendo has higher priorities. But Shulk? Hell no.

 

[ChibiIceClimberz]

Shulk is basically the only newcomer character that I would be extremely disappointed and pissed off to not see playable in the game.
Mostly because it makes so much sense and is so important to Nintendo right now, that I wouldn't understand why Sakurai would pass on that.
Ridley, King K. Rool, Professor Layton, Paper Mario... Sure, I want them very much but I could see why their inclusion would be an obstacle to the development of the game or simply that Nintendo has higher priorities. But Shulk? Hell no.

This.

I've said this before. But for business reasons, not having Shulk or any Xenoblade content in Smash basically shoots Nintendo in the foot since they would lose potential free advertisement for the upcoming X and Monolith Soft's future games. If Shulk isn't in Smash and Nintendo wants X to succeed, then they'll have to spend more money in advertising said game. Hell, advertising can cost a lot more than making a game itself, though I don't think that's usually a case for Nintendo.

I'm just kind of baffled how anti-Shulk supporters don't realize how important this is for Nintendo. It's as if they think their desired characters are far more important because reasons, or x character may take y's slot, or they want Shulk supporters to be salty. If Shulk isn't in it, and X isn't properly advertised, then that's a gigantic loss for Nintendo. Furthermore, Monolith Soft would be kind of a waste investment for Nintendo, unless they really advertise the hell out of their games, but like I said, advertising tends to be costly, and I don't think Nintendo wants to go to that route. I mean, I've heard that Namco sold Monolith Soft because the games they make are expensive. With how X currently looks, the development budget screams millions and millions in game production, and Nintendo doesn't want to lose the opportunity of having Shulk in Smash as free marketing.

 

[Deleted member]

On the bright side, trailers that aren't enitrely focused on one character (such as the Villager's) tend to garner more views, which could be a really nice boon for Shulk in particular.

That would be good for Shulk's case; I guess he will benefit from his trailer be the E3 trailer. Though, I rather have Shulk be given his own trailer with You Will Know Our Names playing.

Aren't Last Story and Pandora's third party? All my sources seem to say that. They definitely don't seem to be connected to Xenoblade (which is of course completely first party) through anything but fans and Op Rainfall.

I believe that Nintendo owns The Last Story and Pandora's Tower IPs. I could be wrong, however...
I hope that they are owned by Nintendo because hearing some music from those games be on the Xenoblade stage would be excellent.

Uhhh...so if hypothetically Shulk is in, and we got to choose a second playable character, who would you want?

Reyn because...

That and he is my second favorite character in the story, only behind Shulk himself.

Shulk is basically the only newcomer character that I would be extremely disappointed and pissed off to not see playable in the game.
Mostly because it makes so much sense and is so important to Nintendo right now, that I wouldn't understand why Sakurai would pass on that.
Ridley, King K. Rool, Professor Layton, Paper Mario... Sure, I want them very much but I could see why their inclusion would be an obstacle to the development of the game or simply that Nintendo has higher priorities. But Shulk? Hell no.

This is something that I agree with. If Bandana Dee, Takamaru, and other characters that I want aren't in, then I would find it understandable. (I'll sulk over King K. Rool not being playable, but that's besides the point!)

I think that Shulk is both a rising star and a Nintendo all-star. In future games, I bet that he will cement a name for himself. He represents something big for Nintendo. Not only would he represent Monolith Soft, a big named developer that Nintendo now owns, but also a major game. I feel as though that Xenoblade has become a major part of Nintendo's history. I don't believe Reggie when he says that the Rainfall movement didn't affect their thoughts; it definitely did and without Rainfall, we would never get Xenoblade and we would not even get X on the Wii U. The sales of Xenoblade might not look impressive, but they were impressive for a game that was released for a limited time in just GameStops. People are clearly interested in Xenoblade; the demand is high, but the supply is low.

Shulk is easily one of the most logical newcomers that they could add and it would be a massive missed opportunity if Sakurai doesn't add Shulk in Smash. Monolith and X need some promotion on their games; failure to do so now will be a major loss to Nintendo. Smash would garner interest in Shulk and his series, and thus help sales for X.

This.

I've said this before. But for business reasons, not having Shulk or any Xenoblade content in Smash basically shoots Nintendo in the foot since they would lose potential free advertisement for the upcoming X and Monolith Soft's future games. If Shulk isn't in Smash and Nintendo wants X to succeed, then they'll have to spend more money in advertising said game. Hell, advertising can cost a lot more than making a game itself, though I don't think that's usually a case for Nintendo.

I'm just kind of baffled how anti-Shulk supporters don't realize how important this is for Nintendo. It's as if they think their desired characters are far more important because reasons, or x character may take y's slot, or they want Shulk supporters to be salty. If Shulk isn't in it, and X isn't properly advertised, then that's a gigantic loss for Nintendo. Furthermore, Monolith Soft would be kind of a waste investment for Nintendo, unless they really advertise the hell out of their games, but like I said, advertising tends to be costly, and I don't think Nintendo wants to go to that route. I mean, I've heard that Namco sold Monolith Soft because the games they make are expensive. With how X currently looks, the development budget screams millions and millions in game production, and Nintendo doesn't want to lose the opportunity of having Shulk in Smash as free marketing.

Also, bless this post. I agree with this.

 

[Hype Train]

Uhhh...so if hypothetically Shulk is in, and we got to choose a second playable character, who would you want?

I'm all for Reyn, Dunban or Seven, personally.

All I have to say is that Xenoblade would need to be really lucky to get not one, but two representatives in Smash Bros.

Spoiler

Lucky Seven it is, then.

 

[Pega-pony Princess]

As awesome as Seven is, I don't think they'd make the cut. That'd be like the spoilers of spoilers for people who haven't played Xenoblade yet.

 

[Hype Train]

As awesome as Seven is, I don't think they'd make the cut. That'd be like the spoilers of spoilers for people who haven't played Xenoblade yet.

How so? At most it implies that she got turned into a bionic woman. Without any context, it's pretty meaningless. I would think Sheik transforming into Zelda would be a lot more problematic than Seven, but that didn't stop Sakurai.

 

[Deleted member]

As awesome as Seven is, I don't think they'd make the cut. That'd be like the spoilers of spoilers for people who haven't played Xenoblade yet.

Let's just hope that Sakurai won't spoil Xenoblade when he puts Trophies of the characters in Xenoblade in Smash.

 

[Banjodorf]

Let's just hope that Sakurai won't spoil Xenoblade when he puts Trophies of the characters in Xenoblade in Smash.

I can just picture one particular character's trophy having a "before and after" like some others have before, with two models on it.

This is why I'm getting all my friends to play Xenoblade before Sm4sh comes out.

 

[Pega-pony Princess]

How so? At most it implies that she got turned into a bionic woman. Without any context, it's pretty meaningless. I would think Sheik transforming into Zelda would be a lot more problematic than Seven, but that didn't stop Sakurai.

You have a point. The idea of Seven appearing in Smash does unsettle me though.

 

[foolssigma]

Spoilers aside, Seven is the best option for a second Xenoblade rep. That being said, there will likely not be a second rep. I feel like Seven is a bigger spoiler than Zelda/Sheik. (Insert witty Seven Quote here that I cannot think of). Ah I need to replay Xenoblade now.

It is tough to choose between Reyn Time, Blossom Dance, and Melia though

 

[Sonic Poke]

Uhhh...so if hypothetically Shulk is in, and we got to choose a second playable character, who would you want?

Melia or Fiora, both are lovely!

 

[Neo Zero]

Spoilers aside, Seven is the best option for a second Xenoblade rep. That being said, there will likely not be a second rep. I feel like Seven is a bigger spoiler than Zelda/Sheik. (Insert witty Seven Quote here that I cannot think of). Ah I need to replay Xenoblade now.

It is tough to choose between Reyn Time, Blossom Dance, and Melia though

Oh how I'd love Seven

Spoiler

I'm a huge robo android fan lol

 

[foolssigma]

@ Neo Zero Off topic, but nice Persona avatar. Can't wait for 5, although I want to replay Persona 4 this summer. I'd play Golden, but no Vita.

Anyways, out of curiosity do any of you guys run the Shulk for Smash bros. Facebook page? They sometimes share new and interesting things such as the Shulk brawl hack I posted earlier. Here's a link if any one is curious: https://www.facebook.com/pages/Shulk-for-Super-Smash-Bros-4/232990686749457