How would be Smash Bros.' future without Sakurai (at least as Director) ?

[InfiniteTripping]

However, most popular series continue without their original creators taking the helm. Sakurai's original series, Kirby, has had plenty of great games that keep the feel of the older ones, and he wasn't directly involved with them. Miyamoto doesn't work directly with the Mario Platformers anymore if I'm not mistaken. And I think quite a few Mega Man games were made without Keiji Inafune at the helm either. I think the same situation could happen with Smash. Because it's too much of a cash cow for a company like Nintendo to just drop..

Money doesn't always = goes on forever and ever. If you've noticed, Nintendo rarely follows the same formula every game anyway. They routinely throw out winning formulas to try something new. If Nintendo was solely interested in money they'd remake Super Mario 64 until it burnt out. Yet they scrapped everything and went for something different in Super Mario Galaxy. A crossover fighter as unique as Smash is would be different to make than a Kirby gamer, which follows relatively simple and familiar platformer rules. Like I said before, Sakurai is not forcing himself onto this project - it's pretty clear no one else at Nintendo wants to do it. So without Sakurai, yes there may be another game but I would put money it would come after a long hiatus, and might end up way different than what people expected to see.

 

[ErenJager]

It would be nice to see a western or European director for Smash, but with a new director there's the risk they will completely mess it up.

I would like someone else to do it, and do it well, but that's unlikely.

It would be interesting to see someone fresh take a shot at smash, hopefully someone with impeccable sense and logic, and free of bias.

I wouldn't mind the approach of a reboot as far as the roster is concerned, "no one is safe".

 

[BluePikmin11]

It would be nice to see a western or European director for Smash, but with a new director there's the risk they will completely mess it up.

I would like someone else to do it, and do it well, but that's unlikely.

It would be interesting to see someone fresh take a shot at smash, hopefully someone with impeccable sense and logic, and free of bias.

I wouldn't mind the approach of a reboot as far as the roster is concerned, "no one is safe".

With a European and Western director, there's probably going to be less influence in upcoming Nintendo games in newcomer decisions.

 

[Deleted member 269706]

Not to be that guy, but I almost feel like Sakurai gets a little more credit than he deserves. I mean there are other guys on his team who are helping come up with new ideas, who are experimenting and bringing ideas to the table. Don't get me wrong, Sakurai is an extremely innovative and intelligent designer. The thing is, some of his decisions make me question his thoughts. Like the idea to put Dark Pit in: was that because it's HIS character or did he really, genuinely think he would be a good spot on the roster? (I don't have a problem with Dark Pit being in the game like so many others do, but I wanted to bring that up). And what about his choice to cut Lucas? What about the choice to bring Dr. Mario back? And why does he announce things in such a weird way, where there's always a level of uncertainty? It bothers me to a point, but ultimately, I respect the man. To answer the original post however, I feel like Smash has such a defined formula at this point that it would be kind of hard to mess it up if someone else was to try and develop the game.

 

[Verde Coeden Scalesworth]

Dr. Mario was planned as a costume, but he decided to do it for his fans. And his fans definitely loved him back as his own playable character with the Tornado.

Dark Pit was a last minute move. I do definitely believe there's some Sakurai bias going on for Uprising, not to a ridiculous degree as some suggest, but just a bit. But his team also worked on Uprising, so they could easily port them over and remake their movements/attacks for Smash easier than others. If you designed a character, you'd be best at porting them over. So I can honestly say it was a fairly logical move to put in the most content as easily as possible.(I think more series should've been repped a bit higher, respectively, but eh. Not even mad, truthfully)

Keep in mind that it was Dark Pit or Alph. He has to make the Rock Pikmin work, which he might've not thought they would be any different from the Purple Ones. So, making him unique might've been something that couldn't come to mind at all. Dark Pit has a somewhat different special moveset(uses different items, although clonish versions) and his Dark Pit Staff, a major item he uses in Uprising. Despite his low differences, they are notable enough to be a change. The last bits of Alts were all 7 Koopalings. ...7 last minute clones is pushing it. The one issue that seems to happen is that some people cite Dark Pit to have a different weigh/knockback/recovery ability/etc., while others say besides 2 specials(customs too, technically) and Final Smash, he's identical. Also, they have different armbands and as metal, their wing textures are separated. They're much easier to tell apart than some feared would be a minor issue.(The Wii U version doesn't allow you to select a box over a character in battle to help show which person is playing from what I remember. I think he didn't bother to do that, but I would be okay with that too as an option)

Lucina was explained very well. She was a different style of Marth, without the tipper, shorter and naturally has less reach. Their approaches are very different due to this. Their entire moveset is identical for anything that affects battle. Her taunts/voice/victory screen are different, of course.

It should go without saying that many character Entrances are unique, clones or otherwise. In fact, I think the only ones with an identical entrance just happen to not be clone at all, ironically.

 

[Skyblade12]

So without Sakurai, yes there may be another game but I would put money it would come after a long hiatus, and might end up way different than what people expected to see.

Wait, isn't that just summing up Smash 4?


Honestly, I'd love to see someone else take the helm. Even if they don't keep control of the series, I would love to see what any of Nintendo's people could and would do with Smash Bros. Sure, there's a chance that it would be horrible, but it would get some new ideas circulating. Sakurai may be a creative genius in some areas, but there are other places where he is just retreading old ground over and over. Everyone looks at his brilliant ideas for character designs (which, at least from a mechanics standpoint, are quite excellent), but let's not forget all the revamped content that we've seen throughout his games. The fact that you can trace the evolution of mechanics and game modes throughout all of the games he has worked on shows a very different side to Sakurai.

Look at all the ideas that we've gotten in fake leaks. Thoughts people have had for new play modes, new stages, new cross-game content, etcetera. These are just a handful of people with no budget and no motivation except "mess with peoples' minds", yet they have produced such strong and creative thoughts that, in many cases, we would love to see the series adopt. Just imagine what we might get if an actual game development team got a hold of the franchise and was allowed to adjust it.

And, if nothing else, it would spark a ton more creativity in Sakurai if he should return for the following game.

 

[InfiniteTripping]

Wait, isn't that just summing up Smash 4?


Honestly, I'd love to see someone else take the helm. Even if they don't keep control of the series, I would love to see what any of Nintendo's people could and would do with Smash Bros. Sure, there's a chance that it would be horrible, but it would get some new ideas circulating. Sakurai may be a creative genius in some areas, but there are other places where he is just retreading old ground over and over. Everyone looks at his brilliant ideas for character designs (which, at least from a mechanics standpoint, are quite excellent), but let's not forget all the revamped content that we've seen throughout his games. The fact that you can trace the evolution of mechanics and game modes throughout all of the games he has worked on shows a very different side to Sakurai.

Look at all the ideas that we've gotten in fake leaks. Thoughts people have had for new play modes, new stages, new cross-game content, etcetera. These are just a handful of people with no budget and no motivation except "mess with peoples' minds", yet they have produced such strong and creative thoughts that, in many cases, we would love to see the series adopt. Just imagine what we might get if an actual game development team got a hold of the franchise and was allowed to adjust it.

And, if nothing else, it would spark a ton more creativity in Sakurai if he should return for the following game.

When I say long hiatus, I mean like ten years. I dunno, I do not share such a rosy imagining of a Smash game without Sakurai. It is one thing to have all these ideas and it is another to actually implement them. And Sak, love him or hate him but he doesn't just daydream - he gets results. A sign that Sakurai does a phenomenal job is he makes this look so easy and seamless.

 

[Mysteltainn]

I wouldn't care personally. Yeah, Sakurai has done some great things with the Smash Bros. series, but keep in mind that new blood isn't necessarily a bad thing either. Someone with different points of view could really liven the series up more if it's the right person. Someone with a different outlook on things, who sees flaws that Sakurai may have missed simply because he has been looking at the same picture for so long.

For example: This problem actually happens in sports such as swimming or running a lot, where a coach may become immune to a swimmer's / runner's flaws because they're used to seeing them every day. However, if another coach sees that swimmer / runner, they may immediately pick up on a flaw in one of their technique.

This analogy may be true for directors as well, where an outsider who is very knowledgeable of Smash Bros. would have fresh ideas and different outlooks on characters that Sakurai may have missed. Or perhaps even ideas about new game modes. Look at all the poppycock leaks we've had over the past year +. As stupid as some of them seem, some of these people have some pretty damn good ideas, and these are people who aren't being paid to do it.

As for fears of a new director "messing things up", that is a concern I cannot pretend doesn't exist, but it's also important to remember that Sakurai is not a one-man army. Many of the aspects of Smash Bros. that we love today were undoubtedly influenced by other members of the Smash Bros. team to some extent. You may be surprised to find out what Sakurai is NOT responsible for, and consider the possibility that it was Jimmy in the back room who decided that "x quality of Smash Bros." was a good idea, not Sakurai.

 

[Skyblade12]

When I say long hiatus, I mean like ten years. I dunno, I do not share such a rosy imagining of a Smash game without Sakurai. It is one thing to have all these ideas and it is another to actually implement them. And Sak, love him or hate him but he doesn't just daydream - he gets results. A sign that Sakurai does a phenomenal job is he makes this look so easy and seamless.

Seven years is not that different from ten.

The hardest thing to implement about almost any of those ideas is balance, and Smash has plenty of balance issues either way. Implementing the Tower of Smash or most other ideas are relative child's play to the roster.

As for "seamless": I can see the seams.

 

[Enigma14]

I've read interviews (circa E3 2013) where he considers himself the only person qualified to work on Smash. Given his dedication and the fact that he worked on balancing for past games on his own it makes me worried that there is no one to pick up after him. So if no one can bring the hype like he can, I hope that Kamiya can. Wonderful 101 and Metal Gear Rising are the best games to show off what I mean in terms of evolution of gameplay and fun if he were the one to make the next game.

 

[InfiniteTripping]

Seven years is not that different from ten.

The hardest thing to implement about almost any of those ideas is balance, and Smash has plenty of balance issues either way. Implementing the Tower of Smash or most other ideas are relative child's play to the roster.

As for "seamless": I can see the seams.

Imagine waiting three more years from today for Smash if you do not think it is too long.

Dark Pit, I do not really see how this is a problem. He took virtually no time to put in the game and he is little more than an alt costume. Hardly cause to remove the creator of the game.

Anyway, silent majority and such. This Smash is already a huge success and the Wii U version has not even come out yet. Sakurai is not going anywhere, even if he would like to.

 

[Tino]

I have nothing but the upmost respect I have for Sakurai and all the hard work he has put into these awesome games. One could only wonder what was going through his mind when people starts crying like a bunch of 6-year-olds criticizing him over the choice of characters he has put on the game's roster. I mean really, who does that?

Now I don't know what the future of the Smash Bros. games will be like without him, assuming if they'll ever gonna be another game, but things change and nothing lasts forever. If someone were to actually take over the series as Sakurai's predecessor, this person would have to have the same level of game designing experience as Sakurai himself. I don't know if anyone from the Sora team would fit in quite well but that's just me.

And without Sakurai, there wouldn't even be a Super Smash Bros. and we wouldn't even be in here where we are now.

 

[Skyblade12]

Imagine waiting three more years from today for Smash if you do not think it is too long.

Dark Pit, I do not really see how this is a problem. He took virtually no time to put in the game and he is little more than an alt costume. Hardly cause to remove the creator of the game.

Anyway, silent majority and such. This Smash is already a huge success and the Wii U version has not even come out yet. Sakurai is not going anywhere, even if he would like to.

It's not "seamless" if you can point out obvious flaws. There are plenty, that was just the first obvious one that came to mind. The absurdity of the menus is another one. The stupidity of the Challenge setup. The overbearing nature of certain stage hazards. The list goes on.

Sakurai apparently turned down Smash 4 a couple times. If he turns down Smash 5 enough, Nintendo will move on, I'm sure.

 

[Knight Dude]

Not to be that guy, but I almost feel like Sakurai gets a little more credit than he deserves. I mean there are other guys on his team who are helping come up with new ideas, who are experimenting and bringing ideas to the table. Don't get me wrong, Sakurai is an extremely innovative and intelligent designer. The thing is, some of his decisions make me question his thoughts. Like the idea to put Dark Pit in: was that because it's HIS character or did he really, genuinely think he would be a good spot on the roster? (I don't have a problem with Dark Pit being in the game like so many others do, but I wanted to bring that up). And what about his choice to cut Lucas? What about the choice to bring Dr. Mario back? And why does he announce things in such a weird way, where there's always a level of uncertainty? It bothers me to a point, but ultimately, I respect the man. To answer the original post however, I feel like Smash has such a defined formula at this point that it would be kind of hard to mess it up if someone else was to try and develop the game.

Fair point. There's many people behind games these days. Not like it was back in the 80's or 90's. That's when you were lucky to even have 20 people on board for a single title. So not all of the credit goes to Sakurai himself. I think many people can't help but see him that way since he's the most notable developer along as being the front runner for the series.

In case it wasn't obvious, I'd be interested in seeing how someone else could handle the series. They wouldn't be the only key component for the game. But I can't help but wonder what priorities said individual would have.

 

[Vintage Creep]

At least the next three installments will be by Sakurai anyway. He has plenty of time to destroy the series by himself before someone takes a chance at it!

 

[Thinkaman]

It would be great if development was turned over to experienced competitive gamers who could prioritize competitive play above everything else.

After all, this exact strategy is what gave us terrific titles such as TMNT Smash-Up and PSASBR; timeless gems that will dominate EVO for years to come.

 

[PsychoIncarnate]

If they can make mario games without Miyamoto, Kirby games without Sakurai, Metroid games without Sakamoto, and Zelda games without Aonuma (Though unlike the others, there is less games of the series made without him)

They can make Smash games without Sakurai

 

[Verde Coeden Scalesworth]

Fair point. There's many people behind games these days. Not like it was back in the 80's or 90's. That's when you were lucky to even have 20 people on board for a single title. So not all of the credit goes to Sakurai himself. I think many people can't help but see him that way since he's the most notable developer along as being the front runner for the series.

In case it wasn't obvious, I'd be interested in seeing how someone else could handle the series. They wouldn't be the only key component for the game. But I can't help but wonder what priorities said individual would have.

It does not help at all that he tried to take all the credit for Brawl's development/ideas/etc. So he did somewhat bring it towards himself.

Doesn't anywhere near justify the ridiculous hate.

Thankfully he's making each game extremely amazing(although flawed too). So I'm not worried. I worry more about his health right now. His game-making ability is fine. I'd say his decisions, partially(but not entirely) due to a bit of bias does somewhat cause a little bit of issues, but a director throwing in their own material isn't too weird, but him saving time by porting over a lot of Uprising stuff was pretty justified. Considering it gave a lot more content. Another thing is that he may not have access to many handheld character models from other games. He owns Uprising essentially. It's also on the same system. Trying to throw in other series may be a lot harder. I expect the Wii U to be filled with other series a bit better, but we'll have to wait and see. Really, I still question why he got rid of the Red Shell(unless there were some programming issues? I mean, it homes in on a character, so it takes a bit more work than other items, respectively. And it's not like, say, Staryu, who selects one character entirely.)

But I'm getting a little off-topic. There's a lot of stuff lost. The only one that is directly justified is the Ice Climbers cut. that lag would've been more of an issue. Nobody knows why Snake is. I think Wolf and Lucas will be DLC eventually, maybe Squirtle and Ivysaur later on. Low priority means they can eventually redo them way later. Plus, to be fair, all DLC characters bar clones have to have their customs made as well. Although they did remove Tether Recoveries as a regular Up B(possibly because they had no ideas how to make customs of it? Balance? I dunno).

 

[Booster]

We might get a chance of being able to see Mewtwo again, Ridley, K. Rool and Isacc as playable characters PLUS he gets to prioritize his health, it's a win win

 

[TheMagicalKuja]

Put simply, I wouldn't mind a new director, but I would also be sad to see him go.

Alas, things ain't easy. Whoever takes up the mantle would have big shoes to fill and I feel that people like BluePikmin are on to something when a new director might shred fanservice in favor of raw gameplay changes.

So what? Did Melee's high speed, hitstun, and other things go as far to ruin the game for everybody? Not at all, it was still critically acclaimed and was the best-selling Gamecube of all time, especially for a fighting game. Hardly anyone noticed how fast the game was and still played it via party smash rules with items, which would bring a luck factor and give people a better chance of winning regardless of skill difference. Aside from a few critics who reviewed the game and Nintendo's Clark Nielson (who are still greatly outnumbered by the sheer amount of competitive players), I don't know very many people who were bothered the game's speed and difficulty. Melee was enjoyed by both competitive and casual players even when they were not playing together, where Brawl could only appeal to the latter, and shies away the former audience. People mostly like Brawl better because it has more content, game modes, and characters. If it had kept the same mechanics loved about Melee without removing any new content, most new players would not even notice it, and would be great for those who want it.

Being that difficult doesn't matter much when people are barely even aware of it, something I think Sakurai oughta rrealize one day. Even though he found Melee too difficult and faster than it should be, few casuals noticed it until the competitive guys pointed it out, which is what caused wars between the two audiences in the first place.

Melee and Brawl do not exist separately in a vacuum. I believe I've said in an earlier topic that Melee isn't too fast in an absolute sense, but rather when Brawl came out, most people moved on from Melee. Melee's metagame continued to develop, so those who came *back* to it saw the speed differences and felt an actual difference (and also go absolutely creamed, making them unfavor Melee). I remember struggling with the fast falling speed way back when, though there were some undoubted things that Melee did better than Brawl that *weren't* related to just raw gameplay (for example, event mode).

If Smash took a more PM route, I'd be very concerned; those guys did wonders for balance but neutered so many stages--and for what, never using half of them anyway? I hope they think a little more wisely in developing future gimmicks for SSB.

 

[AveryisAwesome]

Sakurai definitely need to get replaced. I tired of him putting characters that no one wants. (I'm looking at you, Dark pit, Wii fit trainer and Rosalina.)

 

[LancerStaff]

Sakurai definitely need to get replaced. I tired of him putting characters that no one wants. (I'm looking at you, Dark pit, Wii fit trainer and Rosalina.)

Lol, people wanted DP and Rosalina. WFT is one of those characters that people have to troll the roster haters with see in smash to like.

 

[AveryisAwesome]

Lol, people wanted DP and Rosalina. WFT is one of those characters that people have to troll the roster haters with see in smash to like.

I not sure DP been heavily requested, since your main is DP. ( 0.0 coincidence?)

 

[LancerStaff]

I not sure DP been heavily requested, since your main is DP. ( 0.0 coincidence?)

Places pretty darned high on more then a few character polls in Japan. Making him a clone with the costume already in place was a no-brainer.

And he's really just on my profile on a formality at this point. He's probably the biggest clone in the series. Maining Pit essentially means maining Dark Pit also, since you can count the changes on one hand. I've only used him like twice so far though.

 

[gameprodigy12]

Sakurai definitely need to get replaced. I tired of him putting characters that no one wants. (I'm looking at you, Dark pit, Wii fit trainer and Rosalina.)

Sakurai doesn't need to be replaced and people wanted Rosalina, heck a lot of them wanted her in. So she's not a character nobody wants.

 

[the8thark]

Sakurai did at least one thing right. No Ridley as a playable character is one of his more intelligent choices with Smash 4.

 

[Deleted member]

Sakurai did at least one thing right. No Ridley as a playable character is one os his more intelligent choices with Smash 4.

This topic has went so well...

 

[the8thark]

This topic has went so well...

We should be giving Sakurai praise when he did well.

 

[TheMagicalKuja]

I sure hope his boss battle isn't boring. He was disappointingly easy in Zero mission, and other M... eehhhh best not left mentioned.

 

[the.tok]

It would be nice to see a western or European director for Smash

I really hope that it will never happen.
I like that smash stays focused on Japanese standards and characters.

This game is as much a fighting game as a museum about Nintendo gaming history, with a lot of references. I have the feeling that only Japanese devs will respect that enough, though I could be wrong. And when I hear people around here focusing on the competitive viability of the smash game, discarding the museum aspect, my fear is that we might get a studio that would do just that, and kill what smash is at its core.

To me this aspect is even more important than balance / mechanics. Otherwise, it would just be a much better playstation-all stars.

 

[Terotrous]

Honestly, I think it would probably get better. Sakurai clearly doesn't really understand the Smash Bros metagame and in every game he makes some bizarre choices that end up hurting the game's competitive viability. A perfect example of this is the new Rage mechanic. Let's suppose, for a minute, that Sakurai wanted this to function as a comeback mechanic so that it would help level the playing field and make the game more fun for people of differing levels of skill to play together. Without debating the validity of that idea, we can still note that Rage completely fails in this regard. The Rage mechanic actually gives you a bonus for staying alive, or to put it another way, you are heavily penalized every time you die because you lose all your kill power. This actually tends to make stock leads LARGER and generally makes revenge KOs and comebacks less common, which makes the game less fun for everyone.

Beyond this, I'm also not convinced that he's very effective at allocating resources. In Brawl, for example, he clearly wasted far too much manpower on Subspace Emissary, leading the rest of the game to be generally unpolished and full of bugs (much of the reason MK is so broken is because of a bug involving how transcendent hitboxes clash). To add insult to injury, Subspace Emissary wasn't even very fun. In Smash 4, the time was instead foolishly spent creating two nearly-identical games instead. Granted, even if Nintendo made this choice and not him, it was clearly a mistake to insist that the roster be the same between versions. Cutting the Ice Climbers out of the Wii U version simply because they can't run on 3DS despite the fact that the games don't have cross-play is the definition of "mindbogglingly stupid". It would have been a much better idea to simply focus the 3DS version entirely on Smash Run and make the Wii U version the traditional Smash game, that way they wouldn't compete for the same space.


TLDR I'm quite certain there's a lot of directors who could manage Smash Bros just as well or better.

 

[True Blue Warrior]

Sakurai definitely need to get replaced. I tired of him putting characters that no one wants. (I'm looking at you, Dark pit, Wii fit trainer and Rosalina.)

There were people who wanted Rosalina, and to a much lesser extend, Dark Pit, in Smash 4.

 

[Naoshi]

Sakurai definitely need to get replaced. I tired of him putting characters that no one wants. (I'm looking at you, Dark pit, Wii fit trainer and Rosalina.)

How dare Sakurai doesn't cater to only the fandom with character inclusions! Wii Fit Trainer?! Awful choice because no one wanted her! Smash Bros should only ever be about what the fans wants! Screw being original and surprising people with interesting choices! Darn you Sakurai, cater to my needs or stop developing games!


/s

 

[Radical Bones]

I don't want to get all the obvious characters. How boring is that?

Sakurai does an amazing job. But there are other great game directors out there.

He'll never truly step away.

 

[AveryisAwesome]

I don't want to get all the obvious characters. How boring is that?

Sakurai does an amazing job. But there are other great game directors out there.

He'll never truly step away.

Until he dies! ( ͡° ͜ʖ ͡°)

 

[Naoshi]

Until he dies! ( ͡° ͜ʖ ͡°)

( ≖‿≖) I'm onto you...

 

[AveryisAwesome]

( ≖‿≖) I'm onto you...

ಠ_ಠ

 

[DownWitDaWaveDash]

I want Sakurai to step down as Lead, but still be apart of the team. He's a bit too stubborn about how the game should be, and doesn't seem to take criticism the proper way

 

[---]

Until he dies! ( ͡° ͜ʖ ͡°)

( ≖‿≖) I'm onto you...

ಠ_ಠ

Please don't make jokes like this that are borderline spam.

 

[Naoshi]

Please don't make jokes like this that are borderline spam.

My apologies.