"I need a weapon" - Master Chief

[Zyliee]

I think it'd be ideal if that Halo location was ambiguous enough that you don't recognize it immediately. Which location from Halo wouldn't be immediately obvious that it's Halo?

Instillation 04 as long as you keep away from shots of the sky or buildings. Keep the opening shots of Mario fleeing to just the sounds of the plasma weapons and taunts of the grunts for people to figure it out along with the odd blast of plasma. It might be obvious to anyone with a brain, just like Castlevania's opening for it's fans, but it gives some people who are casual to reacting to try and piece it together. You transition to one of the metal structures as he cowers behind it before seeing the sight of a Covenant Wraith as it blasts a large ball of plasma. Now people know what is going on as Mario braces for impact before you see the flash of green and the 'BWOM' of the Bubble Shield. People are screaming at this point as it's just smoke, they saw the tank and know where it's from. And you just hear the chorus

Smoke clears, bubble shield breaking and you get Master Chief posing to the camera, Splash screen "Master Chief Finishes the Fight". The guitar rift is going, the drums are beating as the angle changes to him helping Mario to his feet as you get an iconic image of their hands locked to show the two 'mascots' for these two companies working together before you go to showing off Chiefs moveset and references to his game such as comparing him to Samus and Snake, having to fight a Donkey Kong with a Hammer or just showing off that each one of his recolors references another armor set from Halo such as Hayabusa with the Katana or Recon.

 

[IanTheGamer]

I think it'd be ideal if that Halo location was ambiguous enough that you don't recognize it immediately. Which location from Halo wouldn't be immediately obvious that it's Halo?

Installation 04, maybe? Or inside a UNSC ship?

 

[LukeRNG]

Installation 04, maybe? Or inside a UNSC ship?

Maybe if Metroid Prime 4 get's at least some CGI footage then they could follow up with Chief's reveal without us even noticing.

 

[CommanderZaktan]

I think the reveal will be a sequel to the Ridley's reveal. Samus is getting her ass kicked by Ridley. And before he kill Samus, a plasma grenade sticks part of Ridley and it explodes.

 

[SpectreJordan]

I think the reveal will be a sequel to the Ridley's reveal. Samus is getting her ass kicked by Ridley. And before he kill Samus, a plasma grenade sticks part of Ridley and it explodes.

That’s an idea I’ve had too. Maybe Samus blows a hole into a wall & lands in a grassy field. Then Ridley flies over to her about to use his flame breath before he gets stuck by the Grenade.

 

[Zyliee]

Maybe if Metroid Prime 4 get's at least some CGI footage then they could follow up with Chief's reveal without us even noticing.

You get the two fighting with shots of something blue and humanoid flickering as it blips away. You see them crash through an area where a cryo-pod is open and even past a vehicle bay with the silhoutte's of vehicles in the background for a split second. Cameo's that flicker by for the briefest of seconds...

 

[Lionfranky]

I was thinking in more line with Sephiroth trailer.
Darkhon is cornering our heroes. Before it gets to finish them, a drop pod comes in and pierces right through Darkhon. After landing, the hatch opens. Someone walks out and fires Spartan Laser at Darkhon. Camera zooms in and finally reveals the final character. "Master Chief Finishes the Fight!"

If Darkhon isn't going to be in Chief's trailer, I wonder who will deal with Darkhon. Since Sephiroth showed Galleem, it makes sense to feature Darkhon in the trailer.

 

[SpectreJordan]

I was thinking in more line with Sephiroth trailer.
Darkhon is cornering our heroes. Before it gets to finish them, a drop pod comes in and pierces right through Darkhon. After landing, the hatch opens. Someone walks out and fires Spartan Laser at Darkhon. Camera zooms in and finally reveals the final character. "Master Chief Finishes the Fight!"

If Darkhon isn't going to be in Chief's trailer, I wonder who will deal with Darkhon. Since Sephiroth showed Galleem, it makes sense to feature Darkhon in the trailer.

Maybe another Square character? Square’s trailers seem to be the one tying into WOL. Maybe 2B, Crono or maybe even a surprise Sora.

 

[Houndstooth]

Maybe another Square character? Square’s trailers seem to be the one tying into WOL. Maybe 2B, Crono or maybe even a surprise Sora.

If Chief and Crono were the last two characters, I would go crazy! Love these two!

 

[TDDolphin]

Hey guys. I'd like to add myself to the support list!

Until recently, I was someone who didn't think Master Chief coming to Smash was possible, even with Microsoft allowing Banjo & Kazooie and Steve. I wouldn't have minded if he got in, since Halo (1-3 and Reach in particular) is my all-time favorite shooter series, with Halo 3 being one of my all-time favorite games, but I just didn't see him making it in. Now though? While I won't say he's guaranteed, at this point I would love to see Master Chief be playable in Smash Ultimate! I would love possibly throw plasma grenades, or snipe with the sniper rifle, or lunge the energy sword at some of the greatest video game characters in the world, in this incredible crossover game!

Here's to hoping it's possible

 

[SpectreJordan]

I was thinking about it & Master Chief is the second most successful console mascot after Mario. This would make his inclusion all the more impactful.

I could see arguments for Sonic, but Sega was out of the console race just 10 years after his debut. Xbox is still going strong after 20 years with the Chief prominently on every Xbox Series X box.

Then there’s Sony who went from Crash/Cloud/Lara to Jak/Ratchet to Drake/Sackboy/Kratos to seemingly solidifying Kratos as their mascot recently. They haven’t really had anyone as stable as Mario or Master Chief.

 

[IanTheGamer]

I was thinking about it & Master Chief is the second most successful console mascot after Mario. This would make his inclusion all the more impactful.

I could see arguments for Sonic, but Sega was out of the console race just 10 years after his debut. Xbox is still going strong after 20 years with the Chief prominently on every Xbox Series X box.

Then there’s Sony who went from Crash/Cloud/Lara to Jak/Ratchet to Drake/Sackboy/Kratos to seemingly solidifying Kratos as their mascot recently. They haven’t really had anyone as stable as Mario or Master Chief.

It would also really symbolize Ultimate as the greatest crossover in gaming history

 

[Sirfishe]

One of the main reasons why Chief should be in Smash at of all characters. Halo blew up back then. Doom may have been the first FPS, but Halo had a bigger impact on gamers on a personal level and really built up a community like no other. Similar to what Melee did for the Smash Brothers community in a way. Its not about another Microsoft character, its about what he represents to so many people. To gaming as a whole. Halo represents our childhood, my childhood. I put so many hours into Halo with my friends and everybody talked about it. Even the main stream media was making a big deal out of it. It absolutely ruled the world from commercials, t.v shows, merchandise, guesting in different games. I do not remember something like DOOM having that same level of hype Halo had. Masterchief NEEDS to join Smash. He has earned that privilege of fighting against gamings greatest hero's and villains in the world of Super Smash Bros. Don't care if you don't like Halo, you can't deny what Halo did for gamers back then

 

[volbound1700]

One of the main reasons why Chief should be in Smash at of all characters. Halo blew up back then. Doom may have been the first FPS, but Halo had a bigger impact on gamers on a personal level and really built up a community like no other. Similar to what Melee did for the Smash Brothers community in a way. Its not about another Microsoft character, its about what he represents to so many people. To gaming as a whole. Halo represents our childhood, my childhood. I put so many hours into Halo with my friends and everybody talked about it. Even the main stream media was making a big deal out of it. It absolutely ruled the world from commercials, t.v shows, merchandise, guesting in different games. I do not remember something like DOOM having that same level of hype Halo had. Masterchief NEEDS to join Smash. He has earned that privilege of fighting against gamings greatest hero's and villains in the world of Super Smash Bros. Don't care if you don't like Halo, you can't deny what Halo did for gamers back then

Both were huge. Most people don't remember Doom because you would have to be near 40 to have been in Highschool when Doom was in its heyday. Doom is also still religiously played and modded today. Go type Doom into Youtube and look at all the flipping people that still stream it, play it, talk about it, etc.

Doom was actually preceded by another FPS, Wolfenstein (made by same company). Wolfenstein probably deserves more credit for being the real first FPS game but it gets overshadowed by Doom. Doom was just as HUGE as Halo was in its heyday. I do think, though, that Masterchief would be more of a hype addition than Doomguy in the scheme of things so, in sentiment, I agree with your post.

I doubt either will make it though. We are more likely to get an obscure Japanese FPS character or Fortnite character before we get Doomguy and Chief. Nintendo doesn't seem to understand or care about Western audiences and for some people on here (especially in the General Character speculation thread), they are absolutely fine with that.

Edit: Another issue with Doom was that it was primarily popular with adults and didn't have a lot of Highschool following, initially, at its time. Halo was big in the Highschool and Adult arena.

 

[Ridley_Prime]

Yep, and Doom is big again now, but it’s apples and oranges. Different generations grew up with both series as pointed out, though some cultured kids grew up with both.

 

[volbound1700]

Yep, and Doom is big again now, but it’s apples and oranges. Different generations grew up with both series as pointed out, though some cultured kids grew up with both.

Doom crashed internet servers at companies when it first came out. It helped that Knee Deep in the Dead was Freeware. Doom was installed on more PCs than Windows for several years in the 1990s, that was how big it was as a game. People on here just don't remember because all of you would be too young lol .

 

[Sirfishe]

Both were huge. Most people don't remember Doom because you would have to be near 40 to have been in Highschool when Doom was in its heyday. Doom is also still religiously played and modded today. Go type Doom into Youtube and look at all the flipping people that still stream it, play it, talk about it, etc.

Doom was actually preceded by another FPS, Wolfenstein (made by same company). Wolfenstein probably deserves more credit for being the real first FPS game but it gets overshadowed by Doom. Doom was just as HUGE as Halo was in its heyday. I do think, though, that Masterchief would be more of a hype addition than Doomguy in the scheme of things so, in sentiment, I agree with your post.

I doubt either will make it though. We are more likely to get an obscure Japanese FPS character or Fortnite character before we get Doomguy and Chief. Nintendo doesn't seem to understand or care about Western audiences and for some people on here (especially in the General Character speculation thread), they are absolutely fine with that.

Edit: Another issue with Doom was that it was primarily popular with adults and didn't have a lot of Highschool following, initially, at its time. Halo was big in the Highschool and Adult arena.

I think people are more familiar and personalize with Chief more. I think he would get a bigger reaction out of people

 

[volbound1700]

I think people are more familiar and personalize with Chief more. I think he would get a bigger reaction out of people

I am not disagreeing with you there. Mostly due to the age gaps. I doubt that very few people from the Doom era would even have an interest in playing Smash Brothers Ultimate no matter who you have in it.

 

[N3ON]

Chief also has a different cache as the mascot of a console line, whereas Doom was never that Slayer-oriented in its spotlight. At least not until recently.

 

[Lionfranky]

I doubt either will make it though. We are more likely to get an obscure Japanese FPS character or Fortnite character before we get Doomguy and Chief. Nintendo doesn't seem to understand or care about Western audiences and for some people on here (especially in the General Character speculation thread), they are absolutely fine with that.

Which Japanese FPS? Let's not exaggerate their Japan bias. It's only matter of time before that gets broken.
And I highly doubt Fortnite character because Fortnite was still too recent by the time FP2 was decided despite popularity during that time. And the fact that Samus couldn't be added to Fortnite tells me that Nintendo didn't accept Jonesy.

 

[IanTheGamer]

Which Japanese FPS? Let's not exaggerate their Japan bias. It's only matter of time before that gets broken.
And I highly doubt Fortnite character because Fortnite was still too recent by the time FP2 was decided despite popularity during that time. And the fact that Samus couldn't be added to Fortnite tells me that Nintendo didn't accept Jonesy.

Plus, as I said; I doubt very much the topic of Master Chief being in Smash wasn't brought up by Microsoft, while negotiating for Steve and Banjo

 

[Lionfranky]

Plus, as I said; I doubt very much the topic of Master Chief being in Smash wasn't brought up by Microsoft, while negotiating for Steve and Banjo

King Zell came back and hinted Halo x Nintendo around FP2 timeframe. Vergen's Minecraft content in Smash rumor took long time to come true. The same can happen here.

 

[volbound1700]

Which Japanese FPS? Let's not exaggerate their Japan bias. It's only matter of time before that gets broken.
And I highly doubt Fortnite character because Fortnite was still too recent by the time FP2 was decided despite popularity during that time. And the fact that Samus couldn't be added to Fortnite tells me that Nintendo didn't accept Jonesy.

Doomguy and Masterchief are clearly Western franchises and are probably more violent franchises than anything in the game (the closest comparison would probably be Metal Gear). I don't see Nintendo making the push for either.

Masterchief might be more likely than Doomguy due to his game being less extreme in violence and controversal imagery. However, I think Banjo and Steve were the two MS IP that we got and I don't see us getting anymore IP. We might get a Mii Costume of Masterchief. That is probably the best thing we can hope for.

Both characters would be major drivers of hype in the West and would draw excitement from a group of gamers (Hardcore FPS crowd) which are not really into Smash. Still, an even better character (who isn't 100% FPS but close) to grab would probably be Lara Croft. She is just as iconic as Chief and Doomguy but comes from a less violent/controversial franchise.

 

[2006ToyotaTacoma]

Doomguy and Masterchief are clearly Western franchises and are probably more violent franchises than anything in the game (the closest comparison would probably be Metal Gear). I don't see Nintendo making the push for either.

Masterchief might be more likely than Doomguy due to his game being less extreme in violence and controversal imagery. However, I think Banjo and Steve were the two MS IP that we got and I don't see us getting anymore IP. We might get a Mii Costume of Masterchief. That is probably the best thing we can hope for.

Both characters would be major drivers of hype in the West and would draw excitement from a group of gamers (Hardcore FPS crowd) which are not really into Smash. Still, an even better character (who isn't 100% FPS but close) to grab would probably be Lara Croft. She is just as iconic as Chief and Doomguy but comes from a less violent/controversial franchise.

I feel like you're overestimating how violent Halo is. I definitely believe Bayonetta and Metal Gear are much more bloody and violent compared to Halo imo.

 

[Schnee117]

I feel like you're overestimating how violent Halo is. I definitely believe Bayonetta and Metal Gear are much more bloody and violent compared to Halo imo.

Yeah the worst Halo gets with violence is with the Flood and being able to break them down but there's no blood, just spores and flakes. The actual bloodiest part is the one Elite corpse you come across in 343 Guilty Spark that's had its chest burst open.

The series has always been an extremely tame M rating.

 

[Lionfranky]

Doomguy and Masterchief are clearly Western franchises and are probably more violent franchises than anything in the game (the closest comparison would probably be Metal Gear). I don't see Nintendo making the push for either.

Masterchief might be more likely than Doomguy due to his game being less extreme in violence and controversal imagery. However, I think Banjo and Steve were the two MS IP that we got and I don't see us getting anymore IP. We might get a Mii Costume of Masterchief. That is probably the best thing we can hope for.

Both characters would be major drivers of hype in the West and would draw excitement from a group of gamers (Hardcore FPS crowd) which are not really into Smash. Still, an even better character (who isn't 100% FPS but close) to grab would probably be Lara Croft. She is just as iconic as Chief and Doomguy but comes from a less violent/controversial franchise.

Bayonetta and MGS are far more violent than Halo. There is no denying that. Just research on CERO rating. Most decapitation in Halo comes from Flood. Destroying Flood looks pretty tame in comparison. Halo 5 managed to land on T-rating.

There is no way Chief is getting Mii treatment at this point. He's much higher profile than Sora. If you think Chief can be Mii, then Sora can be Mii as well. Then again, peoeple kept arguing Steve would be Mii.

As much as I want Lara, she suffers worse Japanese fame than Chief from what I heard. Square Enix has recently pushed Tomb Raider on other series, but I'm not sure they would be the one to break "double dip" fanrule. I would be more than happy to be proven wrong.

 

[volbound1700]

Bayonetta and MGS are far more violent than Halo. There is no denying that. Just research on CERO rating. Most decapitation in Halo comes from Flood. Destroying Flood looks pretty tame in comparison. Halo 5 managed to land on T-rating.

There is no way Chief is getting Mii treatment at this point. He's much higher profile than Sora. If you think Chief can be Mii, then Sora can be Mii as well. Then again, peoeple kept arguing Steve would be Mii.

As much as I want Lara, she suffers worse Japanese fame than Chief from what I heard. Square Enix has recently pushed Tomb Raider on other series, but I'm not sure they would be the one to break "double dip" fanrule. I would be more than happy to be proven wrong.

Both of you are probably right. Totally forgot about Bayonetta but to be fair, I have never played her games.

Interesting that Lara isn't big at all in Japan. The game tastes are just so different between USA and Japan.

 

[Lionfranky]

Both of you are probably right. Totally forgot about Bayonetta but to be fair, I have never played her games.

Interesting that Lara isn't big at all in Japan. The game tastes are just so different between USA and Japan.

Yeah... only few games like Minecraft, GTAV, Fortnite, Apex have universal appeal on most regions. Even Fortnite influence got reduced in Japan afaik. Nintendo will run out of characters that appeal to Japanese. Frankly, it just doesn't make sense to cater to Japan all the time when Smash Ultimate sold way more on non-Japan region. Japan accounts 1/4 of Ultimate sales. Why would something less than half of installbase main audience?

 

[volbound1700]

Yeah... only few games like Minecraft, GTAV, Fortnite, Apex have universal appeal on most regions. Even Fortnite influence got reduced in Japan afaik. Nintendo will run out of characters that appeal to Japanese. Frankly, it just doesn't make sense to cater to Japan all the time when Smash Ultimate sold way more on non-Japan region. Japan accounts 1/4 of Ultimate sales. Why would something less than half of installbase main audience?

Well Nintendo has a lot of first-party IP that appeals to the West as well: Mario, Zelda, Pokemon are the big 3. You also have Megaman, Pacman, Sonic, Ryu, Snake, and Simon Belmont. All of those third-parties appeal to both East and West and to various age groups.

The early third-parties were popular in both regions.

You are right that they are running out of big name Japanese IP that are worthy but they won't run out before this FP is over.

 

[Houndstooth]

Also, Tomb Raider is definitely a third-person game. I have played very little of the franchise, but is there any first-person shooting moments?

 

[N3ON]

Yeah... only few games like Minecraft, GTAV, Fortnite, Apex have universal appeal on most regions. Even Fortnite influence got reduced in Japan afaik. Nintendo will run out of characters that appeal to Japanese. Frankly, it just doesn't make sense to cater to Japan all the time when Smash Ultimate sold way more on non-Japan region. Japan accounts 1/4 of Ultimate sales. Why would something less than half of installbase main audience?

Only if you look at western series, like those you listed. But there are still plenty of Japanese series that appeal to Japan and the west. At least, there are more that appeal to both than western series, of which the number is limited.

 

[Lionfranky]

Only if you look at western series, like those you listed. But there are still plenty of Japanese series that appeal to Japan and the west. At least, there are more that appeal to both than western series, of which the number is limited.

Frankly, saying "Banjo is at least more popular or famous than Halo in Japan" is disingenuous. I highly doubt Nintendo would calculate that deeply into sales difference when that's small gap. Just curious. Do you agree that Reimu suffers far worse regional problem?

 

[SpectreJordan]

I think we’ll start seeing more Western characters as the “big” characters but alongside more smaller Japanese characters like Joker & Terry.

They’re starting to run out of Japanese characters that can cause everyone to go crazy, but there’s still plenty of western characters like that.

For big Japanese characters, I’d say it’s a Resident Evil character, Tekken character, Dark Souls character, Sonic characters, Monster Hunter, Chun-Li & Dante. So a lot of Capcom lol

 

[Honest Slug]

I'd say Smash has done decently regarding an east and west balance. Overall the roster skews Japanese, but considering Smash is made in Japan that does make some sense. Regardless, Sakurai does still pay attention to western fans. We got Little Mac, Ridley, and Banjo, which were prominently requested from the west. I could see Halo being a reverse Dragon Quest for this pass.

 

[SpectreJordan]

A reverse Dragon Quest & a reverse Banjo would make for a pretty cool final two. I wonder who the reverse Banjo would be though.

 

[GolisoPower]

A reverse Dragon Quest & a reverse Banjo would make for a pretty cool final two. I wonder who the reverse Banjo would be though.

Touhou Project's got a small following here in the West. Reimu Hakurei could fit the bill easily.

 

[N3ON]

Frankly, saying "Banjo is at least more popular or famous than Halo in Japan" is disingenuous. I highly doubt Nintendo would calculate that deeply into sales difference when that's small gap. Just curious. Do you agree that Reimu suffers far worse regional problem?

This seems largely unrelated to my post tbh

I think we’ll start seeing more Western characters as the “big” characters but alongside more smaller Japanese characters like Joker & Terry.

They’re starting to run out of Japanese characters that can cause everyone to go crazy, but there’s still plenty of western characters like that.

For big Japanese characters, I’d say it’s a Resident Evil character, Tekken character, Dark Souls character, Sonic characters, Monster Hunter, Chun-Li & Dante. So a lot of Capcom lol

Kingdom Hearts, Bomberman, Nier, Ninja Gaiden, Yakuza, Tales, Guilty Gear, more Final Fantasy, Alucard, Zero, etc.

Once the gates open to series like Persona and KoF, there are a lot that fill those ranks.

 

[ivanlerma]

A reverse Dragon Quest & a reverse Banjo would make for a pretty cool final two. I wonder who the reverse Banjo would be though.

I'd say either Crash or Rayman would fit that bill

 

[SpectreJordan]

This seems largely unrelated to my post tbh


Kingdom Hearts, Bomberman, Nier, Ninja Gaiden, Yakuza, Tales, Guilty Gear, more Final Fantasy, Alucard, Zero, etc.

Once the gates open to series like Persona and KoF, there are a lot that fill those ranks.

I totally forgot about Sora, I’d put him alongside the big characters I mentioned.

The rest of those (besides more FF) would be some of the smaller reveals I was talking about. I don’t think they’d be used as the big showstoppers. It’s not a dig at those franchises, 2B is one of my most wanted characters rn & I’m rooting for her to show up at E3.

 

[N3ON]

I totally forgot about Sora, I’d put him alongside the big characters I mentioned.

The rest of those (besides more FF) would be some of the smaller reveals I was talking about. I don’t think they’d be used as the big showstoppers. It’s not a dig at those franchises, 2B is one of my most wanted characters rn & I’m rooting for her to show up at E3.

Well it depends if "everyone" going crazy includes Japan as well, because there aren't many western characters that can accomplish that. My post was more about popular characters from a global perspective, because your list might have more "big" ones, but we get what... two or three, maybe four of those a game? So whether you want to look at all the Japanese characters with notable global appeal or just the biggest ones, that list still has us set for... like two more Smash Bros without even needing to tap into the west.

Obviously they will continue to go west. And there are big western characters. Though, granted, that appeal often comes at the exclusion of Japan, which doesn't help the cases of those in that situation. My point isn't that we won't get western characters, it's that the Japanese supply is not as dire as it's made out to be.

And to the argument that "Japan is only a fraction of the audience", that's true, but it cuts both ways. The west is a fraction of the audience as well. A bigger fraction, but the thing is - you don't need to choose characters that only really appeal to one or the other, because there are still a good many that appeal to both. Which is why those that appeal largely one way are likely to be few and far between.