Is Sakurai being biased on some franchises?

[Wanderer from Roseyard]

Star Fox and Mother were disproportionately represented in Brawl, imo. The characters that put both tiny series over the tipping point (Wolf and Lucas, respectively) were derivative of existing characters, making the matter more peculiar. It always seemed to me that they were added simply because Sakurai likes the characters.

 

[Ffamran]

Star Fox and Mother were disproportionately represented in Brawl, imo. The characters that put both tiny series over the tipping point (Wolf and Lucas, respectively) were derivative of existing characters, making the matter more peculiar. It always seemed to me that they were added simply because Sakurai likes the characters.

Well, Wolf was supposed to be in Melee, but was scrapped in favor for Falco since Wolf looked too similar to Fox or something. Personally, of all the semi-clones added, Wolf was the most unique and least clone-y except for sharing a Final Smash and his Specials being based on Fox's.

 

[Erimir]

Super Metroid, defining game in the genre, bombed.

If that's the case then Kid Icarus: Uprising bombed. And KI:U is not exactly in a super popular genre either.

Selling well over a million is not a bomb, especially given the lower development budgets of games back then.

First time I've ever heard someone refer to Super Metroid as having bombed. You gotta be trolling.

 

[Tenchi Boom]

First of all, Pits final smash was updated to a more canon one, also considering Palutena was inducted.

Because we all know that Dark Pit uses the three Sacred Treasures.
I'm not a Dark Pit supporter, quite the opposite but jeez, entitled much? If this game doesn't have the roster you want, simply don't play it or buy it. Would you say Namco is biased because Pac-man and items from that universe got in over, say a Tales of Symphonia rep? It's just a little sad, finding a silly reason because a wanted character didn't get in, and then even making a thread so you can find people that agree with this drivel, so you can feel validated. Just me and my opinion passing through.

Excuse me? I am perfectly fine with the roster. I will buy and support this game with my life. Every character I could have imagined got in (apart from Mewtwo, but that didn't make me hate the game). Also, I didn't make the thread, where did that come from?

I'm just saying the Sakurai bias is way too obvious to deny. Smash will always be my favourite franchise no matter what decisions the developers make, I will never hate on the flaws even if they're obvious (I'm a total fan boy). So please refrain from telling me I am sad and want to feel "validated".

 

[MagnesD3]

Yes 100 percent.

 

[TTYK]

I think everyone is mad that Ridley and Mewtwo are not in. But that is simply human nature: get what you want, complain. Dont get what you want: rage, boycotts, petitions etc.

 

[DraginHikari]

I'm not much of a believer that there needs to be some kind of arbitrary representation balance between the different franchises involved in the series.

Is Sakurai bias, yes. So is every human being on the planet. Nothing new to really say in that regards.

 

[mini paincakes]

I just realized that, so far, the only DK content revealed in the game is 2 Smash Run enemies. No new characters, stages, assist trophies or items... just the bare minimum of Smash Run enemies.

Talk about unfair.

Yeah, but one of those smash run enemies comes in TWO colors! That seems pretty darn fair to me!

But seriously, Sakurai gave too many series the shaft this time around, especially DK.

 

[ShrekItRalph]

He probably is, but as someone whose favourite Nintendo games include KI:U FE:A and SMG which all got their own playable reps, and as someone who doesn't really care that much about Metroid, Donkey Kong, Star Fox and Mother, I'm happy his bias matches with mine.

 

[MagnesD3]

Yeah, but one of those smash run enemies comes in TWO colors! That seems pretty darn fair to me!

But seriously, Sakurai gave too many series the shaft this time around, especially DK.

You mean especially Star Fox and then DK, donkey kong may have not gained anything but it didnt lose anything either.

 

[Ffamran]

You mean especially Star Fox and then DK, donkey kong may have not gained anything but it didnt lose anything either.

In SSB4, sure, but in Mario Kart 8 Diddy Kong is MIA.

 

[LancerStaff]

If that's the case then Kid Icarus: Uprising bombed. And KI:U is not exactly in a super popular genre either.

Selling well over a million is not a bomb, especially given the lower development budgets of games back then.

First time I've ever heard someone refer to Super Metroid as having bombed. You gotta be trolling.

No, Super really bombed. That was one of the three big reasons why it was effectively dead for the N64 era, the others being that nobody wanted to continue the series in 3D and that it's creator died.

 

[Erimir]

No, Super really bombed. That was one of the three big reasons why it was effectively dead for the N64 era, the others being that nobody wanted to continue the series in 3D and that it's creator died.

Yet it was rereleased as a Player's Choice in the US. Yeah, it didn't sell like Mario, or Donkey Kong Country, but like I said... if Super Metroid was a bomb, then so is Kid Icarus: Uprising. Yet I've yet to see anyone call it that.

But I think the latter two reasons are probably a bit more important.

http://www.gamestm.co.uk/features/y...the-unwritten-future-of-the-warioware-series/

This apprehension over 3D gaming, is that the reason there was never a Metroid 64?

I was actually thinking about the possibility of making a Metroid game for N64 but I felt that I shouldn’t be the one making the game. When I held the N64 controller in my hands I just couldn’t imagine how it could be used to move Samus around. So for me it was just too early to personally make a 3D Metroid at that time. Also, I know this is isn’t a direct answer to your question but Nintendo at that time approached another company and asked them if they would make an N64 version of Metroid and their response was that no, they could not. They turned it down, saying that unfortunately they didn’t have the confidence to create an N64 Metroid game that could compare favourably with Super Metroid. That’s something I take as a compliment to what we achieved with Super Metroid.

 

[LancerStaff]

Yet it was rereleased as a Player's Choice in the US. Yeah, it didn't sell like Mario, or Donkey Kong Country, but like I said... if Super Metroid was a bomb, then so is Kid Icarus: Uprising. Yet I've yet to see anyone call it that.

But I think the latter two reasons are probably a bit more important.

http://www.gamestm.co.uk/features/y...the-unwritten-future-of-the-warioware-series/

I've just been corrected on this elsewhere, and I am going to double check my sources again.

Still not done, though, it definitely bombed in Japan. Sakurai not adding to it is likely the result of it being nonexistent in Japan. He sees it as a small series deserving of what it has.

 

[SuperGuzzi]

I can't believe that nobody posted this:

 

[Erimir]

Still not done, though, it definitely bombed in Japan. Sakurai not adding to it is likely the result of it being nonexistent in Japan. He sees it as a small series deserving of what it has.

Yeah, it didn't sell amazingly well in Japan, but I think part of the disappointment was due to comparison to other, better selling series. Because it has still sold better than many other Nintendo series.

Even so, if Sakurai is basing his view of Metroid on ignorance of how popular it was and is in the West, including the fact that Super Metroid is frequently listed as one of the best video games of all time by Western publications (and frequently first or second among SNES games) - then it's still entirely appropriate to criticize him for shafting Metroid.

That is, that's an explanation for why Sakurai might treat Metroid poorly without hating it, but it's not really a defense.

 

[LancerStaff]

Yeah, it didn't sell amazingly well in Japan, but I think part of the disappointment was due to comparison to other, better selling series. Because it has still sold better than many other Nintendo series.

Even so, if Sakurai is basing his view of Metroid on ignorance of how popular it was and is in the West, including the fact that Super Metroid is frequently listed as one of the best video games of all time by Western publications (and frequently first or second among SNES games) - then it's still entirely appropriate to criticize him for shafting Metroid.

That is, that's an explanation for why Sakurai might treat Metroid poorly without hating it, but it's not really a defense.

There's only one character on the roster that was created outside of Japan, Diddy. It's a Japanese game, so it's obvious that the game would be biased to Japanese tastes.

 

[MagnesD3]

I can't believe that nobody posted this:

Somebody needs to redo this with Kid Icarus's name reappearing everytime except for Kirbies lol and only show Kirby stuff and Kid Icarus stuff, I would die of laughter.

 

[Erimir]

There's only one character on the roster that was created outside of Japan, Diddy. It's a Japanese game, so it's obvious that the game would be biased to Japanese tastes.

What's your point? That I shouldn't criticize them for catering too much to Japanese fans?

It's not like they only sell to Japanese people, not by a long shot.

 

[Yoshi Kirishima]

I used to not think he was biased.

Then Dark Pit was a character.

How can you not think he's biased with Dark Pit being a character?

That puts the nail in the coffin.

Unless if Ridley and Dixie don't get revealed later (which would mean Metroid and DK both get 1 new character), I don't think there is a Nintendo character that would make more sense than Dark Pit as a clone. The only one I can think of is Dark Samus, but with Ridley possibly joining the roster later, Metroid doesn't need Dark Samus.

Yeah, it's still strange to have 3 KI characters, but at least it's only 2 unique ones and 1 clone, so that's not a big deal, and I can't think of another character who would make more sense as a clone.

 

[MagnesD3]

Star Fox and Mother were disproportionately represented in Brawl, imo. The characters that put both tiny series over the tipping point (Wolf and Lucas, respectively) were derivative of existing characters, making the matter more peculiar. It always seemed to me that they were added simply because Sakurai likes the characters.

Star Fox sells, Its just below metroid in series popularity/sales they deserve 3. (arguable 4)

 

[Arcadenik]

Personally, I think the reason Metroid didn't get a newcomer in SSB4 is because Metroid: Other M bombed... so it didn't print enough money for Nintendo... and therefore Sakurai and Nintendo probably didn't think that Metroid deserved a newcomer. That's your reward for bashing Metroid: Other M and overreacting about the alleged sexism... you get nothing but Assist Trophies and possibly Ridley as a stage hazard and Samus in her sports outfit in Smash 4.

 

[Frostwraith]

After thinking a bit, I don't have a problem with Kid Icarus getting loads of stuff, but it becomes a little upsetting when other series get shafted in terms of content. As a Kid Icarus and Fire Emblem fan, I'm happy for the attention the series got on this game, thanks to the release of Uprising and Awakening, but I can't help but think: why can't other fans get as much goodness from the series they like?

I may not be a fan of those three series, but Donkey Kong, Star Fox and Metroid only getting Melee stages in Smash 3DS is a load of bull****, especially when series like EarthBound and F-Zero get new stages. Donkey Kong not having an Assist Trophy is pretty jarring too, especially when EarthBound got a new one and Zelda and Metroid get a few more.

One of the few Metroid games I've played was a Metroid Prime Hunters and I was kind of expecting a stage from there, given how other DS games were getting stages too.

Complaining on a Internet forum won't solve anything, but one can't help but think about why things are the way they are.

 

[Arcadenik]

But Metroid and Star Fox did get new stages on the Wii U... I am positive we will get a new Donkey Kong stage there too.

 

[Brindor]

I wouldn't have minded KI getting a 3rd character, just so long as it wasn't a clone.

 

[Frostwraith]

But Metroid and Star Fox did get new stages on the Wii U... I am positive we will get a new Donkey Kong stage there too.

Yeah.

It's just weird how some series only get past stages on the 3DS while others get new stages.

Pretty sure the stage selection on the Wii U version will be bigger (and better). Pretty sure we'll be seeing Brinstar, Jungle Japes and Corneria on the Wii U version as well.

Also, your point about Metroid: Other M being the cause of less attention to Smash Bros. is a bit fallacious considering Samus's design (both with and without the suit) is based on Other M and Pyrosphere (of all areas) is a stage on the Wii U version.

 

[Arcadenik]

I suppose it is somewhat fallacious... yeah, we got Other M stage and Samus's new designs... but we didn't get a Metroid newcomer regardless.

I hope Brinstar, Jungle Japes, and Corneria aren't on the Wii U... I've been playing on those stages since 2001... it's time to bring in some new stages for these franchises.