Social Lower Norfair

[Zem-raj]

Where did you see/hear this?

As it should be. But source?

I can't find the footage yet (I'm still looking for it, it's there somewhere), but the Smash Wiki seems to have updated the list:

https://www.ssbwiki.com/Boxing_Ring
The list has Ridley, Ice Climbers, and Pokémon Trainer's.

Mario's and Ice Climbers' is shown here:

 

[Cosmic77]

I can't find the footage yet (I'm still looking for it, it's there somewhere), but the Smash Wiki seems to have updated the list:

https://www.ssbwiki.com/Boxing_Ring
The list has Ridley, Ice Climbers, and Pokémon Trainer's.

Mario's and Ice Climbers' is shown here:

If Ridley and Pokemon Trainer's titles are real, then this basically confirms that Sakurai snoops around on Smashboards.

Inb4 Inklings get the title, "Squid Kid".

 

[daddledingo]

Do you guys think sakurai reads smash boards?

 

[Lyndis_]

I'm confused. What does the title have to do with SmashBoards? It's from his Zero Mission artwork, and like, even one of the first lines on the Metroid wiki references it.

The US, EUR and JPN, etc; titles also generally differentiate from one another so it would have more to do with someone on the localization team than Sakurai, even if these were references to SmashBoards somehow.

 

[CaptainAmerica]

If Ridley and Pokemon Trainer's titles are real, then this basically confirms that Sakurai snoops around on Smashboards.

Quick, spam support threads for your favorite characters!

Honestly though, I'd be surprised if they didn't have some interns lurking to see how the wind blows. After all, if they want to make a fanservice game...

 

[MasterOfKnees]

We know that some Nintendo employees keep track of Smashboards, Nate Bihldorff mentioned the forum on NeoGAF sometime after Brawl was released, and considering it's only grown since I can't imagine it's any different now. I'm pretty sure Sakurai doesn't read it himself though, but it does seem like there are people who do some scouting for him so he has a clear idea of how things are on the western front. I mean, he specifically mentioned the western demand for Ridley as one of the reasons he got in, and it was far bigger on Smashboards than anywhere else on the internet, so I'd say our voices were heard pretty clearly.

I'm not too sure we have anything to do with the titles though, or that it's even Sakurai who comes up with them.

 

[meleebrawler]

I'm still more impressed by the references to the manga than anything else. It's the #1 source for Ridley's personality, but
a manga is not an obvious place to look for inspiration regarding a videogame character, especially with the argument that such
things are not considered canon simply due to writers/developers being different, and the games only briefly hinting Ridley's nature, if at all.

But here we are, with a Ridley that not only clearly enjoys the pain he brings, but also shows it (previous Ridleys always seemed to stuck either perpetually
grinning or frowning), along with his burning hatred for Samus thanks to a face that can actually convey emotion. And judging by the E3 Twitter reactions,
even if Ridley's inclusion doesn't necessarily make Metroid more popular, it will certainly increase interest in Ridley as a character instead of just as a
recurring boss.

 

[IsmaR]

so tell me Ridley fans after you all got what you wanted after waiting all of these years what is the next thing to do?

Continue waiting (6 months is hardly anything to the near 10-20 years some of us have been standing by) to see what else happens. Then enjoy the glorious day where it all pays off.

And all the while still hold hope for some of our fellow character fanbases that have been at it for almost just as long.

Seeing any of Geno, K. Rool, Simon Belmont, Banjo & Kazooie, Isaac, and near countless others (hell even Dark Samus at this point) all come together alongside Ridley after all these years would be the Brawl era dream.

 

[Ridley_Prime]

The explosion in fan-art and stuff post-June 12th is just too much (mean that in a good way of course). Normally I'd post some notable fanart found here and there, but since there's too much of that to choose from now, I'll just leave these few things here...

First off, a more personal close-up look at the Ridley amiibo we're getting. Makes me even more eager to know of the day we can first pre-order it.



Secondly, this custom Gamecube controller of Proteus Ridley.



Unfortunately, said controller is a bit too pricey for my liking, but since I was asked where I got it from, saw it and other custom GC controllers advertised in this tweet here.

And lastly, this little treasure... Gave it a quick like just as I did with the 8-bit version of the Ridley reveal trailer (thanks to whoever posted that earlier here, btw).

Well shown timeline of our years long struggle, and beautiful reminder I guess of how we pushed harder and longer for Ridley in Smash than pretty much anyone's had to to get any character into a fighting game.

 

[KingBroly]

I hope future Metroid games "borrow" Ridley's design from Smash Ultimate.

EDIT: Going into Smash Ultimate, Sakurai previously broke his rule for Villager and I think Pac-Man as being unviable characters. So essentially, he pushed past his own rule so to speak. So I thought it'd be natural for him to break that rule with Ridley, and I'm happy he was finally able to do that.

 

[StormC]

I'm still more impressed by the references to the manga than anything else. It's the #1 source for Ridley's personality, but
a manga is not an obvious place to look for inspiration regarding a videogame character, especially with the argument that such
things are not considered canon simply due to writers/developers being different, and the games only briefly hinting Ridley's nature, if at all.

But here we are, with a Ridley that not only clearly enjoys the pain he brings, but also shows it (previous Ridleys always seemed to stuck either perpetually
grinning or frowning), along with his burning hatred for Samus thanks to a face that can actually convey emotion. And judging by the E3 Twitter reactions,
even if Ridley's inclusion doesn't necessarily make Metroid more popular, it will certainly increase interest in Ridley as a character instead of just as a
recurring boss.

I would say there had already been a considerable amount of interest in Ridley during the Brawl and 4 eras just because of how requested the character was.

To put it another way, I had never heard of Ridley before Brawl speculation - I had only barely played some Metroid games, I knew that Mother Brain was sorta the "big bad," and I vaguely knew there was some dragon in the games, but I didn't know he had a name or that he was a consistent character, let alone Samus' archnemesis. When everyone started talking about Ridley I took it upon myself to look up the character and research him. Even though I hadn't really become a Metroid fan at the time, I could tell this was an obviously important character to Metroid, and someone who would be fun to see in Smash, so I threw my support behind him.

Since then I did play several Metroid titles (personally more of a fan of the 2D games than the 3D ones, hence my representing Redley), and my interest in Ridley only increased with that. My support was a bit more passive during Brawl but for 4 and 5 he became one of my most wanted, even if I began to felt like it was a hopeless battle against the tide (he didn't just openly reject the character once, but twice). I'm glad Sakurai proved me wrong.

In the last decade, Ridley has become mythologized through Smash in a way no other character quite has. So much speculation, memes, and fanart about this one character who eludes playability. In a way, it really couldn't have been anyone else but him announced at E3.

He'll definitely get even more attention now that he's in. But this bony purple pterodactyl was already an internet legend.

 

[meleebrawler]

I would say there had already been a considerable amount of interest in Ridley during the Brawl and 4 eras just because of how requested the character was.

To put it another way, I had never heard of Ridley before Brawl speculation - I had only barely played some Metroid games, I knew that Mother Brain was sorta the "big bad," and I vaguely knew there was some dragon in the games, but I didn't know he had a name or that he was a consistent character, let alone Samus' archnemesis. When everyone started talking about Ridley I took it upon myself to look up the character and research him. Even though I hadn't really become a Metroid fan at the time, I could tell this was an obviously important character to Metroid, and someone who would be fun to see in Smash, so I threw my support behind him.

Since then I did play several Metroid titles (personally more of a fan of the 2D games than the 3D ones, hence my representing Redley), and my interest in Ridley only increased with that. My support was a bit more passive during Brawl but for 4 and 5 he became one of my most wanted, even if I began to felt like it was a hopeless battle against the tide (he didn't just openly reject the character once, but twice). I'm glad Sakurai proved me wrong.

In the last decade, Ridley has become mythologized through Smash in a way no other character quite has. So much speculation, memes, and fanart about this one character who eludes playability. In a way, it really couldn't have been anyone else but him announced at E3.

He'll definitely get even more attention now that he's in. But this bony purple pterodactyl was already an internet legend.

I'm sure there have been plenty of Smash and/or Metroid clamoring for Ridley due to his cool factor, and maybe they also knew about how much
he and Samus hate each other. But what I'm specifically referring to are outside viewers who don't see Ridley as much more than a boss that appears
over and over on par with Bowser. I've seen it get to the point where some people get sick of seeing him in Metroid, particularly in Samus Returns
where he didn't originally appear, even though that appearance serves the purpose of tying together the Prime and 2D stories together. Not even the Smash games up until now have done much to counter this image. But now that he's playable for the first time ever, players and developers alike now have the opportunity to define him more than just through his enmity with Samus, something I hope will extend to the Metroid series proper in some capacity.

As far as my history with Metroid goes, I had never seen hide nor hair of one those games in my youth until Melee came along and introduced me
to ''Sawmus''. The noises they used for her were weird, but also helped her stand out, intrigued by the mysterious character in the suit. When Prime came soon after, I got brief glimpses of the game though a relative fighting Meta Ridley and getting shredded by his tackles. It was intense. But I still didn't make the connection that the character being controlled was Samus until I saw the boxart, which made me even more interested in the game (Incidentally, I never saw said relative beat Meta Ridley, so the appearance of the Phazon Suit was actually a complete surprise considering the color scheme didn't appear in Smash). My memories of actually getting the game and playing for the first time are fuzzy nowadays, but I do clearly remember recognizing the anger in Samus's face and fist shake after seeing Meta Ridley for the first time.

 

[SmashKeks]

oh the Ridley thread its been years since the last time i visted it and it brings back alot of great memories i remember when the thread had 1500+ pages and i am happy that you all Ridley fans get what you wanted its like the end of an era

now i am waiting for Ridley to help Geno getting into smash after all of these years
both Ridley and Geno fanbase helped each other to achieve something
both had large support and it goes back maybe even before brawl
both had alot of flash animation and drawing towards the support of their inclusion in smash
both had ended up in Smash crusade
both had ended up in Smash legacy xp and tons of mods even MUGEN
both had ended up in Smash 4 in some way and got a skin mod as well
both supports got recognized by Sakurai and heared our voices
it has been a great run!
so tell me Ridley fans after you all got what you wanted after waiting all of these years what is the next thing to do?

Ridley, Geno, and K. Rool are my big 3 this time around. I could die if somehow they all make base roster.

 

[soviet prince]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3QMXujqWerc

same guy who got a lot of the e3 stuff right, is saying we got a have a dozen reveals left counting simion.

hoping he is wrong because if true it will kind of fell like a greatest hits game rather then seq. I am glad we got ridley but was looking forward to new content and to be honest could have done without a third link and pichu lol

 

[OmegaX5000]

This is not based on any leaks or rumors or whatnot, but I have a gut feeling that we might get one new character announced per month until Ultimate is released. There's still 6 months to go, so 6 new character announcements is what I'm thinking will happen, and that's on the generously optimistic side. And this is coming from the guy who predicted Bayonetta's inclusion in Smash 4 prior to either version being released!

 

[PsychoIncarnate]

Ridley, Geno, and K. Rool are my big 3 this time around. I could die if somehow they all make base roster.

They could friggin' add Magikarp if they wanted for all I care as long as I get those 3

 

[SmashKeks]

They could friggin' add Magikarp if they wanted for all I care as long as I get those 3

I so wanted Magikarp in Pokken as playable.

 

[MasterOfKnees]

I'm definitely on the boat that don't care how many newcomers we get as long as they're quality additions, Ridley alone already means I've got more to look forward to on the character front than I did with all of Smash 4's newcomers combined. If we only get 6 more newcomers but they're mostly quality additions then I'll be extremely happy, Simon would be a very good start, if we then get K. Rool I'd already rank Ultimate's newcomer roster above every other game's bar Brawl's, and beyond that anyone out of Geno, Bandana Dee, Skull Kid and Dark Samus (echo or not) will put it up there alongside it.

Options are thinning out anyways, so as long as they make good choices for the limited amount of spots left quantity doesn't matter at all.

 

[UltimateWario]

Excellent analysis on Ridley, going into frame data, percentages, etc. Our big boy has his strengths and weaknesses but it sounds like he's got some really good tools. I hope they specifically fix his DSpecial because it's going to be a useless style attack as is (like, less useful than Falcon Punch or Warlock Fist).

 

[Gallerian]

Excellent analysis on Ridley, going into frame data, percentages, etc. Our big boy as his strengths and weaknesses but it sounds like he's got some really good tools. I hope they specifically fix his DSpecial because it's going to be a useless style attack as is (like, less useful than Falcon Punch or Warlock Fist).

I know it's way to old early to talking about tier lists, but after watching that video, it definitely seems like he'll be a high tier character if things stay similar to what they are now. Not top tier, but definitely not on the lower side of things.

 

[Danpal65]

Excellent analysis on Ridley, going into frame data, percentages, etc. Our big boy as his strengths and weaknesses but it sounds like he's got some really good tools. I hope they specifically fix his DSpecial because it's going to be a useless style attack as is (like, less useful than Falcon Punch or Warlock Fist).

Really interesting video! The stuff about his down B is quite different to initial reactions and it doesn't seem to be as good of a combo start as first thought. Definitely a huge damage advantage if you can hit it though!

The move that interests me the most now is his side B. The fact you can jump and launch the opponent at any point, including off stage, is really powerful. Might even be able to get some stage spikes with it. At higher percents you'll be able to keep the opponent guessing when you'll break out and throw them into the air and then maybe follow up with some ariels or even an up B.

 

[meleebrawler]

Excellent analysis on Ridley, going into frame data, percentages, etc. Our big boy as his strengths and weaknesses but it sounds like he's got some really good tools. I hope they specifically fix his DSpecial because it's going to be a useless style attack as is (like, less useful than Falcon Punch or Warlock Fist).

I'd compare it more to Mewtwo's disable, they're both moves that aren't very useful in neutral due to being difficult to land
on an active opponent but work well as punish options. Whereas the punches are often too slow for even that, Ridley's down b
seems just fast and ranged enough to function as a whiff punish on stuff like Smashes with proper spacing, or a high-stakes tech read (could be very potent in doubles alongside someone who can set them up easily, like Ganondorf or Snake). It's just a move you have to be opportunistic with instead of concentrating on landing it.

 

[Dhragen]

When i first seen Ridley using kicks on 2 of his attacks (Up Smash and Back Air), i found it kind of odd, since he never used kicks before. But then i remember that the Silver Space Pirates that appears before Ridley's room on Super Metroid, they use two types of kicks, so i guess that may be a subtle reference?

 

[StormC]

I had never seen this Nintendo Power comic for Super Metroid before but it's pretty amusing.

https://imgur.com/gallery/yQiV9

Ridley envisioned as a Saturday morning cartoon villain.

 

[Seanp12]

I had never seen this Nintendo Power comic for Super Metroid before but it's pretty amusing.

https://imgur.com/gallery/yQiV9

Ridley envisioned as a Saturday morning cartoon villain.

Also very small, if the perspective in that last panel is correct. Or maybe the chairman is just really big.

 

[UltimateWario]

I had never seen this Nintendo Power comic for Super Metroid before but it's pretty amusing.

https://imgur.com/gallery/yQiV9

Ridley envisioned as a Saturday morning cartoon villain.

I kind of adore the idea of Ridley being your average witty Bond villain with puns and one-liners but he's a ****ing DRAGON.

Really interesting video! The stuff about his down B is quite different to initial reactions and it doesn't seem to be as good of a combo start as first thought. Definitely a huge damage advantage if you can hit it though!

The move that interests me the most now is his side B. The fact you can jump and launch the opponent at any point, including off stage, is really powerful. Might even be able to get some stage spikes with it. At higher percents you'll be able to keep the opponent guessing when you'll break out and throw them into the air and then maybe follow up with some ariels or even an up B.

I definitely think that usage of his Side B is going to be a big part of playing him well. You basically have total control over the enemy if you can land it, and you have several options coming out of it. Of course, it's too early to tell what exactly is going to change with him, but it would be a real shame if they simplified it somehow. Having so many options out of one action is really interesting.

 

[CrowGoesCaw]

Excellent analysis on Ridley, going into frame data, percentages, etc. Our big boy has his strengths and weaknesses but it sounds like he's got some really good tools. I hope they specifically fix his DSpecial because it's going to be a useless style attack as is (like, less useful than Falcon Punch or Warlock Fist).

A really good video. Quite informative. Though I'm suprised it didn't go into how the four directions of up-b work.


One thing I've been thinking with the down b is that it could be powerful in doubles. Specifically with Inkling as a partner. Their side b plants people in the ground, giving a chance to land the down b, and on top of that, any ink on the unlucky stabee will increase the damage they take. Remains to be seen if it works in practice but it could nasty.

But I hope there's a way to make use of it in singles. It's just too cool and satisfying looking to not be usable.

 

[meleebrawler]

I'd like that comic Ridley better if he wasn't a total wuss. The relative lack of chemistry between him & Samus also makes him far less
interesting, but to be fair this was written at a time where he only really appeared in two games, in very similar roles at that.

 

[Eldrake]

I'd like that comic Ridley better if he wasn't a total wuss. The relative lack of chemistry between him & Samus also makes him far less
interesting, but to be fair this was written at a time where he only really appeared in two games, in very similar roles at that.

I am guessing that comic was made before Samus' and Ridley's backstory with eachother was fleshed out.

 

[meleebrawler]

I am guessing that comic was made before Samus' and Ridley's backstory with eachother was fleshed out.

Now that I think about it, when exactly DID that backstory get introduced? Was it truly the manga that made Ridley who he is?

 

[Dalek_Kolt]

Now that I think about it, when exactly DID that backstory get introduced? Was it truly the manga that made Ridley who he is?

I actually think it was this comic. It introduced Samus's Chozo parents before the manga did last I checked.
Only possible hiccup is that the comic made her parents die in a general pirate raid but not Ridley specifically, but still.

 

[StormC]

This comic was released in 1994 a couple of months before Super Metroid. The manga that gave us the infamous Ridley/Samus backstory was in 2002.

 

[meleebrawler]

The same year as Metroid Prime, huh? Maybe that scene of Samus meeting Meta Ridley was even more significant than I thought...

 

[Ridley_Prime]

I knew the manga was a prelude to Zero Mission and all, but guess I didn’t realize (or forgot) it came out a couple years before ZM itself did... Huh.

I suppose it can give one a new/different way of looking at the Meta Ridley intro scene, though Fusion also came out in 2002...

The Super Metroid comic was wacky cheesiness I didn’t mind for Ridley at the time, especially for being his first appearance that wasn’t the strange concept art from the original Metroid, or the Captain N abomination. The 90’s did him right first, at least appearance-wise.

 

[soviet prince]

I wish there was a melee ridley custom

 

[meleebrawler]

I knew the manga was a prelude to Zero Mission and all, but guess I didn’t realize (or forgot) it came out a couple years before ZM itself did... Huh.

I suppose it can give one a new/different way of looking at the Meta Ridley intro scene, though Fusion also came out in 2002...

The Super Metroid comic was wacky cheesiness I didn’t mind for Ridley at the time, especially for being his first appearance that wasn’t the strange concept art from the original Metroid, or the Captain N abomination. The 90’s did him right first, at least appearance-wise.

Didn't Fusion have different endings in Japan chronicling Samus's backstory, including the encounter with Ridley?

 

[Cosmic77]

We got an official confirmation that not all stages will be returning.

As much as I originally hated it, I'll admit that I'd be a little sad to find out Pyrosphere is one of the few stages not returning. Yeah, it was a huge disappointment for us all back during Smash 4 speculation, but it was still pretty cool for Ridley to be one of three stage bosses.

I can live without it, but now that Ridley's in Smash, I'm starting to appreciate Pyrosphere more as a cool tribute to our favorite space dragon.

 

[meleebrawler]

It'd be funny to get 64 Planet Zebes, just so we can play Ridley on that stage and have it pointed out he no longer appears in the background
as he's fighting, just like Dedede in Dream Land.

 

[MoonlitIllusion]

We got an official confirmation that not all stages will be returning.

As much as I originally hated it, I'll admit that I'd be a little sad to find out Pyrosphere is one of the few stages not returning. Yeah, it was a huge disappointment for us all back during Smash 4 speculation, but it was still pretty cool for Ridley to be one of three stage bosses.

I can live without it, but now that Ridley's in Smash, I'm starting to appreciate Pyrosphere more as a cool tribute to our favorite space dragon.

Plus getting to actually fight as Ridley on that stage would be so cool, they could easily just remove the ridley boss and we can have a proper Samus vs Ridley duel

 

[IsmaR]

It'd be funny to get 64 Planet Zebes, just so we can play Ridley on that stage and have it pointed out he no longer appears in the background
as he's fighting, just like Dedede in Dream Land.

When Ridley takes the stage, Alfonzo flies around Zebes.

Alfonzo: "Leave it to me!"