Social Lower Norfair

[StormC]

Something I think a lot of fans really fail to keep in mind is this time, we actually do have, more-or-less, all the essentials in the context of a roster that was decided upon in December 2015.

All veterans? In. K. Rool? In. Inkling? In. Ridley? In. Isabelle? In.

Most other characters left are either too recent/don't match the importance and urgency of those three, aren't popular enough, or are third party (meaning one REALLY shouldn't bank their hopes and dreams on a character Nintendo has to negotiate for, that's never an easy thing). IMO, the only characters that will feel "missing" in a game like Ultimate are Dixie Kong and Bandana Dee. Those characters are both popular enough and notable enough that their absence will be felt, I believe. I suppose you could make an argument for Toad as well, but he's never reached the necessary threshold of popularity for Sakurai to overcome his own evident opinion of the character, unlike Ridley and K. Rool.

I've said it several times before, it's fine to be disappointed that your favorite didn't get in, but a lot of fans have unrealistic expectations, even after Sakurai emphasized multiple times there are less newcomers than usual (to this point I expect 2-3 unique ones left), and they should have heeded his word.

Now that there isn't really a white whale of Smash speculation (Geno and Isaac come closest but still don't compare to K. Ridley), people have divided into their own camps and now it's making this late-game discussion much more unpleasant because everyone is fighting for the few last spots.

 

[soviet prince]

toad deserves it way before bandana dee

 

[StormC]

toad deserves it way before bandana dee

That’s a fair argument, my point is just that Toad will probably never get in as long as Sakurai is directing unless he becomes the most wanted newcomer. Ridley became too big to ignore.

 

[AndreaAC]

Doodled this out of boredom, because why not? :o

 

[meleebrawler]

View attachment 168087
Doodled this out of boredom, because why not? :o

Are they crying because he's "dead"? Or because he killed the rest of the Lumas? Or both?

Or is he just sleeping and making surprisingly cute noises? I know a lot of Monster Hunter creatures that do that.

 

[AndreaAC]

Are they crying because he's "dead"? Or because he killed the rest of the Lumas? Or both?

Or is he just sleeping and making surprisingly cute noises? I know a lot of Monster Hunter creatures that do that.

He's dead or actually unconcious. He wouldn't kill the Lumas.

That other scenario with the cute noises is possible as well, but there wouldn't be any crying.

 

[Diem]

When seeing how extremely anxious people are getting atm it really hit me how big a relief it is to never have to be in that situation again. The panic when we were closing in on the game's release and Ridley still hadn't been confirmed was easily the worst part of speculation, people would really lose their heads, myself included, so it's nice to be on the other side of that for once. It's a bit of a pain to deal with the people who are on the edge atm, but I'm just happy it's not us anymore.

With how it's looking like we're getting fewer newcomers than we initially expected it feels like a really special privilege for the few who did make it, I'm extremely grateful that I've somehow gotten three of my most wanted (Ridley, K. Rool, Dark Samus). I'm okay with being maybe a bit too optimistic for what's left now, because I'm already over the moon with what we have, disappointment isn't an option anymore.

What's funny for me is that I only suffered that anxiety for less than two months. My attitude for years has been "Eh, the characters I want have really slim chances. The amount of other people who want them is miniscule compared to the dozens of other candidates. I'll freak out if they get in, but I won't hold my breath, because it's probably not going to happen." With Ridley being in the game, I was excited for that at least, even if it meant we'd probably never see Dark Samus. And then Samus's Dark Samus alt color was missing, along with no confirmation of a Dark Samus assist trophy, plus the introduction of Echo Fighters. At that point, it was like "Okay, the chances have been upgraded from 'not happening' to 'WTF, this might happen?'."

And then less than two months later, it happened. Good thing it did happen that soon, because if we got Richter, Chrom, and some other third Echo besides Dark Samus, I would be like all the other people in the Newcomer Speculation subforum, trying to parse out what's going on. Instead, I get to chill with the Ridley and K. Rool supporters, even though my character is the least exciting newcomer for most people.

Though it is unfortunate, yet inevitable, that it's not a dogfight between the remaining characters about who is or isn't more likely, and who deserves or doesn't deserve to get in. What's even more unfortunate is that things will only get more heated as we get into DLC, since the character frequency will be fewer and the candidate pool will be broadened, since the 2016-2018 characters will then be more possible, as well as more third-party characters (the more third party characters that are in the base game, the more licensing and hoops they have to worry about while the game is in development; after launch, it'd just be one at a time, which is more manageable).

Which is why I hope that characters like Geno and Isaac would get in now, since they're less likely to be DLC characters. I consider Banjo & Kazooie likely, but others might not be. Hopefully we don't get a Pokémon character instead of one of the bigger requests, but after Isabelle, it seems more likely.

Something I think a lot of fans really fail to keep in mind is this time, we actually do have, more-or-less, all the essentials in the context of a roster that was decided upon in December 2015.

All veterans? In. K. Rool? In. Inkling? In. Ridley? In. Isabelle? In.

Most other characters left are either too recent/don't match the importance and urgency of those three, aren't popular enough, or are third party (meaning one REALLY shouldn't bank their hopes and dreams on a character Nintendo has to negotiate for, that's never an easy thing). IMO, the only characters that will feel "missing" in a game like Ultimate are Dixie Kong and Bandana Dee. Those characters are both popular enough and notable enough that their absence will be felt, I believe. I suppose you could make an argument for Toad as well, but he's never reached the necessary threshold of popularity for Sakurai to overcome his own evident opinion of the character, unlike Ridley and K. Rool.

I've said it several times before, it's fine to be disappointed that your favorite didn't get in, but a lot of fans have unrealistic expectations, even after Sakurai emphasized multiple times there are less newcomers than usual (to this point I expect 2-3 unique ones left), and they should have heeded his word.

Now that there isn't really a white whale of Smash speculation (Geno and Isaac come closest but still don't compare to K. Ridley), people have divided into their own camps and now it's make this late-game discussion much more unpleasant because everyone is fighting for the few last spots.

I hope I'm wrong, but there's probably going to be a mountain of salt when it's revealed that Spirits isn't an SSE successor. A lot of people genuinely consider it confirmed based on the game's file size (which is about the same as Smash 4 despite having more content due to compression, so that claim makes zero sense) or on the cinematic nature of the trailers (but Smash 4 had the same kind of trailers). People are beyond getting their hopes up, over really flimsy evidence, and when reality comes around, it might not be pretty.

Generally though I think things will be better this time around. Ridley and K. Rool got in, Fire Emblem fans got their Chrom, and all the veterans are returning. Most stages are back, too. The gameplay is faster and tighter. It's on a console people actually want to own. Things have been positive overall, and I don't think there's much that will actually bring it down. The worst that could happen is that the online netcode is still subpar.

 

[AndreaAC]

R: "So you are the lame wannabe, eh?...Talk about being ugly as sin."

G: "!"

R: "Also...how and when did you snapped your freaking neck?"

xD Something I did for fun with Rids and Greed.

 

[Ridleyridster]

View attachment 168087
Doodled this out of boredom, because why not? :o

Absolutely lovely. Your artwork is always so wonderful and brings so much personality to the big fella.

 

[AndreaAC]

Absolutely lovely. Your artwork is always so wonderful and brings so much personality to the big fella.

:> Glad you like it! xD I mean, when it comes to Ridley, after years of struggling to draw him, when I did it more often, I wanted to give my own flare to him since Brawl Ridley (the main reference) didn't gave me a lot to work with when it came to the expressions, and the personality in the manga, with mine is still there, but I added some more to have some variation. It took me a long time to develop alongside Roidley, but I have endless fun coming up with situations for them.

 

[IronWarrior94]

Hey guys, just stopping by here for to remind myself that Ridley was my most and now he's finally in the game. Lately, I've moved on to support another character, that being Elma from the Xenoblade Chronicles series. I personally loved X, and to see her in the game as playable would give me and many fans vindication, since X is regarded as the weakest of the 3 Xeno games and still to this day is seen with contempt from many Xeno fans.
I admit I've been too invested in her chances now that if she's not in, I might be as dissapointed as when Ridley was revealed as a stage hazard in Smash 4 after months of that shadow theory nonsense.

 

[AustarusIV]

Hey guys, just stopping by here for to remind myself that Ridley was my most and now he's finally in the game. Lately, I've moved on to support another character, that being Elma from the Xenoblade Chronicles series. I personally loved X, and to see her in the game as playable would give me and many fans vindication, since X is regarded as the weakest of the 3 Xeno games and still to this day is seen with contempt from many Xeno fans.
I admit I've been too invested in her chances now that if she's not in, I might be as dissapointed as when Ridley was revealed as a stage hazard in Smash 4 after months of that shadow theory nonsense.

I mean, I'm an Elma fan as well and would like to see her, but I'm not too desperate for her since her future (as well as the X subseries) is still assured thanks to Monolith's interest in making a sequel to the game as well as the fan demand for a X port on the Switch.

The full roster reveal is likely a little less than a month away, so for all the unconfirmed character threads, they need to prepare for the worst in case if they don't get it. I know the Ridley fanbase tried and failed to do that back in the SSB4 era.

 

[vVv Rapture]

I really don't think there's a character I'd be disappointed not seeing like I was disappointed not getting Ridley in Smash 4. K Rool is likely the closest -- like Ridley, I've always felt he deserved to be in Smash above most other characters, but he made it, too. And Snake being removed from Smash 4 was a travesty, but he's back as well. Idk if there are any characters left for me that would devastate me if they weren't included.

Skull Kid is probably the closest -- I wouldn't be devastated, but I do think he'd be great in Smash and Majora's Mask is my favorite Zelda (and is the best one, @ me if you'd like). Other than him though, I'm finally at peace.

 

[AndreaAC]

Dalek_Kolt XD So...I came across a VERY old drawing I did of your Griffin Ridley yesterday...and I felt like trying to re-draw it after so long:

I am going to fix more stuff and add color later when I get the chance. xD Honestly, even though I wish I could do better, I liked the result.

 

[Dalek_Kolt]

Dalek_Kolt XD So...I came across a VERY old drawing I did of your Griffin Ridley yesterday...and I felt like trying to re-draw it after so long:
View attachment 169120

I am going to fix more stuff and add color later when I get the chance. xD Honestly, even though I wish I could do better, I liked the result.

I really need to draw that character again. Last time I did ANYTHING with him was when I commissioned Silfoe to draw him

Spoiler

I adore your take on him more though.

 

[RomanceDawn]

That’s a fair argument, my point is just that Toad will probably never get in as long as Sakurai is directing unless he becomes the most wanted newcomer. Ridley became too big to ignore.

Too big to ignore... Thats it!

I don't know about you guys but I love coming up with taunts that are relatively clever and topical to my mains. Especially because you are forced to be creative in the 16 character limit. I wanted an online taunt message for Ridley that really stuck it to the haters.

2 BIG
2 Ignore

Yes! If anyone has any other ideas please let me know.

My past favorites include:
1 - You got DKO'd
2 - K i l l Kongfrmd
3 - You're Fired - Charizard/Bowser

2 Big 2 Ignore works for all my big beastly mains!

 

[Zem-raj]

This might seem crazy, but I think Ridley's inclusion might cause a ripple effect:

The ripple could continue to get bigger and bigger. Maybe even too big haha.

All I know is, it's a good time to be a Ridley fan right now, and hopefully more great things to come :D

 

[Cosmic77]

This might seem crazy, but I think Ridley's inclusion might cause a ripple effect:

The ripple could continue to get bigger and bigger. Maybe even too big haha.

All I know is, it's a good time to be a Ridley fan right now, and hopefully more great things to come :D

Even before Ultimate, it was pretty obvious that Nintendo considered Ridley a big selling point for the Metroid series. They even spoiled the suprise final boss of SR because they wanted Smash fans to be aware of Ridley's presence in the game.

I don't know what's in store for the Metroid series after Prime 4, but I can guarantee you that Ridley and Smash is gonna be a major contributor to a possible revival.

 

[Dalek_Kolt]

This might seem crazy, but I think Ridley's inclusion might cause a ripple effect:

The ripple could continue to get bigger and bigger. Maybe even too big haha.

All I know is, it's a good time to be a Ridley fan right now, and hopefully more great things to come :D

I'm just waiting for Samus and Ridley to show up in the next Mario Kart.

 

[AndreaAC]

Dalek_Kolt I gave a quick coloring to the sketch. Sorry if it looks messy. (I will send you a bigger pic later)

 

[Mr Gentleman]

Been spending my time in speculation with the Geno supporters. but thought I should take a break from the madness that is end game speculation and just appreciate that "Yeah, Ridley finally got in"

metroid got so much love in this game! Ridley the character I had all but given up on actually got in, Dark Samus the character I was rooting for in his stead also got in! one of my favorite stages brinstar depths is back and with Kraid in glorious HD!

heck metroidvania's in general are getting a lot of love! because Castlevania is also getting tones of love and attention! I might just rep one of my favorite game genre's and dual main Ridley and Simon!

 

[vVv Rapture]

Even before Ultimate, it was pretty obvious that Nintendo considered Ridley a big selling point for the Metroid series. They even spoiled the suprise final boss of SR because they wanted Smash fans to be aware of Ridley's presence in the game.

I don't know what's in store for the Metroid series after Prime 4, but I can guarantee you that Ridley and Smash is gonna be a major contributor to a possible revival.

I think they spoiled the surprise because they wanted just fans in general to be aware. I don't think it was for Smash fans specifically. I mean tons of Metroid fans were probably pumped to see Ridley, and many of them prob don't play Smash at all or are big fans of it. . I don't think they specifically thought "Yes let's show Ridley so Smash fans will be aware he's in it." Ridley is just the most important character in the series other than Samus -- no surprise they'd spoil it for people.

 

[Ridley_Prime]

I get why they did it and all since Ridley’s a marketable character for anything now, but still didn’t like getting spoiled for what could’ve been an epic surprise for me when I reached Returns’ end-game on my own.

 

[Robertman2]

No Dream Too Big is still an amazing video

 

[IsmaR]

Too big to ignore... Thats it!

I don't know about you guys but I love coming up with taunts that are relatively clever and topical to my mains. Especially because you are forced to be creative in the 16 character limit. I wanted an online taunt message for Ridley that really stuck it to the haters.

2 BIG
2 Ignore

Yes! If anyone has any other ideas please let me know.

My past favorites include:
1 - You got DKO'd
2 - K i l l Kongfrmd
3 - You're Fired - Charizard/Bowser

2 Big 2 Ignore works for all my big beastly mains!

I'm rocking "HITS THE(nospace)BIG TIME" right now. Along with "Yep,it's him"

"No Dream Too Big" is one I'm considering now.

 

[slamallama]

I'm just gonna pop in here real quick and throw in my two cents.

I used to hate the idea of Ridley being a fighter in Smash - I was in the "he's too big" and "it just wouldn't be Ridley" boats, and always felt that Dark Samus was the best choice for a new Metroid rep. But as I watch more of his gameplay, I actually find myself getting more and more excited to see him in the game. His signature animalistic yet skilled fighting style really is doing justice to the character, and envisioning all the epic match-ups for him has got me super hyped (I never realized how much I wanted to see Ridley challenge Bowser to a deathmatch!)

Then, even seeing that Ridley is actually a really cool addition to the roster, I was still disappointed, not in him, but knowing his inclusion had probably snuffed any chance Dark Samus had of getting in. But then, to my total surprise and joy, our Phazon overlord miraculously secured herself a spot on the roster as well, and even brought Kraid and Brinstar Depths along for the ride. It's overwhelming how much awesome content Metroid is getting now, given how little there was in past games, especially Smash 4, where they really dragged everyone's hopes through the mud (Ridley is just a Stage Hazard? Dark Samus is just an Assist Trophy, but Dark Pit gets a roster spot? That's a joke, right?)

I'm beyond hyped for what's without question going to be the greatest Smash yet, and am surprised to find that it's actually in large part thanks to Ridley that I'm so pumped. Glad to finally be down here in Lower Norfair!

 

[AndreaAC]

I get why they did it and all since Ridley’s a marketable character for anything now, but still didn’t like getting spoiled for what could’ve been an epic surprise for me when I reached Returns’ end-game on my own.

That reminds me...I hope that means we get a lot more stuff with Ridley when it comes to official merch...the amiibo and the few shirts that has him because of the boxarts is something, but I wish the Meta Ridley from F4F didn't cost an eye off my face. T U T :V Also, a Ridley plush needs to happen...urgently.

 

[SmashKeks]

That reminds me...I hope that means we get a lot more stuff with Ridley when it comes to official merch...the amiibo and the few shirts that has him because of the boxarts is something, but I wish the Meta Ridley from F4F didn't cost an eye off my face. T U T :V Also, a Ridley plush needs to happen...urgently.

If Ridley gets more merch and promotion, I would love for Ridley to have a comedically horribly unfitting appearance for every fitting appearance he has pertaining to his personality and aesthetic. Put him in Smash, but also make him a DLC character in the recently released Super Mario Party (Mario Kart works too, preferably both.). Give him a guest boss fight in Bayonetta 3, but make him an Amiibo compatible villager in Animal Crossing 2019. Give us more shirts where Ridley looks scary and imposing next to characters like Bowser, Wolf, and K. Rool, then give us some with him in a field of flowers cat napping next to characters like Pichu, Kirby, and Isabelle.

 

[vVv Rapture]

With Ridley now in Smash it's become even more apparent to me how little Metroid merch in general there is. I've gone to a number of events this year, tournaments and cons and expos, etc., and just finding Metroid stuff is hard. Then when you do, it's of course always just of Samus. Which is fine. But I've only found Ridley-specific merch maybe one or two times, and it was from someone I knew would specifically be there.

Hoping we get more creators that will be doing Ridley stuff. That being said, his merch will probably always be a niche market unless Metroid becomes a much bigger franchise in the future.

I don't need too much cross-over stuff, though. Like I don't need Ridley in other games or anything, or showing up in a ton of other non-Metroid related media. It'd be cool but idk I think that's why him in Smash makes so much sense and works so well bc that's the perfect environment for a character like him. Putting Ridley in a go-kart doesn't feel very necessary lol

 

[NintenRob]

He wouldn't kill the Lumas.

The Ridley you know and the Ridley I know are definitely two completely different beasts then, Ridley would absolutely try to kill as many Luma's as possible before Rosalina could stop him just for fun, of course dealing with a celestial being like Rosalina isn't easy so it's more he couldn't kill them rather than wouldn't.

Don't threaten star babies when the celestial guardian mum is around to defend them.

 

[CaptainAmerica]

With Ridley now in Smash it's become even more apparent to me how little Metroid merch in general there is. I've gone to a number of events this year, tournaments and cons and expos, etc., and just finding Metroid stuff is hard. Then when you do, it's of course always just of Samus. Which is fine. But I've only found Ridley-specific merch maybe one or two times, and it was from someone I knew would specifically be there.

Hoping we get more creators that will be doing Ridley stuff. That being said, his merch will probably always be a niche market unless Metroid becomes a much bigger franchise in the future.

I don't need too much cross-over stuff, though. Like I don't need Ridley in other games or anything, or showing up in a ton of other non-Metroid related media. It'd be cool but idk I think that's why him in Smash makes so much sense and works so well bc that's the perfect environment for a character like him. Putting Ridley in a go-kart doesn't feel very necessary lol

I always had this fantasy that Dovahkiin would get in Smash and they'd make a new free mode for Skyrim Switch where you could scan a Ridley amiibo (or Charizard) and then a giant version of them would show as a bonus boss in game. May have to get that version if they announced that.

Ridley plushies would be funny, but I don't see that happening. However, a nice Ridley statuette is feasible.

But I can't wait for my Risley amiibo to come in. This will be epic!

 

[vVv Rapture]

I always had this fantasy that Dovahkiin would get in Smash and they'd make a new free mode for Skyrim Switch where you could scan a Ridley amiibo (or Charizard) and then a giant version of them would show as a bonus boss in game. May have to get that version if they announced that.

Ridley plushies would be funny, but I don't see that happening. However, a nice Ridley statuette is feasible.

But I can't wait for my Risley amiibo to come in. This will be epic!

That would be sick. Playing as boss Ridley in Skyrim would be sick. That's a cross-over that works for me.

I definitely need a Ridley plush though lol

 

[AndreaAC]

The Ridley you know and the Ridley I know are definitely two completely different beasts then, Ridley would absolutely try to kill as many Luma's as possible before Rosalina could stop him just for fun, of course dealing with a celestial being like Rosalina isn't easy so it's more he couldn't kill them rather than wouldn't.

Don't threaten star babies when the celestial guardian mum is around to defend them.

Yeah, because this Ridley is my take on him.

 

[lanky_gunner]

Ridley plushies would be funny, but I don't see that happening. However, a nice Ridley statuette is feasible.

A Ridley plushie? I'd kill for one of those. I want to snuggle a soft Ridley.

 

[SmashKeks]

Imagine a Ridley plushie not unlike those big snake plushes, but with the length of the doll being Ridley's tail complete with spikes and a soft blade at the end.

 

[lanky_gunner]

Just make a huge Ridley plush, like the size of those huge teddy bears.

Then I can be the little spoon to Ridley's big spoon.

 

[AndreaAC]

Just make a huge Ridley plush, like the size of those huge teddy bears.

I would totally want to buy that. I think I would replace my mattress with him instead if he's that soft. xD

 

[Diem]

I would totally want to buy that. I think I would replace my mattress with him instead if he's that soft. xD

I mean, wouldn't he be kinda thin and pointy?

 

[AndreaAC]

"Big Bro! I wanna play with you! Pleaaaaaaaaaaaseeeeeeee!"

"Silly One...you are seconds away of granting me a ticket to the wonderful place of MIGRAINE WORLD."

"...*sniffs* *Ball squeaks*"

"*Sigh* Fine, just don't do those high pitched screams again."

"YAAAAAY~!"

"GAH! WHAT DID I JUST TELL YOU?!"

"...Oops...yay~!..."

XD Something to test some screentone brushes. I hope it doesn't break.

I mean, wouldn't he be kinda thin and pointy?

xD I dunno. Maybe! I'm just sayin'!

 

[Cosmic77]

I mean, wouldn't he be kinda thin and pointy?

Yes, but the sore back you'll get from sleeping against his thin, anorexic ribcage is totally worth it.

It's not all bad though. His wingspan allows you to stretch your arms out all the way, not to mention that his tail also works as makeshift weapon to defend yourself against intruders who will undoubtedly try to steal him from you.