Here the analysis I made for a possible Namco character back in
2007.
Profile: Pac-Man:
First appearance: Pac-Man (Arcade)
Appearances on Nintendo consoles (just notable ones, there are too many to list): Pac-Man (NES, Wii Virtual Console), Pac-Man 2: The New Adventures (SNES), Namco Museum 64 (N64), Namco Museum (GBA), Pac-Man Collection (GBA), Namco Museum 50th Anniversary (GCN), Pac-Man Fever (GCN), Pac-Man World 2 (GCN), Pac-Man World 3 (GCN), Pac-Man VS., Pac-Man World Rally, Pac n’ Roll (DS), Pac-Pix (DS), Namco Museum Remix (Wii), Pac-Man Carnival (Wii)
Profile:
Pac-Man is the star of the famous culture phenomenon arcade classic, Pac-Man. He is yellow, and likes to eat a lot. His enemies are ghosts that like to chase him. He is basically Namco’s mascot, and he has made a lot of cameos in games by them that are not titles Pac-Man. He has even starred in some games with Mario like Mario Kart GP for the arcade, and Mario himself also made a cameo in Pac-Man Vs.
Why He Should Be In Brawl:
Pac-Man is Namco’s mascot. If there is one character from the company that should be in Brawl it should be Pac-Man. Pac-Man has starred in many games on Nintendo consoles and has even starred in games with Nintendo characters like Mario Kart GP and Mario Kart GP 2. Pac-Man has the most appeal and popularity of any of Namco’s characters, and he is a gaming legend along with Mario, Link, Sonic, and Mega Man. Also, contrary to popular belief, Pac-Man has many moves that can be used in Brawl just from Pac-Man World series alone.
Why He Should Not Be In Brawl:
Pac-Man is outdated, and would have a dull moveset. If there is to be a Namco character in Brawl, it should be one from a recent series and one that has great and unique move potential. A character from the Tales or Soul Calibur series would be better choices.
What Are His Chances:
Pac-Man has the best chances of any Namco character. He is going to appear in two upcoming games on the Wii (Namco Museum Remix and Pac-Man Carnival) and he has made guest-appearances in Nintendo games before (he is a playable character in the Mario Kart GP series for the arcade). Also, Mario made a cameo appearance in Pac-Man VS. for the GameCube. Miyamoto is also good friends with the creator of Pac-Man, and only reason why Snake got into Brawl was because Kojima’s close relationship with Sakurai. Bringing Pac-Man into Brawl would not be a smart move by Namco from a business perspective. Overall, Pac-Man has some of the highest chances to be in Brawl among all third-party characters.
Cress Albane:
First appearance: Tales of Phantasia (SNES)
Also appeared in (Nintendo consoles): Tales of Phantasia (GBA), Tales of the World: Summoner’s Lineage (GBA), Tales of the World: Narikiri Dungeon 3 (GBA)
Cress is the main protagonist of Tales of Phantasia. He is 17 years old, and was trained by his father. He lives in the town of Toltus with his parents. He is able to wield swords, axes, spears, and wear the heaviest armor. He can also use various techniques in battle. Cress gains his techniques through leveling and he gains combos from Secret Skills Books. Cress was the only playable character in the original version of Tales of Phantasia. However, in later versions, he is still the character that the players are likely to play as the most.
Why He Should Be In Brawl:
Cress was the star of the first Tales games, and Tales of Phantasia still remains one of the most popular Tales games in Japan. Cress made his first appearance on a Nintendo console. Finally, Cress would be a good character to place into Brawl because of all of the moves that he has in his own game.
Why He Should Not Be In Brawl:
Tales of Phantasia is not that popular outside of Japan (the only popular Tales games outside Japan is Tales of Symphonia). Also, Namco miught opt to place a character from one of their more recent Tales games or an upcoming Tales games for a Nintendo console, instead of one from a game released over a decade ago.
What Are His Chances:
Cress is one of the most likely Tales characters to get into Brawl. Tales of Phantasia is popular in Japan and was the first Tales games. However, its likely that Namco might choose a character that can benefit them financially (ie. A character from an upcoming games of their’s on a Nintendo console). For this reason, Cress’s chances are hurt. Also, other Namco characters, such as Pac-Man, are more likely because they are more iconic, whereas characters from Tales games have only appeared in one or two games of their own series.
Lloyd Irving:
First appearance: Tales of Symphonia (GCN)
Other appearances on Nintendo consoles: Tales of the World: Narikiri Dungeon 3 (GBA)
Profile:
Lloyd Irving is the main protagonist of Tales of Symphonia. He was orphaned as a child and raised just outside the village of Iselia by his adoptive dwarf father, Dirk. His best friends are Colette Brunel and Genis Sage, both of whom he is very protective of. Lloyd accompanies Colette as one of her guardians on her Journey of Regeneration. He is a bad student and a slacker with a tendency to goof off, however, he is serious about protecting his friends and defending his ideals. Lloyd has a lot of knowledge about Exspheres, a talent that proves to be very useful over the course of his journey. Lloyd is also a skilled craftsmen. For most of the game, the player will be able to control Lloyd. Lloyd’s weapons of choice are two single-edged swords, and his attacks are purely physical. He is one of two playable characters in the game that cannot use magical attacks.
Why He Should Be In Brawl:
Lloyd is from the highest selling Tales game worldwide. Tales of Symphonia is really popular, and is considered by many to be one of the GameCube’s best RPGs. Sakurai said that for Brawl, he did not just want to choose characters that were only popular in Japan. Lloyd is the only Tales characters that fits that description. Also, Lloyd dual blade fighting style would be quite interesting to see implemented into Brawl. Finally, Lloyd is one of the last main heroes from the Tales series to make their debut on a Nintendo console.
Why He Should Not Be In Brawl:
Lloyd’s dual blade fighting style has already been taken by Pit, making him have far less moveset appeal than he initially did. Also, it is unlikely that future games with Lloyd will be made for Nintendo consoles. If there is a new Tales game in development for the Wii, Namco will likely place the main character from that game instead of Lloyd.
What Are His Chances:
Lloyd has the best chances to be in Brawl out of the Tales characters. However, if Namco is developing a new Tales game for Wii, it is likely that they will use the main hero from that game if they decide to place a Tales game in Brawl. Also, Lloyd, like other Namco characters, have serious competition from Pac-Man. Overall, Lloyd is in the Top 5 most likely Namco characters for Brawl.
KOS-MOS:
First appearance: Xenosaga Episode I (PS2)
Appearance on a Nintendo console: Xenosaga I & II (DS)
Profile:
KOS-MOS is one of the main protagonists of the Xenosaga series. She is an armored android developed by the interstellar conglomerate Vector Industries. The name KOS-MOS is an acronym to denote an anti-Gnosis tactics system. It stands for “Kosmos Obey Strategical Multiple Operation Systems.” Her development name is “KP-X” and she is self classified as a “Special Humanoid Anti-Gnosis Annihilation Weapon.” KOS-MOS is entirely composed of mechanical parts, which is a rarity in the age of advanced Realian technology. The basic tenets that she operates on are logic, probability, and above all, completing her missions and objectives. Shion Unuki, KOS-MOS’s co-creator, is also unconditionally protected by her. KOS-MOS is equipped with “Simulated Personality OS” which help aid in communication, and although her speech conveys her as an android in service to humans, her tendency to put probability and logic first make her a bit difficult to manage sometimes. KOS-MOS appears to be emotionless, however, throughout the series, evidence indicates that this is not entirely true.
Why She Should Be In Brawl:
KOS-MOS is one of Namco’s most popular characters, and she has a large fanbase in Japan. She has also made a lot of cameos in other Namco games such as Namco x Capcom, Baten Kaitos, Soul Calibur 3, and Tales of the World: Narikiri Dungeon 3. Nintendo recently bought Monolith Soft, the developer of Xenosaga. As a matter of fact, Namco actually sold their shares of Monolith Soft so that they can develop better relations with Nintendo. It is this reason that a character created by Monolith Soft should be Namco’s representative for Brawl. KOS-MOS is by far the most popular character that Monolith Soft has created. Also, many people say that there should be more female fighters in Brawl. KOS-MOS has a lot of moveset potential, and would be unique addition to the Brawl’s character roster. Finally, Yasunori Mitsuda, the composer of Xenosaga Episode I, is composing for Super Smash Bros. Brawl.
Why She Should Not Be In Brawl:
A lot of people consider the Xenosaga series to be mediocre and to have a overly-complex, convoluted and nonsensical plot. KOS-MOS is nowhere near as popular or well-known as Pac-Man. Finally, if a character created by Monolith Soft should get into Brawl, it should be Kalas, not KOS-MOS, because there was only one Xenosaga game on a Nintendo console, yet both Baten Kaitos games were exclusive to the GameCube.
What Are Her Chances:
KOS-MOS has decent chances. However, sevewral things to keep in mind. One is that Monolith Soft was only acquired last month by Nintendo, which means that the idea to include a Monolith Soft character into Brawl will have been a recent idea from Sakurai’s team and Namco, and negotiations to include third-party characters in Brawl might take a while. (Ie. It might not be likely that you will see KOS-MOS or Kalas in a trailer at the next E3). Also, its unlikely that Nintendo now owns the Xenosaga series, even though they own Monolith Soft (though, there could be some partial ownership). Finally, Xenosaga Episode III was stated to be the last installment to the series, so its unlikely that they would place KOS-MOS into Brawl for promotional reasons. However, she has enormous popularity.
Kalas:
First appearance: Baten Kaitos: Eternal Wings and the Lost Ocean (GCN)
Profile:
Kalas is the main protagonist of Baten Kaitos. He is one a journey to avenge the death of his brother and grandfather. Kalas was born with only one wing, and for this he was considered to be malformed and monstrous. Luckily, since his grandfather was a great engineer, he built him a substitute Winglet. Unlike typical RPG protagonists, Kalas is a selfish, jerk. He does whatever he wants, and does not care whether it’s the right thing or not. Kalas is spiritually bonded with the Guardian Spirit (AKA- the player). However, depending on your actions in-game, Kalas’s personality will change over the course of the game.
Why He Should Be In Brawl:
Baten Kaitos is considered by many to be one of the GameCube’s best RPGs. Also, the Baten Kaitos series was GameCube exclusive. Its for this reason, that Kalas should get in over KOS-MOS, as Namco’s representative, if they decide to place in a Monolith Soft character. Kalas has great move potential as well. Finally, Motoi Sakuraba, the composer of Baten Kaitos, is composing for Super Smash Bros. Brawl.
Why He Should Not Be In Brawl:
Kalas is nowhere near as popular as Pac-Man or KOS-MOS. Also, the second Baten Katios game, Baten Kaitos Origins, had very poor sales. The first Baten Kaitos did not have very high sales either, especially compared to Xenosaga Episode I. Also, there is a strong possibility that there will not be future Baten Kaitos games because of the poor sales of the second game.
What Are His Chances:
Kalas has okay chances to be in Brawl as Namco’s representative. Kalas was once requested in Sakurai’s poll on the Japanese Brawl site. Also, it is likely that Nintendo has at least partial ownership of the Baten Kaitos series, since they published the second one in Japan and North America. However, placing Kalas in Brawl would lack any promotional value on the part of Namco because there is a strong possibility that there will not be any more Baten Kaitos game, and that if a future one is made, Kalas won’t be in the game. However, there is a possibility that Kalas might come in as a fist-party character, rather than a third-party character if Nintendo does indeed now own the rights to Baten Kaitos.
Siegfried:
First appearance: Soul Edge (Arcade)
Appearance on Nintendo consoles: Soul Calibur II (GCN), Soul Calibur Legends (Wii)
Profile:
Siegfried’s story in the Soul series is very long, so I am not going to be summarizing it in this profile. However, you can go here if you want to learn about his history throughout the series:
http://www.gamefaqs.com/console/ps2/file/927089/26537
Why He Should Be In Brawl:
Siegfried is a very important character in the Soul series. Also, he is going to be the main character of Soul Calibur Legends for the Nintendo Wii. He can very easily be implemented into Brawl since he is already from a fighting game. Finally, a Soul Calibur character should be Brawl because Link was a playable character in the GameCube version of Soul Calibur 2.
Why He Should Not Be In Brawl:
There might be better Soul Calibur characters to place into Brawl rather than Siefried. Also, Pac-Man and KOS-MOS are both more popular than any Soul Calibur character. Finally, some Smash Bros. fans have been complaining that there are too many sword users in the game, and adding a character like Siegfried would offer no uniquenes.
What Are His Chances:
Siegfried’s chances to be in Brawl lie with the fact he is the main character of Soul Calibur Legends, and that Nintendo used one of their characters (Link) to promote Soul Calibur 2. Namco might repay the favor, while at the same time, be promoting their own game. It is important to keep in mind though, that other characters from Soul Calibur Legends have a chance of getting in as well. Overall, Siegfried best chances to get in will be if they decide to put in a character that promotes an upcoming games of theirs.
Klonoa:
First appearance: Klonoa: Door to Phantomile (PS1)
Appearance on Nintendo consoles: Klonoa: Empire of Dreams (GBA), Klonoa 2: Dream Champ Tournament (GBA), Klonoa Heroes: Legend of the Star Medal (GBA)
Profile:
Klonoa is the protagonist of Namco’s excellent platformer series, Klonoa. He lives in the world of Phantomile in a small village called Breezegale with his grandfather. In the first game, Klonoa is sent to another universe also called Phantomile to the saves the world and its dreams. Klonoa is described a being a “Dream Traveler”, who is fated to travel to various places where the state of dreams is in danger. Klonoa has met several characters who would later become regulars in the series such as Popka and Lolo during his later travels to several Dream Worlds. His rival is gun-slinging mercenary named Gantz. Klonoa’s has many different abilities and attacks in his games, making him one of the more unique platformer characters.
Why He Should Be In Brawl:
Klonoa has lots of move potential, much more than most of the other Namco characters listed previously. Klonoa is also Namco’s primary platformer series, and who wouldn’t want to see him fight it out with Mario, Kirby, or Sonic. Klonoa is pretty popular as well, and has had several games on Nintendo consoles.
Why He Should Not Be In Brawl:
Klonoa lacks the popularity of Pac-Man, KOS-MOS, or some Tales characters. Also, there are no Klonoa games currently in development (or at least that the public is aware of). The sales of recent Klonoa games have been low, so the series might be losing some steam.
What Are His Chances:
Klonoa chances lie whether or not Namco secretly has a new Klonoa game in development for the Wii or DS. If they do, Klonoa’s chances would be rather high. If there is no new Klonoa game in development, his chances are low. Its for this reason that Klonoa’s chances of being picked as Namco’s representative for Brawl are an overall mystey. (Hopefully, we will find out about new possible Klonoa games at E3.)
