AceAttorney9000
Smash Lord
- Joined
- Oct 25, 2019
- Messages
- 1,881
So in light of Min Min getting in, here's my predictions on who we might get in Fighters Pass 2 going forward...
- General predictions
- This pass will be a mix of both first-parties and third-parties. The specific ratio, I've no idea, but I do think we'll see some sort of mix.
- Since this pass started off with a Nintendo character instead of a third-party, I think this pass will be mostly "Nintendo-centric"... not in the sense of "Oop! All First-Parties!" (I seriously doubt that this pass will be all first-parties), but rather that it will be both first-parties and third-parties, the latter having some sort of significant connection and relevance to Nintendo and their history... of course, I do say "mostly" because there's always still the possibility of the one oddball character who doesn't fit this description.
- We're likely getting a Capcom character. They only got an Echo Fighter in the base game and didn't get any character in the previous Fighters Pass, and they've still got plenty of fan favorites that could potentially make it in.
- One of the characters will be a Banjo-type pick that is essentially there for no other purpose than to please the fans. Banjo-Kazooie in the previous Fighters Pass ended up getting an almost unanimously positive response, so I think it's likely we're gonna see one more character like that, possibly two if we're lucky.
- One of the characters will be included to help promote some sort of upcoming third-party Switch release, such as a port or new game.
- You know those surprise "premium" DLC Mii Fighter Costumes like Sans, Cuphead, and now Vault Boy? I think those will be a more common thing going forward, maybe bringing a song with them depending on the character and series.
- Fighter 7 - Kiryu Kazama (Yakuza)
- Yes, I know I said that this pass will be "Nintendo-centric", and Kiryu Kazama isn't exactly the first thing you think of when it comes to Nintendo. His current connection to the company is, to my knowledge, limited to just two remastered Wii U ports of the first two Yakuza games (which barely anyone knows exist because they were Japan-only and... well, they were on the Wii U). However, with all the different games that have been getting ported to the Switch lately... I think the system will end up getting some surprise ports of some of the Yakuza games, and much like with Hero and Dragon Quest XI S, what better way to help spread the word about these ports than Kiryu in Smash?
- Fighter 8 - Geno (Super Mario RPG)
- Yes, I'm thinkin' he's in, as the Banjo-Kazooie of Fighters Pass 2. Assuming the pass really is going for the Nintendo-centric angle I'm predicting, Geno easily fits, being one of the main characters of a Mario game, one that resulted from Nintendo and Square Enix being close enough that the latter was able to produce a game with the former's top IP. Not to mention, the fan demand is there and has lasted for years at this point. There's so many uncertainties regarding his inclusion that he's obviously not guaranteed, but despite all the factors that are going against him... I think he's in.
- Fighter 9 - Crash Bandicoot
- Surprising pick, I know, but even disregarding the new game getting announced, I feel like Crash is in, possibly as the second Banjo-Kazooie of the pass alongside Geno. He's got the fan demand, the recent comeback through N. Sane Trilogy and Nitro Refueled, the more recent announcement of a brand new Crash game, and he's also an important part of Nintendo's history and the history of gaming in general, being a pioneer of 3D platforming games and going toe-to-toe with both Mario and Sonic. Of course, there's the big elephant in the room of Crash being a western character, but considering the first pass had Banjo, as well as all the Mii Fighter costumes of western games like Undertale, Assassin's Creed, Rabbids, Cuphead, and Fallout, I don't think it'll be that big of an issue.
- Fighter 10 - Phoenix Wright (Ace Attorney)
- I think ole' Barbed Head himself is next in line for the third Capcom character (or fourth if you count Echo Fighters). For one, among the different Capcom characters who could be in Smash, his franchise's association with Nintendo is completely unmatched, to the point that Wright is essentially considered an honorary Nintendo character even by Nintendo themselves. Every Ace Attorney game has been released on a Nintendo console first and foremost, and it never made the jump to other consoles and systems until the Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney HD Trilogy release (which came out on Switch, PS4, Xbox One, and Steam) in 2019. The Ace Attorney series is also decently-sized, what with six mainline games, four different spin-off games, a crossover with Level-5's Professor Layton, a film adaptation by Takashi Miike, an anime adaptation by A-1 Pictures, multiple manga adaptations, stage shows, drama CDs, musicals... it may not be Monster Hunter or Resident Evil, but the series' size is nothing to sneeze at.
- Fighter 11 - Rex (Xenoblade Chronicles 2)
- Two characters were specifically noted by Sakurai as being considered for base game, but not making it in due to unfortunate timing. One of them was an ARMS character, who was eventually included in the form of Min Min. The other was Rex, and since ARMS ended up getting its chance another day, I'm thinking Rex isn't far behind. While the Mii Fighter costume consolation prize muddies things up a bit, Sakurai notably felt the need to personally apologize to fans who wanted Rex in the game. Add in the rising popularity of the Xenoblade franchise and Chronicles 2 in particular, plus the ARMS character getting that second chance, and I can see Sakurai and the devs going back to give Rex another chance.
- Other specific characters that could happen...
- Dr. Eggman (Sonic the Hedgehog) - If Fighters Pass 2 brings us a second unique character from a series already in Smash, I think he's the one. Sonic was one of the first third-parties in Smash, Eggman is one of the series' most prominent characters besides Sonic himself, and he's generally a popular villain character.
- Travis Touchdown (No More Heroes) - A popular third-party series and a staple of the Wii, plus there's Travis Strikes Back and the upcoming No More Heroes III on the Switch.
- Dante (Devil May Cry) - While I don't think he's as likely as Wright, Devil May Cry V and the first three games getting ported to Switch do give him a higher chance than most other characters.
- Pokemon - Whether or not this happens depends on whether or not Sakurai applies the "reserve a base game slot for Pokemon" policy to DLC as well. It's certainly possible, though I could also see it not happening and Sakurai focusing on other characters.
- Sol Badguy (Guilty Gear) - In the event we get another Fighting Game character, he seems like the next most likely choice after the Heihachi costume returned.
- Ryu Hayabusa (Ninja Gaiden) - Honestly, I'm more surprised this character hasn't happened yet. Like Terry, he could represent not only his home series, but also Tecmo Koei as a whole, bringing in content from Dynasty Warriors, Samurai Warriors, Dead or Alive, and Fatal Frame.