Official Next Smash - Speculation & Discussion Thread

[Ivander]

Hmmm...

Spoiler: Pyoro post. Potential Direct spoilers.

Now obviously, what he's hinting at with all of his posts still ultimately need to be confirmed tomorrow to confirm whether his source is remaining accurate or not. That said...
Some people are speculating Super Monkey Ball, although there's no confirmation if that's what Pyoro is hinting at.

 

[Speed Weed]

Hmmm...

Spoiler: Pyoro post. Potential Direct spoilers.

Now obviously, what he's hinting at with all of his posts still ultimately need to be confirmed tomorrow to confirm whether his source is remaining accurate or not. That said...
Some people are speculating Super Monkey Ball, although there's no confirmation if that's what Pyoro is hinting at.

Getting a new Monkey Ball this soon already would feel a bit jarring to me, though that may just be because as a SEGA fan I'm used to like 5-year intervals between sequels at the absolute minimum

 

[chocolatejr9]

Getting a new Monkey Ball this soon already would feel a bit jarring to me, though that may just be because as a SEGA fan I'm used to like 5-year intervals between sequels at the absolute minimum

Maybe they're more serious about the "bringing back obscure/dead IPs" thing than we realize. I DID read somewhere that it might have something to do with a change in management, but I can't remember the full details.

 

[Nabbitfan730]

Seems like things are already in motion.

Does anyone have predictions and/or wants for the Partner Showcase?

There was a problem fetching the tweet

 

[CannonStreak]

Seems like things are already in motion.

Does anyone have predictions and/or wants for the Partner Showcase?

There was a problem fetching the tweet

I can't wait until April, though for some reason, I can wait for June.

 

[Nabbitfan730]

what's going on with June?

 

[Swamp Sensei]

what's going on with June?

Look at what you posted lmao

 

[NintenRob]

Bandana Waddle Dee's exclusion is a little weird. He's incredibly popular as a Smash candidate, he continues to grow in prominence in his home series, he's the most popular first-party after Waluigi, and he has a pre-packaged moveset that would distinguish him from the rest of the roster. I think Geno hits many of these same notes and his inclusion would also be worth considering, but he also has the factor of Square's ownership that needs to be contented with.

So I'm going to play devil's advocate for why Bandana Dee isn't playable (and I'll preface this by saying I adore the little guy, want him in Smash and think he should be playable)

Obviously any Smash game that came out prior to Return to Dreamland wasn't going to add him. So Let's look first at Smash 4.

By the time of Smash 4, all Bandana Dee had going for him was being player 4 in return to Dreamland. While that was certainly enough to garner a fan base, the name Bandana Waddle Dee wasn't even consistently used yet. Often just being called Waddle Dee

And unfortunately, Because Smash 4 and Ultimate came out so close to each, not much had really changed. Star Allies was really the big push Bandana Dee needed but it came out too late to really make a difference. He was more consistently called Bandana Dee and Planet Robobot certainly treated him like the fourth core member of the cast, he was still just giving items in that. Rainbow Curse was his most notable role otherwise and that game couldn't even call him Bandana Dee.

As for Ultimate DLC? Well Bandana Dee just doesn't fit the mold of who is usually DLC. Most of them are the star of their own game, bring in a whole new world Smash. The exception was Sephiroth, but given how little Final Fantasy stuff we got with Cloud, it's not much of an exception.

And as for moving forward? Well that depends on the roster we're looking at. But you have to remember Bandana Dee is the fourth Kirby character, and kinda has to be the fourth Kirby character. Having him before Meta Knight or Dedede would be odd (and would almost certainly never happen under Sakurai). And that means, whatever Smash roster we get next has to big enough to justify four Kirby characters. Kirby is a big franchise, without a doubt, but If we shrink the roster down to something like 50, you have to remove a lot of characters and even franchises from Smash, and during that reduction, you have to both not touch any Kirby characters and then add another Kirby character on top of that. That I think would be hard to do.


But they should do it anyway because Bandana Waddle Dee is king.

 

[Wonder Smash]

Hmmm...

Spoiler: Pyoro post. Potential Direct spoilers.

Now obviously, what he's hinting at with all of his posts still ultimately need to be confirmed tomorrow to confirm whether his source is remaining accurate or not. That said...
Some people are speculating Super Monkey Ball, although there's no confirmation if that's what Pyoro is hinting at.

Speaking of Super Monkey Ball, with all crossover characters that's been appearing in the games, the series seems like it's just one step closer to be SEGA's Smash Bros. If they can...just get the characters to fight each other!

 

[Sucumbio]

what's going on with June?

Maybe a Switch 2 reveal supposedly but I'm not so sure.

 

[RodNutTakin]

Was enough to work in another platform fighter, where that image comes from.

And that's not getting into other games the Moai appears in which should count too if you count everything for the octopus.
Kind of a double standard really to prop up the octopus while denying something that actually represents Gradius that Konami references quite a bit.



Just saying, if the aim is to represent Parodius, then yeah, you go with the octopus. (Though representing Parodius over the actual Gradius raises a lot of questions given Gradius is the more historic franchise that is literally why Parodius even exists).

But you want to represent Gradius.....you go with something that actually represents it, which is where the Moai comes in if not the Vic Viper.

I'm not sure what else Moais appear in (that aren't small cameos) besides I think an obscure Famicom platformer. I guess I should clarify that again, I am mainly appealing to practicality here, since that has been a big factor for a character's inclusion before. For instance, Heihachi lost out on being playable over his son just because he didn't have much to draw from in terms of aerial movement.

Speaking of Heihachi, just because a character appeared in a different platform fighter doesn't mean they're a shoe-in either. I'm aware that the Moai appears in Dream Mix TV World Fighters, but judging from a quick glance at Wikipedia's description of the title, the gameplay is a lot more simplified compared to Smash--characters are described as having "a series of basic attacks and one or two unique special moves", which only reinstates my point with the character having little to offer, since they'd only fit in a game with a reduced amount of unique moves like this.

Between that and the Vic Viper not having a grounded/walker form (I believe a cross-promo in another game reimagined it as a transforming mech, but it'd be really stretching to use that), that's why my gut says the Parodius octopus--it's simply the most practical option in my eyes. My main reason for wanting Parodius to be represented at the front is primarily because I see the series as a tribute to most of Konami's classic properties. Besides Gradius itself, there's other games to draw content from like Thunder Cross, A-JAX, TwinBee, Antartic Adventure, TokiMeki, Lethal Enforcers, Goemon etc., thanks to all of these games getting major references across the series. I feel that it's a bit fitting that the currently-last new entry, Paro Wars, came out the year before Metal Gear Solid released and changed Konami as a company forever. The end of an era, I suppose.
But those are my two biggest reasons--the Parodius octopi wouldn't be difficult to animate as a Smash fighter compared to other options, and Parodius offers a lot of content that Smash can add because of its nature of being a semi-crossover game itself. To me, it's like how Pac-Man serves to represent a lot of old Namco games instead of just strictly his own series, and how Terry came with a lot of SNK content because of his connection to The King of Fighters (and even then, they put in Metal Slug content that has almost nothing to do with Terry in or outside of KoF).

The picture does not load for me.

I'd like to see it.

See if this link works. Apologies for not seeing your message before, Swamp.

 

[CommanderZaktan]

No announcement yet. Guess I'll wait for another hour.

 

[cashregister9]

"If we release these spirits then Smash Ultimate will end and we all go home"

"But If I don't release the spirits then I remain in your minds eye, and Ultimate won't end."

Reference

EDIT: Somehow that linked to a Captain Rainbow song instead of the game changer clip, Maybe a cosmic hint of sorts?

 

[Shinuto]

Where's the new spirits announcement? I need my CLOSURE!

 

[CommanderZaktan]

Still no announcement, unless they'll reveal it on the direct tomorrow.

 

[NintenRob]

Still no announcement, unless they'll reveal it on the direct tomorrow.

That would be a little odd, unless they're tie into a third party game announced there

 

[GoldenYuiitusin]

Not able to post much atm but figured I'd meme.

 

[cashregister9]

I mean, Bandai Namco is technically a partner...

 

[Ivander]

I mean, Bandai Namco is technically a partner...

You're not wrong, hence they'll announce Pac-Man World 2 Re-Pac on the Direct.

 

[NintenRob]

Perhaps not the best time for a new topic since we seem to expecting a new spirit event, but I wanted to ask.


What do you want the next Classic Mode to be like?

Smash Ultimates was absolutely fantastic, and they should definitely keep the difficulty slider. But I feel like themed classic modes is probably a one and done thing (or risk having it be too samey for returning characters)

At the same time though, removing the random element was probably a smart choice too. It meant you really practice trying to high score it if you wanted.

Which begs the question? How do find that balance of something that feels new and fresh while also retaining what worked before?


More Mini games would help, break the target I think is sorely missed. Even if unique break the targets for each character is too much, going back to Brawl style could work (though perhaps instead of maps based difficulty, they're themed around different franchises)

If a mode allows for enemies to return, perhaps a round dedicated to fight a bunch of them would be fun??


I dunno, I wanna hear what you all have

 

[Ivander]

Perhaps not the best time for a new topic since we seem to expecting a new spirit event, but I wanted to ask.


What do you want the next Classic Mode to be like?

Smash Ultimates was absolutely fantastic, and they should definitely keep the difficulty slider. But I feel like themed classic modes is probably a one and done thing (or risk having it be too samey for returning characters)

At the same time though, removing the random element was probably a smart choice too. It meant you really practice trying to high score it if you wanted.

Which begs the question? How do find that balance of something that feels new and fresh while also retaining what worked before?


More Mini games would help, break the target I think is sorely missed. Even if unique break the targets for each character is too much, going back to Brawl style could work (though perhaps instead of maps based difficulty, they're themed around different franchises)

If a mode allows for enemies to return, perhaps a round dedicated to fight a bunch of them would be fun??


I dunno, I wanna hear what you all have

Maybe something like a mix between Ultimate's Classic Mode and 3DS' Classic Mode. All of the Rounds have Set Foes and Events, but on Round 2, 4 and 5, you can choose 1 out of 2 or 3 paths and depending on what you choose, you will fight against the foe/s you have chosen. Rounds 1, 3 and 6 will be the same foes each time you play, Round 7 is Race to the Finish and Round 8 is the Boss Battle.
This allows you to vary with your Classic Mode with different battles and gives you a bit of incentive in replaying them to see who you would've fought against if you went a different path, but it also allows you to choose which of them would be the easiest options if you are going for a Full Intensity run.

 

[Kirbeh]

Perhaps not the best time for a new topic since we seem to expecting a new spirit event, but I wanted to ask.


What do you want the next Classic Mode to be like?

Smash Ultimates was absolutely fantastic, and they should definitely keep the difficulty slider. But I feel like themed classic modes is probably a one and done thing (or risk having it be too samey for returning characters)

At the same time though, removing the random element was probably a smart choice too. It meant you really practice trying to high score it if you wanted.

Which begs the question? How do find that balance of something that feels new and fresh while also retaining what worked before?


More Mini games would help, break the target I think is sorely missed. Even if unique break the targets for each character is too much, going back to Brawl style could work (though perhaps instead of maps based difficulty, they're themed around different franchises)

If a mode allows for enemies to return, perhaps a round dedicated to fight a bunch of them would be fun??


I dunno, I wanna hear what you all have

I'd want something that goes half and half. Keep certain battles fixed, sort of like a "Fight your Rival" in SF4. Some battles could be random, and then some battles could lead to branching paths like the 3DS classic mode. Plus, some variation based on difficulty.

 

[Perkilator]

What do you want the next Classic Mode to be like?

NASB 2’s Arcade Mode has your character choosing between two fights after every couple battles with the occasional minigame, a mid-boss and then the final boss.

All of the fights against CPU opponents have specific themes like “Krusty Krab vs. Chum Bucket”, “Beaver Party”, etc.

Something like that in Smash—being able to choose which fight to do and having specific themes with special conditions—would be fun to see, along with integrating bosses other than the Hands.

 

[DarthEnderX]

What do you want the next Classic Mode to be like?

Just like the current one, but with a wider variety of Bosses.

Too many characters are still fighting the Hands.

 

[BuckleyTim]

I presume the spirit event announcment is slightly delayed because it'd get lost in the morning of the direct but imagine if they spend time in the partner direct to announce a third-party spirit event lmao

 

[GoldenYuiitusin]

Pack it up everyone. It's the Zelda Spirits repeat that would normally be scheduled at this time.

 

[Scrimblo Bimblo]

The next spirit event is going to be a cross promotion with the next Smash game.

Master Hand [Ultimate 2]
Crazy Hand [Ultimate 2]
Ray Traced Fighters Team
Nafarious (Adventure Mode's main villain)

 

[SneakyLink]

In other news, Japan will be getting Mother 3 on Switch Online.

Not NoA, we got some Rare games.

Edit: While I’m here my prediction for the final spirit event is Mario Wonder making an appearance.

 

[Dinoman96]

I'm sure Gengar84 will be happy with the news lol

 

[Ivander]

The interesting thing I just learned was that the SNES Killer Instinct never released on Rare Replay, meaning that the SNES Killer Instinct for the first time is now on a modern console, as the Xbox One version, Killer Instinct Classic, was a port of the Arcade version.

Edit: All in all, the Direct was decent. Even with the hints by Pyoro, it had some cool surprises like Epic Mickey, the Battlefront Classic collection and Monster Hunter Stories(nice to know it's not stuck on the 3DS).

 

[Dinoman96]

The interesting thing I just learned was that the SNES Killer Instinct never released on Rare Replay, meaning that the SNES Killer Instinct for the first time is now on a modern console, as the Xbox One version, Killer Instinct Classic, was a port of the Arcade version.

Battletoads in Battlemaniacs also was excluded from Rare Replay, meaning this is the first time it's been re-released. Too bad we didn't get the NES original with it though.

Fun fact: The SNES port of Killer Instinct is actually one of the top 10 best selling SNES games:

In-fact, it's the only one of the Top 10 to not have any representation in Smash Bros.

Fulgore for Smash.

 

[Shinuto]

In other news, Japan will be getting Mother 3 on Switch Online.

Not NoA, we got some Rare games.

Edit: While I’m here my prediction for the final spirit event is Mario Wonder making an appearance.

Do we have to put a gun up to their head to get Mother 3 at this point?

 

[Guynamednelson]

The interesting thing I just learned was that the SNES Killer Instinct never released on Rare Replay, meaning that the SNES Killer Instinct for the first time is now on a modern console, as the Xbox One version, Killer Instinct Classic, was a port of the Arcade version.

Shouldn't be that surprising. SNES Killer Instinct is as close as it could get considering the differences between arcade and SNES hardware/storage space, but when arcade perfect ports became ridiculously easy after the fifth gen, why not go for the arcade version?

 

[Gengar84]

I'm sure Gengar84 will be happy with the news lol

I’m waiting to watch the direct until after I get out of work so I’m trying to avoid spoilers but now I’m getting excited lol.

 

[Shinuto]

So next week is the amiibo tournament and that goes from March 1st, so the week after is likely the spirit event which just so happens to fall on March 8th, the sixth anniversary of Smash Ultimate.

 

[CommanderZaktan]

So next week is the amiibo tournament and that goes from March 1st, so the week after is likely the spirit event which just so happens to fall on March 8th, the sixth anniversary of Smash Ultimate.

That's why there's no new spirit event yet. Also, sixth anniversary? The game came out on December 7th, 2018

 

[DarthEnderX]

Also, sixth anniversary? The game came out on December 7th, 2018

I'm guessing they mean 6th anniversary of it's announcement. Which was March 8th.

 

[Wonder Smash]

Well, it looks like it was Super Monkey Ball reveal after all.

Also, so glad to see Battletoads and Killer Instinct on the SNES Switch online! It would have been even cooler if there was Rare spirit event centered around characters from those games, though. But either way, it's great to see these games come back to Nintendo consoles again.

 

[CommanderZaktan]

I'm guessing they mean 6th anniversary of it's announcement. Which was March 8th.

oh right.

 

[fogbadge]

i know i'm late but i'm gonna post my direct reactions anyway

Spoiler

that grounded game is very curious, gonna look into that

nice to get an update on another crab's treasure

never played those rare games may give em a go, see what gengar is always making a fuss about

a remaster of epic mickey is cool

monkey ball caught my attention but i'm unsure

penny's big break away and pepper grinder still look interesting

never played endless ocean but it's always good to see a revival