Official Next Smash - Speculation & Discussion Thread

[DarthEnderX]

I think Sakurai just needed to be creative. I mean, much later and after, Ace Attorney can be said to have not much action too, and look how Phoenix Wright plays in Ultimate Marvel vs. Capcom 3.

That kind of creativity usually just ends up being "character throws objects from their series".

 

[CannonStreak]

That kind of creativity usually just ends up being "character throws objects from their series".

From what I have seen, Phoenix Wright's moveset in UMvC3 is more unorthodox than just throwing objects. It could work for a game like Smash Bros.

 

[chocolatejr9]

Ever since that MySims bundle was announced, I've started feeling nostalgic for those games again: played both Kingdom and Agents a bunch as a kid, though never finished the latter. I doubt that series will get into Smash, ESPECIALLY not before the main series, but I've even started coming up with possible moveset ideas for a hypothetical "MySim" character. My mind can be like that sometimes...

 

[Louie G.]

Also can't help but wonder what Sakurai had in mind for Ayumi way back then. There's not really much action in these games it seems.

Once upon a time this was probably the appeal of Ayumi, being an unexpected fighter. Back in Melee most of the characters made a degree of sense, or were at least in series where there was action or they had show some capability in the past. So Ayumi would have stood out a bunch scrambling around throwing props and doing mystery stuff. Probably somewhat close to the way a silly game like Pocket Fighter presents itself.

I still think there's strong potential in exploring the VN genre in Smash today, but I wonder if this concept just isn't as novel as it used to be. After the likes of Villager and Wii Fit Trainer I think our expectations of who could be turned into a capable fighter are limitless. I think Darth's assessment of this is quite a bit more negative than my own, but I do feel like that's a reasonable concern when Smash has a solid handful of fighters like that already.

 

[Shinuto]

Ultimate did showcase that certain indie characters was on Sakurai's radar and almost made it as a fighter. Sad to some people, but at least had their presence known with mii costumes and/or spirits.

If another Smash Bros is announced, what are their chances to try again?
View attachment 393884

High, Shovel Knight got huge uproar from AT reveal, Shantae was noted as part of highly demanded group of characters and Sans and Cuphead mii costume reveals reactions speak for themselves

 

[superprincess]

Mario Party is off Pauline's checklist!

One multiplayer party game remains...

 

[Louie G.]

I admit that I am slowly but surely taking Pauline more seriously as a candidate for the next game. Between a potential music / singing themed moveset as well as capacity to adopt certain Cappy mechanics from Odyssey, there's a lot of meat to pick from the bone. Not even mentioning her history with the Donkey Kong games, which gives her some extra historical value to boot.

For me however it still may feel like something of a monkey's paw. I really want a playable musician in Smash. With the crop of choices consisting of a Rhythm Heaven character, KK Slider, the Splatoon idols and so forth, part of me feels it would be a bit tacky if the one who won out was effectively a one hit wonder LOL. (Okay, two hits, because I think Break Free is great, but you get what I mean.) I adore Jump Up Superstar but I would feel a bit burnt if that one standout moment carried her all the way here over other more compelling candidates who largely offer the same thing.

But in the event that she does become playable, I'm trying to convince myself this wouldn't be such a bad idea using some of the potential paths that I mentioned before. I'm almost a bit interested to build an idealistic moveset for her to explore this a bit further. For one thing, I believe using her micstand as a makeshift staff would be charming. And I think if they let her don the mayor hat and carry the micstand around, she would be quite visually dynamic. Right now when contemplating a potential second Mario character addition, I'm somewhere between her and King Boo for more of a surprise creative choice.

 

[Noipoi]

"Waluigi's gonna be the new Mario character!"
"No, Geno!"
"Paper Mario!"
"TOAD!"

Pauline:

 

[Swamp Sensei]

I like Pauline a lot, but she still isn't doing well on the poll, lmao.

 

[Shinuto]

Mario Party is off Pauline's checklist!

One multiplayer party game remains...

Mario Baseball!

 

[Louie G.]

I like Pauline a lot, but she still isn't doing well on the poll, lmao.

I think it's definitely the kind of character most people would have to see in action first. She doesn't really "do" anything explicit to inform her role in an action game and doesn't have the strong character driven antics that someone like Waluigi does, so I think at face value she's a little bit uninteresting unless you make the effort to weave together some fun ideas for her... where she does blossom quite a bit into a more fun and versatile character. But like I mentioned before, I think if people want a music oriented fighter (which is naturally one of her best avenues toward inclusion right now) they may be more inclined to vote for more engaging or diverse character choices.

Which is to say she seems popular among the Mario community, but it's not quite the kind of popularity that will translate directly over to Smash. But knowing who is placing highly on the Mario side of the poll... well, let's say I think we're more likely to see something a little less sought after and a bit more experimental as our potential second Mario insert, be it someone like her or King Boo. But I may be underestimating Paper Mario a tad.

 

[LiveStudioAudience]

Pauline is in an ideal spot for stuff like the sports titles, Mario Party, and Kart because all characters in those largely play the same with some small quirks.

Smash necessitates an individual moveset, very specific animations, and balances much more complicated than what's necessary in the above titles. She could pop up, but it would take quite the inspiration/creation by Sakurai and company to do it.

 

[SMAASH! Puppy]

I don't think Pauline's chances are all that high. Her appearance in Super Mario Odyssey will get her into the consideration phase, but unless Sakurai gets a whole lot of inspiration for her, she doesn't have anything else going for her, and her competition is steep.

 

[Ivander]

but unless Sakurai gets a whole lot of inspiration for her, she doesn't have anything else going for her, and her competition is steep.

looks at Villager, Wii Fit Trainer, Rosalina & Luma, Duck Hunt and Isabelle

 

[Louie G.]

I don't think Pauline's chances are all that high. Her appearance in Super Mario Odyssey will get her into the consideration phase, but unless Sakurai gets a whole lot of inspiration for her, she doesn't have anything else going for her, and her competition is steep.

I'm starting to question how steep her competition is frankly, because I'm unfortunately not all that convinced that Toad's chances have drastically improved and while Paper Mario is feasible I wonder if there would be hesitation to start adding more alternate versions of existing characters. Paper Mario has kind of been on a roll recently, so I dunno. Out of the more standard choices he might be one of the stronger ones, I guess he's in the running. Geno doesn't count as far as I'm concerned, he'd be judged independently of his role in the Mario universe. Assuming these characters are added for their mass appeal, he doesn't really fit into the puzzle.

I'm also disqualifying Waluigi, because I strongly believe he will be in the game. And there's sort of an unspoken rule, at least in my mind, that we are likely to see at least two Mario / Marioverse characters per Smash game. Every other game before this one lends itself to this and assuming next roster will have a normal amount of 12-15 newcomers, I'd consider it a statistical likelihood. Waluigi plus one feels like the move, and with upside down L being the clear fan favorite I think the second choice might skew on the side of experimentation and inspiration. And my rule of thumb is if I can think of it, Sakurai definitely can.

So under that guise I think Pauline, or King Boo, are strong candidates that offer more abstract but potentially unique moveset potential. I don't like comparing Pauline to Rosalina at all, since Rosa is far more important to Galaxy as a whole, but in this context I will - she is a character built from creative liberties. She takes elements from Mario Galaxy, but few that we actively see her perform and they are interpreted in creative ways here. All it took for Sakurai was to see Rosalina in one game and craft a puppeteer moveset... she was cited as "from Mario Galaxy" in the project plan, and it predated any knowledge of something like 3D World. So I feel like this is not such a barrier when Pauline's role and the time you spend with her in Mario Odyssey is such a standout moment of that game.

I'm not totally convinced Pauline will be playable. But I think she's pretty comfortably sitting among the top three candidates not named Waluigi, and I think we are highly likely to see a second Mario character from that crop make the jump over to playability also.

 

[AreJay25]

The idea of Pauline of all characters needing a ton of inspiration to make playable is a funny one to me, considering this series literally has a tradition of making something out of nothing.


Remember these two? At the time of Smash 64, they were essentially just pilots who barely did anything outside of their vehicles. You didn't even physically SEE Falcon outside of the select screen in F-Zero X.



How about these goofballs? The duck literally just flies on the screen to get shot. The dog picks up the duck or laughs at you. That's it.

If Sakurai could make these guys work, Pauline really shouldn't be THAT difficult lmao. I don't even think she's super likely or anything.

 

[Louie G.]

The idea of Pauline of all characters needing a ton of inspiration to make playable is a funny one to me, considering this series literally has a tradition of making something out of nothing.


Remember these two? At the time of Smash 64, they were essentially just pilots who barely did anything outside of their vehicles. You didn't even physically SEE Falcon outside of the select screen in F-Zero X.



How about these goofballs? The duck literally just flies on the screen to get shot. The dog picks up the duck or laughs at you. That's it.

If Sakurai could make these guys work, Pauline really shouldn't be THAT difficult lmao. I don't even think she's super likely or anything.

In fairness to the opposing viewpoint, I think the argument is moreso that her competition poses more potential than she does. Which isn't necessarily true either, but I think it's quite a bit different than being one of the main characters of your series and weaving something together. If you want to represent Star Fox, you need to add Fox. Pauline is inessential, so if the inspiration isn't there then it won't happen.

I agree with your sentiment here on principle. Personally though, I don't even think Pauline has this problem, I think her moveset potential is pretty obvious if you sit with it for more than a minute. But the "how" shouldn't be the question, moreso the "why".

 

[Guynamednelson]

One multiplayer party game remains...

Of course!

We still need to see her in a baseball g-oops 'd. Um...Mario Hoops?

 

[fogbadge]

as soon as you all start to think it will be Pauline, that's when it will be Nabbit

 

[Among Waddle Dees]

Mario Party is off Pauline's checklist!

One multiplayer party game remains...

Oh? Context?

 

[Kirbeh]

as soon as you all start to think it will be Pauline, that's when it will be Nabbit

Nabbit nabbing the invitations during their reveal trailer would be fun.

Also, less related but I started playing Zenless Zone Zero like 2 weeks ago and kept thinking that the Bangboos reminded me of something but I just couldn't quite remember what. I now realize it was Nabbit.

 

[cashregister9]

It's actually their time to shine