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Official Next Smash - Speculation & Discussion Thread

Swamp Sensei

Today is always the most enjoyable day!
BRoomer
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Swampasaur
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So I made a wallpaper for each of Ultimate's characters, and they cycle through each hour. The first character of the year: Alph.

Maybe this year's the year he finally gets his own character slot?
👀

May I see them?!?
 

Gengar84

Smash Hero
Joined
Dec 9, 2009
Messages
6,912
Jury's still out if it will be a happy new year (myself and the whole family have caught COVID) but I hope everyone has a great day
I hope you all get better soon. I’m lucky enough that no one in my immediate family has caught it yet but all my friends have. I hope everyone can have a happy new year.

👀

May I see them?!?
1735737220840.gif
 
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SMAASH! Puppy

Smash Legend
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Snake Man's stage from Metal Blade Solid
👀

May I see them?!?
Unfortunately you probably don't want them because they're not true wallpapers, and probably would only look good on my monitor due to it's specific resolution and how it handles scaling the images. I don't have a photo editing software, so these are screenshots of collages made in Microsoft Word using images from, and a layout inspired by Smash Ultimate's website. I set the images to "fill" in the settings, and my computer does have to blow them up a bit to get them to fill the screen, which can cause the edges on some characters to be a tad blurry. There's also a bit of white space at the bottom which is just the part that gets cut off when my computer blows it up.

Olimar_Alph.PNG

It's not too complicated, so if someone had a photo editing software, they could probably make a proper wallpaper just like this.
 

Swamp Sensei

Today is always the most enjoyable day!
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Um....Lost?
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Last night I finished Famicom Detective Club : The Missing Heir.

And while it's certainly not Ace Attorney, I had a good time. I'm surprised by how little Ayumi is actually in that title. I know the other ones focus on her more, but all she did was...

Stare at me with those blue unblinking anime eyes...
 

fogbadge

Smash Obsessed
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Scotland
Last night I finished Famicom Detective Club : The Missing Heir.

And while it's certainly not Ace Attorney, I had a good time. I'm surprised by how little Ayumi is actually in that title. I know the other ones focus on her more, but all she did was...

Stare at me with those blue unblinking anime eyes...
it’s unnerving when she starts sitting closer isn’t it?
 

LiveStudioAudience

Smash Master
Joined
Dec 1, 2019
Messages
4,501
I'm also curious to see if Konami will announce a volume 2 of the MGS Collection. They might be waiting for Switch 2 to be formally announced, but a second collection with the Acid games, Ghost Babel, Portable Ops, Guns of the Patriots, & Peace Walker could be a possibility this year.
 

pitchfulprocessing

Smash Journeyman
Joined
Apr 13, 2024
Messages
323
I'm also curious to see if Konami will announce a volume 2 of the MGS Collection. They might be waiting for Switch 2 to be formally announced, but a second collection with the Acid games, Ghost Babel, Portable Ops, Guns of the Patriots, & Peace Walker could be a possibility this year.
I'd expect volume 2, if it's this year, to still be pretty far out. Porting MGS4 is a ton of work and requires almost gutting the game completely and reworking it from the ground up.
 

ninjahmos

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Noneya Business
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I'm also curious to see if Konami will announce a volume 2 of the MGS Collection. They might be waiting for Switch 2 to be formally announced, but a second collection with the Acid games, Ghost Babel, Portable Ops, Guns of the Patriots, & Peace Walker could be a possibility this year.
They probably won't, but it'd be pretty cool if they also included Metal Gear Rising.
 
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Kirby Dragons

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Another Dimension
Dixie Kong
Bandana Waddle Dee
Toad
Kamek
Impa

Are these the characters that are uncountably popular and important but just lack sauce?!?
Really depends on what we mean by "sauce".

If it means surprise factor, that may be true, but I don't think it should be a reason to count them out. Having familiar and expected characters is a good thing, especially since they'll appeal to more casual gamers.

If it means lack of interesting moveset potential, then well, that varies from character to character. Regardless, someone like Bandana Waddle Dee might have a basic moveset, but that doesn't mean it'd be a bad one. Basic movesets are good for beginners and more casual players. You could argue Ultimate's DLC characters went too hard on gimmicks, so it'd be nice to have characters that don't rely on them.

These characters can always be added alongside characters with "more" sauce, for a more diverse newcomer selection.
 

Guynamednelson

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These characters can always be added alongside characters with "more" sauce, for a more diverse newcomer selection.
And luckily they will be, given that base game newcomer selections aren't as concerned about how much "sauce" a potential newcomer has.
 

GoldenYuiitusin

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Questioning my existence while asleep
Really depends on what we mean by "sauce".

If it means surprise factor, that may be true, but I don't think it should be a reason to count them out. Having familiar and expected characters is a good thing, especially since they'll appeal to more casual gamers.

If it means lack of interesting moveset potential, then well, that varies from character to character. Regardless, someone like Bandana Waddle Dee might have a basic moveset, but that doesn't mean it'd be a bad one. Basic movesets are good for beginners and more casual players. You could argue Ultimate's DLC characters went too hard on gimmicks, so it'd be nice to have characters that don't rely on them.

These characters can always be added alongside characters with "more" sauce, for a more diverse newcomer selection.
"Sauce" typically refers to a style or flair that makes someone stand out in a positive way and grab attention.

Saying they lack "sauce" is saying they are dull, boring, and don't turn any heads.
 

Guynamednelson

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"Sauce" typically refers to a style or flair that makes someone stand out in a positive way and grab attention.
Which I'm sure would apply to half the first-party newcomers we ever got if they never joined.

I remember that there were lots of people who thought Isabelle's newfound status as an Animal Crossing mascot wasn't good enough to justify her being an Ultimate newcomer.
 

Ivander

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11,091
"Sauce" typically refers to a style or flair that makes someone stand out in a positive way and grab attention.

Saying they lack "sauce" is saying they are dull, boring, and don't turn any heads.
Is that really a thing? I always thought "Sauce" was just a intentional misspelling of the word "source"(cause you know, all the kool kids misspell) whenever people asked for the source of something like an artwork, a video or whatnot.
 
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GoldenYuiitusin

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Is that really a thing? I always thought "Sauce" was just a intentional misspelling of the word "source"(cause you know, the kool kids misspell all the time) whenever people asked for the source of something like an artwork, a video or whatnot.
It is also that.

The word is used as slang for more than one thing.
 

Thegameandwatch

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Dec 21, 2024
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I remember that there were lots of people who thought Isabelle's newfound status as an Animal Crossing mascot wasn't good enough to justify her being an Ultimate newcomer.
Especially since that series is becoming more and more popular.

I feel like it will happen again but with Splatoon. Maybe Octoling but that character has a chance of either being an echo, semi-clone like Isabelle or an alternate costume for Inkling. Maybe one of the idols are also an option since they are the mascots of their respective games.
 

KneeOfJustice99

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Especially since that series is becoming more and more popular.

I feel like it will happen again but with Splatoon. Maybe Octoling but that character has a chance of either being an echo, semi-clone like Isabelle or an alternate costume for Inkling. Maybe one of the idols are also an option since they are the mascots of their respective games.
I reckon a second Splatoon character is in a slightly odd state where it feels like they're a forgone conclusion given prescedent, but at the same time, I could arguably see arguments that Inkling "represents the series" in a playable role, and that it'd be better to continue to represent the series with a wider number of stages, assists, and music. That being said; if we look to Isabelle as our point of inspiration, then I'm not so sure a generic "Octoling" as a semi-clone of Inkling would be as much a lock-in as people suggest; rather, I think it's more likely we'd see a "character" from the series of some form. Whether that ends up being one (or multiple!) of the idols, Agent 8 in a playable role (maybe with the Pearl Drone?) or something else entirely waits to be seen, but I still think there's more than enough potential in the series for more playable characters; helped significantly by massive weapon variety and plenty of visual flair.

...also, unrelated, but while I guess y'all have been asked this before, what would you argue your "dark-horse" picks for the next Smash would be? That is to say, picks you think would be feasible or realistic, but go massively underdiscussed across the board for one reason or another.

Mine would be Nakoruru (Samurai Shodown). It seems unlikely to me that SNK wouldn't want to be involved in Smash going forward, and while I've seen a lot of people suggest that Iori or Kyo would be better-suited as representitives of the King of Fighters series, I think Nakoruru's prolonged popularity as a sort of second face of the SNK brand (alongside Terry, such as in the Nakoruru & Terry Club), as well as her actual moveset when taking into account Mamahaha, would really lend to her being an almost obvious second pick from their lineup. Plus, Samurai Shodown was a pretty big deal back in the day as weapon-fighters go.
 
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LiveStudioAudience

Smash Master
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Messages
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...I guess y'all have been asked this before, but what would you argue your "dark-horse" picks for the next Smash would be? That is to say, picks you think would be feasible or realistic, but go massively underdiscussed across the board for one reason or another.

Mine would be Nakoruru (Samurai Shodown). It seems unlikely to me that SNK wouldn't want to be involved in Smash going forward, and while I've seen a lot of people suggest that Iori or Kyo would be better-suited as representitives of the King of Fighters series, I think Nakoruru's prolonged popularity as a sort of second face of the SNK brand (alongside Terry, such as in the Nakoruru & Terry Club), as well as her actual moveset when taking into account Mamahaha, would really lend to her being an almost obvious second pick from their lineup. Plus, Samurai Shodown was a pretty big deal back in the day as weapon-fighters go.
I've always felt MegaMan.EXE had a better chance than conventional thought gave him credit for. Known in the West, but extremely beloved in Japan and belonging to a company that's displayed a willingness to utilize more offbeat choices for stuff like MvC. He has obvious competition from the heavy hitters at Capcom and the likes of X/Zero (with their MM subseries being the second most famous in the West), but there's an appeal there which could work when presented the right way.
 

RodNutTakin

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Regarding the "no sauce" newcomers:
-I would not really count Waddle Dee and Impa under this umbrella at all--both would have something head-turning by default with the simple appeal of being the first characters added to their respective series since Brawl (which will likely be 18-19 years ago by the time we get the next Smash), the former also likely heralding more recent Kirby content being added to the game, and the latter having multiple possible approaches with how she could fight.
-The longer Smash goes without Dixie Kong, the more and more interest is lost from people, it seems. I think that's somewhat reasonable with the scope Smash has been building up to over the last 20-ish years, and it doesn't help that in terms of uniqueness, at best I only see her being a "Falco" on a scale from "Daisy" to "Lucas" when it comes to how distinct from Diddy I envision the devs making her. I think backlash could be easily minimized if she's not the sole reveal in a Direct like Isabelle was last time, though I still think the general consensus will range from "Oh, nice" to "About freaking time, jeez". K. Rool undeniably stole a lot of thunder by arriving solo in Ultimate.
-Others have explained the problem of Kamek being a league behind other Mario and Mario-associated picks, but for me, I think the biggest nail in the coffin is that he is indistinguishable from generic Magikoopas, and the Mario creatives seem to have no intent to change that beyond Nintendo Cube occasionally giving him a bow tie. It feels like Nintendo has no real faith in him as a unique character beyond just making him the only Magikoopa that appears in some games. Kamek just does not feel fully realized compared to...say, Toadette.
-Which brings me to Toad, who I honestly think fits the description best, as much as some dislike to hear it. Personally, I have my own trifecta of "dull picks"; Toad, Oatchi, and Tom Nook, but I'll get to that topic in a moment. To put it simply for now, Toad's probably the one "serious" Mario pick who I'd say still has a notable negative reputation in certain Mario circles. Sure, some people got upset at Waluigi fans freaking out after Ultimate, and Geno has dedicated ****post trolls surrounding him, but Toad's probably the one recurring character I still see shade being thrown at after hatedoms for characters like Daisy, Rosalina and Waluigi fizzled out. And I honestly can't blame them with how plain Toad can feel as a character sometimes--it says a lot when I see a lot more people being fans of Toadette specifically over Toad. And I won't deny that I'm in the same boat--I feel like I'd enjoy Toadette by herself as an inclusion way more than if she was relegated to a Toad alt. Toadette just has more of a personality to her, and they've even given her quite a few different things to do over the past decade.

But anyway, as I've said, Toad, Oatchi and Nook are my personal "no sauce, dull inclusion" characters. The former two are pretty easy for me to explain--Toad to me represents Nintendo's phase of trying to "dial back" the Mario brand. It's an overplayed statement, but it genuinely is hard to disassociate bog-standard Toad from the white-breadness of the NSMBWii aesthetic that took over Mario for several years, or the paper-thin variety of NPCs in most of the 2010s Mario RPGs, or the Switch Mario Sports titles that tried to skate by with not much content. He just kind of manifested as a "face" for the Mario series's later missteps in my eyes.
Oatchi just honestly feels like a design that is engineered to be cute in a not-entirely-honest way--think Grogu from the Mandalorian and similar designs like that, and it just kind of turns me away on principle as a result, and that's not even going into the character being blamed for Pikmin 4 being "easier" compared to previous installments (I have no say if that's true or not, I've never played Pikmin). Something about the character just feels forced to me, and I'd personally be content with someone as an Olimar echo instead--or giving him more characters as alts besides just Alph.
I've argued about Tom Nook in the past so I'm just going to throw all pretense out of the window here--something about his design irks me in an unexplainable way and I'd groan at the idea of Animal Crossing going the way of Star Fox or Fire Emblem with how little the series varies in body types--except at least the other two franchises can have characters that wildly deviate from the standard body type, AC quite literally only has slight variants on the chibi bodytype. The proposition just honestly feels snore-inducing to me personally. It's kind of funny how I'd likely be more intrigued in how someone like Officer Howard or one of the XB3 leads would play at this point--they may be "standard anime-esque humans", but I'd honestly take that over how...dull and edgeless the other three I mentioned are in my eyes.
 
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