Official Next Smash - Speculation & Discussion Thread

[Ivander]

Some good announcements, although there was definitely alot of padding moments. Like I understand you wanted to hype up Pikmin 4, but I don't think a monologue about Pikmin Bloom was that necessary.

That aside:
-New Fire Emblem, cool.
-Mario Party 1-3, Pokemon Stadium 1 & 2, 1080, and Pilotwings, along with a surprise announcement for Goldeneye with Online Play. Nice.
-Octopath Traveler II, cool.
-Harvest Moon/Story of Seasons A Wonderful Life remake, interesting.
-Pikmin 4, cool.
-The new game by the Dangan Ronpa team looked pretty cool.
-Resident Evil 2 & 3 Remake, 7 and Village Cloud, nice for those who do Cloud. Hope it's better than what happened with Kingdom Hearts.
-Alot of Square Enix titles in general.
-New updates coming for Mario Kart 8 and Strikers, cool.
-Bayonetta 3 release date, cool.
-Kirby Return to Dreamland Deluxe, really cool.
-Tales of Symphonia Remastered, cool.
-Breath of the Wild 2 footage with a title name reveal, pretty cool.

It took a while before the reveals I was interested in came, but overall, some good and decent announcements. Although there was certainly a lot of padding.

-Edit: Oh yeah, there was the reveal for the 4th Fatal Frame remaster coming to the West as well. That was decent too.

 

[Mushroomguy12]

Hype moments for me include Pikmin 4, Zelda, and Tales. Wallets going to be hurting soon.

 

[fogbadge]

zelda release date YEEEEEEEEEEEES!!!!
pikmin 4 properly announced very nice
a new theatrhythm? i'll take it
tunic on switch i'll be happy to try
and a look at our first new comer for smash 6 nice

just dance appeared and i seemed to black out
octopath traveller 2 might have been neat if it wasn't just the same classes with the personalities swapped
that rain code thing looked like it was trying to be the most anime thing ever
kirby adventure wii deluxe will need more than just a couple new things to get me involved

 

[Sucumbio]

Speaking of Smash This direct made me think of 2 potential newcomers

BWD and Lloyd Irving.

 

[Speed Weed]

RADIANT SILVERGUN LETS ****ING GOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO

 

[Mushroomguy12]

I was genuinely terrified that the Pikmin segment was just going to be an ad for Pikmin Bloom before they showed Pikmin 4.

 

[Ivander]

Oh yeah, the Xenoblade 3 swimsuits were revealed for the next Expansion Pass. I can already see the incoming wave of fanart.

I was genuinely terrified that the Pikmin segment was just going to be an ad for Pikmin Bloom before they showed Pikmin 4.

The moment Miyamoto said they were still working on the Pikmin franchise, I knew they were hyping up Pikmin 4, even with Bloom being advertised.

 

[Mushroomguy12]

I'm excited for the first 3 Mario Parties and both Pokemon Stadium games too. I do wish we got a little more gameplay footage for Pikmin and Zelda, but I'm glad they were shown at all.

 

[Perkilator]

Here’s how I would’ve made that better (excluding 3rd party sizzle reels and stuff):

• Fire Emblem Echoes: Genealogy of the Holy War
• Xenoblade 3 Expansion
• Splatoon 3 Splatfest
• Octopath II
• Theatrhytm: Final Bar Line
• NSO N64 games + Game Boy and GBA
• Battle League Update
• Nintendo Switch Sports: Golf update
• Pikmin 4
• Booster Course Pass
• Super Smash Bros. Ultimate Deluxe
• Bayonetta 3
• Return to Dream Land Deluxe
• Tears of the Kingdom

 

[osby]

That's not really a hot take but after her reveal for the Mario Strikers game, I think Pauline is a shoo-in for a Mario fighter in the next Smash game.

She's basically Rosalina to the franchise prior to Smash 4 at this point.

 

[CannonStreak]

That's not really a hot take but after her reveal for the Mario Strikers game, I think Pauline is a shoo-in for a Mario fighter in the next Smash game.

She's basically Rosalina to the franchise prior to Smash 4 at this point.

If they bring back New Donk City, maybe make up an assistant to take her place when she joins the fight.

“Leave it to me!”

Given how she is a strong one in Strikers though, you think she would be strong in Smash as well?

 

[Ivander]

That's not really a hot take but after her reveal for the Mario Strikers game, I think Pauline is a shoo-in for a Mario fighter in the next Smash game.

She's basically Rosalina to the franchise prior to Smash 4 at this point.

While I don't know about Smash, certainly the next main Mario Kart game.

 

[Mushroomguy12]

Well, I guess Pokemon decided to release this tidbit of news right after the Direct.

 

[osby]

If they bring back New Donk City, maybe make up an assistant to take her place when she joins the fight.

“Leave it to me!”

Given how she is a strong one in Strikers though, you think she would be strong in Smash as well?

It depends on her moveset.

Rosalina is heavy in Mario Kart because she was literally designed to be tall so that the racing games can have a female heavyweight character. In Smash, she's very light because that's how her zoning puppet playstyle is balanced.

So, Pauline can go either way.

 

[smashkirby]

My God, Return to Dream Land is getting a remake, Excitebike 64 AND 1080 coming to N64 NSO, and... PILOTWINGS FREAKIN' 64?!?!?!?!

 

[Mushroomguy12]

Shout out to the West Coasters getting Super Nintendo World near them soon.

 

[Stratos]

I enjoyed today's Nintendo Direct especially with The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom but too bad it didn't mention the release date for Pikmin 4.

 

[DarthEnderX]

Only thing in the Direct I cared about was Zelda, some of the Square RPG stuff, and more MK8 tracks.

 

[Diddy Kong]

I liked Zelda and Fire Emblem, utterly disappointed in no DK , yet again. Am giving up on that dream. Seemed too good to be true anyways.

The subject of a new Fire Emblem newcomer is gonna be real interesting now though.

 

[PeridotGX]

The subject of a new Fire Emblem newcomer is gonna be real interesting now though.

People are unironically going to be suggesting that the only FE character in the next game be Pepsi person, who summons other characters with their special moves, aren't they?

 

[fogbadge]

Am giving up on that dream.

it gets easier with time

 

[TCT~Phantom]

People are unironically going to be suggesting that the only FE character in the next game be Pepsi person, who summons other characters with their special moves, aren't they?

I mean...

Spoiler: leak stuff

We know from the original Toothpaste Chan leaks that Genealogy remakes are planned next after Fire Emblem Engage. Now, given we are getting this in 2023 and it will likely have a DLC cycle, I would not bet on the Genealogy remakes coming out before 2025 at least. If we would guess that the new smash would happen sometime lets say in 2027, nine years after Ultimate's release, that is cutting it close for a new FE character to appear. I think that honestly it would make sense to say that if you had to pick one FE newcomer, it would probably be Alear at this point. This all assumes we will not get a new FE game besides the Genealogy games before the next Smash. Given the timeframe I expect the next smash to come out, I think that is a reasonable assumption. Perhaps I could be wrong, but saying that right now Alear makes sense is not a bad take.

 

[PeridotGX]

I mean...

Spoiler: leak stuff

We know from the original Toothpaste Chan leaks that Genealogy remakes are planned next after Fire Emblem Engage. Now, given we are getting this in 2023 and it will likely have a DLC cycle, I would not bet on the Genealogy remakes coming out before 2025 at least. If we would guess that the new smash would happen sometime lets say in 2027, nine years after Ultimate's release, that is cutting it close for a new FE character to appear. I think that honestly it would make sense to say that if you had to pick one FE newcomer, it would probably be Alear at this point. This all assumes we will not get a new FE game besides the Genealogy games before the next Smash. Given the timeframe I expect the next smash to come out, I think that is a reasonable assumption. Perhaps I could be wrong, but saying that right now Alear makes sense is not a bad take.

That's not exactly the argument I was trying to make, I think they have a decent chance at being added in rhe next game. I was more talking about the kinds of people that have never played Fire Emblem, and think that the best way to "fix" the FE overrepresentation would be to cut every character (maybe sparing Marth, Roy, and/or Ike) and adding Pepsi Chan, who summons FE characters (including the cut ones) for some of their moves. "It represents the entire series" and "trims the fat" is the argument they'll use, ignoring how that's not how any of this works.

 

[chocolatejr9]

I don't care what anybody says, that was a GOOD Direct. New Fire Emblem, Fatal Frame 4 English release, a bunch of highly requested N64 games (one of which has an infamously complicated licensing situation), PIKMIN 4 ISN'T VAPORWARE, one of the best Kirby games is getting a remake, and we FINALLY got a name for BOTW2. Also, quick shoutout to Square Enix, who brought a BUNCH of stuff to this Direct.

Honestly, I don't get why so many are complaining.

 

[Sucumbio]

This new mechanic they came up with for Engage... melding two characters into one temporarily, I wonder if it's possible to translate to smash?

 

[Diddy Kong]

That's not exactly the argument I was trying to make, I think they have a decent chance at being added in rhe next game. I was more talking about the kinds of people that have never played Fire Emblem, and think that the best way to "fix" the FE overrepresentation would be to cut every character (maybe sparing Marth, Roy, and/or Ike) and adding Pepsi Chan, who summons FE characters (including the cut ones) for some of their moves. "It represents the entire series" and "trims the fat" is the argument they'll use, ignoring how that's not how any of this works.

Lol no

If anything this new game gives every Fire Emblem character in Smash even more staying power.

 

[fogbadge]

This new mechanic they came up with for Engage... melding two characters into one temporarily, I wonder if it's possible to translate to smash?

i assume that's sarcasm and you haven't forgotten about transforming characters?

 

[Sucumbio]

i assume that's sarcasm and you haven't forgotten about transforming characters?

I don't mind transformation gimmicks really. Though I just remembered Laguz was never implemented, so maybe it'll just be a fe thing.

 

[StrangeKitten]

This new mechanic they came up with for Engage... melding two characters into one temporarily, I wonder if it's possible to translate to smash?

Dang it, this is making me want Alear. I don't want them to fusion dance transform into any of the FE characters that are already in Smash, but being able to transform into any of the hundreds (if not thousands) of FE characters who aren't in Smash, now that would honestly be so damn cool. Of course, I doubt they'd transform into that many of them, to keep expectations realistic. But even just a few would be rad! Or maybe more, like around ten, but the characters you get are RNG (since it would be a lot to try and shuffle through ten characters who are in a set order through repeated switches). Think Hero's spells, but instead it's one of a handful of characters. To keep things simple, maybe all or most don't even change Alear that much. They could be upgrades and sidegrades, kinda like how Steve's tools work. Maybe I'm weird for thinking it'd be cool to add a group of FE characters to Smash in this way when there are already plenty, but they would kinda take up only one roster spot, like how Pokemon Trainer and Pyra/Mythra do. And when there are only those two transformation characters now, out of a cast of around 80, I certainly wouldn't mind a third.

Is it likely to happen? Probably not in the way I want. It would be a lot of work for just one character, and wouldn't surprise me if Alear has enough of their own moves to pull from that they can work as a standalone. But hey, a person can dream.

 

[Ivander]

People are unironically going to be suggesting that the only FE character in the next game be Pepsi person, who summons other characters with their special moves, aren't they?

when they choose another character who summons other main characters over the character who was doing it first for 6 years

Also, they can easily have the Breidablik as an Assist Trophy-like item for Fire Emblem characters.

 

[toonito]

in terms of Smash 6 here are my speculative picks:


Confident
new Mario character (at least 1 added every Smash game)
new Pokemon character (at least 1 added every Smash game)
new FE character [Alear?] or from a newer mainline game (at least 1 added since Melee)

Possible
Noah/Mio (XC3)

Outside success may influence Smash character representation
Animal Crossing (Mr. Resetti?)
Splatoon (Octoling as echo if they're still a thing; another character)
Ring Fit

3rd Party
one of the following: Dante, Lloyd Irving, Dragonborn, Shantae
a fighting game character (1 added since Smash 4 DLC)

 

[SPEN18]

Good Direct. Not like an all-time great, but with FE: Engage, Pikmin 4, and some BotW2 news, it was far from a flop. My main gripes would be (1) that there was no real show-stopper (the three aforementioned items are all great in their own ways but not total left-fielders), and (2) that the third party reels went on far too long, longer even than normal it seemed. Also, Advance Wars was nowhere to be seen, but I can't really count that as a criticism given the situation, just a disappointment. No Zelda/MP rereleases either, but that's not too bad of a miss even if those would have improved the Direct somewhat. And I guess they're still not ready on Prime 4, which isn't a surprise at this point.
For (1), it would have been nice to get something like a new DK or an additional franchise revival like Golden Sun, F-Zero, Star Fox, or KI. One more surprise reveal of a 1P game we didn't already know about would have really made the Direct. But alas, such things are rare for a reason.
With (2), the 3P reels always go on longer than I'd like and I've learned to accept that, but this time it was particularly difficult to help feeling like the Direct could have easily been much shorter with the same amount of excitement. In fact, shoving some of the 3P stuff into a separate Partner Mini could have helped keep the emphasis on the bigger hitters like FE and Zelda. Too much lull this time.
But with all that put out there, it was still a good Direct, as I said. FE was particularly impressive and this trailer generated more excitement and far less concern than the early Three Houses trailers did. Some of the more auxiliary items like the Splatoon and Xenoblade DLC, the Return to Dreamland remaster, and the N64 NSO adds are nice gets for their audiences as well.

Maybe later I'll post some bits on how the contents of this Direct could affect future Smash rostering.

 

[DarthEnderX]

The subject of a new Fire Emblem newcomer is gonna be real interesting now though.

No. It's going to be extremely boring. Like the subject of FE newcomers always is.

 

[JOJONumber691]

This new mechanic they came up with for Engage... melding two characters into one temporarily, I wonder if it's possible to translate to smash?

Stand Power!

 

[Gengar84]

Is it weird that I’m hyped that GoldenEye is coming to Switch even though I have no intentions of ever getting the Expansion Pass? I just think it’s cool to see RARE get another game and I appreciate the effort they must have had to make for the licensing for this game.

 

[Mushroomguy12]

People are unironically going to be suggesting that the only FE character in the next game be Pepsi person, who summons other characters with their special moves, aren't they?

All the Pepsiman supporters of Smashboards past have finally been vindicated.

 

[fogbadge]

No. It's going to be extremely boring. Like the subject of FE newcomers always is.

Well everyone has to put up with speculation they find boring

 

[JOJONumber691]

People are unironically going to be suggesting that the only FE character in the next game be Pepsi person, who summons other characters with their special moves, aren't they?

Toothpaste-Chan is genuinely my least wanted character. They would be literally Marth with a Stand in terms of how they fight I really hope, if Engage gets prioritized, that we get someone else instead of Ms. Toothpaste the Marth. I say this as an FE Fan by the way.

 

[SPEN18]

Smash-related quick hits from the Direct:

- Man, IS and Nintendo really love Marth. Great to see it. And if there was any doubt about him returning in future Smash games, then it is even farther gone now. They really focused in on Lyn for a second there, too, even though that probably doesn't mean much. A slight but still cool-to-see boon for any other old FE characters that make it into Engage (maybe an even bigger boon for some of them if they, like Marth evidently will, end up having some prominence in the main story).

- As for Alear, well, it is hard to say how the timing will line up. Unlike a lot of other longtime FE fans, I do like the design, toothpaste hair and all. But per my usual policy, let's wait and see how the game and character actually do once they're released in full before deciding if they should be a Smash PC. In any case, Alear bringing in other FE characters through his/her moveset should not be considered as a replacement for giving those other characters their proper dues.

- With Pikmin 4, another Pikmin rep is not out of the question now, though not necessarily particularly likely, pending how the new game performs (and whether any characters besides Olimar get big roles).

- Still not enough knowledge about BotW2 to discern if it will have an impact on Zelda newcomer possibilities.

- Return to Dreamland and Tales of Symphonia remasters probably won't mean much to Smash rostering, but they append small bits to the resumés for Dee and Lloyd.

- A few smaller series in Pilotwings, 1080, and Excite get a little bump in public visibility.

- Pauline is getting further established alongside Waluigi in the spinoff department. Waluigi is still more popular, especially with the Smash audience, but Pauline has some more mainline presence, even though her mainline roles are more minor ones. We'll see how it goes, and of course the other possible Mario reps like Toad or a Luigi's Mansion rep are not out of the game, either.

- Lastly, more Fatal Frame. I doubt it translates into a Smash PC, but FF already has an AT so maybe worth one final note.

 

[fogbadge]

- With Pikmin 4, another Pikmin rep is not out of the question now, though not necessarily particularly likely, pending how the new game performs (and whether any characters besides Olimar get big roles).

Well we were shown a playable character who clearly wasn’t olimar