Official Next Smash - Speculation & Discussion Thread

[DarthEnderX]

Think it's time for Mario to get a better final smash, and by better I mean literally anything that resembles something from a Mario game. (I know Mario Finale ''resembles'' a move from RPG but that's really stretching it)

Obvious pick here is the starman, of course.

I would say the CURRENT obvious pick would be Giga Cat Mario.

 

[TCT~Phantom]

I lately have had this idea buzzing around in my head about the next game.

I think most people can agree that the roster will predominantly be big Switch successes. It's why you see Noah and/or Mio, Officer Howard, and Ring Fit on every roster nowadays. But does that just apply to first parties? With the way Nintendo has handled third party games and promotions, it would not shock me if they decide to highlight some third party games that were specifically switch successes. For this, I am talking pics more like Travis Touchdown, an Octopath Traveler character, or the Nahobino. Games that while third party, did receive a bit of a push from Nintendo. It also helps that most of these characters would be in theory easy to license, considering they are actively collaborating with these companies.

I know this is not something everyone would like to think about as likely. Personally, I would prefer it not be the case. As much this situation could in theory benefit a few characters I would like in such as Crash or Phoenix Wright, it is a lot less exciting than celebrating fan favorites or gaming history. Sure, I would not mind Travis, but picks like the Nahobino or Rabbids would just not excite me. But given how Nintendo has handled the Switch era, I think it is a realistic possibility that we do see this kind of attitude taken into the next game's roster.

 

[Wonder Smash]

I'd rather Mario's Final Smash remain what it is because it does resemble his Ultra Flame attack from Super Mario RPG. If they want to change it in some way, maybe they can have the flames bounce to resemble it a bit more. But overall, I prefer it still stay based on his Fire ability.

Bowser's, on the other hand, I wouldn't mind changing to Fury Bowser. He has his own forms from the series that he really doesn't need an original Smash form for his Final Smash. So I think Fury Bowser is a much better option.

 

[PeridotGX]

I lately have had this idea buzzing around in my head about the next game.

I think most people can agree that the roster will predominantly be big Switch successes. It's why you see Noah and/or Mio, Officer Howard, and Ring Fit on every roster nowadays. But does that just apply to first parties? With the way Nintendo has handled third party games and promotions, it would not shock me if they decide to highlight some third party games that were specifically switch successes. For this, I am talking pics more like Travis Touchdown, an Octopath Traveler character, or the Nahobino. Games that while third party, did receive a bit of a push from Nintendo. It also helps that most of these characters would be in theory easy to license, considering they are actively collaborating with these companies.

I know this is not something everyone would like to think about as likely. Personally, I would prefer it not be the case. As much this situation could in theory benefit a few characters I would like in such as Crash or Phoenix Wright, it is a lot less exciting than celebrating fan favorites or gaming history. Sure, I would not mind Travis, but picks like the Nahobino or Rabbids would just not excite me. But given how Nintendo has handled the Switch era, I think it is a realistic possibility that we do see this kind of attitude taken into the next game's roster.

I'm not entirely sure about that. There are only two clear cut examples of that in series history, Bayonetta (Bayo 2) and Hero (Dragon Quest 11 S Echoes of an Elusive Age Definitive Edition), with maybe two more if you squint (Snake for Twin Snakes and Ryu for Street Fighter 4 3D). Not only is this a relatively infrequent occurrence, but three of these four characters would have warranted their inclusion regardless (sorry Bayo). One or two inclusions like this wouldn't shock me, but on the whole I think they'll stick to adding third parties like usual.

 

[Rie Sonomura]

Okay, assuming no one gets cut for the sake of a hypothetical...

What are some Final Smashes that you think need to be changed next game?

King K. Rool should have two final smashes: Blast-O-Matic when he's winning, and Kredits when he's losing.

Daisy and Richter, at least, should have theirs changed to Daisy's Mega Strike from Strikers Charged and HYDRO STORM, respectively.

For more minor changes, Inkling's Final Smash now immediately refills her ink tank, and Link's Final Smash instantly KO's anyone over 100%.

Change Young Link’s to Fierce Deity Link. Honestly I still am mad they didn’t go with one of the biggest lay ups for a final smash out there.

These and also:

• edit Shulk’s Final Smash so it’s just Dunban and Fiora (and make Fiora SPEAK this time) as XC1 has a max of three party members at a time, not 4. Riki can stay an AT.
• give Byleth a more… interesting Final Smash. Idk how right now
• Buff Dark Samus’s Final Smash. Atm it’s just Samus’s FS without the booster rockets that do additional damage. Maybe a wider AOE? Easier maneuverability? Instant KO once someone caught in it hits 100%?
• Doubtful but maybe replace Chrom in Robin’s Final Smash with… the opposite gender Morgan as the Robin you’re playing? I.e. Male Morgan in Female Robin’s FS and vice versa

 

[chocolatejr9]

This isn't related to Smash per se (unless you wanna talk how it'd affect character likelihood), but it looks like Microsoft may have overcome probably their biggest hurdle with the ActiBlizz deal:

BREAKING: the UK's CMA has provisionally concluded that Microsoft's Activision Blizzard deal “will not result in a substantial lessening of competition in console gaming services" because Microsoft is unlikely to withhold Call of Duty from PlayStation https://t.co/ABhW8eS3Kd pic.twitter.com/X6xioe6i0C

— Tom Warren (@tomwarren) March 24, 2023

Granted, they're not COMPLETELY through yet (the CMA is still concerned about cloud gaming), but for a lot of people the deal may as well be finalised now. Though now there seems to be more concerns about the floodgates that will inevitably open once that happens...

 

[Rie Sonomura]

This isn't related to Smash per se (unless you wanna talk how it'd affect character likelihood), but it looks like Microsoft may have overcome probably their biggest hurdle with the ActiBlizz deal:

BREAKING: the UK's CMA has provisionally concluded that Microsoft's Activision Blizzard deal “will not result in a substantial lessening of competition in console gaming services" because Microsoft is unlikely to withhold Call of Duty from PlayStation https://t.co/ABhW8eS3Kd pic.twitter.com/X6xioe6i0C

— Tom Warren (@tomwarren) March 24, 2023

Granted, they're not COMPLETELY through yet (the CMA is still concerned about cloud gaming), but for a lot of people the deal may as well be finalised now. Though now there seems to be more concerns about the floodgates that will inevitably open once that happens...

As long as Bobby Kotick and all the other bad actors are booted, I won’t worry too much

 

[CapitaineCrash]

I lately have had this idea buzzing around in my head about the next game.

I think most people can agree that the roster will predominantly be big Switch successes. It's why you see Noah and/or Mio, Officer Howard, and Ring Fit on every roster nowadays. But does that just apply to first parties? With the way Nintendo has handled third party games and promotions, it would not shock me if they decide to highlight some third party games that were specifically switch successes. For this, I am talking pics more like Travis Touchdown, an Octopath Traveler character, or the Nahobino. Games that while third party, did receive a bit of a push from Nintendo. It also helps that most of these characters would be in theory easy to license, considering they are actively collaborating with these companies.

I know this is not something everyone would like to think about as likely. Personally, I would prefer it not be the case. As much this situation could in theory benefit a few characters I would like in such as Crash or Phoenix Wright, it is a lot less exciting than celebrating fan favorites or gaming history. Sure, I would not mind Travis, but picks like the Nahobino or Rabbids would just not excite me. But given how Nintendo has handled the Switch era, I think it is a realistic possibility that we do see this kind of attitude taken into the next game's roster.

I could see Nahobino being considered, but by the time the next Smash game starts development it might feels a bit too late. Maybe another Atlus characters would be more considered at this point (like hypothetically the Persona 6 protagonist, especially if P6 gets a multiplatform release with day 1 on Nintendo console that could be huge).

Travis Touchdown, no way. No more heroes 3 got fairly bad review and sold very poorly. Imo Travis chances are pretty much dead, I really don't see why they would consider him over any other third party characters.

 

[Perkilator]

Travis Touchdown, no way. No more heroes 3 got fairly bad review and sold very poorly. Imo Travis chances are pretty much dead, I really don't see why they would consider him over any other third party characters.

I couldn’t find anything about sales, but as far as reviews, I think it actually reviewed pretty well.

 

[Rie Sonomura]

I am wondering about the final smash thing earlier

with very few exceptions, Ultimate’s FSes are cinematic and/or dynamic. It’s true that Hydro Storm would be a better FS for Richter but how would you make it cinematic and/or dynamic?

 

[Perkilator]

I am wondering about the final smash thing earlier

with very few exceptions, Ultimate’s FSes are cinematic and/or dynamic. It’s true that Hydro Storm would be a better FS for Richter but how would you make it cinematic and/or dynamic?

I’d say “**** the cinematic angle” and make Hydro Storm an attack where the rain increases the gravity of the stage and lighting strikes every now and then. Expanding on that first point, I feel like making most of the Final Smashes cinematic wasn’t The wirst idea on paper, but it makes them feel homogeneous, bot to mention how needlessly specific the hit boxes can be sometimes. Trying to land a Final Smash against the CPU’s can be a ***** because of this.

 

[Diddy Kong]

Daily reminder: Alear and Noah are extremely likely to appear so who's 100% down to have them in Smash, besides yours truly?

 

[Perkilator]

Daily reminder: Alear and Noah are extremely likely to appear so who's 100% down to have them in Smash, besides yours truly?

I’m definitely down for Noah & Mio as a tag team fighter, at least.

On a similar note, they’re also a no-brainer Pair Unit for a hypothetical Project X Zone 3.

 

[Wonder Smash]

Travis Touchdown, no way. No more heroes 3 got fairly bad review and sold very poorly. Imo Travis chances are pretty much dead, I really don't see why they would consider him over any other third party characters.

I don't recall No More Heroes 3 getting bad reviews. They seem decent at the least. Also, Travis has kind of become somewhat of a popular pick among the Smash fans for years. The fact that they made a big deal about him being a Mii costume in Ultimate pretty much shows it.

I don't see why Travis wouldn't be considered at this point. His series is primarily made for Nintendo consoles, he's a Mii costume and a spirit in Ultimate and the final boss fight in No More Heroes 3 is a big reference to the Smash series itself. I say his chances are still pretty good.

 

[chocolatejr9]

Daily reminder: Alear and Noah are extremely likely to appear so who's 100% down to have them in Smash, besides yours truly?

raises hand

 

[Diddy Kong]

I’m definitely down for Noah & Mio as a tag team fighter, at least.

On a similar note, they’re also a no-brainer Pair Unit for a hypothetical Project X Zone 3.

Kinda feel they could just share a moveset slot? They master each others classes anyway. I'd say the moveset should be 30% Swordfighter 30% Zephyr then throw in a little mix of everything else.

 

[Perkilator]

Kinda feel they could just share a moveset slot? They master each others classes anyway. I'd say the moveset should be 30% Swordfighter 30% Zephyr then throw in a little mix of everything else.

I was thinking share a slot, but keep their respective starting classes (Swordfighter for Noah, Zephyr for Mio), use a different method of switching from the Aegis girls, and wear alternate costumes based on the other classes.

 

[fogbadge]

Daily reminder: Alear and Noah are extremely likely to appear so who's 100% down to have them in Smash, besides yours truly?

i'm not against their inclusion but i do have mixed feelings on the matter

 

[ARandomFruit]

These and also:
[*]edit Shulk’s Final Smash so it’s just Dunban and Fiora (and make Fiora SPEAK this time) as XC1 has a max of three party members at a time, not 4. Riki can stay an AT.

Or. Hear me out, put it back to 3 and just have it be two random party members from 1. One time it'll be Duncan and Rain and another time it'll be Sharla and Fiora. We already have half the party why not add the other half! And if they ever add a FC Shulk skin they can probably get away with changing it to union strike like what Cloud has with his.

 

[LiveStudioAudience]

Some interesting retro news as D4 Enterprises is bringing Project EGG to Switch

For those not in the know, D4 holds the rights to a bunch of obscure retro system libraries like the MSX, PC-9801, and PC-8801 and the Project Egg Service basically allows access to. Doubt it has many implications for Smash (though it has a lot of Compile, Falcom, and Konami releases), but it is another broad showcase for older titles on Switch, especially with the Wii U Virtual Console now shutting down.

 

[PeridotGX]

Daily reminder: Alear and Noah are extremely likely to appear so who's 100% down to have them in Smash, besides yours truly?

I'm not entirely sure. Engage and Chronicles 3 released in the anti-sweetspot where it's possible there's another game in their series that takes priority. Both games serve as culminations of their series so far, so they're in a better position than Gen 9, but it's no guarantee.

if this ends up happening, this would be the first non-remake FE game to get skipped since Sacred Stones. Wild.

 

[DarthEnderX]

Daily reminder: Alear and Noah are extremely likely to appear so who's 100% down to have them in Smash, besides yours truly?

I don't care about FE and XG characters...

Characters like that and Pokemon where it's just become a "You're gonna get one from the most recent game, no matter if they're actually popular or not", I always hope will be part of the launch roster. Because I'd prefer to just get their foregone inclusion out of the way, they're a huge disappointment when they show up as DLC.

 

[fogbadge]

I don't care about FE and XG characters...

Characters like that and Pokemon where it's just become a "You're gonna get one from the most recent game, no matter if they're actually popular or not", I always hope will be part of the launch roster. Because I'd prefer to just get their foregone inclusion out of the way, they're a huge disappointment when they show up as DLC.

just as well they're actually popular then

 

[MrMcNuts]

Unless Alear or Noah become huge fan faves like Cloud for FF, I could see the next Xenoblade or FE games having their reps take their spot

 

[Opossum]

Timing is actually what I think kills Alear's chances, imo. We have direct quotes from Sakurai about Robin that outright confirm that being too early is a detriment. So unless you think the next Smash is in development literally right now (it isn't), Alear is likely getting skipped.

Unless Alear or Noah become huge fan faves like Cloud for FF, I could see the next Xenoblade or FE games having their reps take their spot

Alear is liked, for sure (particularly after certain late game story revelations), but in a way it's sort of funny that Engage is one of the very few Fire Emblem games where the de facto most popular character isn't a main lord (the others being Thracia 776 due to its relative obscurity combined with Heroes making Reinhardt super busted early on, and Fates where Camilla is consistently more popular than Corrin is) and in this case, doesn't even seem to be in the top three.

For Engage, the three characters that are pretty much always the top of popularity polls so far are Ivy, Diamant, and Yunaka.

 

[fogbadge]

For Engage, the three characters that are pretty much always the top of popularity polls so far are Ivy, Diamant, and Yunaka.

hmm can’t help but observe that the first two have somethings in common with other popular characters in the series. makes sense I guess. I can’t even remember who yunaka is

 

[Hadokeyblade]

I lately have had this idea buzzing around in my head about the next game.

I think most people can agree that the roster will predominantly be big Switch successes. It's why you see Noah and/or Mio, Officer Howard, and Ring Fit on every roster nowadays. But does that just apply to first parties? With the way Nintendo has handled third party games and promotions, it would not shock me if they decide to highlight some third party games that were specifically switch successes. For this, I am talking pics more like Travis Touchdown, an Octopath Traveler character, or the Nahobino. Games that while third party, did receive a bit of a push from Nintendo. It also helps that most of these characters would be in theory easy to license, considering they are actively collaborating with these companies.

I know this is not something everyone would like to think about as likely. Personally, I would prefer it not be the case. As much this situation could in theory benefit a few characters I would like in such as Crash or Phoenix Wright, it is a lot less exciting than celebrating fan favorites or gaming history. Sure, I would not mind Travis, but picks like the Nahobino or Rabbids would just not excite me. But given how Nintendo has handled the Switch era, I think it is a realistic possibility that we do see this kind of attitude taken into the next game's roster.

This ones a massive stretch but this is a good opportunity for me to once again shill for SRW in smash bros since the mainline entries started getting released in english when they were being released on the Switch.

Granted they were only released in some countries, not a full worldwide launch but they sold enough in imports that Bamco decided that the most recent game should get a worldwide release. So the Switch did help this third party series made by one of the companies involved in Smash's development break out of Japan only purgatory.

My favorite part is that the localization team for these games were actually people who did fan-translations of the older titles so Bamco kinda did go the "Hire this man" route.

I know i mentioned that before in this thread but i thought it was a good reply to this idea lol .

Unless Alear or Noah become huge fan faves like Cloud for FF, I could see the next Xenoblade or FE games having their reps take their spot

Oh you know Colgate is getting skipped over for the next FE protag.

 

[SPEN18]

I can’t even remember who yunaka is

Hiya papaya

 

[DarthEnderX]

just as well they're actually popular then

This ones a massive stretch but this is a good opportunity for me to once again shill for SRW in smash bros

The series that's a huge crossover of 4th party characters?

 

[TCT~Phantom]

Daily reminder: Alear and Noah are extremely likely to appear so who's 100% down to have them in Smash, besides yours truly?

This is Mio erasure and I won’t stand for it.

But to be more serious, I think XC3 is pretty likely to get a new rep, while Alear could get screwed by timing. My gut says we get the new smash sometime between 2025-2027, a few years after a switch successor comes out. Most signs point towards that coming in 2025. I doubt we would get a new Xenoblade until 2026 at the earliest, so with how well 3 did Noah and/or Mio have a great shot.

Alear I’m a bit more bullish on their chances. For one, we know Nintendo is more open to Fire Emblem as DLC. Even if the timing doesn’t work out perfectly for our next new Fire Emblem lord, they could come as DLC if they come too late. FE leaks point towards Genealogy remakes next, so if we get our new mainline FE game in 2026-27, it would line up ok for a hypothetical DLC scenario. Shame too, since I could easily envision Alear working in smash super well.

Ironically, I’d bet more on a Gen IX Pokémon than Alear. Gen IX went gangbusters so even with Gen X being on its way by the next Smash I think Gen IX is still fair game. I think Pokémon holding off one year before jumping to new hardware makes sense as well. They have been historically a bit adverse to new hardware for the mainline games. If we get a new smash in say 2026, I’d say still bet on Gen IX.

 

[Hadokeyblade]

The series that's a huge crossover of 4th party characters?

SRW is like Kingdom hearts.

Might have a LOT of fourth party characters, but it also features a large cast of original characters as well.
Enough original characters that there's a sub-series of games called "Super robot wars the original generation" which focuses entirely on said original characters going on adventures without the fourth party characters. So there is enough Game-only material to work with.

Here's a clip of the SRW character that people on this forum are most likely to recognize due to his appearance as a party member in Project X Zone

 

[HyperSomari64]

The series that's a huge crossover of 4th party characters?

Sakura Wars (a video game franchise):

Also, i really wish a Super Robot Wars USA with only american franchises with giant robots, like Transformers and Robot Jox. And also also, make it exclusive to Xbox systems to keep the United States motif.

 

[DarthEnderX]

Might have a LOT of fourth party characters, but it also features a large cast of original characters as well.

Are the OCs the protagonists, like Sora is?

Also, is Elzam an OC? Or a 4P character?

 

[Hadokeyblade]

Are the OCs the protagonists, like Sora is?

Yep, while the anime characters are a major focus in these games the plots in the games typically go back around to focusing suarely on the OC's by end game.
The most "recognizable" of these being Masaki and his robot the Cybuster, who show up in most of the SRW games that have been translated into english, his whole shtick being that he keeps ending in other worlds due to his horrible sense of direction.

He's also got his own heroic theme music that's a banger.

 

[DarthEnderX]

He's also got his own heroic theme music that's a banger.

Eh, it's no...

 

[fogbadge]

Hiya papaya

oh her. ugh......

the massively positive reaction to xc3 seems to suggest so

 

[Luke Starkiller]

Maybe Smash Six will have a custom move selector similar to what was in Smash 4 and they could apply that for the final Smash system as well.

 

[Hadokeyblade]

Eh, it's no...

And if we got SRW in smash there's a small chance we would get another Sega IP by extension, since one of the franchises that shows up a lot in this crossover is Sega's robot fighting game Virtual On

You might vaguely recognize this game specifically because it showed up as one of the Arcade games Kiryu plays in the Yakuza series

 

[Rie Sonomura]

Thinking about the Dark Samus final smash buff idea I mentioned and I think easier maneuverability would be a good trade off for not having the booster rockets that Samus’s FS has. It’d do less overall damage but can be moved around easier

maybe insta-killing at 100% or slightly higher too, it even has lore basis as being fully corrupted with Phazon kills ya

 

[silenthunder]

So how do you guys feel about a gungeon rep getting in smash. It was one of switch's best selling games.