Official Next Smash - Speculation & Discussion Thread

[Noipoi]

Do you think we’ll have Stage Builder at launch or will they add it later like Ultimate did? In either case, I’m hoping for a lot of improvements. I really enjoyed what we had in Ultimate but I feel there’s still so much untapped potential. The mouse feature could make the mode a lot easier to use.

I think it’ll be at launch. Ultimate sacrificed a lot of content in service of bringing every character back in base game. Namely iconic side modes like Stage Builder and Home Run Contest.

I don’t think that’ll be the focus of the next game, so the side modes should have the chance to be in base.

 

[Thegameandwatch]

Do you think we’ll have Stage Builder at launch or will they add it later like Ultimate did? In either case, I’m hoping for a lot of improvements. I really enjoyed what we had in Ultimate but I feel there’s still so much untapped potential. The mouse feature could make the mode a lot easier to use.

I hope so.

 

[Ivander]

Do you think we’ll have Stage Builder at launch or will they add it later like Ultimate did? In either case, I’m hoping for a lot of improvements. I really enjoyed what we had in Ultimate but I feel there’s still so much untapped potential. The mouse feature could make the mode a lot easier to use.

Probably later, but regardless, all I hope is that it not only uses the mouse mode to make creating easier, but adds some meaningful updates like some of the missing stuff from Brawl, add some new things like deadzone lava similar to the Great Cave Offensive lava spots that instant-kill players above 100% and water, allows us to color the textures, allows us to really connect the foreground and backgrounds easier, and most of all, give alot more space for adding stuff and hopefully take away the four-player limit if too much stuff is added(seriously, I have too many Custom stages that would be perfect for 8-player, but can't because of the limit).

 

[DragonRobotKing26]

I will say, I do much prefer Jinx’s and Vi’s Arcane designs to their default League counterparts. I feel like their new designs just show off so much more personality. Nothing really against their game designs and they do make sense as the default but I think Arcane’s just go a step further. I do prefer game Warwick to his Arcane design though.

View attachment 400791View attachment 400790

On a similar subject, if some of your most wanted characters have multiple designs from different games, are there any you’d be much more excited to see in particular? For example, I’d love the Battlemaniacs versions of the Battletoads, Zero’s MMX design, Sub-Zero’s UMK3 design and Impa’s Hyrule Warriors design.

for design for Jinx,it could be LoL counterpart,but Arcane design works as an alternate costume,same from Cloud that have an Advent Children costume

 

[Gengar84]

for design for Jinx,it could be LoL counterpart,but Arcane design works as an alternate costume,same from Cloud that have an Advent Children costume

Yeah, that’s what I’m thinking too. I think if they were only going to give one costume for Jinx, it would be her 2XKO design because it combines elements from her League and Arcane appearances. If they wanted to give her alt costumes, then I’d go with her censored League outfit as the base and her two Arcane outfits as alts. Since they’d be adding the Arcane outfits in this scenario, the default League outfit stands out more than her 2XKO outfit. It would be cool if we had a full eight outfits but I’m not sure Riot would agree to giving out that many skins for free that are usually paid DLC.

 

[Diddy Kong]

In all fairness, the entire design behind Pokemon Trainer kinda forces Charizard to be slow and clunky.

The entire point is that you have a small but agile Pokemon followed by subsequently bigger and stronger yet slower Pokemon.

If Charizard had the proper agility he could have, Ivysaur and Squirtle would have no reason to be picked and instead hold back Trainer as a whole.

No excuses for Ridley though.

That's cool. But there was also Smash 4 with a solo Charizard.

Just look how he moved in the Greninja reveal trailer !

I want that.

 

[Kirby Dragons]

I figured out why I'm mostly uninterested in avatar characters joining Smash.

Games like Monster Hunter and Elden Ring are largely about customization. You have one player character, but there are several ways to set up your character, giving you a wide variety of playstyles to choose from. And no one playstyle is the correct one.

In Smash, it's the opposite situation; you have several characters, but all of them have the same moveset every time. And if you add someone like Monster Hunter, not only would the element of customization be lost, but there's always a chance that some of cool things that can be done in the original game wouldn't make it into the moveset, because there's limited move slots. And you could easily disappoint someone who was hoping to see a particular weapon/attack/power.

There would of course be ways around this, like having an avatar's down special switch them between different playstyles. But that would be a lot of work, and I don't think the devs would go for it. Instead, I'd be expecting either one specific playstyle being focused on, with the others being absent, or some hodgepodge of different weapons and powers.

Ultimately this is why I would support Malenia over the Tarnished; she fights in a specific way and creating a Smash moveset for her seems way more feasible. As for Monster Hunter, turning some of their weapons and consumables into items would be pretty good representation if there's no playable character.

 

[chinkuru]

What if they played this for Toad's reveal trailer if he ever gets in?

 

[Gengar84]

I figured out why I'm mostly uninterested in avatar characters joining Smash.

Games like Monster Hunter and Elden Ring are largely about customization. You have one player character, but there are several ways to set up your character, giving you a wide variety of playstyles to choose from. And no one playstyle is the correct one.

In Smash, it's the opposite situation; you have several characters, but all of them have the same moveset every time. And if you add someone like Monster Hunter, not only would the element of customization be lost, but there's always a chance that some of cool things that can be done in the original game wouldn't make it into the moveset, because there's limited move slots. And you could easily disappoint someone who was hoping to see a particular weapon/attack/power.

There would of course be ways around this, like having an avatar's down special switch them between different playstyles. But that would be a lot of work, and I don't think the devs would go for it. Instead, I'd be expecting either one specific playstyle being focused on, with the others being absent, or some hodgepodge of different weapons and powers.

Ultimately this is why I would support Malenia over the Tarnished; she fights in a specific way and creating a Smash moveset for her seems way more feasible. As for Monster Hunter, turning some of their weapons and consumables into items would be pretty good representation if there's no playable character.

Yeah, that’s part of it for me too. The main thing is that I just tend to prefer characters with established stories and personalities but the lack of customization in Smash hurts too. For example, the Robin I played as in Fire Emblem: Awakening looked and sounded nothing like the default version in Smash. Robin and Tharja were actually my two favorite characters in the game but I wasn’t super hyped when they made it into Smash because they may have well been completely different characters. If the avatars had some level of customization in appearance, voice, and moveset, I could get behind them more. Though I’d still generally prefer established characters to avatars in that case too.

 

[The Stoopid Unikorn]

Yeah, that’s part of it for me too. The main thing is that I just tend to prefer characters with established stories and personalities but the lack of customization in Smash hurts too. For example, the Robin I played as in Fire Emblem: Awakening looked and sounded nothing like the default version in Smash. Robin and Tharja were actually my two favorite characters in the game but I wasn’t super hyped when they made it into Smash because they may have well been completely different characters. If the avatars had some level of customization in appearance, voice, and moveset, I could get behind them more. Though I’d still generally prefer established characters to avatars in that case too.

In the case of Robin, that is less the fault of them being an avatar and more the fact that they were a major enough character to have their own personal class, so even if he could have any skill or any weapon based on a chosen class, Sakurai was more likely to default to the personal ones because they are exclusive to Robin. The fact that he has Nosferatu at all is a miracle tbh.

As an example, Edelgard is by no possible definition an avatar but as a Three Houses character, she has the same degree of customizability as everyone else. And yet, there's also no ****ing way they'd make her a Wyvern Master in Smash even if it's optimal when her personal Armored Lord class is right there.

In an ironic twist, another avatar, Byleth, actually removes any value from what I said above because they avoided using a personal class and instead focused on how 3H classes aren't bound by weapon limitations, so instead of a brawler, mage and swordfighter hybrid with potential time shenanigans, we have "Monster Hunter at home".

 

[BackseatSakurai]

Probably later, but regardless, all I hope is that it not only uses the mouse mode to make creating easier, but adds some meaningful updates like some of the missing stuff from Brawl, add some new things like deadzone lava similar to the Great Cave Offensive lava spots that instant-kill players above 100% and water, allows us to color the textures, allows us to really connect the foreground and backgrounds easier, and most of all, give alot more space for adding stuff and hopefully take away the four-player limit if too much stuff is added(seriously, I have too many Custom stages that would be perfect for 8-player, but can't because of the limit).

Also tossing this out there: custom Stadium stages (Target Test, Board The Platforms, etc) could create so much replayability and I can't imagine it would be too crazy to add. With some decent tools in the builder and solid sharing / discovery features, this could be content for years.

 

[ninjahmos]

I figured out why I'm mostly uninterested in avatar characters joining Smash.

Games like Monster Hunter and Elden Ring are largely about customization. You have one player character, but there are several ways to set up your character, giving you a wide variety of playstyles to choose from. And no one playstyle is the correct one.

In Smash, it's the opposite situation; you have several characters, but all of them have the same moveset every time. And if you add someone like Monster Hunter, not only would the element of customization be lost, but there's always a chance that some of cool things that can be done in the original game wouldn't make it into the moveset, because there's limited move slots. And you could easily disappoint someone who was hoping to see a particular weapon/attack/power.

There would of course be ways around this, like having an avatar's down special switch them between different playstyles. But that would be a lot of work, and I don't think the devs would go for it. Instead, I'd be expecting either one specific playstyle being focused on, with the others being absent, or some hodgepodge of different weapons and powers.

Ultimately this is why I would support Malenia over the Tarnished; she fights in a specific way and creating a Smash moveset for her seems way more feasible. As for Monster Hunter, turning some of their weapons and consumables into items would be pretty good representation if there's no playable character.

I feel like this may also apply to Elder Scrolls protagonists.

 

[SharkLord]

I figured out why I'm mostly uninterested in avatar characters joining Smash.

Games like Monster Hunter and Elden Ring are largely about customization. You have one player character, but there are several ways to set up your character, giving you a wide variety of playstyles to choose from. And no one playstyle is the correct one.

In Smash, it's the opposite situation; you have several characters, but all of them have the same moveset every time. And if you add someone like Monster Hunter, not only would the element of customization be lost, but there's always a chance that some of cool things that can be done in the original game wouldn't make it into the moveset, because there's limited move slots. And you could easily disappoint someone who was hoping to see a particular weapon/attack/power.

There would of course be ways around this, like having an avatar's down special switch them between different playstyles. But that would be a lot of work, and I don't think the devs would go for it. Instead, I'd be expecting either one specific playstyle being focused on, with the others being absent, or some hodgepodge of different weapons and powers.

Ultimately this is why I would support Malenia over the Tarnished; she fights in a specific way and creating a Smash moveset for her seems way more feasible. As for Monster Hunter, turning some of their weapons and consumables into items would be pretty good representation if there's no playable character.

Yeah, that's valid. In the case of Monster Hunter, at least, the weapons are treated like fighting game characters, where each of them have their own movesets and mechanics. This means just having a Hunter won't automatically wow everyone, because they won't play the same way as you do. Of course, there's also people like me who would be over the moon for a Hunter regardless, but I can see why people might feel otherwise. I'm a Switch Axe addict, but I've accepted it's unlikely to see one in Smash; The most likely scenario is a Great Sword user who supplements their kit with some simpler weapons and/or some traps and items. I doubt they'd be able to cover the Switch Axe in a meaningful manner in just a handful of attacks, especially if they're already taking the Walking Armory approach

 

[Diddy Kong]

I figured out why I'm mostly uninterested in avatar characters joining Smash.

Games like Monster Hunter and Elden Ring are largely about customization. You have one player character, but there are several ways to set up your character, giving you a wide variety of playstyles to choose from. And no one playstyle is the correct one.

In Smash, it's the opposite situation; you have several characters, but all of them have the same moveset every time. And if you add someone like Monster Hunter, not only would the element of customization be lost, but there's always a chance that some of cool things that can be done in the original game wouldn't make it into the moveset, because there's limited move slots. And you could easily disappoint someone who was hoping to see a particular weapon/attack/power.

There would of course be ways around this, like having an avatar's down special switch them between different playstyles. But that would be a lot of work, and I don't think the devs would go for it. Instead, I'd be expecting either one specific playstyle being focused on, with the others being absent, or some hodgepodge of different weapons and powers.

Ultimately this is why I would support Malenia over the Tarnished; she fights in a specific way and creating a Smash moveset for her seems way more feasible. As for Monster Hunter, turning some of their weapons and consumables into items would be pretty good representation if there's no playable character.

I don't know. I think the Great Sword is one of the more iconic weapon types of Monster Hunter personally. I think its also one of the more popular weapons in MH, alongside the Long Sword. It would generally fit well with a typical Monster Hunter move set I feel, setting up traps and playing the ranged game.

Idk, I think a Monster Hunter with the Rathalos armor and a Great Sword would probably the best way to do it.

 

[TheFirstPoppyBro]

I'm late to this but the Switch 2 Direct being an hour long makes me feel incredibly under prepared tbh, especially after the "throwaway" last Switch Direct had Tomodachi Life and Rhythm Heaven lmao

Like the original Switch presentation was also an hour long but it was a live event talking about a brand new console concept.

The Switch 2 on the other hand is iterating on top of that, so I imagine there will be less to talk about in regards to the console's specifics. But even if they do talk about specifics that are new like the C button and potentially the mouse mode and it ends up taking the same 15 minutes, it being in Direct format means the games will just kinda come flying at us at rapid pace, assuming they're not just calling it a Direct but making a live presentation thing.

 

[Gengar84]

In the case of Robin, that is less the fault of them being an avatar and more the fact that they were a major enough character to have their own personal class, so even if he could have any skill or any weapon based on a chosen class, Sakurai was more likely to default to the personal ones because they are exclusive to Robin. The fact that he has Nosferatu at all is a miracle tbh.

As an example, Edelgard is by no possible definition an avatar but as a Three Houses character, she has the same degree of customizability as everyone else. And yet, there's also no ****ing way they'd make her a Wyvern Master in Smash even if it's optimal when her personal Armored Lord class is right there.

In an ironic twist, another avatar, Byleth, actually removes any value from what I said above because they avoided using a personal class and instead focused on how 3H classes aren't bound by weapon limitations, so instead of a brawler/mage/swordfighter hybrid with potential time shenanigans, we have "Monster Hunter at home". But it's possible this was an intentional choice to "make them stand out from other swordfighters"

That’s fair. In Robin’s case, I’m actually perfectly fine with their general moveset concept. Maybe they could use a few balancing adjustments but that’s about it. What keeps me from being excited about them is more the voice and appearance than the moveset. My Robin was an adult woman with tied back black hair voiced by Wendee Lee. I was trying to go with something close to Lulu from Final Fantasy X either her design. I think she actually came out looking great and Wendee Lee is one of my favorite voice actresses. I don’t really dislike Robin’s default design or voice but I’m mostly indifferent to it.

 

[SharkLord]

I don't know. I think the Great Sword is one of the more iconic weapon types of Monster Hunter personally. I think its also one of the more popular weapons in MH, alongside the Long Sword. It would generally fit well with a typical Monster Hunter move set I feel, setting up traps and playing the ranged game.

Idk, I think a Monster Hunter with the Rathalos armor and a Great Sword would probably the best way to do it.

Yeah, there's a clear image they use in the marketing that would probably used for the moveset. I think the problem that Kirby Dragons has is that even if the Great Sword is the most iconic weapon, everyone still has their own favorites, so people who play other weapons might not connect to the Smash Hunter the way they connect to the Hunter they've created in MonHun proper. Less that they can't pull it off and more a matter of personal preference.

 

[Ivander]

I don't know. I think the Great Sword is one of the more iconic weapon types of Monster Hunter personally. I think its also one of the more popular weapons in MH, alongside the Long Sword. It would generally fit well with a typical Monster Hunter move set I feel, setting up traps and playing the ranged game.

Idk, I think a Monster Hunter with the Rathalos armor and a Great Sword would probably the best way to do it.

Well, with Monster Hunter Wilds introducing the ability to have two different weapons during a hunt and with Monster Hunter in MvCInfinite having the Great Sword, Dual Blades and Bow, I can imagine the Hunter in Smash Bros using a good chunk of the weapons. Though I can definitely see some of the non-weapons be specials, like barrel bombs, shock traps, the Wirebug for Up-special and whatnot.

And in my dream scenario, the Hunter would not only have multiple armor sets for alternate costumes, but each armor set has the Hunter use the specific weapons to go with them. Like Rathalos Armored Hunter would have all their weapons be the ones crafted from Rathalos parts, a Zinogre Armored Hunter would have all Zinogre weapons and whatnot for each armor set/alternate costume.

 

[The Stoopid Unikorn]

I think the deciding factor for me when it comes to avatars in Smash is whether or not they have a "default" state of sorts.

People like a Monster Hunter, Dragonborn or a Diablo protagonist don't really have that because you're free to customize them however you'd like, so any way they try to represent that will feel wrong to groups of people no matter how much love and passion is poured into it simply because having everything is impossible and even if it WAS possible, some groups would still hate it. It's impossible to win.
Note: I do not know if players can freely choose a starting class or weapon or if the game forces one in tutorials for these games. If they do, they are like Inkling on the third paragraph.

And yet Alear is one of my most wanteds... but they really are an avatar in function only, since they very much are characters with their own distinct personality, have their own unique classes and abilities, and are also the literal reason the Emblems in Engage appear so putting them in the forefront of a moveset still feels distinctly Alear while also representing the game they're from.

Inkling is probably an example of something in the middleground because while there IS a ****ton of customization and playstyles, they also have set default appearances that you can see in either the marketing or booting the game for the first time and despite the huge variety of weapons, a new player is always forced to start with a Shooter in multiplayer while the single-player Hero Shot functions very similarly to the Splattershot, so having a specific type of gun at the forefront makes reasonable sense.

 

[Diddy Kong]

Yeah, there's a clear image they use in the marketing that would probably used for the moveset. I think the problem that Kirby Dragons has is that even if the Great Sword is the most iconic weapon, everyone still has their own favorites, so people who play other weapons might not connect to the Smash Hunter the way they connect to the Hunter they've created in MonHun proper. Less that they can't pull it off and more a matter of personal preference.

Sometimes you just gotta pick something and stick with it. Sure they could do an "all weapons" approach but I really didn't like that for Byleth for example. I'd also have preferred if they kept Byleth to just the Sword of the Creator, and maybe have additional brawling and magic attacks. You know, things the character actually did.

With Monster Hunter, picking a weapon is everything. Sure. Then just stick with something the most popular or iconic. That's probably the best bet. Can't please everyone after all.

Overall I just care if the move set would reflect the playstyle of the games of origin, is unique, and is balanced accordingly. Nothing about Great Sword + traps suggests to me that this wouldn't be the case with Monster Hunter. It also fits together nicely. According to myself of course.

Also I guess I never knew Wilds had introduced multiple weapons in one hunt. Guess that changes a lot. However, I kinda think they'd still go with the Great Sword for Smash attacks, and maybe do some tilts with the Sword and Shield? Don't know about the rest.

 

[BackseatSakurai]

I feel like this may also apply to Elder Scrolls protagonists.

It would be boxart Dragonborn unfortunately. I'm not in favor of TES getting a rep really but I'd choose the Nerevarine.

 

[Gengar84]

I’m curious what people prioritize in determining why they want their most wanted characters. For me, it’s a combination of me liking their personality, design, and moveset potential. Liking their game helps too but I’d rather have a character I loved from a game I’m indifferent to than a character I’m indifferent to from a game I loved. For me, avatar characters are missing a crucial piece in what draws me to a character. Since I focus more on the character themselves rather than game representation, it’s harder for me to get excited for them.

For example, Chrono Trigger is in contention for being my favorite game of all time but I’m mostly indifferent to Crono himself. He looks pretty cool but it’s hard for me to connect with silent protagonists. It’s the rest of the cast I loved. If Crono made it into Smash, I’d be happy in the same way I was for Banjo but I wouldn’t be over the moon hyped. More of a “Hey, cool. I’m happy to see the game I love get some representation.” If Magus made it in, I’d probably be even more excited than I was for Sephiroth.

 

[Truth the Ceomasterz33]

Been previously my posts. Been corrected as watch Today Nintendo Direct with Switch 2 times. We assure times. True correct! 20.00... Oh no.... Again. My schedule and my family traveling. I've use sim card and my router broken.... Been worst my router using my phones...

 

[The Stoopid Unikorn]

I’m curious what people prioritize in determining why they want their most wanted characters

For me, it's one of two things

• If blank slate avatar (like Villager), focus on what makes the game special since they'd ultimately represent that
• If not, focus on what makes the character special.

I'm specifying blank slate because Robin and Byleth very much have their own personalities (being stoic is a personality, people, stop calling Byleth a blank slate) and their own tricks... yet while Robin still has some foundation towards his exclusive stuff (his classes being one of the very few in Awakening to wield both swords and tomes, to the point where the only other non-DLC one is a cavalry class), Byleth's moveset feels like something anyone in 3H could do.

And the whipsword, an actual cool, unique thing that only Byleth and one final boss can do, has been given so little emphasis that the number of moves where it does whip stuff can be counter in one hand. So, in an attempt to make Byleth more "distinct", Sakurai only succeeded in making Byleth "generic".

Still a fun moveset but like, it's got a really strong spike, an iteration of a Falcon Punch and generally KOs mad early. How could it NOT be fun?

 

[BackseatSakurai]

I’m curious what people prioritize in determining why they want their most wanted characters.

Personally I like characters that act as wormholes to the most amount of games and history as possible - bonus points if it's correcting the historical record as far as something being overlooked. My three most wanted are Arle, Goemon, and Bomberman - and yeah, liking their games probably helps - but you could legit spend years trying to catch up on the legacy of these characters if you're coming in unfamiliar.

Just with the three characters I named, you're exposing people to like 100+ games between Puyo, Madou Monogatari, Ganbare Goemon, Wai Wai World, Parodius, Bomberman, Lode Runner - it's insane. Of course, modern stuff like Splatoon has clearly carved out its rightful place as a Nintendo staple (even if another game never happened), but I think shining a light on these really deep gaps in public understanding of games is super important.

It's why, despite being a huge Mario fanboy, padding out the roster with further Mario characters would feel hollow in comparison. Yeah, I'd like them more than characters I don't know or like the source material of, but it's still a missed opportunity that doesn't significantly expand the depth / breadth of what the roster represents.

 

[SPEN18]

Yeah, this all seems about on par with what's probably expected of C/D-list Nintendo franchises at this point... that said, I have to say that I really hope Nintendo doesn't automatically default to the Miis for a Pilotwings character. I'm just saying, these guys are right there...



Aside from that, may I ask what you think about the odds for Chibi-Robo and Wars? I know they both have... uphill climbs, but I feel as though Chibi-Robo getting that Mii Gunner outfit says something positive (in a similar manner to Custom Robo's Ray MK III getting a Mii Fighter outfit) and while Wars has trouble REALLY catching on in the East, it DOES have a storied legacy that spans longer than stuff like Golden Sun and Rhythm Heaven.

Yeah giving the Miis some Pilotwings-related moves is more like the "at least it's better than nothing" option, certainly not a way to replace what a full Pilotwings character would bring. I think the OCs from Pilotwings are really cool, even the named instructors from the SNES Pilotwings as well (although the 64 ones have more characterization). I also think their cases would be stronger if at least some of the crew was kept consistent across the games. But it'd just be nice if we could be more confident that Nintendo would consider actually re-using some of these OCs in a future game. Seems like a lot of things are moving into the faceless avatar / self-insert route these days, which your opinion may vary on but is a whole other can of worms to discuss.

I think Nintendo likes Chibi-Robo, and I doubt Sakurai would struggle to give him a creative moveset. He just hasn't been commercially successful enough to seem likely. In a way, that's what a lot of these series have tended to struggle with, having some of the qualities that a likely character might have but other areas where they falter.

And yeah Wars has a lot of history and a strong number of releases, and has typically done very well critically. The moveset potential is something I think is very attractive (I got to get around to fleshing out more of the details on my Andy moveset). Being less popular in the East would potentially not be such a huge roadblock if its success or notoriety in the West were big enough. But again it comes down to likely not being commercially successful enough even in the West to really stick out. It's just a shame the Reboot Camp didn't go exactly as planned, with all of the delays and, in my opinion, some flaws that make it a downgrade from the originals in some respects. Feels like a big missed opportunity to fully take advantage of the massive Switch install base, and not entirely anybody's fault, either. While I also think it's good Nintendo found a developer in WayForward that might be willing to make an AW game again if IS is tied down with FE et al., at the same time I think some fans are skeptical of WayForward perhaps being too far out of their comfort zone in the TBS genre. But, the big positive is they did actually try again on Advance Wars after a long period of nothing, and there is a potential developer. I just hope that, taking into account all the issues with the delays, the remake did just well enough to inspire another go at an actual new game. Since Reboot Camp is recent enough, AW feels more likely to fully come back than a lot of other series, and if it does with a successful new game then it could quickly become much more likely for more Smash content.

 

[Kirby Dragons]

I feel like this may also apply to Elder Scrolls protagonists.

Indeed. Even Dragonborn would have some issues here. Though, it stands to reason the shouts would have to be involved in his moveset.

 

[ShuffleLobo]

I’m curious what people prioritize in determining why they want their most wanted characters.

For me it's what they can bring to the game in terms of playstyle. That's why I want Lanky Kong so badly. He'd be the Dhalsim of Smash Bros.

 

[The Stoopid Unikorn]

For me it's what they can bring to the game in terms of playstyle. That's why I want Lanky Kong so badly. He'd be the Dhalsim of Smash Bros.

My brother in Christ, we already got Min Min if you want stretchy arms. Lanky would be awesome tho

Welcome to Smashboards, btw.

 

[Gengar84]

For me, it's one of two things

• If blank slate avatar (like Villager), focus on what makes the game special since they'd ultimately represent that
• If not, focus on what makes the character special.

I'm specifying blank slate because Robin and Byleth very much have their own personalities (being stoic is a personality, people, stop calling Byleth a blank slate) and their own tricks... yet while Robin still has some foundation towards his exclusive stuff (his classes being one of the very few in Awakening to wield both swords and tomes, to the point where the only other non-DLC one is a cavalry class), Byleth's moveset feels like something anyone in 3H could do.

And the whipsword, an actual cool, unique thing that only Byleth and one final boss can do, has been given so little emphasis that the number of moves where it does whip stuff can be counter in one hand. So, in an attempt to make Byleth more "distinct", Sakurai only succeeded in making Byleth "generic".

Still a fun moveset but like, it's got a really strong spike, an iteration of a Falcon Punch and generally KOs mad early. How could it NOT be fun?

That makes a lot of sense. For me, I really want the characters to feel like they do in their home series. So giving a character everything that makes them stand out as their own character is essential. I think the difference between me and most people in that respect is once a character has everything that made them unique and there’s room left to play, I’d personally rather add moves that referenced what was fun about the games they came from in general that create a bunch of moves that kind of seem like something they might do. It’s all personal preference.

Personally I like characters that act as wormholes to the most amount of games and history as possible - bonus points if it's correcting the historical record as far as something being overlooked. My three most wanted are Arle, Goemon, and Bomberman - and yeah, liking their games probably helps - but you could legit spend years trying to catch up on the legacy of these characters if you're coming in unfamiliar.

Just with the three characters I named, you're exposing people to like 100+ games between Puyo, Madou Monogatari, Ganbare Goemon, Wai Wai World, Parodius, Bomberman, Lode Runner - it's insane. Of course, modern stuff like Splatoon has clearly carved out its rightful place as a Nintendo staple (even if another game never happened), but I think shining a light on these really deep gaps in public understanding of games is super important.

It's why, despite being a huge Mario fanboy, padding out the roster with further Mario characters would feel hollow in comparison. Yeah, I'd like them more than characters I don't know or like the source material of, but it's still a missed opportunity that doesn't significantly expand the depth / breadth of what the roster represents.

I haven’t really thought about it much in that way before but that’s a cool reason to want a character. For me, that’s a nice bonus for characters I already like. Illidan, for example, could introduce Smash fans to a ton of different games and genres in one character. He originated in an RTS, became famous in an MMORPG, and was later included in a MOBA and digital card game. All of which are genres not really present in Smash.

 

[The Stoopid Unikorn]

I think the difference between me and most people in that respect is once a character has everything that made them unique and there’s room left to play, I’d personally rather add moves that referenced what was fun about the games they came from in general that create a bunch of moves that kind of seem like something they might do. It’s all personal preference.

To me, it's a mix of both. I want the references only if they fit the design of the rest of the moveset... or if they'd make a cool Final Smash if it would not be good for the actual moveset's design. Otherwise, made-up stuff that feels like something the character could do it is perfectly serviceable.

 

[CosmicEternity44]

I have a question: When they did the first presentation for the original Nintendo Switch in early 2017, I believe, how long was it compared to how long the Switch 2 Direct will be?

 

[TheFirstPoppyBro]

I have a question: When they did the first presentation for the original Nintendo Switch in early 2017, I believe, how long was it compared to how long the Switch 2 Direct will be?

I'm pretty sure the Switch presentation was also an hour long, so they're roughly the same length of time.

 

[CosmicEternity44]

I'm pretty sure the Switch presentation was also an hour long, so they're roughly the same length of time.

Okay, just checking here.

 

[ShuffleLobo]

My brother in Christ, we already got Min Min if you want stretchy arms. Lanky would be awesome tho

Welcome to Smashboards, btw.

Hey, thanks.

And true, we've got stretchy arms in Min Min, but Lanky could offer a more unique and oddball approach to combat beyond just having range. He could have a handstand mode to change up his speed and moveset on the ground, and he could be floaty with his balloon gimmick to change up his movement and approach in the air—that floatiness also being why I'd compare him to Dhalsim.

He's just been a personal want for a long time.

There are rumors of a new Donkey Kong game in the works, maybe even to be unveiled tomorrow, and I'm crossing my fingers my boy Lanky Kong gets a revival. If he's at all featured in a new Donkey Kong title, my hopes and expectations for his Smash appearance will skyrocket.

 

[fogbadge]

For me it's what they can bring to the game in terms of playstyle. That's why I want Lanky Kong so badly. He'd be the Dhalsim of Smash Bros.

I'm gonna spend some time picturing lanky yelling "yoga fire" now

 

[Gengar84]

Maybe Lanky Kong can be a Min-Min echo

 

[The Stoopid Unikorn]

Maybe Lanky Kong can be a Min-Min echo

Ram Ram is just him doing loops with his stretchy arm

 

[SMAASH! Puppy]

It's not a big deal, it's just funny as a Monster Hunter player because there are so many Rathalos variants. We have the Azure Rathalos subspecies, the Silver Rathalos rare species, the Dreadking Rathalos Deviant form, the altered Apex Rathalos, the new variant seen in Monster Hunter Wilds that I can't elaborate on because of spoilers, and multiple insanely strong forms seen only in Frontiers. And that's not getting into Rathian, the female form of the species.

Yeah I skimmed that Ice update for the latest Monster Hunter to try and find the name of one of the monsters, and there were like 5 new Rathalos variants there. lol

being stoic is a personality, people, stop calling Byleth a blank slate

Yeah I can understand people seeing their lack of facial expressions and thinking they forgot to give them a personality, but when other characters bring up how they never emote much it's very much an intentional characterization choice.

Also, comparing how they animate to how other characters (including blank slates) animate, they're very notably muted, which accidentally or otherwise, is a personality trait...Honestly it's kind of impossible to not give a character a personality since the lack of a personality is also kind of a personality in and of itself, but that's a topic for a different time.

 

[fogbadge]

Maybe Lanky Kong can be a Min-Min echo

well he’s definitely been suggested as a guest character in ARMS 2