Items could be, so long as the random crates, barrel, etc. explosions are gone, or a option in Brawl. I mean c'mon, you ask a average SWF regular smasher to play only low tier characters, they'll do it. You ask them to play bottom tier characters only, you'll do it. You ask them to play items on low, with only throwable items, and they spazz out. Seriously, WTF? They might increase randomness, but they involve particular skills. For instance, the bumper was great for throwing at specific timings, and for hitting your opponent against, as well ast the prozy mine. I just think we overlook how valueable they could be in combat.
Anyways, the beam sword, home-run bat, fan, bumper [especially], proxy mine [this is all skill], ray gun [Melee], zapper gun [SSB64], green shell, pitfall, banana peel, franklin badge, super scope, gooey bomb, and a few others could be tourny legal. Look at it this way.
The beam sword, home-run bat, and fan are all about close range right=??? WRONG! Throw them at people, and do crazy stuff with them. Hit them after you blasted them, and right when they miraculously recover, BAAAAMM!!!!! DENIED! XD
The ray gun and zapper could and should be used to SHFL [it'd be awsome to SHFL with it=IDK if you can in Melee or not! XD], and give all non-range attack characters a super powered one. In fact, range characters would use them. Plus again, tossing them rocks! Also the super scope with confirmed moving could do similar, and if you can charge while moving, it can be the ultimate edge guarder, or just random "BOOM, mindgames!" attack on your opponents. Definitely worth a shot to try in tournies.
The gooey bomb requires you keep a space away from opponents. Therefore, only a fool would charge in stupidly. This requires careful wavedashing, dash dancing, grabbing, and spriting timing, and requires the person attached with it to attack against their will, or die. The defender has to be on their guard, or they're as dead a doorknob.
For the bumper, well I explained it earlier, and now that it can float mid air, you could use it for mad edgeguarding skills. The item to love/hate, clearly.
FOr the proxy mine, pitfall, and banana peel, it comes down to this. It's like the bumper; you want to hit your opponents into them. The proxy mine explodes on contact, and hitting your opponent into it, or hitting the proxy mine with spam [ie: Mario's fireballs] as they shorthop over it/are around it could be useful strategies. It basically forces part of the field useless, and you avoid it. It makes tigher battles, and requires percise aiming. I see the pitfall a similar way, except it won't be a KO move, but more of a combo them while they're imobolized move. You beat the crap out of them percentage wise, and then one whip of a good impact move, and they're on a one way trip to the moon!
For the banana peel, same thing, but to less extremes. It could be a semi-damage racker [like the pitfall], but it would be more of just a small damage racker at that. Okay, maybe the banana peel won't exactly be the best choice, but you neve know wat secrets we'll discover!
For the franklin badge, it makes spam worthless. Characters like Link, YLink, etc. that are spam-based would have to either sorta run, or come at you. Perfect for spam stoppoing, and giving you a edge in battle.
For the green shell, it's good for throwing, and has amazing stun. Perfect for hitting a opponent right as they are about to recover, and then BAAAAMMM! SMash attack. Definitely could be used strategic-wise. In fact, I do similar things in the somewat rare occasions I use items.
A few others could be useful definitely, but so long as the explosive crates and barrels are off/a option, the items aren't TOO OVERPOWERED [but thye should be somewat strong], recovery items aren't used [cheap and extend the match unneccissaraly], and the items used in tournies are balance, fair, and don't have stupid randomness like the exploding crates, then why not test it=??? Items could very well be a pillar in Brawl if the developers implement this, and the players take advantage of it.
That way the classic so called "party style gameplay", and becomes a edge of your seat beat down, with items going in each direction, techs like crazy for attacks/defense/spacing/etc, and makes the game a diffrent, faster, and more unique pace. It could change the gamepla similar to the wavedashing and wavedashing techs did. The one thing I worry about would be the obssesive camping from long range attacks, taking away projectiles from projectile-based characters [=camping]. However, that is something that the gooey bomb could more than fix!
Also, if there is a option to individually makes items appear more than others [with others still on], that'd rock, and help as well. The gooey bomb would have to become a center, cancelling any hopes of camping, and maybe a spam item or two. And you gotta love it, if it all somehow worked!
Here's to hoping that there is a chance items strategic value doesn't blow like in Melee, and tops the amazingness of items in SSB64, and continues to take it to levels beyond wat the super scope/moving and shooting, and the improved bumper showed us!
Overall they could be neat for a tourney here or there, but won't be a main thing in tournies if they are implemented. They could be very neat to see used by the best, and could add certain spam skills to the game. A skill I accel at! XD