I wanna open by saying I'm not opposed to cuts on principle like the overwhelming majority are. I think less can absolutely be more and the existence of cuts is less important than the individual decisions made. Because of that, I won't be giving blanket 100% want scores because that's not how I roll and will instead be rating how much I wanna see each character back, starting with...
Sandy Chance: 40%
Sandy was a fairly popular pick in 1, even if her being in before the likes of Squidward and Krabs raised a few eyebrows. (Which doesn't make a lot of sense since she kind of has a precedent of being playable before those two, but I digress.) Even if she's probably out, I can see some demand for her post-release, and since SpongeBob's probably getting at least 1 DLC fighter anyway, I give her decent odds of coming back.
Want: 50%
Not super attached. Seeing her revamped moveset could be nice, but the truth is I barely played as her in 1 and won't really feel her absence here. Still, she's an important and well-regarded character, so why not.
Lincoln Chance: 10%
Yeah he's probably out. The existence of two Loud House stages despite us only seeing one character is certainly odd, but at this point I'm expecting Lincoln to show up as a cameo on the new one like we saw with Helga. Beyond that, I don't see much demand for him to return post-launch (even though the Lincoln fans decided to start existing when they realized he probably isn't in), and if corporate armor isn't enough to save him, probably nothing will.
Want: 10%
The Loud House means nothing to me. Next.
Leo and Mikey Chance: 40%
These are already probably THE most hotly contested cuts due to people wanting all four Turtles in the same game. The demand for them to return post-launch is already there, so I'm absolutely sure the devs will notice if they somehow haven't already. Whether they'll respond to the demand, I'm not entirely sure. They seem to be doubling down on the "visual variety" thing from 1, so that might be their excuse to keep the Turtle roster down to two. We'll see what happens, but I could see these guys showing up in a possible Season 2 or something.
Want: 50%
Didn't like these guys much in 1, but I do wanna see them back if only so people can stop ******** about them.
Shredder Chance: 20%
The villains thing is mostly so they can have bad guys for the Story Mode, which probably won't factor into any DLC picks unless they add new story routes along with them. Other than that, Shredder's inclusion was one of the least celebrated in 1 and people really didn't like his moveset much, plus he isn't seen as part of an essential group like the Turtles are. It doesn't help that the devs didn't even wanna add him the first time, aiming for Rocksteady instead. He could show up, but I'm not optimistic.
Want: 30%
I forget this guy's even in NASB most of the time. He'd be fine, but I'd rather the devs put time and resources into resolving the ever-present Turtle debacle.
Powdered Toastman Chance: 15%
F. We already know basically for a fact that he's out of the base roster, and while people do like PTM, demand for him will likely be eclipsed by veterans who are seen as more "obligatory." The devs could like him enough to spring for him again, but the truth is that between newcomers and more popular veterans, Toastman's simply going to be crowded out. Love to be wrong, though.
Want: 90%
Literally the face that got me into NASB1. Obligatory picks be damned, a superhero with a head made of toast got me into the game. Even if I didn't play him much the first time around, I'd love to see him back for how they revamp his toolkit, especially now that Tigre has shine.
Oblina Chance: 30%
With her presumed absence, Aaahh!!! Real Monsters is one of two NASB series left completely unrepresented in NASB2. On the bright side, this means there's virtually no chance of her being relegated to a stage cameo in the base game, and while stage cameos don't deconfirm, the lack of one may make her return more likely. However, the fact of the matter is her and her show are pretty obscure these days, and even if it does get a character post-launch, they could pull a Turtles and add another main character like Ickis or Krumm instead. This is very much a "we'll see" for me.
Want: 80%
Oblina's moveset was lowkey one of the most fun in NASB1, and I think a real hole will be left in the roster with her exclusion. Maybe I'm alone on this one, but I'd love to see her return.
Helga: 5%
We've already seen Helga as a stage cameo, and as we're all too aware,
we're getting two more Hey Arnold picks in the base roster, neither of which are Arnold. That means that even if Hey Arnold gets another character in DLC, demand will be split between Arnold and Helga. She wasn't one of the most celebrated picks in NASB1, with a lot of people hurling a lot of the same criticism
Gerald's receiving her way, while Arnold's been one of the underdogs of roster spec since game 1. I give her even worse odds than Lincoln, to be honest.
Want: 20%
Helga was the most "there" pick of NASB1 for me. I respect the devs' decision to add who they like and not just who "makes sense," but... eh?
Toph Chance: 50%
An INCREDIBLY popular pick to the point that you have people crying out in droves that they won't buy if Toph isn't in the game. Toph's probably gonna be the most demanded veteran to return other than the Turtles and maybe CatDog, and seeing how the devs liked her enough to go out of the series' "order" to add her last time, I can see them caving to the demand.
Want: 30%
I didn't like her moveset much in 1, but who knows? Maybe she'll be better here.
Hugh Chance: 60%
Probably the most baffling cut in a lot of people's opinion. Hugh was added straight-up due to fan outcry last time, and relegating him to
a Story Mode NPC this time is already seen by many as a dumb move. As such, I expect demand for him will be LOUD for DLC. He doesn't even have to worry about people moaning about him being in before Jimmy. A lot of people would be willing to pay for Hugh again, myself included.
Want: 70%
Even if I didn't end up liking Hugh's moveset in 1, I really did want him and Jimbo to be in the same game. With that on top of his devoted fanbase, he should just be here. Get him in!
CatDog Chance: 80%
If any veteran comes back as DLC, it's gonna be CatDog. They were easily the most celebrated inclusion of NASB1, and their absence is already being felt here. They also won't have to worry about being a stage cameo like Oblina (unless CatDog has a standalone stage for some reason). I could see CatDog being axed from the base roster for time constraints due to how time- and resource-intensive their stance gimmick is and being saved for DLC. I feel like most of the playerbase would pay to have these guys back, and I think the devs know that.
Want: 70%
My first main when I had no one else. I thought CatDog were decently fun in NASB1, and I'd love to see them do their gimmick justice this time. Plus, their stage was one of the better ones. Let's get 'em back!
Catscratch Prediction: 25%
The demand is there for these guys, but Nickelodeon seems to not even remember they exist, plus they'd have to go through Doug TenNapel, who's notoriously a ****. We'll see about this one.
Noms to Mr. Horse
Like we all said back in the Sword and Shield prerelease in protest of Game Freak's terrible decisions: every character is someone's favorite.
I honestly kinda hate this as an argument. Yes, statistically, every character is someone's favorite, but that doesn't mean every character's inclusion is equally valid or that we should never have cuts. People used this rhetoric to justify being toxic during the whole Dexit debacle, which was way overblown. (It's also an argument people use as a reason why Smash should never have cuts, even for objectively unpopular characters like Corrin whose inclusions have aged like fine milk.)
Cuts are not an intrinsic bad. Even if you lose a favorite, they can lead to something good.
Still, there's a difference between just a few cuts (like 4 or 5) and half of the last game's roster with skewed priorities mixed in, especially when some of those characters have slimt-to-no chances of coming back in future entries. They knew they had to rework everything, they shouldn't have gunned for so many newcomers. Alongside that, how do we even know we'll get veterans as DLC?
There's also a difference between big, seasoned franchises with huge accumulated casts (which have basically no choice if you aren't Smash) and a brand new one going between its first and second entries.
Either way, I'd love to see some of the cut veterans as down the line updates or DLC, I just feel that 11 is way too many, even for a studio under a tighter budget. And the game could easily reach new heights without needing to crack so many eggs. A simple Squid/Jimmy/Turtles/Vlad newcomer lineup for base game, alongside all of the improvements, would've absolutely brought people in.
I'm not saying you're wrong or anything, I just believe that you can have your cake and eat it too.
Street Fighter 3 literally cut every character from Street Fighter 2 besides Ken and Ryu. Granted, Akuma and Chun-Li came back in later releases, but that still left icons like Zangief and Bison out of the fray. People still love that game, and 3rd Strike's even a lot of people's favorite due to the cool new characters and how differently it plays. Food for thought.
Ze Diglett
with 58%! You get 70 Extra Noms!
DaUsername
with 70%! You get 30 Extra Noms!
