Whew, today was a long day, had a test and then I studied for another test that's in a week, so this is the first moment in the day I can sit down and properly do a write-up for today. (That's also why I couldn't do noms and the fixed schedule earlier - sorry about that! I'll get on it right away, but in case you want to start editing your predictions in, it should probably be the Non-videogame Mii Costume one)
Now, I want to start by saying: wow, 500 days! That's a big milestone! It's amazing that the game took off so much, but I guess I shouldn't even be surprised. I joined the team because I liked it so much that I participated daily, and eventually when someone had to take over nominations I volunteered. But, anyway, I want to thank all of you, who participate day after day, and those of you who mostly observe, and those who just show up to rate a few characters; none of this happens without you. I know, super cheesy, but it's true. All of this dies out if people don't participate. But of course, I'd also like to thank the other side, the guys on the RTC team.
TCT~Phantom
thank you for letting me be on the team, and
Sari
and
UtopianPoyzin
for your amazing contributions and ideas. This is all us, and it's something to be proud of. Finally, something a little bit less orthodox, but I'd like to thank the game itself. After that final Direct, I was super disheartened about Smash. Grinch was fake, so many characters I wanted got disconfirmed with one fell swoop, the last two characters were some of the worst additions to the series, and my least wanted character was seen as an inevitability and one of the likeliest DLC fighters. So I really wanted to ditch speculation, stop paying attention to Smash and maybe get the DLC if I really cared. But I didn't because I had an obligation to this thread; if I didn't count nominations every day, who would? So I stuck around, and I got to experience great times and know great people, both in this thread and on Smashboards, saw Joker shock the world, lived through the months of Brave, got to enjoy Banjo & Kazooie finally making it in alongside everyone, and now I look at the upcoming Pass with more hope than ever. None of that would've happened if I didn't have to keep coming back daily to check on this thread. For that, I'm super grateful.
And after that, it's time for the actual underrated/overrated. I wanted to make a big post because, well, it's a big day! Now it's time to burn all that goodwill by calling someone's most wanted overrated or whatever.
Overrated
5. Ryza
Look, I'm all for discussing the underdogs. But people really pick poor underdogs. Atelier is just a very poor candidate for Smash, it's an incredibly niche series, bordering on obscure, that has no real impact or influence to speak of. The only reason we're discussing her is because of the fake leak and the game's presence on the Japanese Partner Direct (nevermind that the sheer fact that they only featured the game in Japan speaks volumes about their belief on the IP's commercial prospects in the West). I do think she's kinda becoming a new KOS-MOS, in some regards.
4. 2B
This hurts because as everyone knows I have perfect taste in games, and therefore I know that NieR Automata is a masterpiece. But, yeah, any character whose creator hadn't met with Sakurai when the Pass was set in stone, didn't get in. That's just final. I think her continued discussion speaks less about her chances and more about how the right people in speculation just like her.
3. Gen 8 Pokemon
I get why people still think this is possible, but imo it's just pessimism (or optimism, in one case I can think of). I see little reason to make a Spirit Event for a game that's getting a fighter down the line, I see little reason in promoting Pokemon, I see a trio of starters without any standout design- or moveset-wise, and all I see in its defense is the notion that "Pokemon's an exception!". This one isn't higher because I was spouting the same thing for base roster and here I am, with that dumb wrestler cat mugging in my face.
2. Sakura Shinguji
Look, third party characters in Smash, by and large, have had some kind of historical merit to them. Some bigger than others, sure, Mr. JRPG has a better claim to fame than Mr. my games were also pretty successful in the 90s even if nobody could afford the Neo Geo. But still, our only big exception is "almost owned by Nintendo" Bayonetta. What's Sakura Wars' impact in the gaming industry? None of the games sold gangbusters, due to few localizations. The games aren't known as milestone titles in their genre, didn't set standards that others would later follow, they aren't on any Best Of lists. I know SharkLord's typing right now that the series has spawned plenty of anime and manga and whatnot, but having a big media franchise in Japan doesn't impress me; we're talking about the guys that spawned some of the biggest anime ever out of glorified Tamagotchi and hentai VNs. Honestly, I can't see myself buying into a franchise's merits when they only exist in Japan; Japan's such a small part of the world and the gaming audience, a game that only appeals to them is, by definition, niche.
1. Doomguy
The devs said he isn't in, for Christ's sake. Can people start acknowledging that a bit?
And now for the underrated
5. Konami reps
I know, I know, Konami sucks. Yeah, they do! But their sucking led to the existence of Death Stranding, which is great, and also, they still got characters that could be put in Smash! Contra's massive and still getting games to this day, Frogger's a legend, Bomberman is a candidate that always gets ignored when discussing AT promotions, there's a treasure trove of characters here that could easily blindside us.
4. Literally any Square Enix rep that isn't one of the usual (Adam Jensen, Agnes, Randi, Crono, Bub & Bob)
I get that Geno and Sora alone suck the air out of any room, and whatever remains has to be split up between Lara, 2B and Neku (and hey, congrats to all the Neku fans for ever getting him so much in the conversation). But let's not forget that there's other contenders. Chrono Trigger alone deserves at least a similar amount of discussion, considering Crono's pretty much "Geno, only the main character of his game and also his game is one of the best of all time". Toriyama's already involved, and he can bring a kick-ass moveset with those dual moves (Techs? I forget the name, it's 1AM). Then you have Adam Jensen, admittedly an acquisition and a Western character, but also from one of the most acclaimed and influential PC franchises ever, Deus Ex, which I might add has Nintendo presence. He has the moveset, he's iconic, and he's a good bridge between the crowd that wants a Nintendo focus and the crowd that wants a PC centric character like Gordon Freeman. And remember, Bubble Bobble's a classic and Bub & Bob can also represent Taito's legacy. There's so much more to discuss here, I didn't touch on Agnes because we rated her recently, but Square Enix has tons of classic games that could get the nod as well like Secret of Mana and Romancing SaGa.
3. Ezio
This was originally gonna be a shared spot with the Prince of Persia but 1. I get why he didn't get more discussion, it was more wishful thinking and 2. That might change now that they announced a remake (YESSSS). Anyway, when you have one of the most iconic characters of all time, from one of the most successful and influential franchises, and we get a Mii Costume from said franchise that's conspicuously not him, well, let's just say I wouldn't be looking at Rayman. Honorable mention goes to Sam Fisher, who should also be getting much more consideration than he is.
2. Demi-fiend/Flynn/Anyone from Shin Megami Tensei
Why is it that every time a new game gets announced for the Switch a character from it becomes the talk of the town, but we get a double whammy SMT announcement and talk dies out so quick? Travis gets 2 games on Switch and becomes a frontrunner, Bravely Default gets one and becomes a safe bet, 2B gets
zero and becomes the talk of the town, and SMT gets nothing! Thankfully we're rating this soon, can't wait.
1. Farmer/Pete/Jack/The dude from Story of Seasons
You don't have to look at niche JRPG franchises that are only successes when related to budget to find a darkhorse we're overlooking; Story of Seasons is
right here. It's got history. It's Nintendo focused. It's family friendly. It's successful. It's influential. It's still getting games. I'm no brain surgeon, but even if SoS doesn't get a fighter, the fact that there's a franchise that fulfills all the requisites that speculation is looking for and it doesn't get
any discussion, well if that isn't evidence of tunnel vision I don't know what is.
0. Non-promotional first party characters and third party characters from existing franchises
You knew this had to come up at some point, right? It's me we're talking about. It's at number 0 because it's so broad it's cheating, so I won't go in-depth. I'll just say, there's no reason not to have one of these characters, they can be just as hype and sell just as well as any other, if not more. And I can think of few franchises where there isn't enough content to make another pass that isn't redundant (especially with third parties, most of those are represented like crap).
Anyway, I guess I gotta find someone new to nom, huh? Well then, let's give those 10 to Jason & SOPHIA for now.
My prediction is 2.84%
in my opinion. BotW Zelda is a popular character with a ton of moveset potential that's basically fighting against no competition for a spot that has historically been reserved for characters in her position. Call us Link for the 100 years after the calamity, because we are sleeping on Zelda.
