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THESE CHARACTERS ARE LOCKED DOWN, NOMINATIONS FOR THEM ARE OBSOLETE February 6: Ravio (The Legend of Zelda) February 7: Dark Matter (Kirby) February 8: Andy (Advance Wars) February 9: Ezio Auditore da Firenze (Assassin’s Creed)
February 10: Professor Hector (Gyromite/Stack-Up) February 11: Shy Guy (Super Mario Bros.) February 12: Arthas Menethil (Warcraft)
Andy won the tie and thus took that third place from Ezio’s hidden-bladed palms. Prof. Hector, Shy Guy, and Arthas Menethil all arrived at 200 noms together. It seems that some ties you justcan’t break. Anyway, if you felt that last week had too many concepts, never fear! This time there’s none.
The new top seven consists of Dante, Concept: 100 characters, Concept: World of Light expansion, Maxwell, Concept: No fan favorites, Ryota Hayami, and a three-way tie between Kat & Ana, Style Savvy rep, and Hat Kid.
Dante x185
Concept: 100 characters (counting Echo Fighters and Miis/Pokémon Trainer as 3) x180
Concept: World of Light expansion x170
Maxwell (Scribblenauts) x169
Concept: No fan favorite/highly requested characters x165
Ryota Hayami x155
Kat & Ana x145
Concept: Style Savvy rep x145
Hat Kid x145
150 - 101
Magikarp x144
Sly Cooper x140
Cranky Kong x135
Q*Bert x134
Bonkers (Kirby) x130
Concept: Boss Rush x130
Poochy x125
Tracer x116
Amy Rose x115
Vaati x115
Brash the Bear x115
Concept: Undertale rep x105
Impa x101
Porky Minch x101
100 - 51
Monster Hunter x100
Nathan Drake x100
Concept: Microsoft Rep x100
Aloy x100
Protector (Etrian Odyssey) x100
Concept: Third-party character from unrepped Company x95
Lora (Xenoblade) x95
Boss: Kracko x85
Freddi Fish and Luther (Freddi Fish) x80
9-Volt x74
Spyro x67
Creeper x59
I don’t even know what you mean by Nominations: Assist Trophies. What exactly are you nominating? Assist Trophies as DLC? Assist Trophies upgraded to playable?
I SPENT LIKE TWO WHOLE DAYS WRITING THIS UP SO I WOULD REALLY APPRECIATE IT IF YOU GUYS AT THE VERY LEAST SKIM THROUGH THE IMPORTANT STUFF.
Concept: SNK rep
I’ve been waiting for this day for months. Before I give my ratings I'll provide some history on SNK then talk about the possible candidates and their chances. If there are any minor grammar errors just ignore them but if it's something major like an incorrect link please tell me.
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What is SNK?
SNK is a Japanese video game company well-known for their impact in the arcade scene in the 90's through the NEO GEO arcade system. Prior to the launch of the NEO GEO, SNK had made several classic games including Ikari Warriors and Psycho Soldier for the arcades as well as Crystalis for the NES. In 1990 they decided to release the NEO GEO which was split into a home console version and an arcade cabinet version (left and right pictures respectively).
I don't think anyone here (including myself of course) has ever actually owned the home console version because the price of these bad boys was a whopping $649 when it released in the early 90's (roughly $1,200 in today's currency). If that wasn't bad enough for your wallet, the cartridges containing the actual games were about $200 each. Despite the heavy toll on your back account, the NEO GEO offered 100% arcade perfect ports since you were literally playing the same versions of games you'd find in the arcades. Offering the strongest available console power at the time, you'd be the coolest kid in town to have games like Fatal Fury and Metal Slug at your home. The interchangeable cartridges were very useful for arcade workers since it allowed multiple games to be played on a single arcade cabinet. Because of this, NEO GEO arcade cabinets were actually much cheaper than most Capcom arcade cabinets such as Street Fighter II. The NEO GEO was a giant success and the cheap alternative allowed SNK games to become insanely popular in Latin American countries as well as China (I'll talk more about this later). The last official game for the NEO GEO was Samurai Shodown V Special in 2004, meaning the console had a lifespan of 14 years.
SNK was well aware that the home console NEO GEO's were intended for a niche market and not meant to compete directly with Nintendo or Sega. In addition to their arcade work they also ported several of their arcade games to various other consoles such as the SNES and Genesis. They even teamed up with Capcom several times to have their characters duke it out in the Capcom vs SNK games (which includes Street Fighter's Ryu and Ken).
The early 2000's sparked trouble for SNK however as the company approached bankruptcy due to the overall arcade scene fading away. This resulted in the creation of a new company: SNK Playmore. The company would continue to produce games for modern gaming systems while also putting some stake into pachinko machines (not nearly as deep as Konami though). Before I continue I'd like to remind everyone that Square went bankrupt around the same time as SNK while Konami is still deep in the pachinko business (and they've been extremely uptight as seen with their bitterness towards Kojima). Since we have reps from said companies in Smash and SNK is doing much better financially now, I better not see SNK's bankruptcy from nearly two decades ago or their pachinko involvement be used as points against a possible SNK rep.
In early 2016, SNK Playmore announced that they would go back to their roots as primarily a video game company and leave the pachinko scene. They even changed their name back to just SNK to help show this. Since then they have been focusing on getting their name out there again by letting their characters appear in various crossovers and working on new games such as The King of Fighters XIV and Samurai Spirits.
Looking back to SNK's older games, there are many ways to play SNK's classics today without having to spend so much money like in the 90's. Many of their 90's arcade hits can be played on the Switch via eShop and their 40th anniversary collection was recently on the Switch (it will also be ported to the PS4 soon).
Maybe you have played or heard about some SNK games before or maybe you haven't. Either way I'm going to talk about a few of their most notable games and even provide a few interesting facts on them. This entire post turned out bigger than I thought it would so I'll put this part in spoilers:
Some of SNK's Most Notable Games
Fatal Fury
The first fighting game for the NEO GEO. Spawned several sequels including Garou: Mark of the Wolves which is often regarded as one of the greatest fighting games of all time. There are even several Fatal Fury movies that are actually somewhat enjoyable.
The King of Fighters
A fighting game composed of characters from multiple SNK games, this series was probably the biggest video game crossover ever until Smash first appeared. Using a new 3v3 fighting fighting (but without switching characters similar to Squad Strike), KoF is SNK’s longest running series with a whopping 14 main entries. KoF XV is reportedly in development while KoF XIV may be coming to Switch according to SNK leaker Gatoray.
Metal Slug
A run-and-gun shooter known for its crazy on-screen action and overall wackiness. Very fun to play with friends.
Crystalis
Often cited as the best Zelda clone, Crystalis is a an action-RPG for the NES that would later become a cult classic.
Ikari Warriors
One of SNK's earlier entries to the arcade scene was through Ikari Warriors, an overhead guerrilla warfare shooter. The main characters Ralph and Clark would later appear in the KoF games.
A standard fighting game made by the creators of the original Street Fighter game which bears a lot of similarities to SFII. Street Fighter’s Dan Hibiki is a parody of AoF’s Ryo and Robert, which is directly referenced both in the SF games as well as in Dan’s SNK vs Capcom pre-battle quotes. Ryo, Robert, and Yuri would later appear in the KoF games.
Psycho Soldier
One of SNK's earlier arcade games that was made in 1986 which is an auto-scrolling platformer/shooter. Athena and Kensou would become mainstays in the KoF games.
Capcom vs SNK
Ever wanted to see Ryu take on Rugal Bernstein? Well with this fighting series now you can. A very fast-paced 3v3 fighter that was one of the main featured games at Evo for years. Includes a variety of gameplay mechanics to choose from and also has one of the most jammin' songs in a fighting game.
SNK vs Capcom: SVC Chaos
A separate Capcom crossover fighter created for the NEO GEO machines. Not the best fighter out there though it did bring in some more non-FG characters such as Zero from Mega Man and Mars People from Metal Slug. In Smash Ultimate, Ken’s 8th palette swap is direct reference to one of Violent Ken’s alternate colors which debuted in this game.
Again these are just a few of the many games SNK as created. Some other games from them off of the top of my head are The Last Blade, World Heroes, and Shock Troopers.
One thing that just about every SNK has in common is their amazing sprite work. I'm gonna post some of my favorite SNK gifs to get an idea of what they are like. Granted they don't really do much sprite work nowadays since it is very time-consuming but its still something amazing to look at.
I threw in the Twinkle Star Sprites girl at the bottom right to this picture only because I didn't know what to add in that space and Geese/Rugal would've been too big.
The amount of amazing characters that SNK has is so high that they could probably make their own Smash clone with all of them. For the sake of time I'll just talk about a few of their most popular characters and discuss their eligibility for Smash.
Terry Bogard (Fatal Fury/King of Fighters)
The hero of the Fatal Fury games who is often considered to be the mascot of SNK and is probably the most likely SNK candidate for Smash. He will be appearing as a guest character in EX Fighting Layer in a few months while SNK Heroines also introduced an... uh... interesting alternate version of Terry...
The main protagonist of the KoF games who is the current descendant of the Kusanagi clan. Despite being one of SNK's most popular characters, he has yet to appear as a guest character in a recent fighter surprisingly.
Famous for her sex appeal, Mai is one of the most iconic female fighters in gaming. Unfortunately the heavy emphasis on her cleavage/butt jiggles means she'd have to be severely toned down if she were to ever be in Smash (going by Camilla and Mythra's censored spirits in Ultimate) which most people probably wouldn't like. She guest starred in Dead or Alive 5 not too long ago.
Mai Support Thread (I also bring up a way Mai could be appropriate for Smash without overdoing any censorship)
Main hero of the Art of Fighting games who like other characters would appear in KoF. Unlikely to appear in Smash due to being extremely similar to Ryu both in his design and gameplay (he was created by former Street Fighter creators after all). His uncanny resemblance to Ryu would result in Capcom creating the character Dan Hibiki in Street Fighter Alpha to parody him.
Athena Asamiya (Psycho Soldier/King of Fighters)
Pop-star with psycho powers who is the main hero of Pyscho Soldier. One of SNK's older characters and like many other characters she is a regular in the KoF games.
Although he is the central character of Metal Slug there are a bunch of other playable characters in the series (including Ikari Warriors' Ralf and Clark as well as KoF's Leona). Honestly if we ever got a Metal Slug rep I could totally see them doing a Koopaling type of deal where each alt is a separate character. One major thing holding back Marco's inclusion would be that he'd have to use realistic weapons which would probably wouldn't be allowed (hence why Snake just uses explosives).
Haohmaru (Samurai Shodown)
The main protagonist of the Samurai Shodown game series. Wields a giant sword and will be appearing in Samurai Spirits this year.
Nakoruru (Samuari Shodown)
Another character in the Samurai Shodown series who is even more popular than Hoahmaru. Known for her fast attacks that utilize both her fast knife and her flying bird. Made her KoF debut in KoF XIV.
Geese Howard (Fatal Fury)
When Terry Bogard was just a child, his father was murdered by a man named Geese Howard. Ever since that day, Terry and his brother Andy trained to one day take down Geese. Known for his raging storm super and kickass boss theme, Geese is arguably SNK's biggest villain. He recently appeared in Tekken 7 as a guest character.
Rugal Bernstein (King of Fighters)
If you've ever heard of the term SNK Boss Syndrome then you have probably heard of Rugal. Infamous for his genocide cutter attack and being incredibly difficult, Rugal is one of the only bosses in the series to appear in numerous games (appearing in KoF 94, 95, 98, and 2002).
If SNK got to choose which character they'd put in Smash, I think the way they'd prioritize their characters would go something like this:
Terry > Kyo > Geese > Iori > Mai > Athena > Haohmaru > Nakoruru > Marco > Rugal > Ryo
The 2014 Douyu Cup of KoF 97 was so big that the viewership peaked to 500,000 viewers making it one of the most viewed FG events of all time. To compare, the biggest viewership in EVO history was with Dragon Ball FighterZ last year at roughly 260,000 viewers.
SNK and the NEO GEO are also pretty popular and recognizable in Japan and KoF XIV is still one of the main featured games at EVO Japan. Granted SNK is still not the most popular company in the U.S. though the NEO GEO brand and someone like Terry Bogard would be somewhat recognizable. Also if recent leaks are to be believed then being a literally who in the U.S. doesn't mean a death sentence in regards to chances.
They also have a fairly strong relationship with Nintendo as seen with their various ports and many of their recent games (SNK Heroines and Samurai Spirits for example) appearing on the Switch. Sales of NEO GEO games on the Switch have also been really good (with some games even selling over a million copies). Up until recently their 40th anniversary collection was a Switch exclusive.
SNK is no stranger to having their characters appear in other games. As mentioned before, SNK is incredibly open with their characters as seen with Geese in Tekken 7 and Mai in Dead or Alive 5. Outside of major fighting games, SNK has done a ton of other smaller crossovers such as with Brave Frontier and recently Phantasy Star Online 2. Wanting to get their name spread out as much as possible, I'm certain SNK would be more than happy to have one of their characters in Smash.
Now for a few counter-arguments I think some people will use to downplay the possibility of an SNK rep.
As a side note: I wrote this entire thing way before the RTC day was even up so I swear I'm not trying to throw shade towards anyone specific.
"We already have Ryu, there can't be someone else from another fighting game!"
Three things:
There is no rule where we are only allowed to have one fighting game character. If you were to follow this made-up rule then that means a ton of other fan favorites would be deconfirmed for various other reasons.
Many of the SNK characters (well except for maybe Ryo) would offer separate playstyles, moves, and mechanics from Ryu so I don't see what the issue is with having another character that originates from a FG.
Whereas some may argue that Ryu represents the fighting game genre as a whole, an SNK character like say Terry would be seen to represent SNK's role in arcade history.
"Tekken and Mortal Kombat are much more popular fighting game series to choose from! They should have priority before SNK!"
My reasoning for why reps from said game series aren't likely:
Tekken: While Tekken/Namco are definitely much bigger then SNK, trying to incorporate a Tekken character into Smash would be a hassle. Sakurai has stated that for a character to be in Smash, they must be represented faithfully from their game series. Tekken uses a left/right limb system for its combat which Sakurai stated would be extremely difficult to implement into Smash when he considered Heihachi for SSB4. Aside from that there is also the issue of Heihachi's voice actor passing away recently and Heihachi (the most likely Tekken rep) being added into Pac-Man's taunt. Granted the taunt thing is nowhere near an actual deconfirmation but many view it as a consolation prize for not having Heihachi playable due to the aforementioned issues. If all of this wasn't bad enough, there's also the issue of a Tekken rep having to deal with their own Namco competition in the form of Lloyd Irving who is seeming more likely.
Mortal Kombat: The MK series is not popular in Japan and the entries released there have flopped hard. Outside of a small following, Japan has little to no interest in the MK games and MK11 will even be skipping Japan entirely due to its excessive violence. As mentioned before, Sakurai stated that a character must stay true to the unique features of their games if they want to appear in Smash. MK is most well-known for its over the top violence and fatalities, so if someone like Scorpion were to be in Smash said features would have to be removed or severely toned down. MK had done this before in MK vs DC which most people thought was lame.
"Some SNK characters have already guest starred in other recent games, so those characters can't be in Smash!"
SNK is extremely lenient with their IPs as seen with the tons of KoF crossovers in mobile games such as Brave Frontier and the previously mentioned guest appearances. If they were ever given the chance to have one of their characters be in Smash they would have no issue with it.
So with all of this out of the way, what do I think about the chances of seeing an SNK character in Smash?
Chance: 15%
With this wave of DLC seemingly being all third party I’m convinced this is not as impossible as it once was. That said however, the chances of this happening are still somewhat low since there are more popular third parties they’d have to compete with.
Want: 100%
I spent like two whole days writing this entire thing (not to mention planning things out weeks before) so you are absolutely certain that I'm giving this a 100% rating. If Terry or Kyo ever made it into Ultimate I will write a 10 page essay detailing the history of SNK. Mai, Iori, Geese Howard, Rugal, Marco, Athena, Haohmaru, or Nakoruru would also be awesome additions.
Chance: 12%?
I really don’t know how to rate this. It’s just an outsider pick, to be sure. SNK has the history, has the quality, has the relevance to get a character in. They have ties with Nintendo, and even kinda skipped the part of history where it was uncool to do so, so it’s unlikely people associate them with a rival company (like what happened with Final Fantasy). I don’t know if any fighter from SNK would be hype enough to consider as DLC, and frankly even with Sakurai bias I’d expect him to try and work out a Tekken or Mortal Kombat character before considering an SNK one.
Want: 78%
I went from being meh with SNK representation to being kinda cool with it. Mostly thanks to Sari
. Like Level-5, SNK is one of those Japanese gaming companies that just has the history. They nearly became one of the eternal big boys, and they’re always swimming below the surface. I think SNK merits at least one fighter.
As a fighting game fan and KoF occasional, I think I’d go with Kyo or Terry. But I gotta acknowledge that Metal Slug would really do it for me. Smash is going in a weird direction when I see anime boys fitting in better than Metal Slug.
Noms: Crono X5
Can’t believe we haven’t done him yet!
Concept: SNK Rep
Chance: 75%
SNK has tons of history as a developer - not many companies can boast 40+ years of great games. They were an absolute powerhouse back in the day with arcade and Neo Geo classics, and their King of Fighters and Metal Slug series of games alone are a lot more influential than people realize. Did you know that even the mighty Contra quaked in their boots when Metal Slug X and 3 took arcades by storm, hence why we got Contra: Hard Corps? Wild!
SNK has never been the top dog like Sega or Capcom, but they've always been there with hit after hit and all their games have always been easy to experience through Steam, the Neo Geo classic, emulation, and more. In fact, you can pick up a ton of their stuff on the Switch or Steam right now as they're supporting Nintendo pretty heavily at the moment.
And the best part, to me, is that this Nintendo partnership isn't new! Metal Slug Anniversary Collection was one of my biggest reasons I wanted a Wii back in the day because all the ads pushed it for Wii hard. I loved Metal Slug, I loved Nintendo, I wanted both in one. Now, KOF has less Nintendo history, but it did influence Smash and it has had titles on Nintendo platforms. So like, this is absolutely possible and even something I'd consider a sleeper chance.
Want: 80%
This want score is down to two characters I'd love to see: Marco Rossi of Metal Slug or Terry Bogard of King of Fighters.
Neither are my fav from each series - that would be Fio and Clark Steel, respectively - but they're the mascots of SNK's big two and each would bring something different to the table. Terry defines "cool". He differs from Ryu with fast rushdown attacks and low projectiles, along with major speed and one of the coolest Final Smashes we could see in Buster Wolf. KoF has INCREDIBLE stages and music, too, with a beautiful modern aesthetic that could add a lot to Smash.
However, my bigger want would be Metal Slug. Metal Slug X is one of my favorite games of all time, and Marco's insane arsenal of rocket launchers and bombs and missiles and tanks and maybe even Mars People cameos would be a blast. Plus, heavy hitting music and a cool desert or jungle warzone stage? Sign me up!
Nominations: Style Savvy Rep x5
STARTED FROM THE BOTTOM NOW THE WHOLE TEAM HERE. WAVE RACE AND STYLE SAVVY IN THE TOP SEVEN LET'S GO
I'll avoid the discussion regarding Sephiroth since it just seems to be weird at this point.
SNK Rep
Chance: 20~30%
SNK is one of the oldest active companies, having developed games since the late 70s/early 80s and being heavily involved in the Arcade scene with games like Metal Slug, Samurai Showdown, King of Fighters. They are no strangers to crossovers, with games like SNK vs Capcom and recent games like SNK Heroines having crossover characters as DLC.
Sakurai is a fan of the series, and they a decent following in the Arcade scene as I remember always seeing a cabinet for KoF when I went to any Arcade when I was younger. I think the main thing affecting their chances is that there are just bigger fishes out there that Nintendo has strong relationships currently. For fighting games there is Tekken and Street Fighter with characters like Heihachi and Chun-Li who are also big on the Arcade scene and in the Console scene. For run and gun there's Contra, Ghosts and Goblins, and Megaman that is already is represented. Depends much on Nintendo's part on wanting franchises with long story but not that big being represented which, considering Joker and SMT, its not that hard to imagine happening. I put it low to be conservative, but still I would not be mad if I get their chances wrong and they end up happening.
Want: Abstain
SNK has quite a few franchises with a decent following. Metal Slug, Samurai Showdown, King of Fighters seem like pretty cool games within the run-and-gun and fighting genres. The community that surrounds this franchises is quite loyal to them. A lot of the characters designs are quite cool and a few could possibly bring something cool to Smash Bros. I'm aware of the popularity of characters like Athena, Terry Bogard, or Mai Shiranui, so I think there is a good pool of characters they can use for the game.
I abstain on the notion that I have never put too much time to any of their franchises apart from one or two times that I played Metal Slug on an Arcade and that awful Athena NES port speedrun I watched a few months ago, so I can't put my impressions on the characters themselves. My impression on the series would be depending on how the characters are implemented if they are in the game.
Snk rep
Chance: 30%
Sakurai likes the games and they've been doing a great job supporting the Switch. I think their prime times have passed however. I don't think they are such a huge, iconic dev nowadays. Not sure if one of their characters would be very profitable.
A rep from an SNK series (Read: Metal Slug or King of Fighters)
I'm not gonna lie, I don't have much experience with SNK, but I do know a couple of characters who I think would have the best bet of getting in, most notably Terry Bogard from King of Fighters and Marco Rossi from Metal Slug (By the way, Metal Slug has plenty of bizarre weaponry that would be fine for use in Smash, the only weapons that I think would probably set off alarms would be the base pistol, SHAWTGUN and, if you really want to stretch it, the HEAVY MACHINE GUN (and its double variant). Otherwise, most of the other weapons seem fine, such as the Laser Gun, RAWKET LAWNCHAIR, Flame Shot, the regular Knife and the Zaibetsu Sword, Enemy Chaser, Iron Lizard, Drop Shot, Grenade Launcher, etc). Samurai Showdown is probably a no-go given that it is a pretty violent series (Characters regularly get sliced in half, complete with blood. It's no Mortal Kombat or Doom, but it is still a pretty violent series).
Still, I'm on the fence on this one. So with that being said, here are my scores for Chance and Want.
Chance: Somewhere between 20 and 40%. Can't give an exact.
There's definitely a precedent for it to happen, and I can see very good reasons for its inclusion, but I'm not entirely sure whether it's a high priority or not. Doesn't have the advantage of being capable of being a left-field pick like an Indie Rep either.
Want: Abstain.
I already mentioned my lack of experience with SNK before. About the only game of theirs I've played much were the mobile games Metal Slug Defense and Metal Slug Attack, which play nothing like the main series Metal Slug games. I'm REALLY not somebody qualified to speak about whether I WANT an SNK Rep.
King Dedede isn't even a villain, outside of the anime, anyway. Not that it matters, since that's really not how things work. Pokemon doesn't have a villain either. Nor Star Fox, as Wolf wasn't a villain when added, but more of an anti-hero. Kind of like Shadow is now. And Wario. The reason Ridley and King K. Rool got in was due to fan demand, but them being a villain was something people wanted to. It had nothing to do with "the original 8" either. That doesn't make any sense. It's true that Sakurai can sometimes use silly logic and all, but extremely arbitrary logic like that makes no sense. Why wouldn't it affect the original 12 instead? Why would Ness be left out? Why would he ignore Fire Emblem, which has potential villains? Or Xenoblade? Some don't, like Ice Climbers. Hell, Ganondorf didn't even get in due to his villain status. He got in because his tech demo model matched Captain Falcon's bodyshape enough to make an easy clone. It's possible he might've gotten in later otherwise, but who knows. But more importantly, he wasn't added because of some silly "original 8 characters need a villain" bull. Bowser was intended for Smash 64 due to him being actually, you know, a hugely notable character. In fact, many apply for that.
If a series doesn't have a villain right now, it has nothing to do with some borderline silly criteria. It's one thing to want to make sure to use the original concept for a character(like Dixie's Tag Team mechanic, as it's something people can consider important to their gameplay). It's another to make severely arbitrary criteria. There's a lot of valid reasons, but Sephiroth not getting in because he isn't related to the original 8 is not one of them. Square-Enix being stingy is an actual legit point.
-----------------
Oh, derp, new day.
Anyway;
SNK Rep:
Chance; Abstain. I honestly can't gauge a company I don't know enough of.
Want; 60%. Tons of great games, but I'm currently for other companies due to games I like more. Like Mortal Kombat and Killer Instinct. Still, would not be mad at all if they got in~
Nominations; Worm(Worms series. I legit forget any character name)
Prediction: Ravio 1%. Don't see much of a reason to choose him. He has some popularity, and while the game did well, there's a huge plethora of far more popular characters right now.
...I am rating(predicting) the right character, right?
Chance: 10 - Did a quick run through of the game produced by SNK, and unless I missed something obvious I didn't see any major stand out series they produced that warrant a DLC spot. The only maybe here is King of Fighters, and I don't really see it. Maybe if we get a bunch more DLC packs, but for this one I don't think there's a case
Chance: 25%
Ever since their resurgence in 2016, I feel like SNK might have a shot to be in Smash, especially since the recent games had been released on the Switch. However, the main issue is that SNK isn't as big and popular as the other third-party companies that are in Smash, like Capcom or Sega, so chances are Nintendo might overlooked them. As for who, the only series that SNK is well-known for is the King of Fighters series, so maybe a character from that series has a shot like Kyo or Terry. Like I said, SNK isn't that popular and it never had a collaboration with Nintendo at one point like the other third-party companies in Smash do, so it's highly unlikely.
Want: 40% I'm up for a SNK Rep in Smash, since I have played KoF and Metal Slug in my spare time. However, there are more popular third-party characters that I want in first before someone from SNK does.
Shy Guy is a Yoshi rep
SNK: Chance:40%: There are great games hear. But Ubisoft is probably the next big company.
Want:100%: There games look like they have a lot of moveset potential. Plus more explosives with a Metal slug rep is a huge plus.
Nominations:
Black Mage x5
Shy Guy is a Yoshi rep
SNK: Chance:40%: There are great games hear. But Ubisoft is probably the next big company.
Want:100%: There games look like they have a lot of moveset potential. Plus more explosives with a Metal slug rep is a huge plus.
Nominations:
Black Mage x5
I considered labeling Shy Guy as a Yoshi rep, or maybe a Mario/Yoshi rep, but went with Mario simply because his debut is in a Mario game and still makes appearances in that series.
Chance- 30%
SNK do have a good gaming history and have some iconic characters but I feel like another third party rep like Capcom is more likely if there is a third party rep. I see Terry Bogard being the most likely if there is an SNK rep.
Want- 50%
It depends on who the SNK character is pretty much. If it is someone I really like then I'll be cool with it.
I considered labeling Shy Guy as a Yoshi rep, or maybe a Mario/Yoshi rep, but went with Mario simply because his debut is in a Mario game and still makes appearances in that series.
But he is the Goomba of the Yoshi series; therefore Yoshi rep. Yoshi is a separate series and by that definition Yoshi would be a Mario character. Shy Guy appears in every Yoshi title. Shy Guy is a yoshi rep.
But he is the Goomba of the Yoshi series; therefore Yoshi rep. Yoshi is a separate series and by that definition Yoshi would be a Mario character. Shy Guy appears in every Yoshi title. Shy Guy is a yoshi rep.
Chance - 15% - Some have a notable following, but I feel like they are a relatively small fish in a big pond. I feel that most of the DLC with either be homegrown little fuss Nintendo characters, or bust-the-doors-down awe inspiring DLC. While I know that there is some possibility, I think there are much too small to really say that they have a good chance.
Want - 50% - Not that familiar with the franchises they own. I say that while I have no interest in other fighting game characters, Metal Slug does get my interest. It will mostly come down to who gets chosen.
Predictions
Ravio - 0.86% - This is about as random as it gets...
See No Kombat (It's hard to make a joke for just SNK, so I played with the Mortal Kombat being a rival fighting game concept)
Chance: 10%
The series certainly has slightly better odds with Sakurai's favor, until you realize that Nintendo was making the picks this time around, not him. Granted, SNK certainly has the history, yet it's still somehow more niche than MK and Tekken. I think it's really the lack of demand and overall popularity this time around that hurts SNK the most, not to say the games aren't popular, but most don't seem to discuss the series when it comes to Smash for whatever reason.
Want: 50%
Meh, I could take it or leave it. Overall, I'd prefer not to add a lot of fighting game characters to a wackier fighting game like Smash, but Mortal Kombat is the one I think I'd have the most issue with (mainly because of all the over the top violence that really wouldn't fit in Smash). So in the end, I'm not to against the idea, but I'm not all in. Give it time I guess.
Predictions: Ravio
I don't see Ravo having a good time, what with only having two games to his name, HW and Link Between Worlds, and... well...
Him being a fourth Link.
I'll say... 5.14%
Noms: Q*Bert x5
Happy to see Professor Hector finally make it. Now to watch him get the low scores that I can't help shake the feeling he might have coming. I'm gonna have a hard time selling that I suppose...
Chance: 30%
The fact that SNK has been supporting Nintendo lately, is definitely worth noting... That being said I think other companies like Koei Tecmo and Level 5 are more likely to get reps first, imo...
Want: 70%
Another fighting game rep would be great, in my opinion... SNK is no slouch in that department. I'm all for it, man.
Predictions: Ravio 1%
He's a one-off Zelda character, and a pretty niche one, at that. I don't see him happening, anytime soon.
SNK rep:
Chance: 70%-Bringing new companies into Smash through this pass is something I definitely see happening. And yes, I can say out of pure experience that SNK's games are very popular in my homeland and the rest of LatAM, case in point, an entire article speaking with professional KOF players from around here made after the #KOFBecause controversy (to sum things up, one EventHubs article that talked about KOF's (and mainly XIV's) lack of scene on the USA got blown out of proportions). Support on getting a character in Smash, while not as big as one would imagine, still exists to a point where I'd say it's a thing, as I can show with these two videos here (they're subtitled, so no need to worry on that), check 'em out, they're good moveset concepts (outside of a misconception on what Echo fighters are):
And to not just bring LatAM, it's been mentioned by NISA that Nintendo wanted an exclusive deal with SNK when talking about Heroines, so them wanting to go further using their most acclaimed crossover wouldn't be far-fetched. And SNK's still willing to release KOF XIV, the new Samurai Shodown and a new Metal Slug on the Switch, despite the ironic fate that was the PS4 version of Heroines outselling the Switch one, so a deal can definitely work out.
Want: 80%-It's basically another round-up of what it can be. While I'm not going to cover all mascots, I'll sure cover the top dogs of the bunch: Terry, Kyo, Athena, Haohmaru/Nakoruru and Marco; out of all the characters, only Nakoruru and Marco come to not convince me as Smash characters (the former because I find her to be very annoying and the latter because I'm just not very invested into Metal Slug), but otherwise, I'd love to see one. Would specially love to see a Capcom vs SNK match in Smash.
Gonna be so short, that I'm gonna use bullet points.
-Somewhat of an obscure company, but it's been more relevant as of recent.
-Known for its fighting games
-Not very popular in terms of character requests
-Wouldn't cause much hype
-Has many other fighting games as competition, such as Mortal Kombat and Tekken.
Never really cared about SNK as a company, and considering Scorpion is now in my most wanted, the want score dropped 25% from the usual 50%. I wouldn't mind an SNK rep tho.
(I'm waiting for a stock icon for Scorpion, and my want score increased by 100% since I rated him way back.)
Ravio: 1.21%
Magikarp x5
(shocktarts17
can you help me out here? He's 1 away from the top 7.)
Chance: 15%
SNK has been relevant ever since it's revival in 2016, so there's a chance they might go after them...assuming it's Sakurai himself that planned the DLC. But with Nintendo, I don't think that's the case. Sure, SNK has been supporting Nintendo by releasing KOF XIV, Samurai Showdown and Metal Slug into the Switch, but that might not be enough to warrant them a spot since SNK isn't as big of a company as Capcom, Sega or Square Enix.
Want: 85%
I actually wouldn't mind having a SNK Rep in Smash. I have played some of their games and they were quite fun, especially Metal Slug. As for who I want, I'd say Kyo since he's on my most wanted list, but chances are they're going for Terry first and I wouldn't mind that.
For the sake of argument I would consider it Yoshi due to its relation with the Yoshi series and the nominators intent. I would have debated the idea of it being a Yoshi rep instead of a Mario rep but tbh the franchises are so linked it does not matter that much.
I best know them for the TV Trope "SNK Boss" so they've got that.
Chance: I'm not too sure on SNK's chances, so I'll give them a 20%. There's nothing stopping them from getting a character, but at the same time they don't seem to have anybody who is a must-have that brings something totally new to the table. Plus, there's a lot of other big name newcomer companies, and still the companies we already have might want a slice of the Smash Bros. Pie again. But, nothing says that there won't be one. I don't see it, but this is something that others might want to keep an eye on. It's not like they're washed up, SNK seems to be doing pretty well for themselves, they just have a lot of competition and I'm not quite sure they stick out.
Want: Ehh... nothing of theirs interests me. They get the flat 20% from none of their characters being Arle competition, however. Aside from that, lacking any connection with the company just leaves me feeling meh overall.
Ryu Hayabusa x 5, Ravio has some issues to deal with so 1.39% from me.
Calculations would be fantastic, yes. Perhaps we'll have to do them ourselves, though.
SNK Rep
Chance: 40%
Might happen, but it's not in SNK's favor. SNK's got a lot of history, and I wouldn't call them a small fish. But they're not a big fish either, and that's usually enough to seal a third party's chances.
I do think King of Fighters has the best shot of getting in out of all their properties. That said, Street Fighter got so much love in Smash that you'd swear they were the only fighting game that mattered, so I don't know if Sakurai's up for getting another one into this pass. Metal Slug's the other good contender, whose main problem would probably just be the moveset logistics alongside all the other competition they'd face.
At the end of the day, though, the DLC pass seems to prefer the biggest headline makers over the most historically-relevant, or else we might've gotten a Shin Megami Tensei rep instead. SNK could find a rep later, and they could possibly find one now too, but it's not perfectly likely.
Want: 40%
No personal connection to them honestly, but I can respect what they've done and what they continue to do. It's just that gaming's gotten a lot more big names since their time, and they haven't exactly scaled up to match modern demands.
Expect a calcs update soon. Probably after the next week or so.
I was gonna do a formal post on this tomorrow but I’ll just do a quick bullet points.
>Calcs update soon, expect it either at the end of the next week of days or the start of the week after.
>base game calcs are not the priority rn, but there will be updates on them
>more consistent day endings, today will end at midnight for instance
Well I guess it's my turn to do one of these. I know Ravio seems like a long shot but I appreciate everyone taking the time to read up on him before you rate.
Who is Ravio?
Ravio is a character from the Legend of Zelda series' latest top down game, A Link Between Worlds. Early in the game you meet Ravio who asks to live in your house and in exchange lets you rent weapons and items that you can use to get further in the game, as a token of appreciation he also provides you with a unique bracelet which later allows you to preform the wall-merging ability.
At the end of the game it is revealed that Ravio actually hails from Lorule and is Link's Lorulian counterpart. He had fled Lorule to help find someone who could put a stop to Yuga's plans. While many people might suggest that this makes him another Link, it's pretty clear that he is supposed to be a different character. While the parallels are there, this is not the same as just being a different version of Link because Lorule is a mirror world and not just a parallel dimension. Ravio has a different name, personality, and look.
Why Ravio?
I think personally there are two sides to my desire to see Ravio in Smash and both of them together make him one of the best options (in my opinion) for a Zelda rep.
First from the Smash side of things, most Zelda fans agree that we'd love to get another fighter from the Zelda series but almost everyone disagrees with who it should be. Due to the nature of Zelda games a lot of the characters outside of the triforce holders only really get used in one game then aren't seen again, this causes problems for Smash because by the time the next game is out the character is no longer relevant or ever seen again (see Shiek). Because of this I feel like the best Zelda rep would be someone who has the potential for some staying power over some of the other villains or allies who have already missed their shot. Ravio fits here as not only a relevant Zelda character (the most recent top down Zelda) but because of the role he played in the game as a shop keeper he could continue to show up in Zelda games doing the same thing (similar to how Tingle and Beetle have been recurring characters). On top of this he has great moveset potential showcasing a key aspect of the Zelda games, the items. ('ll post my idea for a moveset later down.)
So while he makes a great addition to Smash, the second half of the answer comes from his role in Zelda.
Ravio is a great addition to the Zelda cast because of his relationship to Link. At the end of the game we learn that Ravio was the parallel Link from Lorule. Before the game started he learned of Hilda and Yuga's plans to steal the triforce and opposed the idea, but was too afraid to do anything himself. So he heads off to warn Link and help him from behind the scenes. By the end of the game he ends up finding his own courage and both standing up to Link to get him to spare Hilda, then standing up to Hilda to convince her that stealing the triforce is not the proper way to save their world. Ravio's journey from coward to bravery is such a cool thing to see in a game where the hero is always brave and is famously known as such.
On top of all that he is a great foil to Link, who is fairly stoic, being someone who is a little weird and goofy. He somewhat fills a similar role to Tingle in that regard, but considerably less annoyingly so. He also has a great look that is both distinct and memorable. Because of this I think both his character and the Lorule cast have such potential for future games and really hope that they don't end up just another set of one-off characters, and being featured in Smash is a great way to make that happen.
Overall while there might be more iconic characters, or characters from more popular games, Ravio to me feels like the perfect amount of relevant, iconic, likable, and bursting with moveset potential.
Here is an idea for the moveset I had to showcase the items from ALBW while staying as true as possible to both how they work and Ravio's character. I know in Hyrule Warriors he is shown to be hammer focused but I think he could be more than that and didn't want to focus too much on just one item. I also had the idea for a gimmick where he collects rupees from around the stage to power up his attacks (similar to characters like Thresh/Bard in League of Legends) but I didn't want to make him too complicated so I left it out.
To start I had two main goals when designing this moveset, make sure he didn't end up too similar to the 3 Links and stay as faithful to the rental items from ALBW. I figured he would be a zoner who plays defensively and keeps their distance between them and the opponent while racking up damage.
Specials
Neutral Special (B): Rental Ice Rod. Drops an ice chuck straight down in front of Ravio. Charging the attack creates a larger chuck, fully charging freezes the opponent. Ice lingers briefly after the attack ends and will affect the opponent as if they were hit if they touch it. Forward Special: Rental Fire Rod. Shoots a pillar of fire straight forward. Charging the attack shoots it further out. Up Special: Rental Tornado Rod. Causes a gust of wind below Ravio to launch him up. Opponents caught are carried up and damaged by the wind. Down Special: Rental Sand Rod. Sand pillars appear on each side of Ravio while charging (similar to Pits shield.) When released sand moves away from Ravio (similar to Isaac's move.) Longer charge pushes sand further.
Standards
Jab (A): Two flailing hook punches followed by lobbing a rental bomb just in front of him which explodes for minor damage and knockback on contact with opponent or stage. Forward Tilt: Ravio swings the Rental Hammer down over his head. Up Tilt: Ravio "collects" a rupee and holds it over his head in the classic Zelda item collection pose. Down Tilt: Ravio rolls a Rental Bomb on the ground which explodes on contact with opponent. Dash Attack: Ravio trips and his bag of rupees falls forward hitting the opponent and spilling the rupees.
Smash Attacks
Forward Smash: Ravio throws the Rental Boomerang forward a short distance (similar to Mega Man's F-smash.) Up Smash: Ravio uses the Rental Sand Rod to push himself up into the opponent with an uppercut. Down Smash: Ravio throws the Rental Boomerang so it spins around him on each side.
Aerial Attacks
Neutral Air: Ravio spins in the air with the Rental Sand Rod in his hand, sand spins around with him holding any caught opponents close (similar to Zelda's neutral air.) Forward Air: Ravio uses the Rental Tornado Rod to blast air forward pushing him back and damaging anyone hit. Back Air: Ravio swings the Rental Hammer in a horizontal arc behind him doing high knockback and damage. Up Air: Ravio points the Rental Fire Rod up and a blast of fire appears above him (similar to Zelda's up air.) Down Air: Ravio points the Rental Ice Rod down which drops an ice chuck straight down. Spikes opponents hit.
Grabs
Pummel (Grab then A): Ravio grabs with the hookshot (also a tether recovery). His pummel has Sheerow attacking the opponent while Ravio hangs on to them. Forward Throw: Ravio pushes the opponent forward then shoots them with the Rental Bow. Back Throw: Ravio throws the opponent behind him onto a Rental Bomb Sheerow had placed. Up Throw: Ravio throws the opponent up and shoots the Rental Bow at them. Down Throw: Ravio throws the opponent down and then sets his heavy rupee bag on them.
Final Smash
Final Smash Name: Yuga's Rampage. Ravio tackles forward, if he connects the scene shifts to Hyrule Castle where Yuga shows up to blast everyone into paintings. Ravio pops back out of his painting after Yuga flys away thanks to his bracelet and runs away leaving a big bomb to blow the rest of the paintings up.
Taunts
Up Taunt: Sheerow circles around Ravio while he watches her. Forward Taunt: Ravio turns his back to the screen and pulls his hood up to wipe his forehead off, he then gives a slight look back before pulling it down again. Down Taunt: Ravio pulls out his rupee bag and gazes into it with Sheerow looking over his shoulder.
Rebuttals
Ravio is a one off character!
While this is true, he is a more recent character who we haven't seen for sure yet that his time is over. Since his game he was also in Hyrule Warriors as DLC and showed up in BotW as a costume, so at the very least he is on the minds of someone at Nintendo which could mean his time isn't over yet.
*insert Zelda character* is better and should get in first!
While there is no denying that the Zelda games have a great cast, and many characters would make great additions to Smash. Ravio offers not only a great character but the opportunity to showcase arguably the most iconic aspect of the Zelda series, the items. On top of that, compared to other Zelda characters Ravio has the argument of relevancy on his side since he is from the most recent top-down Zelda game.
We don't need another Link!
While Ravio may look like Link, its clear he is supposed to be a different character entirely. We're not talking about a reincarnated version or a version from a different game, Ravio is a unique character from a mirror world meant to mirror Link, not copy him. A closer comparison would be something like Superman and Bizzaro. And on top of all of this he wouldn't be just another Link because he would have a different moveset and look, unlike Toon Link and Young Link.
Chance
So here is the juicy stuff, what chance does Ravio have? Well to be honest his chances aren't great. He already had tough competition in the form of fan favorites Skull Kid, Midna, and Impa but on top of that he is now a Spirit which is most likely a sign he's not in. That said I want to say his chances are better than you might think, and here is why. We know one of the main reason a first party character would get in is for promotional reasons, and there have been a lot of rumors about a Zelda game coming this year. If there is a Zelda game coming, that could very well be a reason to get a character from that game as a promotional DLC pick. So how does this affect Ravio? Well right now the two most likely scenarios for a Zelda game are that we get a new top-down game or we get a Majora's Mask-like sequel to BotW where they reuse many of the same assets and engine to capitalize on a popular game (this matches with the timeline of how long after OoT MM came out). If we get a top-down game an ALBW sequel could very well be a possibility considering the handheld games have frequently done sequels and games using the same world as the previous one, this would of course mean Ravio would likely show up again. If we get a BotW sequel following in MM's steps they would need a mirror world or alternate dimension to explore that would allow them to reuse assets. Lorule fits the bill here perfectly and could definitely be a possibility, which if so would mean Ravio would most likely show up again. So these are a bit of a stretch, but not outside of the realm of possibilities, because of this I give his chance as a 5% chance.
Want
I won't put much here since this whole post is already a massive testament to how much I want Ravio, instead I'll just leave the obvious 100% want.
Thanks for taking the time to read all of this!
Prediction: Dark Matter 15%
Nominations: Monster Hunter x5
Chance: 2%
DLC is shaping up to be mainly third party and even if we were to get a first party Ravio has a ton of competition with other characters like a Three Houses rep or a Pokemon Gen VIII rep. He's also a spirit and there are more requested Zelda characters to choose from such as Impa.
Completely off topic but since we're talking about ALBW, why the heck wasn't Hilda a Zelda echo?
Want: 20%
I actually think it'd be pretty cool to have Ravio in Smash and I like shocktarts17
idea of him being able to represent the various types of items in the Zelda series. The main thing holding my want rating back is that there are a ton of other Zelda characters I'd prefer to see make it in first. If I had to rank the order of Zelda characters I'd like to see it'd go something like this:
Chance: 1%
Sorry shocktarts17
but yeah. Can’t see them going for Ravio. He’s a Spirit. He’s also first party (not expecting those). And the competition... phew. Do not envy Ravio.
Let’s look at the hypothetical scenarios in which he could get in. Let’s imagine he gets in as a promotional pick. That would require us to get him in another appearance in a Zelda game. Now, I doubt Ravio returns unless Lorule returns, and I don’t think that would happen unless we get a sequel to ALBW. Will we? Tough to say. There are rumors of an upcoming 2D Zelda (although it could be a remake of Link’s Awakening, as some rumors state). If it ends up being a new game, will it be a new title or a sequel to ALBW? I’m leaning towards the former, honestly. ALBW already was a sequel, and I can’t see them doing another one in such a short timespan. Maybe down the line.
Now for the other timeline. In this one, Ravio beats all the odds and expectations and becomes a DLC character solely due to his own merits. That would require Ravio to be a very hype inducing character (he’s not, generally speaking). It would also require Ravio beat decades of Sakurai’s bias against Zelda one-off characters, and not pick more popular and iconic characters (Skull Kid, Midna and Ghirahim come to mind) in favor of Ravio. Simply put, he’s just a very random pick.
Want: 50%
I don’t care either way. Recently bought ALBW though, so I might change my mind when I play it.
Noms: Crono x5
I can’t believe we’ve never rated Crono! At least during my tenure here.
EDIT: Apparently I did the Crono thing yesterday and forgot, so I’ll do Style Savvy rep since it fell off the top 7 and I want that rated. Here’s hoping future me doesn’t stop reading at Crono.
Chance: 1%
I don't see this happening, to be honest. I think we're getting mostly third-party characters as DLC and even if they were to insert a first-party character in there, chances are it's not going to be Ravio. He still has competition from not only his home series, but to other first-party characters as well, so I don't think that's good for someone like Ravio.
Want: 50%
Judging from what shocktarts17
said about Ravio, I think I liked the character now, even though I have no idea who he is since I haven't played ALBW. However, there are other Zelda characters I want in first before Ravio.
shocktarts17
You might want to change your noms for today.
