Joker: 9/10. Persona 5 is easily my favorite RPG of the decade outside of Xenoblade, so I was absolutely ecstatic to see him join. I could gush for hours about how amazing this game is, but it wouldn't be doing it justice. Just play it, seriously. And what a reveal, man. Probably the most hype reveal in Smash history just because of the venue and how completely unexpected it was. An almost perfect way to start off the Fighters Pass. Not to mention that Joker himself is an excellent fighter and quickly became one of my mains. And getting Persona music in Smash is an absolute dream come true, of course. The only reasons why this isn't a perfect score are that I was kinda let down with Mementos as a stage, along with the servers crashing and burning on release day so I couldn't try him right away. Also, Persona 5 on Switch when? Seriously, Atlus, I'm begging you.
Hero: 7/10. So, I have basically zero personal attachment to Dragon Quest as a series. For as much of an RPG junkie I am, I can't play everything, and this is just one of those series that I never got around to. However, I've heard nothing but good things about the series, and I respect its legacy and what it's done for the genre. So, while I wasn't personally invested with seeing it represented in Smash, I find Hero a more than worthy addition, and I was really excited for his fans. What I wasn't excited about was how polarizing his reception within the community was at launch. I didn't think he was a broken character, and I think the venues that banned him were overreacting, but it was frustrating to see so much division over a character. Thankfully, things have calmed down since then, and Hero is still an incredibly fun character to play, and his stage and music are great. Plus, having skins of 4 different DQ protagonists was a great touch. He even got me to try the DQ 11 demo, and while my backlog is too stuffed right now, I do want to play it in full someday. Overall, a decent pick that I ended up liking more than I expected.
Banjo & Kazooie: 10/10. Twenty minutes after revealing a character I had no personal feelings for, they reveal one that is the definition of personal for me. Even though my first console was an NES I got as a hand-me-down from my older cousin, the first console I owned while it was commercially relevant was the N64. Banjo-Kazooie/Tooie were my two favorite platformers on a system known for them, and they were a huge part of my childhood. I'm sure you know the rest of the story. I had long since given up hope of ever seeing them in Smash after the Microsoft buyout, so seeing them join after so long was like reuniting with an old friend. I was actually tearing up at work watching this reveal, so it's pretty hard not to give a perfect score to a character who can elicit that kind of reaction. Of course, their stage and music inclusions were fantastic as well, so there's really nothing to complain about. I have seen some people complain that their moveset is a bit too simplistic, but that just makes me love them even more. Not only is it a serious breath of fresh air after increasingly-complex DLC fighters, but it really does make them feel like they've been a part of Smash since the days of 64/Melee. Everything about Banjo & Kazooie's inclusion is a labor of love to fans and is easily the highlight of the first FIghters Pass for me. Also, gotta love how after they overshadowed Hero's reveal, B&K were themselves overshadowed upon their release by Sans. More memes in Smash, please.
Terry: 8/10. Talk about a surprise in every sense of the word. While I'm not necessarily a fan of Terry as a character, I really enjoy his series. One of my best friends growing up was a Dreamcast fanatic, and I have some fond memories of playing the various SNK fighting games with him. SNK was long overdue for representation in Smash, and I'm ecstatic that we have another technically-demanding fighter. So while I was surprised to see him join, I was even more surprised at how much I enjoyed playing as him. At the end of the day, Smash is a fighting game so I'm always going to welcome another representative from the genre. He honestly feels like a better Ryu/Ken. His super specials are one of my favorite risk/reward mechanics in Smash, and they feel powerful and rewarding without being broken since they take serious practice to use properly. And I love how unique his stage is, breaking through the walls for a KO will never not be satisfying. Plus, 50 songs from SNK? Beyond generous and adds some serious value to this DLC. Overall, an unexpected but great pick.
Byleth: 6/10. Not what I meant when I asked for more memes in Smash. I'm trying to stay as neutral as possible on what is the most controversial Smash addition by far. I feel like people are less upset with Byleth as a character and more upset about the circumstances surrounding them. I am a casual Fire Emblem fan at best, having only played a handful of the games (Path of Radiance, Radiant Dawn, Awakening, Fates Conquest, and Echoes), but my best friend is an absolute fanatic about the series. Three Houses looks amazing, and again, I hope to play it soon once my backlog clears out a bit. But while the game appears worthy of representation in Smash, it's hard not to feel cynical that Nintendo chose to push a game that recently released and has DLC coming. This was especially painful for me, as Rex and Pyra from Xenoblade Chronicles 2 were my most-wanted newcomers for Ultimate, though they were ultimately passed over because their game was too recent. And yet Byleth was okay? I was definitely stung by that, and everyone hoping for a new third party rep was surely stung that we got another rep from a series that already had seven fighters. I really don't think Byleth was anyone's first choice for the fifth fighter, and even among the Three Houses fanbase, Edelgard seemed like a more popular choice, so basically everyone lost here. With all that being said, the people who are genuinely upset and hating on Byleth/Three Houses have taken their anger way too far in my opinion. Three Houses does not deserve to get review bombed, and fans of the game shouldn't be attacked just because they're happy for their character. The whole situation is disappointing. And all of this controversy surrounds a character that I think looks pretty fun to play. It's just a shame how all of this went down. Even though I'm not necessarily opposed to or in favor of a Three Houses rep, everyone just handled the situation poorly. Cuphead is pretty cool, though. It's a genuine shame that the Fighters Pass had to go out on such a whimper, but at least there's more DLC to look forward to.
Fighters Pass 1 Overall: 8/10. My biggest request for Pass 2: Change the title of the game to Super Fire Emblem Bros. & Nintendo All Stars Ultimate vs Capcom vs SNK vs SEGA & Knuckles (Featuring Dante From the Devil May Cry Series!)
