OH FOR **** SAKE, FINALLY.
............sort of. It's no surprise to many that after that August Direct, Smash Ultimate hype was at an all time high, that Direct set up expectations, that no pre-DLC reveal could hold up to. So for here on out, no character in my ratings goes to 100%, it's all downhill from here on out. Doesn't mean the next characters are all bad no no no, in retrospect im actually mostly OK with the choices Sak made (at least Base game, DLC makes me feel complicated) but it's hard to top my most wanted character of all time. But a lot of these choices give me time to reflect.
Japan's favorite, depression Cuteness!
So Isabelle, this one is tough to explain. I was never against Isabelle, i just never cared for Animal Crossing since im more of an action guy, stuff like life simulations are as interesting to me as getting a vasectomy. I agree that Isabelle was an obvious choice after how much she was pushed. MK8, Home Designer, TONS of merchandise, you bet Japan loves their kawaii stuff.
The only real argument towards Isabelle was if she was going to be an Echo or Semi-Clone like Lucas or even a full-on unique character. She never was characterized as a fighter and so you would have to make stuff up or do a very abstract concept like Terraforming in order to make her a unique character...............or you could just pull **** from Villager's moveset, they went with mostly the latter.
That is the thing that bothers me. Isabelle feels like the ONE character that was chosen, but Sakurai didn't seem to have a clear vision for her moveset. Like yeah, she has her own moveset, but they feel like leftover ideas for Villager, than something that Isabelle would do herself. I get that she has a different build than Villie but she feels off. Still, a good inclusion and was fun enough to play as sometimes, if only because of her Fishing Rod.
60% Satisfaction
Did you guys know that Ken isn't a natural Blonde?
Ken is honestly kinda disappointing in hindsight. Don't get me wrong, when it comes to Echo Fighters, HE had to be in. Its a no brainer, he WAS the original Fighting Clone of games (well, there's the Karate Champ duo but who cares), he was an obvious pick. Whenever Ryu goes Ken follows, his Fire Attacks make him similar yet distinct enough from Ryu to make him feel fresh, and Ken is all around a pretty popular SF character, and the token "I suck at games so im gonna pick him to compensate" choice, i can attest because im one of those people in SF.
I do enjoy SF casually, and i am a shoto *****, i suck too much at Charge characters to care and i still have PTSD from the bloody Zangief fights, plus i can't do 360 circles to save my life. So Ken is my default choice...........that is when i get to play Street Fighter, which isn't too often...............ALSO THE CPU IN SF2 CHEATS.
In retrospect, Ken is probably the only Echo that i would like to play as, as i prefer him as both as a character and fighter over Ryu....................so why i am not super excited?
Well, since he is an Echo of Ken (yet somehow Dr. Mario is not considered an echo of Mario despite being more similar than Ken is to Ryu is only not using the Echo label because he has different Weight Values............................seriously) it also means he takes on Ryu's mechanics, namely the whole "you gotta press or hold the button for a different normal move" which KILLED all my interest to play as Ryu, i just can't get the gist of it, and i prefer my Smash characters like KH's intro, Simple and Clean. It's one thing to do command imputs, i have no problem doing shoto inputs, but having to worry if pressed too hard the button when doing a down tilt is not something that makes me wanna play a character. Sorry Ken.
In hindsight, i wish i could replace Ken with the OTHER super obvious Echo character, Shadow. Look, i know i may be crying over spilled milk and water under the bridge, but im still kinda sad Shadow didn't make it, he was such an obvious choice for Smash's Echo list, was already prominent as an Assist, is the second most popular Sonic character in general, and he easily could have been a Semi-Clone like Ken is, using most of Sonic's moveset while adding his Chaos Powers like a Chaos Control Teleport and some of his Sonic Battle moves for his forward smash, i even would have been okay if he was a Chrom-Tier Echo, as i do like Sonic's playstyle in Smash enough to double dip with Shadow
I think im only speaking of Shadow because it kinda dissapoints me that not a single Echo Fighter ended up being my preference. Granted, i would rather have Simon, K.Rool and Ridley so i'm spoiled rotten, but still.
30% Satisfaction.
Simon Belmont's Ancestor, Christopher Belmont meeting Incineroar's ancestor, Tony the Tiger circa 1993 colorized.
Another character who i have mixed feelings about. I like Incineroar, he was my favorite of the 3 starters in Sun and Moon, even if i would have FAR preferred if he evolved into a Quadrupedal Fire Tiger. I'm sorry but when it comes to Pokémon not named Mewtwo, i far prefer Quadrupedal or Beast-like Pokémon over anthro designs.
Also the thing with Pokémon is that there are too many choices, it feels pointless to root for 1 Pokémon out of every 100 they introduce each Generation, and as such i never felt interested enough to root for anyone not named Mewtwo, who i have a huge attachment towards. How big?
When Mewtwo was announced in Smash 4, i stood in my knees and said to my sister "IT'S THE SECOND COMING OF CHRIST!". I mean i know that sounds offensive, we all know Mewtwo is bigger than Jesus AND the Beatles at the same time but i digress.
I had my personal choice for Smash Ultimate's token Pokémon, Midday Lycanroc. A quadrupedal Wolf with Earth-bending powers, which sounds like a far more interesting idea to me than what Incineroar could be and ended up being, the Token Heavyweight Pro-Westler like Zangief.
That's another thing that bothers me. Incineroar feels..........boring. Yes i know i whine about complex characters like Steve but that is because i don't like worrying about stuff like resources in Smash's matches. Incineroar's problem isn't that he doesn't have a gimmick attached to him, but that Inci is a Wrestler first and a Fire Pokémon second, and out of the 2, i find the latter would have been a better option. It also comes to my attention that he is the heavyweight i play the least, which is saying something seeing how Smash is the only FG where i do Heavyweights on a regular, which says something.
I really feel like Inci was chosen as the Token Pokémon because it was a good excuse for Sakurai to include a Wrestler. Essentially the opposite of Isabelle: Concept first, character second, and i don't like that philosophy at all.
In general, even if i wouldn't have gotten Lycanroc, i would have preferred a Quadrupedal Pokémon in general over Incineroar, at least.
Satisfaction: 50%
But any of these 3 are Sora-tier or Banjo-tier choses compared to the ****show below. I'm not gonna sugar coat it, and i am NOT gonna mince words.
The most disappointing Smash reveal of all time.
It's been 2 years, close to 3 years even. We have gotten Banjo, Terry, Dragon Quest's hero and even ****ing Sora. I have changed my views and become kinder to character i originally hated (Byleth) and ended up enjoying characters i never played before (Zelda) and even with these new years of experience and as a wiser person with job experience and a 800 hours poured into Ultimate, my favorite Smash game and top 5 favorite Switch game, i still can safely say........................That Piranha Plant is the worst choice in Smash history, the most boring and uninteresing character in Ultimate's roster, and stupidest reveal of all time, the lamest DLC choice you could ever have, and a waste of development time, resources, and as the good old saying goes....................a waste of slot. Yeah, i went there.
Okay enough of my salty hyperbole. I do still believe that PP is the worst out of Ultimate's choices.
Depressed Gengar
summed up part of my issues with the character. It feels like a character only made because Sakurai really, really, really wanted another token "lol so unpexected" character choice like past installments. No matter what he says, i honestly do not believe any other reason Sakurai chose this character aside from this alone.
Now, you could argue he only is here because ever since Super Mario Kart, each Mario Spin-Off has gotten a Token Mario enemy in its roster, from Koopa to Goomba to goddamn Dry Bones in many titles, and that would be a decent argument for him and other Mario enemy reps...............if it wasn't by the fact that Sakurai LOVES to add characters like these because they are so "unexpected".
Wii Fit Trainer, Mr. Game and Watch and R.O.B all were the unexpected characters of previous installments, their additions can be summed up "lol i'll be cool though, how will people react".
Here's a big difference though. Most of these characters came from either obscure pieces of history or characters that were outside of the Smash fanbase's preferences like Wii Fit, they bring new universes and their history with them, like G&W's stage and Wii Fit's music. PP is just a random enemy from Mario with no major following, yes he is recognizable, but nowhere as much as Goomba and Koopa, and any content he could bring like stages and music could easily be brought by other Mario characters that are far more popular and prominent.
Also the moveset blows, but what i am supposed to expect?
Another issue is how he was revealed. I don't blame Sakurai for the Grinch Fiasco, and i'm okay with Inci and Ken. But even then, the timing of his reveal was God Awful. Right after decomfirming Isaac and Shadow, two highly popular characters and basically ending the Base Game Roster, he decides to announce the first DLC character and it's this piece of ****. I could think that maybe Sakurai didn't see the reaction coming..................but then you remember how he went out of his way to decomfirm Bomberman, Waluigi, Takamaru and Lyn right out the gate at E3, probably to soften the blow they weren't playable, so no, he knew what he was doing.
It's like if you comfirmed Sora as a Mii Costume and right after announced a Metroid at October 5th. What makes things worse is Ultimate itself, this game, more than any, focuses HEAVILY on its characters unlike other ones like Brawl with its single player story mode and Smash 4 with its customization, so to add a character like this feels like pissing on a fountain. Everyone is Here, we have the likes of KH and DQ and MC in this roster, and you think putting a random-ass Enemy from Mario is a good idea? No.
All this is a dumb joke that wasn't even funny the second it got revealed, even making Little Shop of Horrors or Bowser's Kingdom references DOESN'T make me tolerate this character.
I could make joke about how i would prefer 50 different characters over this piece of junk. but you know that you hate a character when even having your most wanted of all time make it in (Simon, K.Rool, Ridley) and still hate it. Waluigi and Toad could be in Ultimate's Roster and it wouldn't make me hate PP any less. Worst reveal, worst newcomer, worst Smash thing period. Until Non-Gaming characters make it into Smash, this will always be in my opinion, the worst Smash reveal of all time.
...................But on the bright side, at least he makes up for a Good Punching Bag.
0% Satisfaction.
: Despite the leak I was quite surprised to see Simon and in his classic design. A classic rep for this great game. 75%
