Sakurai's Interview on How Characters Are Chosen

[synesthe-sia]

He must hand out that character poll to a select few. I've never seen one (aside from the JP one for Melee) in my life.

 

[guedes the brawler]

Holy crap, this much? I totally agree with you, sprite or model making is hard enough alone, especially when trying to make movements look natural and fluid. I only have minimal experience with spriting, but Frakensteining something is a hell of a lot easier than making whole new models and movesets. I'll admit something as similar as Dark Pit or Dr. Mario simply could have been an alt in the style of Alph or the Koopalings, but someone like Lucina is more deserving of her own slot from an aesthetic point of view. I've always viewed clones for the most part as "Wow, great moveset, but at least they're playable"

at the point where

a) DR. Mario starred his own game
b) Dark Pit was the 2nd most important playable character in KIU and one of the few anti-heroes we have worthy of smash
c)Alph was the Protagonist of Pikmin 3.
d)Lucina was but the tritagonist of awakenign and Chrom sin't playable

I'd say Lucinashould've gotten stuck as an alt, ideally not even that due to the unfairness of it all. Marth didn't evne need the "simple mode", in comparison having one for Olimar would be good because many newer players don't really get him for some reason.

 

[guedes the brawler]

Holy crap, this much? I totally agree with you, sprite or model making is hard enough alone, especially when trying to make movements look natural and fluid. I only have minimal experience with spriting, but Frakensteining something is a hell of a lot easier than making whole new models and movesets. I'll admit something as similar as Dark Pit or Dr. Mario simply could have been an alt in the style of Alph or the Koopalings, but someone like Lucina is more deserving of her own slot from an aesthetic point of view. I've always viewed clones for the most part as "Wow, great moveset, but at least they're playable"

at the point where

a) DR. Mario starred his own game
b) Dark Pit was the 2nd most important playable character in KIU and one of the few anti-heroes we have worthy of smash
c)Alph was the Protagonist of Pikmin 3.
d)Lucina was but the tritagonist of awakenign and Chrom sin't playable

I'd say Lucinashould've gotten stuck as an alt, ideally not even that due to the unfairness of it all. Marth didn't evne need the "simple mode", in comparison having one for Olimar would be good because many newer players don't really get him for some reason.

 

[Moon Monkey]

Hmm.Im not sure why ivysaur and squirtle deserved to be cut just because they're were tied to Pokemon trainer.In that case,charizard should have been axed too.

Let's be honest now, Pokemon Trainer is like NSYNC; And Charizard is obviously the Justin Timberlake of the group.

 

[LasermasterA]

"Characters from a series that has no future are rarely chosen."
Welp, Issac fans won't be happy to hear this.
People have applied this to Kid Icarus, but that's a recent series with an undecided future, not a dead one. Other then that, Sakurai hasn't cut C. Falcon and the like because of his aversion to cuts. Just don't expect Black Shadow any time soon...

Nah Golden Sun easily has a future. With the sequel hook, tons of sequel hints throughout the game as well as Camelot's interest to continue the series, it is very likely we will get a GS4 down the line. The question is of when, and how soon.

 

[Smash_Veteran_Amtoj]

Nah Golden Sun easily has a future. With the sequel hook, tons of sequel hints throughout the game as well as Camelot's interest to continue the series, it is very likely we will get a GS4 down the line. The question is of when, and how soon.

You guys talking Golden Sun?

I'd like to add that Dark Dawn is still a fairly recent game for the series.

 

[Marakatu]

You know, I'm not crazy about Mewtwo, but he's one of the two Pokémon that get two Mega Evolutions, the other being Charizard. If that's not relevancy, I don't know what relevancy is.

I just realized, though Palutena doesn't really fall into the "relevance" factor, I think the effort and merits Sakurai has put into making KI:U (a great game) was the reason she was added to the roster. In all honest, I don't really see as bias like you guys think immediately of now.

Palutena IS an important character, since she appeared in a recent game that sold like heaven. I understand why she's in. And I also wouldn't mind Medusa, since I'm a sucker for the original Kid Icarus. I have no attachment to Dark Pit, but I'm afraid he took her chance to ever appear in Smash Bros.
And I don't buy that "this series should have more chracters than that series" bullsh**, so no hard feelings for three KI characters, but I think Dixie Kong deserved to be playable as much as Villager.

 

[BluePikmin11]

Nah Golden Sun easily has a future. With the sequel hook, tons of sequel hints throughout the game as well as Camelot's interest to continue the series, it is very likely we will get a GS4 down the line. The question is of when, and how soon.

To be fair pretty much any series has a future, unless stated otherwise like the Mother series for example.

 

[Snagrio]

Nothing, NOTHING upsets me more about this whole clone business then Alph as an alt. The Koopalings make sense as alts, after all another 7 characters would be way too much.

But Alph? Pikmin could've used a second rep, especially with other small series getting more like Fire Emblem and Kid Icarus. In fact Sakurai even pointed out that he doesn't use Rock Pikmin; in other words, he could have had them and been his own character. Given how the clones we got are the closest to their source material then ever before and thus taking the least amount of effort, it really ticks me off that they didn't go that one extra mile for a series that got nothing more in favor of those that were already getting increases in their respective roster size.

 

[BluePikmin11]

Nothing, NOTHING upsets me more about this whole clone business then Alph as an alt. The Koopalings make sense as alts, after all another 7 characters would be way too much.

But Alph? Pikmin could've used a second rep, especially with other small series getting more like Fire Emblem and Kid Icarus. In fact Sakurai even pointed out that he doesn't use Rock Pikmin; in other words, he could have had them and been his own character. Given how the clones we got are the closest to their source material then ever before and thus taking the least amount of effort, it really ticks me off that they didn't go that one extra mile for a series that got nothing more in favor of those that were already getting increases in their respective roster size.

I agree, but I honestly think time didn't allow Alph in the roster.

 

[domriver]

Interesting. Safe to say he saw Ridley in that list many times. hmmmmm

 

[Sabrewulf238]

Even ignoring the fact that the latest game in the GS series was only two years before Uprising, the franchise never had a direct confirmation of no sequel being planned, which is more than can be said for KI. And I'm pretty sure this is definite.



And yet people act as if GS is the franchise without a definite future when there is far less justification. Did people forget that the time between Lost Age and DD was far more than 4 years? And to counter an argument with a question- the question isn't if I can prove that there is a definite sequel in works as we are speaking, the question is if one can prove there is no chance of a sequel being hypothetically worked on because all it takes is a single announcement of a new game in order to invalidate the "no future" argument. And unlike KI, there is a possibility of a sequel that could be worked on-one that hasn't been ruled out explicitly.

In other words, why the heck is GS considered a "deader" franchise than one in which no future sequels are planned. KI has more in common with the Mother series than a series like Xenoblade Chronicles.

That is interesting.

Perhaps we'll see someone make another Kid Icarus in the next 25 years = 3 characters in Smash 4.

Nice to see he's so optimistic about Kid Icarus's immediate future. To me that makes it sound like nobody at Nintendo is in any rush to work on Kid Icarus.

I don't care what anyone says, the people who say Golden Sun is dead are full of it and are only dramatising the situation. There was a gap of 7 years between Lost Age and Dark Dawn. The latest game also ended on a cliffhanger. I'd be really surprised if Camelot are just going to abandon their baby, their only original IP under Nintendo. (Unless Nintendo outright forces them to.)

I think Golden Sun would have a higher chance of ending up dead if it was being developed directly by Nintendo.

 

[D-idara]

So, pretty much...
"I'm Sakurai and I think I'm making a game directed at myself rather than at Nintendo fans, and I don't like Ridley, K.Rool, Isaac or Mewtwo...so they're not going to get their well-deserved, massively-requested chance because we totally needed to have the Duck Hunt Dog as a character rather than two of the most memorable villains of videogame history, one of the most popular and powerful Pokemon, and a long-requested newcomer from a beloved RPG series..."

Mr. Game & Watch and ROB are ICONIC! Duck Hunt Dog's simply a stupid dog who laughed, that's literally all he did.
God, the game's great, but for the next Smash, we should definitely keep Namco Bandai and replace Sakurai as director with someone who actually listens to the fanbase, this roster caters enough to the 'they're not requested, but they're unique' bandwagonners, so the next roster should cater to the people who should actually have input on the game.

With each interview he does...Sakurai reveals his true colors even more, he's a selfish, spoiled brat who constantly tries to justify what he does wrong with overly-convoluted bull**** reasons that he blatantly disobeys! Representative of the source material? Yeah, because Jigglypuff surely represents Pokemon at this point, and surely Dr. Mario has great importance to the Mario Universe canon, hell, CD-I Mario has more importance to the Mario canon that him! They have to be unique? Shulk? Standard RPG swordfighter....Greninja? Cookie Cutter ninja...Ooh he shoots water! moving on...

God, Sakurai, you're probably the developer that's the most out-of-touch with the fans in the world, are you even ****ing listening to yourself!? You claimed you were 'aiming to make the best character game ever' and you exclude the most-requested characters that the fanbase desperately wanted to see!? Some director. Go develop Kid Icarus Uprising 2, a franchise you actually managed to improve rather than ruin with your bizarre logic and biased judgement.

 

[Spinosaurus]

Designing an Olimar clone would take way longer than a Pit cone.

Mainly because, you know, he attacks with Pikmin, and like, they already have different properties?

 

[Marakatu]

So, pretty much...
"I'm Sakurai and I think I'm making a game directed at myself rather than at Nintendo fans, and I don't like Ridley, K.Rool, Isaac or Mewtwo...so they're not going to get their well-deserved, massively-requested chance because we totally needed to have the Duck Hunt Dog as a character rather than two of the most memorable villains of videogame history, one of the most popular and powerful Pokemon, and a long-requested newcomer from a beloved RPG series..."

Mr. Game & Watch and ROB are ICONIC! Duck Hunt Dog's simply a stupid dog who laughed, that's literally all he did.
God, the game's great, but for the next Smash, we should definitely keep Namco Bandai and replace Sakurai as director with someone who actually listens to the fanbase, this roster caters enough to the 'they're not requested, but they're unique' bandwagonners, so the next roster should cater to the people who should actually have input on the game.

With each interview he does...Sakurai reveals his true colors even more, he's a selfish, spoiled brat who constantly tries to justify what he does wrong with overly-convoluted bull**** reasons that he blatantly disobeys! Representative of the source material? Yeah, because Jigglypuff surely represents Pokemon at this point, and surely Dr. Mario has great importance to the Mario Universe canon, hell, CD-I Mario has more importance to the Mario canon that him! They have to be unique? Shulk? Standard RPG swordfighter....Greninja? Cookie Cutter ninja...Ooh he shoots water! moving on...

God, Sakurai, you're probably the developer that's the most out-of-touch with the fans in the world, are you even ****ing listening to yourself!? You claimed you were 'aiming to make the best character game ever' and you exclude the most-requested characters that the fanbase desperately wanted to see!? Some director. Go develop Kid Icarus Uprising 2, a franchise you actually managed to improve rather than ruin with your bizarre logic and biased judgement.

Stop this "everybody wants what I want and dislikes what I dislike" bullcrap. Now you are just being silly.

 

[Spinosaurus]

I'm pretty sure your average consumer wouldn't think Ridley or K.Rool when you mention "best character action game".

 

[[Obnoxshush/Dasshizer]]

So, pretty much...
"I'm Sakurai and I think I'm making a game directed at myself rather than at Nintendo fans, and I don't like Ridley, K.Rool, Isaac or Mewtwo...so they're not going to get their well-deserved, massively-requested chance because we totally needed to have the Duck Hunt Dog as a character rather than two of the most memorable villains of videogame history, one of the most popular and powerful Pokemon, and a long-requested newcomer from a beloved RPG series..."

Mr. Game & Watch and ROB are ICONIC! Duck Hunt Dog's simply a stupid dog who laughed, that's literally all he did.
God, the game's great, but for the next Smash, we should definitely keep Namco Bandai and replace Sakurai as director with someone who actually listens to the fanbase, this roster caters enough to the 'they're not requested, but they're unique' bandwagonners, so the next roster should cater to the people who should actually have input on the game.

With each interview he does...Sakurai reveals his true colors even more, he's a selfish, spoiled brat who constantly tries to justify what he does wrong with overly-convoluted bull**** reasons that he blatantly disobeys! Representative of the source material? Yeah, because Jigglypuff surely represents Pokemon at this point, and surely Dr. Mario has great importance to the Mario Universe canon, hell, CD-I Mario has more importance to the Mario canon that him! They have to be unique? Shulk? Standard RPG swordfighter....Greninja? Cookie Cutter ninja...Ooh he shoots water! moving on...

God, Sakurai, you're probably the developer that's the most out-of-touch with the fans in the world, are you even ****ing listening to yourself!? You claimed you were 'aiming to make the best character game ever' and you exclude the most-requested characters that the fanbase desperately wanted to see!? Some director. Go develop Kid Icarus Uprising 2, a franchise you actually managed to improve rather than ruin with your bizarre logic and biased judgement.

Don't forget he hates Star Fox with a passion. Kid Icarus Uprising was originally going to be a star fox game. Star Fox just lost stuff this game. Even though Earthbound lost Lucas it at least got more trophies, a new assist trophy and a smash run enemy. Star Fox didn't get ********. A new stage that's nice, but its no fun to play on without . If Sakurai wants to redeem himself, he must make playable. When is playable I'll star acting nicer to Sakurai. How to redeem yourself Sakurai make at least and playable in Smash Bros Wii U/3DS.
needs and playable in SSB4 to start getting more respect as a playable character in smash bros.

at the point where


b) Dark Pit was the 2nd most important playable character in KIU and one of the few anti-heroes we have worthy of smash
reason.

is a far more worthy anti hero for smash than.

 

[BluePikmin11]

Now I really wish we knew the complete process of Sakurai's newcomer selecting, all this negativity and "hates certain characters" logic" is pointless really, if we can get a clear answer, maybe the Smash community in general calm itself down a ton and understand.

 

[Spinosaurus]

Sakurai cut Wolf because he wanted to.

Christ it's not hard to think there might be a good reason for his cut. For a character that's pretty redundant, he'd take as much work as any other original veteran since he has a unique skeleton and animations, so he has to be built from the ground up. (And, evidently from playing the game, all veterans here are built from scratch.)

The most likely scenario is that he was lower priority because his concept is borrowed from an existing character (who also has another character that shares that concept) despite the completely different execution (so he comes across as repetitive regardless of being unique or not.), and time constraints didn't allow him to be in. Yes, the three clones are super redundant too, but they're super easy to add because the work is already there, and they pad the roster which is probably what the dev team wanted. The only downside to them is silly fan complaints, so it's a winning option.

Like I doubt Sakurai sat down and said "I'm gonna cut Wolf lol".

 

[D-idara]

I'm pretty sure your average consumer wouldn't think Ridley or K.Rool when you mention "best character action game".

Pretty sure they wouldn't think about Shulk, DHD, Dr. Mario or Dark Pit either...Ridley and K.Rool are really popular characters from really popular series.

Now I really wish we knew the complete process of Sakurai's newcomer selecting, all this negativity and "hates certain characters" logic" is pointless really, if we can get a clear answer, maybe the Smash community in general calm itself down a ton and understand.

No reason to exclude Ridley would sound valid in any way...

Sakurai cut Wolf because he wanted to.

Christ it's not hard to think there might be a good reason for his cut. For a character that's pretty redundant, he'd take as much work as any other original veteran since he has a unique skeleton and animations, so he has to be built from the ground up. (And, evidently from playing the game, all veterans here are built from scratch.)

The most likely scenario is that he was lower priority because his concept is borrowed from an existing character (who also has another character that shares that concept) despite the completely different execution (so he comes across as repetitive regardless of being unique or not.), and time constraints didn't allow him to be in. Yes, the three clones are super redundant too, but they're super easy to add because the work is already there, and they pad the roster which is probably what the dev team wanted. The only downside to them is silly fan complaints, so it's a winning option.

Like I doubt Sakurai sat down and said "I'm gonna cut Wolf lol".

I'd say cut Falco, but Falco deserves respect because he's been in for two games now...OH WAIT!

 

[Spinosaurus]

Pretty sure they wouldn't think about Shulk, DHD, Dr. Mario or Dark Pit either...Ridley and K.Rool are really popular characters from really popular series.

Exactly. All he needed is Mario (+Wario, Yoshi and DK), Zelda and Pokemon characters + third parties to succeed.

All the others are extras. The point being is that using that quote against his decision to not include Ridley and K.Rool (who really aren't as popular as you think lol) is beyond hilarious.

I mean if popularity is all you need then **** it, add Waluigi. Everyone knows and loves him! Perfect contender for best character action game.

 

[D-idara]

Exactly. All he needed is Mario (+Wario, Yoshi and DK), Zelda and Pokemon characters + third parties to succeed.

All the others are extras. The point being is that using that quote against his decision to not include Ridley and K.Rool (who really aren't as popular as you think lol) is beyond hilarious.

I mean if popularity is all you need then **** it, add Waluigi. Everyone knows and loves him! Perfect contender for best character action game.

Waluigi's not a Nintendo All-Star, Nintendo All-Stars are the main characters, the villains, the second-to-main characters and the damsels-in-distress. And those characters are popular among the Smash Community, I don't care about how casuals think DHD "is funny"...he's not, he's a wasted slot.

 

[Spinosaurus]

That's your own definition of what a Nintendo All Star is, not necessarily everyone else.

I can just as easily claim that he is because he's one of the major recurring characters in one of the bests selling series of all time (Mario Spin Offs). It's pointless.

 

[GmanSir]

I'm pretty sure this

is more recognizable to the masses than Ridley as a whole. Also, your definition is subjective.

 

[SS-bros14]

So, pretty much...
"I'm Sakurai and I think I'm making a game directed at myself rather than at Nintendo fans, and I don't like Ridley, K.Rool, Isaac or Mewtwo...so they're not going to get their well-deserved, massively-requested chance because we totally needed to have the Duck Hunt Dog as a character rather than two of the most memorable villains of videogame history, one of the most popular and powerful Pokemon, and a long-requested newcomer from a beloved RPG series..."

Mr. Game & Watch and ROB are ICONIC! Duck Hunt Dog's simply a stupid dog who laughed, that's literally all he did.
God, the game's great, but for the next Smash, we should definitely keep Namco Bandai and replace Sakurai as director with someone who actually listens to the fanbase, this roster caters enough to the 'they're not requested, but they're unique' bandwagonners, so the next roster should cater to the people who should actually have input on the game.

With each interview he does...Sakurai reveals his true colors even more, he's a selfish, spoiled brat who constantly tries to justify what he does wrong with overly-convoluted bull**** reasons that he blatantly disobeys! Representative of the source material? Yeah, because Jigglypuff surely represents Pokemon at this point, and surely Dr. Mario has great importance to the Mario Universe canon, hell, CD-I Mario has more importance to the Mario canon that him! They have to be unique? Shulk? Standard RPG swordfighter....Greninja? Cookie Cutter ninja...Ooh he shoots water! moving on...

God, Sakurai, you're probably the developer that's the most out-of-touch with the fans in the world, are you even ****ing listening to yourself!? You claimed you were 'aiming to make the best character game ever' and you exclude the most-requested characters that the fanbase desperately wanted to see!? Some director. Go develop Kid Icarus Uprising 2, a franchise you actually managed to improve rather than ruin with your bizarre logic and biased judgement.

Ok, I disagree with a couple points:
1. Duck Hunt IS pretty iconic. More than you think.
2. Jigglypuff was more iconic when Smash 64 was being made, and since she's part of the original 12 she'll probably always be in Smash.
3. Do you know how popular Xenobeblade is? Also, Isaac is just a pretty standard RPG character too.
4. Greninja is a recent character, as he is a 6 gen Pokemon.

 

[the8thark]

Sakurai on the clone characters in Smash Bros. Wii U/3DS

There are 3 fighters [Lucina, Dark Pit, and Doctor Mario] that are alternate models (clones) in the game. Each was originally a color variation, but during development, they were given balanced characteristics. Since their functionality had differences, forms were separated from each other. However, it was vital that this didn’t increase the required man-hours. Some relative tuning was sufficient as it wasn’t necessary to create balancing from scratch.

This is like a free dessert after a luxurious meal that was prepared free of charge. In a restaurant with this type of service, I don’t think there’s anybody who would say, “Change this to a meat dish!!”
Yet, I’m told [to do that] about Smash Bros. But, I guess since a lot of them are children, it cannot be helped.

Could you please leave it to me to select [characters] with man-hours and costs in mind? However you look at it, the game is a great bargain buy as a result.

Source: http://nintendoeverything.com/sakurai-on-the-clone-characters-in-smash-bros-wii-u3ds/

So basically Sakurai is saying: "Let me select the characters ok".

*************************

Ok, I disagree with a couple points:
1. Duck Hunt IS pretty iconic. More than you think.
2. Jigglypuff was more iconic when Smash 64 was being made, and since she's part of the original 12 she'll probably always be in Smash.
3. Do you know how popular Xenobeblade is? Also, Isaac is just a pretty standard RPG character too.
4. Greninja is a recent character, as he is a 6 gen Pokemon.

1. Not really. It's just a hardly known relic of the 1980's. Only more known now cause it's in Smash 4.
2. Jiggly was a thing back in Smash 64 days but it's a hasbeen now days. It should have never been in Melee or Brawl or Smash 4.
3. Outside the core fans, not very popular at all. I know tons of people who didn't even know Xenoblade existed (myself included) till shulk was put into Smash 4. Xenoblade is getting advertising because of Smash 4 so people will look for the game after playing Smash 4.
4. Recent yes. Should it be in Smash 4? That's debatable.

 

[MysticKnives]

So, pretty much...
"I'm Sakurai and I think I'm making a game directed at myself rather than at Nintendo fans, and I don't like Ridley, K.Rool, Isaac or Mewtwo...so they're not going to get their well-deserved, massively-requested chance because we totally needed to have the Duck Hunt Dog as a character rather than two of the most memorable villains of videogame history, one of the most popular and powerful Pokemon, and a long-requested newcomer from a beloved RPG series..."

Mr. Game & Watch and ROB are ICONIC! Duck Hunt Dog's simply a stupid dog who laughed, that's literally all he did.
God, the game's great, but for the next Smash, we should definitely keep Namco Bandai and replace Sakurai as director with someone who actually listens to the fanbase, this roster caters enough to the 'they're not requested, but they're unique' bandwagonners, so the next roster should cater to the people who should actually have input on the game.

With each interview he does...Sakurai reveals his true colors even more, he's a selfish, spoiled brat who constantly tries to justify what he does wrong with overly-convoluted bull**** reasons that he blatantly disobeys! Representative of the source material? Yeah, because Jigglypuff surely represents Pokemon at this point, and surely Dr. Mario has great importance to the Mario Universe canon, hell, CD-I Mario has more importance to the Mario canon that him! They have to be unique? Shulk? Standard RPG swordfighter....Greninja? Cookie Cutter ninja...Ooh he shoots water! moving on...

God, Sakurai, you're probably the developer that's the most out-of-touch with the fans in the world, are you even ****ing listening to yourself!? You claimed you were 'aiming to make the best character game ever' and you exclude the most-requested characters that the fanbase desperately wanted to see!? Some director. Go develop Kid Icarus Uprising 2, a franchise you actually managed to improve rather than ruin with your bizarre logic and biased judgement.

So pretty much it's because you think he did a bad job, it's officially a bad game/roster? You mentioned that the average consumer wouldn't know some of the newcomers like Shulk, but that's irrelevant as a majority of the consumers will get the game regardless whether Ridley or Mewtwo are in.

While some of what you say is true, it's painfully obvious your putting your saltiness above reason. "Go develop Kid Icarus Uprising 2, a franchise you actually managed to improve rather than ruin with your bizarre logic and biased judgement."

Sakurai definitely has some form of bias, you and many other salty fans treat it as if he hasn't given fans what they wanted (Little Mac, Mega Man, Sonic). And talking as if he ruining this game is a definite fact destroys your point. I understand clearly why you're upset, but most of what you said is in fact subjective.

 

[The Slayer]

Yet, I’m told [to do that] about Smash Bros. But, I guess since a lot of them are children, it cannot be helped.

Define "children." Because if it's like some people on this forum, then it's kinda accurate.

 

[BluePikmin11]

Sakurai on the clone characters in Smash Bros. Wii U/3DS



Source: http://nintendoeverything.com/sakurai-on-the-clone-characters-in-smash-bros-wii-u3ds/

So basically Sakurai is saying: "Let me select the characters ok".

If you read it carefully, what you said is clearly not the case at all.

 

[Naoshi]

Sakurai on the clone characters in Smash Bros. Wii U/3DS



Source: http://nintendoeverything.com/sakurai-on-the-clone-characters-in-smash-bros-wii-u3ds/

So basically Sakurai is saying: "Let me select the characters ok".

lol

no. not at all. read it again

He's saying clone characters are bonus to the roster due to little extra time of the development, as in it's literally them or nothing.

Basically, he's saying what some of us has been saying in this thread.

I'd say cut Falco, but Falco deserves respect because he's been in for two games now...OH WAIT!

Ice Climbers were only cut because they CAN'T put them in the 3DS version without sacrificing a lot. It's not like they actually wanted to cut them. Like wow, how hard is it to understand that?

 

[Marakatu]

Ok, I disagree with a couple points:
1. Duck Hunt IS pretty iconic. More than you think.
2. Jigglypuff was more iconic when Smash 64 was being made, and since she's part of the original 12 she'll probably always be in Smash.
3. Do you know how popular Xenobeblade is? Also, Isaac is just a pretty standard RPG character too.
4. Greninja is a recent character, as he is a 6 gen Pokemon.

While I agree with you on many points, I have to disagree with you on Jigglypuff. Let me quote myself:

Oh, yeah, Jigglypuff. I don't see the point of her being in the game. People say she was big in the old days. I was in the old days. I was addicted to Pokémon. I can tell you that Jigglypuff wasn't that big. Pikachu, Charmander, Bulbasaur, Squirtle and arguably Meowth and Clefairy were featured in more promotional material than her. She was just a recurring character in the anime, but so were Pidgeotto, Geodude and Starmie. People also say she is still big in Japan. The thing is, she isn't. I challenge you to find any recent relevant material that proeminently features her.

 

[Naoshi]

The worst kind of Smash discussions is when people wish for Character X to be cut.

sigh

 

[the8thark]

lol

no. not at all. read it again

He's saying clone characters are bonus to the roster due to little extra time of the development, as in it's literally them or nothing.

Basically, he's saying what some of us has been saying in this thread.

No. Sakurai said this:
"Could you please leave it to me to select [characters] with man-hours and costs in mind?"
That's his own words and pretty self explanatory. He wants us to let him choose the roster and for us to quit bugging him about it. If you don't agree, then complain to Sakurai, because you're disagreeing with his own words.

The worst kind of Smash discussions is when people wish for Character X to be cut.

sigh

The "we want X character in" crowd are just as vocal and one sided as the "we want X character cut" crowd. Both sides are extreme and don't really listen to the other side.

 

[Naoshi]

No. Sakurai said this:
"Could you please leave it to me to select [characters] with man-hours and costs in mind?"
That's his own words and pretty self explanatory. He wants us to let him choose the roster and for us to quit bugging him about it. If you don't agree, then complain to Sakurai, because you're disagreeing with his own words.


The "we want X character in" crowd are just as vocal and one sided as the "we want X character cut" crowd. Both sides are extreme and don't really listen to the other side.

yes, while that part is true but there was more to that than what you've claimed. tbh, i feel he's been doing mostly a great job with character inclusions, dark pit being the only one im iffy about. so i dont have much of a complaint about the roster other than the unfortunate cuts

at least the "we want X character in" crowd aren't trying to ruin the fun for others. unless you're talking about the meltdowns people gets then yeah that's annoying.

on the other hand "We want X character cut" is pretty rude to those that actually enjoys playing as that character

 

[D-idara]

So pretty much it's because you think he did a bad job, it's officially a bad game/roster? You mentioned that the average consumer wouldn't know some of the newcomers like Shulk, but that's irrelevant as a majority of the consumers will get the game regardless whether Ridley or Mewtwo are in.

While some of what you say is true, it's painfully obvious your putting your saltiness above reason. "Go develop Kid Icarus Uprising 2, a franchise you actually managed to improve rather than ruin with your bizarre logic and biased judgement."

Sakurai definitely has some form of bias, you and many other salty fans treat it as if he hasn't given fans what they wanted (Little Mac, Mega Man, Sonic). And talking as if he ruining this game is a definite fact destroys your point. I understand clearly why you're upset, but most of what you said is in fact subjective.

Giving fans what they wanted...? Yes, now giving the fans what they wanted THE MOST? He didn't deliver there because he hates the Metroid series, the DK series and apparently the Mother series as well, not to mention Metal Gear and Ice Climbers, which ere straight up ERASED from the game.

Ice Climbers were only cut because they CAN'T put them in the 3DS version without sacrificing a lot. It's not like they actually wanted to cut them. Like wow, how hard is it to understand that?

If he really wanted to make them work, he would've made them work, but adding Dark Pit and Dr. Mario was obviously much more important than looking for ways to add veteran characters that have been on the game for the last two versions...he could've made them work, he just didn't care.

Define "children." Because if it's like some people on this forum, then it's kinda accurate.

So now Sakurai throws insults at the real Smash fanbase who won't put up with his **** because he found it too hard to add characters people actually wanted? When talking about children, he should check out his own childish Kid Icarus bias, basically making 50% of this game's content come from Uprising, I would've preferred less Smash Run enemies if that meant there weren't as many Kid Icarus enemies...

Oh, and clones aren't a free dessert, they're flies on top of a delicious steak, well, on this case, it's a pretty mediocre, sour-tasting, Ridley-KingK.Rool-Isaac-Mewtwo-less steak, so it wasn't even that good to begin with, the fanbase asked for a steak and Sakurai delivered hamburger meat without buns.

No. Sakurai said this:
"Could you please leave it to me to select [characters] with man-hours and costs in mind?"
That's his own words and pretty self explanatory. He wants us to let him choose the roster and for us to quit bugging him about it.

Maybe we would bug him less about it if he didn't make such ****ty choices, Sakurai...get this through your thick skull, this game's not for you, this game doesn't have to be a loveletter to Sakurai the workaholic who thinks he deserves respect for his mediocre design choices and his overall selfishness and favoritism.

 

[Marakatu]

Giving fans what they wanted...? Yes, now giving the fans what they wanted THE MOST? He didn't deliver there because he hates the Metroid series, the DK series and apparently the Mother series as well, not to mention Metal Gear and Ice Climbers, which ere straight up ERASED from the game.

Really?
Nobody would know what Earthbound is if it wasn't for Mass-a-hero Darkrai.

 

[Twewy]

But, I guess since a lot of them are children, it cannot be helped.

That is the best burn I've seen in a long while.

 

[Naoshi]

If he really wanted to make them work, he would've made them work, but adding Dark Pit and Dr. Mario was obviously much more important than looking for ways to add veteran characters that have been on the game for the last two versions...he could've made them work, he just didn't care.

Dark Pit and Dr. Mario took a lot lot less development time to implement. Trying to make Ice Climbers to work on the 3DS without sacrificing any elements would take a CONSIDERABLE amount of work and there's a risk it wouldn't work out in the end, making the efforts go to waste when they could save it for something else.

Developing games is NOT easy nor simple, and if you honestly think otherwise then I don't know what to say.

That is the best burn I've seen in a long while.

I agree. Some people act like entitled brats.

Maybe we would bug him less about it if he didn't make such ****ty choices, Sakurai...get this through your thick skull, this game's not for you, this game doesn't have to be a loveletter to Sakurai the workaholic who thinks he deserves respect for his mediocre design choices and his overall selfishness and favoritism.

WOW

 

[D-idara]

The Sakurai white-knighting (To not use another term involving riding something) on this thread is ASTOUNDING, do you people really think he worked as hard as he claims to have worked, do you people really think he didn't know that he was playing with the fanbase's feelings when teasing Ridley for OVER A YEAR!? He's a childish, extremely biased game director and the game suffered because of that, the terrible roster unbalance in terms of series representation, franchises he clearly hates getting NO NEW STAGES EVEN THOUGH A MODDER CAN DO A PERFECTLY-GOOD STAGE IN A DAY! DK getting ONE new remix and Metroid getting absolutely nothing...

That is the best burn I've seen in a long while.

Yeah, Sakurai has all the right to insult a fanbase that has all the basis for calling him out on his bull****. Now he's calling us children, he's calling me a children, well LET ME TELL YOU WHAT, at least I wouldn't remove two entire series from the damn game because 'hurrhurr development time', at least I would listen to the actual fanbase before making picks like Wii Fit Trainer, at least Ridley and King K. Rool would be done before ****ING MARIO is done, at least I would give new stages to franchises that deserve them, at least I wouldn't add 50% of the game's content from my own series and then try to justify it.

 

[Twewy]

I personally don't mind the clones at all. I may not have wanted them (except maybe the Doc. Can't lock the Doc), but they're there. While I'm not fond of Dark Pit in Smash, it doesn't bother me. Why? Because I don't want to use him. I have no interest in the character. He's just there to add to the roster. You don't always get what you want, but you will have to make due with what you have. It is unfortunate that we do not get more unique characters to experiment with and play, but we should be thankful for the ones we do have.

If it makes you feel better, many other fighting/party game fans don't get their every wish granted either. People wanted Crash and Spyro in Playstation All-Stars, Gene/Mega Man/Venom/whoever in Marvel 3, and Bridget and Baiken in Xrd.

And it's "ASTOUNDING" that you didn't expect white-knighting on a SMASH website. People will have differing opinions from you. Some people are actually happy with the roster. Just because you think Sakurai is Hitler for not including your favorite lizards or JRPG swordsman doesn't mean others will agree. I wanted Ridley, myself, but I'm just as okay with the roster.

By the way, since you think it's a crime to have gotten rid of two series, let me provide an allibi: Metal Gear was cut due to Nintendo not having rights to MG, and Ice Climbers were cut due to hardware limitations.