Shantae, the Half Genie Protector of Scuttle Town! (A Switch To A New WayForward)

[Shadow Novus]

Ok just because I feel like having some fun with this:

What if, and bear with me on this one, the boxart was completely intentional because they knew the crazy analytical and theorycrafting smash fans would do their thing and lower expectations? Giving Sakurai the edge and letting him blow people's minds with his reveals later.

All according to his master plan
DRAMATIC THUNDERCLAP

 

[TheRandomCities4]

Well, judging by my own little investigation, I believe the next Smash Direct will come out somewhere between the 24th and 31st of October. So that would fit the time frame. But the bundle your talking about is just the Smash Switch System. The one with the boxart pics is the Special Edition of Ultimate, correct? So that wouldn't come out until the 7th of December.

Edit: Nevermind this.

I got info wrong about the bundles. One releases November 2nd and the special edition with the box comes out December 7th.

False alarm on my behalf.

 

[Deleted member]

Doesn't that bundle launch November 2nd? That would have some implications, assuming (somehow) the theory is true.

There is a chance that every character will be revealed before November 2nd so they could put all the characters on it (whether it is edited for more or not).

The Console comes out the Nov 2, but the digital version of Smash Pre-loaded on the system isn't available until the normal launch date.
The game would of gone gold by then. And we probably would know everything by the nov 2 date (to avoid data mining leaks)

 

[Baws]

OK so since everyone wanted so badly for the box theory to not be true because it meant only two more characters (I'm not saying I ever believed box theory), I have a decent question.

How many characters do you guys ACTUALLY expect there to be?

Because I can very much see the base roster ending at a solid 70 (by how Smash lists characters.)

So basically I am sitting on we have two more unique fighters and two or three more Echoes, personally.

 

[perfectchaos83]

The Console comes out the Nov 2, but the digital version of Smash Pre-loaded on the system isn't available until the normal launch date.
The game would of gone gold by then. And we probably would know everything by the nov 2 date (to avoid data mining leaks)

There would be nothing to datamine. The Code included with the bundle is for a pre-order that won't download until it releases.

 

[Parallel_Falchion]

Since when was Rotty scary? That's exactly what she doesn't want to be. She wants to actually be accepted by people, and not be seen as another, stereotypical, terrifying zombie, she wants to be treated like a normal human being. That's why she likes Shantae so much, because Shantae views her just like she would any other of her friends, such as Sky or Bolo.

I mean, I was trying to say something that would be more uplifting, help you feel better.

 

[Dyllybirdy]

I mean, I was trying to say something that would be more uplifting, help you feel better.

oh. that makes more sense now. sorry.

 

[Deleted member]

OK so since everyone wanted so badly for the box theory to not be true because it meant only two more characters (I'm not saying I ever believed box theory), I have a decent question.

How many characters do you guys ACTUALLY expect there to be?

Because I can very much see the base roster ending at a solid 70 (by how Smash lists characters.)

So basically I am sitting on we have two more unique fighters and two or three more Echoes, personally.

I was sitting at 2 new fighters (after Isabel) and 2 echos.

 

[LunarLiv]

November 2 sounds about right for a timeframe for the game going gold. Some time in November at least

As for fighters, I'd guess 3 unique fighters and 3 echoes to get the roster to 80 (Or at least 80 by their standards, including the 3 pokemon trainer pokemon and the 3 mii fighter types)

Of course there's that part of me that hopes that Sakurai and the team just decide to go above and beyond yet again.

 

[Veodok]

How many characters do you guys ACTUALLY expect there to be?

Between 5-8 more characters, including echoes. Leaning towards the lower end of that range.

 

[Deleted member]

There would be nothing to datamine. The Code included with the bundle is for a pre-order that won't download until it releases.

Is it confirmed a code?

 

[Veodok]

Is it confirmed a code?

Box says that it includes a full game download, and there's really only one way to get the game other than a physical copy being included.

 

[Deleted member]

Box says that it includes a full game download, and there's really only one way to get the game other than a physical copy being included.

It could be the redeem code or a preload.

 

[Veodok]

It could be the redeem code or a preload.

Preload would be catastrophic; Sakurai learned his lesson with Smash 4. It's a code.

 

[Deleted member]

Preload would be catastrophic; Sakurai learned his lesson with Smash 4. It's a code.

if all the relevant info was already out by then (characters) it would't be too crazy.

 

[Veodok]

if all the relevant info was already out by then (characters) it would't be too crazy.

Also, is there any precedent of Nintendo doing a preload for a game on the Switch? I'm not aware of any.

 

[grizby2]

I absolutely hate this theory, but if it somehow was real, than I'd say the Smash community would almost be fighting to the death, to figure o

So, what you're saying is that the hype train is going strong, all of our sudden she's dis confirmed, and then all of our hopes and dreams blow up in to millions of tiny little pieces?

lol. I would say its more like we're all in this for good or for worse and theres no going back XD

 

[perfectchaos83]

The Game's not gonna be on the eshop servers until Nintendo wants it to. Nobody's downloading it before Dec 7th.

 

[Deleted member]

Also, is there any precedent of Nintendo doing a preload for a game on the Switch? I'm not aware of any.

The Pokemon lets Go Switch Bundles (on Gamestop) state the game is Pre-loaded. So there is (or will be in this case) precedence.
https://www.gamestop.com/nintendo-s...tion-with-pokemon-lets-go-eevee-bundle/167644

 

[perfectchaos83]

The Pokemon lets Go Switch Bundles (on Gamestop) state the game is Pre-loaded. So there is (or will be in this case) precedence.
https://www.gamestop.com/nintendo-s...tion-with-pokemon-lets-go-eevee-bundle/167644

That comes out the same day as the game.

 

[Veodok]

The Pokemon lets Go Switch Bundles (on Gamestop) state the game is Pre-loaded. So there is (or will be in this case) precedence.
https://www.gamestop.com/nintendo-s...tion-with-pokemon-lets-go-eevee-bundle/167644

No, I mean E-Shop preload. The Pokemon one comes out with the game, so of course it'd be bundled. The Smash Switch comes out one month before the game drops.

 

[Teeb147]

In whatever case, I'm confident in the powers of DLC to make many dreams happen. I'd love for some to be in the base roster, and I still think that's possible and even likely, but I'm hopeful for the future, even if had a few bumps on the road..

Good night and Good sleep (for the right time zones )
<3

 

[WingedSupernova]

First Nintendo was trying (and still is) to sell us overpriced boxes, and now the entire Smash community is on fire thanks to boxes. Does Solid ****ing Snake work at Nintendo HQ or something?

 

[Baws]

Yeah tbh for me 2 uniques and 3 echoes is the very peak of my expectations.

Honestly I wouldn't be surprised at all if we do have just two more, especially if both characters are uniques instead of one echo.

Personally I would never complain even if Isabelle was the last fighter. We have way too much love put into this game for us to rightfully flame Sakurai's team for anything that happens to the roster at this point.

Shantae's really the only one left I am super gung-ho about. Also some newer characters but we already know it's a 2015 development cycle and I promise DLC will focus on recent releases rather than more ballot, so I'm not even worried about them.

 

[Jazzy Jinx]

Eh... The box theory is fairly solid. Though I think it's incredibly poor planning on the development team's part if they honestly believe one reveal and one echo between now and the game's release is a sound hype strategy. That and the counter-argument already presented (about keeping the sides symmetrical) lead me to think we should just wait and see. If the next unique newcomer is our last, Sakurai is going to come out and say it. If he doesn't, consider this theory dead in the water.

How many characters do you guys ACTUALLY expect there to be?

3-5 uniques with 4 echoes.

I was going to type up a very long "devil's advocate" spiel but I decided to hold back on that. Namely because, I really don't believe we're only going to get just one more unique newcomer. If that does happen, Shantae is dead because I don't see her claiming a spot in DLC. The competition would be too tough at that point.

However, it's moot in my mind because I believe there's a greater than 90% chance that we'll receive more than one unique newcomer between now and the December release. And I am fairly confident in my 3-5 prediction, even leaning more towards 5 because I think they'll work feverishly to try and squeeze 1 or 2 more in. If that's the case and Shantae doesn't get snow globe'd then I would consider her a powerful contender for DLC.

Theoretically speaking, since we're in the early years of the Switch's life cycle and since it's slated to live longer than the Wii U (and is already far more successful in terms of hardware sales), we could expect more than 7 DLC characters. However, even if there are only 7, I still think Shantae has a powerful chance (as long as we get the previously mentioned 3-5 uniques on the base and she doesn't get AT'd).

Frankly, working with those numbers, her competition is pretty weak; it's only if you restrict it down by a lot where she starts to get in trouble. And the 3rd party characters that would overshadow her either all have glaring issues or would add to the cost of their budget. Not that I don't expect them to bring in one more hype 3rd party at some point, but they can't make half of the newcomers from here on out 3rd parties. Again, the costs would eat them alive.

However, playing devil's advocate, she probably wouldn't garner a whole lot of downloads if she's DLC which could potentially make her not worth it. Maybe she should really be included on the base roster after all. >_>

 

[LaBeteNoire]

It's hard to say how many more characters will be added, but two seems far too small for how much more time they have to reveal characters.

Also there are so many characters that seem almost a lock as echos/semi echos like Shadow, Ken and Dixie. I'd say we get at least two of those three and there is no way that the last two fighters revealed would be echos so that means there would have to be at least one new original fighter.

So, for me, I would say at least two new fighters and two echos as the bare minimum. But with so many characters that seem likely it's really hard to be sure.

 

[Paragon-Yoshi]

Okay. So, genuine question.

We all know that eSports are becoming a major thing. Nintendo is pushing Ultimate to be this super competitive thing. So, with that in mind, do you guys plan on entering tourneys if Nintendo ever Hosts competitive leagues?

Might ask in a genral post about an idea for Smash eSports, but yeah.

I never was a tourney guy. And given my bad experiences with competitive-oriented players, I just don't give a damn.
If people want to play tourney and harass people, I don't care. Just leave me out of it.

As for Nintendo pushing it to become an eSports title, I think you're expecting too much.
I think it's just for marketing, to promote their game.
Sakurai always said, that Smash Bros will always be a fun Party Game first and foremost.
He throws the competitive scene a bone here and then, to make clear he doesn't completely neglect it.
But as far as I know, he will never make Smash Bros a fully competitive-oriented game.
And I am completely ok with this.



As for the BoxArt:

Let me ask you guys a question...
Did Box Arts for previous Smash installments ever show the full roster?!

 

[Motor Bug2005]

As for the BoxArt:

Let me ask you guys a question...
Did Box Arts for previous Smash installments ever show the full roster?!

Not to my knowledge but we've never had a pledge from Sakurai to reveal the design of all the fighters before the game's release before.

 

[loozer2]

We never even got any kind of roster published on box art in previous titles other than a handful of characters from the game. Smash ultimate is the first game to actually do this kind of publishing of the full roster on the deluxe edition. Obviously, it isn't finished yet as it doesn't show Isabelle so it could be edited a bit. It's just that the grid format they use makes it hard to add more rows without bloating the size of the roster by another 12, since they are rows of 6. Shrinking and cropping doesn't even really work well in a grid format unless they put an uneven row of just a couple of fighters on the bottom of each side.

This box art is definitely plausible as the final roster given how intricate the pattern is and Corrin being shifted to the right side by an unknown echo fighter on the left side. It kind of sucks if they revealed so many characters in the beginning with just three to reveal in the last three months, but one per month was the average for sm4sh AND Sakurai said not to expect too many fighters. We're already at almost 10 new fighters as it is.

Of course, it's a placeholder so it can be changed but given this is official art and the clear pattern associated with it, I would definitely treat it as very plausible until we get the next smash direct. As much as I want to believe Sakurai wouldn't leak the final roster count, it's really easy to overlook something like this. Just try to keep a reasonable perspective so you don't end up disappointed if we do only have 2 new fighters left.

And no matter what happens with the base roster, you can bet Nintendo is going to be milking this cash cow with plenty of $5 character DLCs of the most fan requested fighters.

 

[Paragon-Yoshi]

It doesn't matter, since it's incomplete.
It is still subject to change. Just because there is only space for 2 more characters, doesn't mean it'll stay that way.
I mean what law dictates that the size of mugshots can't be altered to fit more characters in, for example?

So jumping to conclusions based on an incomplete boxart, is laughable.

 

[LunarLiv]

Here's something I wonder about DLC and stuff. If Isaac and Geno and Bandana Dee are in, who's next really? Those three feel like the biggest remaining pillars of speculation and if they're finally confirmed, who's the next big one? It makes the idea of DLC feel really interesting to me. Also if they get confirmed then will Shantae be one of the new Geno or Isaacs?

MAYBE! I DUNNO! But speculating on DLC stuff is kinda interesting! I'm hoping Shantae is in the base game, but the idea of speculation after we know all of the base roster is really interesting to me

 

[loozer2]

If you really think about it, we already have almost all of the major Nintendo characters. Most of the characters people root for are obscure from a mainstream perspective. Even Isabelle is a lot more popular and relevant in the mainstream than our most wanted characters even if she wasn't the most popular within the smash community. Many of the icons people have left on their wish lists are 3rd party, too. I feel like as far as DLC goes, first party characters like Bandana Dee will always have the advantage because he's easier to implement, legally. Although as far as 3rd parties go, Shantae would be really easy to acquire compared to others.

We'll just have to wait and see regardless.

 

[Tybalt: Herbal One]

Luigi's mansion 3 for myself. Love that series

 

[meleebrawler]

I'm really getting on my own nerves. It's so stupid.
No matter how many times you people say it, I still feel like you all hate me, even though I know you probably do not.
I'm just getting really pissed off at myself. This is insane! I know you're all sick of me bringing this crap up, but I can't help it! I'm going insane!

And my opinion on the boxart theory is that it's complete bull. I really hate it. It should just be disregarded, thrown aside, forgotten, left to rot.

Are you trying to harness your inner Rotty? It feels like you've been acting more strangely since I posted those thoughts on her character and development.

 

[Dyllybirdy]

Are you trying to harness your inner Rotty? It feels like you've been acting more strangely since I posted those thoughts on her character and development.

Nah, I'm just a bit loopy in the head. Don't ever expect me to be normal, I went insane a long time ago!

Though, I would love to be more like Rotty in every single way, she's just too perfect.

 

[Moderately obsessed]

if we're still talking about the box art "theory" can someone post the actual picture again? I thought I took a look and saw that the characters on the front weren't on the side and I want to confirm this so I can create my own hypothesis.
p.s.
you're all great. I love that you all stayed strong through this theory of potential disinformation.
p. S. S. How do you post gifs?

 

[NukeA6]

So basically I am sitting on we have two more unique fighters and two or three more Echoes, personally.

Yup exactly what I'm expecting at this time. To be honest, I was surprised we were getting any more after the last Smash Direct.

if we're still talking about the box art "theory" can someone post the actual picture again? I thought I took a look and saw that the characters on the front weren't on the side and I want to confirm this so I can create my own hypothesis.
p.s.
you're all great. I love that you all stayed strong through this theory of potential disinformation.
p. S. S. How do you post gifs?

https://twitter.com/ConnorEatsPants/status/1040744991176486912/photo/1

 

[Deleted member]

I hate This

 

[Geassguy]

Pretty much this is my take so far on the box stuff.

 

[Shadowknight1]

Imma gonna be honest. I don't get the box. The way it's arranged makes no sense. Why are the original 8 on the hypothetical opposite side along with, it seems, Zelda, Dr Mario, Bowser Jr, Diddy Kong, Ganondorf, Young Link, Dedede, Falco, Pichu, Mewtwo, Pokemon Trainer, Lucario, Lucas, Marth, Lucina, Ike, Robin, Game & Watch, Palutena, Sonic, Pac Man, Cloud, and Ryu? If they're trying to make the box like the website and having them in reveal order, I think they've failed horribly...