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

[EarlTamm]

He's not even a leaker.

Exactly. He has made sure to make that abundantly clear, yet that is still a common misconception that causes some issues.

 

[RetrogamerMax]

Nothing. He has no real information, and I don't trust leakers in most capacities.

I'm tired of hearing this Fatman is a leaker talk. Again: He is just a guy who speculates on what he hears and comes up with awesome deep minded theories from that observation. Though he use to be in Sabi's private discord, he isn't a leaker by any means. He does have contects though and he protects those contects and doesn't share any of their information to the community unless they allow him too.

 

[ChadTR]

I've decided to go back to my list from the previous page even though it was apparently met with general indifference XP (thanks for the like, Inoj!), fine-tune it and go down to 150 because what the heck, I was basically there already anyway, and man, this is fun. I corrected some glaring omissions (Sly Cooper, Ryu Hayabusa, Carmen Sandiego, Dirk the Daring, Sam Fisher - I should be ashamed of myself), included a few fan favorites (although I state my reservations when there are). I didn't include characters that I decidedly don't see work, like Ecco the Dolphin or such point'n'click characters as Roger Wilco, Gabriel Knight or George Stobbart. Also, the Goku rule remains enforced.

Overall this list feels much better to me, I believe it turned out quite well and I'm probably not going to touch it anymore. Once again, feel free to comment, criticize or just ignore again XP

So here are, according to me, myself and I, the top 150 pre-2005 video game characters that are or were iconic/popular enough at some point to justify a potential spot in Smash. What a mouthful of a title.

Spoiler: 1-25

1. Adol Christin (Ys, 1987, Falcolm)
2. Lara Croft (Tomb Raider, 1996, Eidos)
3. The Avatar (Ultima, 1981, Richard Garriott)
4. The Prince of Persia (Prince of Persia, 1989, Brøderbund)
5. Axel Stone (Bare Knuckle/Streets of Rage, 1991, Sega)
6. Doomguy (Doom, 1993, id Software)
7. Guybrush Threepwood (Monkey Island, 1990, LucasArts)
8. Gordon Freeman (Half-Life, 1998, Valve)
9. Terra Branford (Final Fantasy, 1994, Square)
10. Dr. Eggman (Sonic, 1991, Sega)
11. Rayman (Rayman, 1995, Ubisoft)
12. Dixie Kong (Donkey Kong, 1995, Nintendo/Rare)
13. Alex Kidd (Alex Kidd, 1986, Sega)
14. Joe Musashi (Shinobi, 1987, Sega)
15. Shantae (Shantae, 2002, WayForward/Capcom)
16. Blaze Fielding (Bare Knuckle/Streets of Rage, 1991, Sega)
17. Ryu Hayabusa (Ninja Gaiden, 1988, Tecmo)
18. Sir Graham (King’s Quest, 1984, Sierra)
19. Turrican (Turrican, 1990, Rainbow Arts)
20. Earthworm Jim (Earthworm Jim, 1994, Shiny Entertainment/Interplay)
21. Bub & Bob (Bubble Bobble/Puzzle Bobble, 1986/1994, Taito)
22. Kunio (Kunio-kun, 1986, Technos)
23. Q*Bert (Q*Bert, 1982, Gottlieb)
24. Chun-Li (Street Fighter, 1991, Capcom)
25. Worms (Worms, 1995, Team17)

Spoiler: 26-50

26. Sakura Shinguji (Sakura Wars, 1996, Sega)
27. PaRappa (PaRappa the Rapper, 1996, Sony)
28. Bill Rizer/Lance Bean (Contra, 1987, Konami)
29. M. Bison (Street Fighter, 1991, Capcom)
30. Crash Bandicoot (Crash Bandicoot, 1996, Sony)
31. Chris Blair (Wing Commander, 1990, Origin Systems) [not sure how he could be implemented, might require Captain Falcon-ing]
32. Dirk the Daring (Dragon’s Lair, 1983, Cinematronics)
33. Ryo Hazuki (Shenmue, 1999, Sega)
34. Alucard (Castlevania, 1989, Konami)
35. Master Chief (Halo, 2001, Bungie)
36. Garrett (Thief, 1998, Eidos)
37. Beat (Jet Set Radio, 2000, Sega)
38. Mach Rider (Mach Rider, 1985, Nintendo) [not sure how he could be implemented, might require Captain Falcon-ing]
39. Ryu (Breath of Fire, 1993, Capcom)
40. Ashley Riot (Vagrant Story, 2000, Square)
41. Sora (Kingdom Hearts, 2002, Square/Disney)
42. Cate Archer (No One Lives Forever, 2000, Monolith)
43. Isaac (Golden Sun, 2001, Nintendo)
44. Ray (Custom Robo, 1999, Nintendo)
45. Cecil Harvey (Final Fantasy, 1994, Square)
46. Sly Cooper (Sly Cooper, 2002, Sony)
47. Dante (Devil May Cry, 2001, Capcom)
48. Sephiroth (Final Fantasy, 1997, Square)
49. Edge (Panzer Dragoon, 1998, Sega) [not sure how he could be implemented, might require Captain Falcon-ing]
50. Haohmaru (Samurai Shodown, 1993, SNK)

Spoiler: 51-75

51. Kratos (God of War, 2005, Sony)
52. Sam Fisher (Tom Clancy’s Splinter Cell, 2002, Ubisoft)
53. Vault Dweller/Albert Cole (Fallout, 1997, Interplay)
54. Tex Murphy (Tex Murphy, 1989, Access Software)
55. Duke Nukem (Duke Nukem, 1991, Apogee/3D Realms)
56. Sarah Kerrigan (StarCraft, 1998, Blizzard)
57. Akuma (Street Fighter, 1994, Capcom)
58. Kain (Legacy of Kain, 1996, Silicon Knights/Crystal Dynamics)
59. Max Payne (Max Payne, 2001, Remedy Entertainment)
60. Heihachi Mishima (Tekken, 1994, Namco)
61. Twinsen (Little Big Adventure, 1995, Electronic Arts)
62. Carmen Sandiego (Carmen Sandiego, 1985, Brøderbund)
63. Klonoa (Klonoa, 1997, Namco)
64. Chris Redfield (Resident Evil, 1996, Capcom)
65. Conrad Hart (Flashback, 1992, Delphine Software)
66. Vyse (Skies of Arcadia, 2000, Sega)
67. JC Denton (Deus Ex, 2000, Eidos)
68. Carl “CJ” Johnson (Grand Theft Auto, 2004, Rockstar)
69. Knuckles (Sonic, 1994, Sega)
70. Commander Keen (Commander Keen, 1990, id Software/Apogee)
71. Nights (Night into Dreams, 1996, Sega)
72. Joanna Dark (Perfect Dark, 1999, 2000)
73. Ninten (Mother, 1989, Nintendo) [as a… sorta echo of Ness? Not sure he can be different enough]
74. Wonder Boy (Wonder Boy/Monster World series, 1989, Sega) [as featured in Wonder Boy III: The Dragon’s Trap]
75. Abe (Oddworld series, 1997, Oddworld) [not sure how he could be implemented]

Spoiler: 76-100

76. Crono (Chrono series, 1995, Square)
77. Serge (Chrono series, 1999, Square)
78. Siegfried/Nightmare (Soulcalibur, 1995, Namco)
79. Raziel (Legacy of Kain, 1999, Crystal Dynamics)
80. Kazuma Kiryu (Yakuza, 2005, Sega)
81. Sam & Max (Sam & Max, 1993, LucasArts)
82. Ayumi Tachibana (Famicom Tantei Club, 1988, Nintendo) [not sure how she could be implemented]
83. Zero (Mega Man, 1993, Capcom)
84. Phoenix Wright (Ace Attorney, 2001, Capcom) [not sure how he could be implemented]
85. Lloyd Irving (Tales, 2003, Namco)
86. Tir McDohl (Genso Suikoden, 1995, Konami)
87. Fei Fong Wong (Xeno series, 1998, Square)
88. Kane (Command & Conquer: Red Alert, 1996, Westwood) [not sure how he could be implemented]
89. Spyro (Spyro the Dragon, 1998, Sony)
90. Marco/Tarma/Eri/Fio (Metal Slug, 1996, SNK) [with alternate costumes there’s literally zero reason not to include them all]
91. Justin (Grandia, 1997, Game Arts/ESP, now D3)
92. Ratchet & Clank (Ratchet & Clank, 2002, Sony)
93. Aya Brea (Parasite Eve, 1998, Square)
94. Wander (Shadow of the Colossus, 2005, Sony)
95. Ranger (Quake, 1996, id Software)
96. Jill Valentine (Resident Evil, 1996, Capcom)
97. Geese Howard (Fatal Fury/King of Fighters, 1991, SNK)
98. Sir Daniel Fortesque (MediEvil, 1998, Sony)
99. Boogerman (Boogerman, 1994, Interplay)
100. Agent 47 (Hitman, 2000, Eidos)

Spoiler: 101-125

101. Tails (Sonic, 1992, Sega)
102. KOS-MOS (Xeno series, 2002, Namco)
103. Yoshimitsu (Tekken/Soulcalibur, 1994, Namco)
104. Thrall (WarCraft, 2002, Blizzard)
105. Kazuya Mishima (Tekken, 1994, Namco)
106. Captain Syrup (Wario, 1994, Nintendo)
107. Nakoruru (Samurai Shodown, 1993, SNK)
108. The Dungeon Keeper (Dungeon Keeper, 1997, Electronic Arts)
109. Lester Knight Chaykin (Another World/Out of This World, 1991, Delphine Software)
110. Viewtiful Joe (Viewtiful Joe, 2003, Capcom)
111. Kyo Kusanagi (The King of Fighters, 1994, SNK)
112. Metal Sonic (Sonic, 1993, Sega)
113. Squall Leonheart (Final Fantasy, 1999, Square)
114. Prisoner 849 (Unreal, 1998, Epic) [doesn’t have a fixed appearance in-game]
115. Geno (Mario, 1996, Square/Nintendo)
116. April Ryan (The Longest Journey, 1999, Funcom) [as featured in Dreamfall]
117. The Stranger (Oddworld, 2005, Oddworld)
118. Harry Mason/James Sunderland (Silent Hills, 1999, Konami) [characters don’t feel as iconic as the Resident Evil ones, except for the too gruesome Pyramid Head]
119. Alundra (Alundra, 1997, Sony)
120. Jazz Jackrabbit (Jazz Jackrabbit, 1994, Epic)
121. Sub-Zero (Mortal Kombat, 1992, Midway) [I know it’s low, but I feel like Mortal Kombat is overrated]
122. Jade (Beyond Good & Evil, 2003, Ubisoft)
123. Taki (Soulcalibur, 1995, Namco)
124. Shadow the Hedgehog (Sonic, 2001, Sega)
125. Leon S. Kennedy (Resident Evil, 1998, Capcom)

Spoiler: 126-150

126. Raiden (Metal Gear Solid, 2001, Konami)
127. Riki (Kunio-kun, 1989, Technos)
128. Sarah Bryant (Virtua Fighter, 1993, Sega)
129. The Master (ActRaiser, 1990, Enix)
130. [Mega Man] X (Mega Man, 1993, Capcom)
131. Andy (Heart of Darkness, 1998, Interplay/Infogrames)
132. Laharl (Disgaea, 2003, Nippon Ichi)
133. Erica Fontaine (Sakura Wars, 2001, Sega)
134. Zidane (Final Fantasy, 2000, Square)
135. Konoko/Mai Hasegawa (Oni, 2001, Bungie) [very obscure, but has a cult following]
136. Proto Man (Mega Man, 1990, Capcom)
137. Fayt Leingod (Star Ocean, 2003, Square)
138. Ben (Full Throttle, 1995, LucasArts)
139. The Commander (Total Annihilation, 1997, GT Interactive)
140. Claire Redfield (Resident Evil, 1998, Capcom)
141. AiAi (Super Monkey Ball, 2001, Sega)
142. Commandos (Commandos, 1998, Eidos)
143. Soma Cruz (Castlevania, 2003, Konami)
144. Rayne (BloodRayne, 2002, Terminal Reality)
145. Raiden (Mortal Kombat, 1992, Midway)
146. Rau Utu (The Mark of Kri, 2002, Sony)
147. Nikki/Fargus (Pandemonium!, 1996, Crystal Dynamics) [not sure if one can be chosen over the other]
148. Starfy (The Legendary Starfy, 2002, Nintendo) [not sure how he could be implemented]
149. Sam “Serious” Stone (Serious Sam, 2001, Croteam)
150. Zeke/Julie (Zombies Ate My Neighbors, 1993, LucasArts/Konami)

 

[Moderately obsessed]

I haven't played the Apple Arcade Shantae, but is it enough Game to validate it only being 2 parts? Like, is the Apple Arcade bit half the game?

 

[Dukefire]

I haven't played the Apple Arcade Shantae, but is it enough Game to validate it only being 2 parts? Like, is the Apple Arcade bit half the game?

More like 1/4 of the game since its only up to 2 Sirens and unknown fate in the submarine.

 

[meleebrawler]

As my mind often turns to a Mario & Shantae universe crossover, I suddenly happened upon what could be another fun idea for a spin-off; a real-time (competitive) strategy game starring villainous groups in both: Bowser's Koopa Troop, Risky's Tinkerbat Crew, K. Rool's Kremling Kutthroats, and Ammo Baron's Army. Each having their own strengths, weaknesses and specialties in things like terrain, troop & building/vehicle quality. There can also be a twist in most vehicles having chances for mechanical failure, depending on who uses or builds them.

- The Koopa Troop has a solid balance in both the strength and diversity of it's troops, as well as it's vehicles, however being made out of wood makes most of them less sturdy than others (but also cheaper to develop), and the troops operating them can be a bit clumsy. They do have somewhat of an edge in air superiority with their number of airships and troops with innate flying capability.

- The Tinkerbats are exceptional engineers and pilots, with their vehicles having very little chance of failure, on top of being above average in quality. Unfortunately, they themselves are very weak and easily defeated, though they can sometimes overwhelm enemies with sheer numbers. Fitting for pirates, they have an edge in naval combat.

- The Kremling Kutthroat's troops are just as adaptable as the Koopas, but even tougher to beat. The stuff they build is potentially devastatingly powerful too... unfortunately they're such inept builders that their stuff fails more often than any other. Equally proficient on land and sea.

- The Ammo Baron troops are the some of the strongest there is, as are the tanks and other vehicles they can build and pilot, but not only are they all expensive to develop, they don't have much in the way of diversity, mostly just trying to win through sheer firepower. Proficient on land and in the air, but especially land.

It would also be possible for two factions to team up, allowing for some tactics like applying the Tinkerbat's expertise to mitigate the sloppy build of the Kremling's powerful tech.

 

[TOY the Gamer]

#DeadThread

 

[Sunny-Zee]

#DeadThread

Don’t make me bring out the Boss Rage quotes and music.

 

[meleebrawler]

You all spent so much time speculating and praying for answers on Seven Siren's status, and now you ask "what do we do now?".

What I do, is take advantage of the blank slate of info we have to come up with your own scenarios, before reality hits you with something you do not envision. That game synopsis I wrote up was an extension of a larger adventure the Mario Bros. and Shantae (+ friends?) embark on. It doesn't matter if it ever comes true or not; it's just fun for me to do.

 

[Shinuto]

I like to think the Pop Funko April release, with the now confirmed spring (i.e Aprils fits into Spring) release window means Shantae revealed as first post fighter pass character.

 

[TOY the Gamer]

I have some fun scenarios, but I don't really share them unless they're with my closest friends.

 

[SoupCanMafia]

For some reason, I'd love to see a Wario v. Shantae kind of game, and like they'd be sort of two different kind of games following different plots, or two games in one.

With Wario's Story, it'd mainly be about Wario's journey into Sequin Land, chasing after the Tinkerbats after they stole his treasures, of which the most important being Wario's Motorcycle. Along the way, he clashes with Shantae and her friends. Whenever he saves a Genie, instead of being taught a dance, he gains a trinket that'd allow him to jump higher, climb up walls, among other things since there was a hole in the bag and some of his treasures fall out. Either that or he'd have a way of using his Wario Land 3 forms without needing to be touched by an enemy. It'd end with Risky Boots mutilating Wario's bike and trying to make a more compact Tinkertank contraption with it. Unfortunately, she gets blown sky high by Wario for her troubles, as he reclaims his treasures and the remains of his bike.

With Shantae's Story, it'd be sort of like Wario Land 1, for the most part, though intermixed with Risky's Revenge and Pirate's Curse. On the odd occasion, Wario comes in and seeing the money she has, goes onto the attack. As for how she would be powered up, I could imagine some pixies being freed from the odd bottles some of the Brown/Black Sugar Gang keep on them, which could give her either transformation or straight-up magical abilities, like a flying leap or a super powered lightning laser. Perhaps Waluigi would come in to help Wario on occasion. Shantae's story would end with a confrontation of Syrup in what would essentially be a Dr. Wily-type boss fight using her magic as a sort of battery unit, using multiple contraptions to fight a mainly at this point Human Shantae, before the batteries burst, giving Shantae back her magic powers and allowing her to send Syrup to the drink.

At least that's how I'd see it work out.

 

[MeteoRain]

I swear every second gets slower the longer it takes for that fighter pack 5 to get revealed.

 

[ChadTR]

For some reason, I'd love to see a Wario v. Shantae kind of game, and like they'd be sort of two different kind of games following different plots, or two games in one.

With Wario's Story, it'd mainly be about Wario's journey into Sequin Land, chasing after the Tinkerbats after they stole his treasures, of which the most important being Wario's Motorcycle. Along the way, he clashes with Shantae and her friends. Whenever he saves a Genie, instead of being taught a dance, he gains a trinket that'd allow him to jump higher, climb up walls, among other things since there was a hole in the bag and some of his treasures fall out. Either that or he'd have a way of using his Wario Land 3 forms without needing to be touched by an enemy. It'd end with Risky Boots mutilating Wario's bike and trying to make a more compact Tinkertank contraption with it. Unfortunately, she gets blown sky high by Wario for her troubles, as he reclaims his treasures and the remains of his bike.

With Shantae's Story, it'd be sort of like Wario Land 1, for the most part, though intermixed with Risky's Revenge and Pirate's Curse. On the odd occasion, Wario comes in and seeing the money she has, goes onto the attack. As for how she would be powered up, I could imagine some pixies being freed from the odd bottles some of the Brown/Black Sugar Gang keep on them, which could give her either transformation or straight-up magical abilities, like a flying leap or a super powered lightning laser. Perhaps Waluigi would come in to help Wario on occasion. Shantae's story would end with a confrontation of Syrup in what would essentially be a Dr. Wily-type boss fight using her magic as a sort of battery unit, using multiple contraptions to fight a mainly at this point Human Shantae, before the batteries burst, giving Shantae back her magic powers and allowing her to send Syrup to the drink.

At least that's how I'd see it work out.

Basically a remake of the first Shantae and Wario games but with main characters swapped, right? Me I would like a more integrated story, with Shantae and her friends being forced to collaborate with an insufferable Wario, with Rottytops actually finding him entertaining and a clueless Bolo being completely manipulated by Wario, looking up to him as a sort of "veteran treasure searcher" or something. On the baddie end, Risky Boots and Captain Syrup would be forced to collaborate while constantly trying to one-up or betray each other, only to be forced to continue working together because of Shantae and Wario's progression. There's potential for some fantastic comedic writing there.

In terms of gameplay, Shantae and Wario would have several transformations each, and as such the dungeons and outdoors would feature areas only accessible to either of them, in a way that would make them a complementary team. All of this would make a fairly good and colourful metroidvania IMO.

In my list above, I realize I forgot to put in Reimu Hakurei. I have a bit of trouble processing her, as I had never heard of her before Smash speculation brought her in the spotlight, and as such I'm only discovering now that she was created in 1997. Oh well, whatever.

 

[SoupCanMafia]

Basically a remake of the first Shantae and Wario games but with main characters swapped, right? Me I would like a more integrated story, with Shantae and her friends being forced to collaborate with an insufferable Wario, with Rottytops actually finding him entertaining and a clueless Bolo being completely manipulated by Wario, looking up to him as a sort of "veteran treasure searcher" or something. On the baddie end, Risky Boots and Captain Syrup would be forced to collaborate while constantly trying to one-up or betray each other, only to be forced to continue working together because of Shantae and Wario's progression. There's potential for some fantastic comedic writing there.

In terms of gameplay, Shantae and Wario would have several transformations each, and as such the dungeons and outdoors would feature areas only accessible to either of them, in a way that would make them a complementary team. All of this would make a fairly good and colourful metroidvania IMO.

In my list above, I realize I forgot to put in Reimu Hakurei. I have a bit of trouble processing her, as I had never heard of her before Smash speculation brought her in the spotlight, and as such I'm only discovering now that she was created in 1997. Oh well, whatever.

Yeah, essentially that, though actually in a cohesive unit, instead of distilled unit(s).

Another little thing I've been entertaining is the difference in terms of Arms Race the Brown Sugar Gang and the Tinkerbats engage in. In that the BSG are able to develop technologies on the fly primarily of the robotic/engineering variety while the Tinkerbats are experts with weaponry and weaponry platforms.

 

[meleebrawler]

I can't really see a team-up of any sort between Syrup and Risky, their goals are just too different. Risky may loot and pillage, but it's a means to an end. Syrup does it for it's own sake, only interested in hoarding as much money as possible. She's also much more cowardly and avoids direct confrontation whenever possible. And she really isn't that interested in making Wario dead, so even if she did find herself in an alliance, chances are she'd just nick some treasure and bolt at the first opportunity.

This also ties into making it difficult for her to pose credible animosity to Shantae for a whole game. Because her sole motivation is greed for treasure, and Sequin Land doesn't have a lot of that in obvious places. Only Wario is petty and obsessed enough with the same stuff to be willing to go through hell and back to catch her.

 

[Morning Raven]

I dont know which Shantae crossover I'd want most for a full game, but I'd love for a set of amiibo based characters for Animal Crossing.

With Shantae as a peppy monkey.
Wrench as a smug eagle.
(Squid) Baron as an octopus
And maybe the chef's dog or the zombie hamster.
Not sure on the latter personalities, I could see Squid Baron being smug or lazy. The zombie hamster would probably be a jock since it never has to stop running.

Shantae would offer furniture based on general series stuff. Wrench would offer Scuttle Town and Skye/Mimic things. Squid Baron would offer Risky and dungeon based furniture in design. The zombie hamster would have zombie caravan and other creepier overworld items. And then the dog would round out general stuff and allow for more Genie stuff from Shantae.

All would offer Shantae based costumes, while Squid Baron would include most of the Risky clothing. This assuming there's some system like ordering furniture through the RV camping again.

 

[Lamperouge]

#DeadThread

Branch out a bit.

Character support threads are typically never that active without substantial updates to keep discussion fresh, anyway. I'm a huge supporter of Shantae but I rarely feel the need to post here because the same points and theories are repeated time and time again.

 

[MeteoRain]

With Shantae as a peppy monkey.

So, dancing Dixie Kong? I definitely see the monkey being a go to choice among transformations because of how consistent it has been in the series.

Anyways, an oddball choice having nothing to do with transformations would be making her a cat because of her crouching animation. Just give her a big bushy tail like her human ponytail.

Another would be an animal that is known to dance. From what little I know off the top of my head, that's mostly birds.

 

[TOY the Gamer]

One crossover I would like to see would be a Shantae X Sonic the Hedgehog game.

Sonic has experience with genies thanks to Secret Rings, and I think his chemistry (friendship, just to clear that up) with Shantae would actually be both cute and kinda interesting to see play out. Heck, I can already see characters like Tails and Sky getting along pretty fine. Knuckles and Bolo also make sense as a duo. Amy and Rottytops would be the shakiest one, on account they're barely similar to one another.

Plot would be that Eggman has recruited the help of Risky Boots by means of Shantae sending her to Sonic's world (unknowingly) with some new magic she learned in an effort to end the conflict with her once and for all. After about three days, Shantae feels a disturbance in her soul. She feels in her heart that Risky is still at large, but in a different world. She realizes her new magic created a much bigger problem than it solved. To set things right, her and her friends travel to this unknown world that she banished Risky and her crew to (via the same magic that sent Risky there).

They find Risky soon after (probably after an introduction level), but something is off. Shantae looks around and notices the Tinkerbats have been... upgraded. The scrawny little drones are now beefed up with metal armor and even some weapons. Shantae tries to whip them senseless, but the Tinkerbats are stronger than before. If matters couldn't get any worse, Eggman shows up with an army of new, menacing, pirate-themed robots (Risky's idea). Shantae and her friends give it their all before crashing on their knees from exhaustion. Before Eggman and Risky can claim their victory, a sonic boom could be heard from behind them. Rushing towards them is none other than Sonic the Hedgehog. He makes short work or both the robots and tinkerbats. Shantae is taken back a little bit, but she rises to her feet thanks to Sonic buying her and her friends time.

An epic battle then ensues between the Blue Blur and the two collaborating villains. Sonic emerges victorious and sends both Eggman and Risky retreating. Shantae and her friends are wowed by his sheer speed and unique abilities. Most of all, Shantae is taken back that a boy did that. Normally I wouldn't touch on this, but given Matt's comments about how Shantae's world is predominantly ran by women while the men are "stupid", this would come as a shock to her. Sonic leads them to his where him and his friends normally hang out, where they all get to know each other. Sonic tells Shantae all about Eggman, while she tells him all about Risky. Knowing what they're both capable of doing on their own, let alone together, the two groups work together to help stop the Robotic Genius and the Queen of the Seven Seas from taking over Sonic's world.

Most of the story would take place in brand new stages to the Sonic universe, except for maybe one returning location (Green Hill, since it's the most iconic). There'd be 8 playable characters (Sonic, Shantae, Tails, Sky, Knuckles, Bolo, Amy, and Rottytops), each with different abilities. Gameplay would be a mix of Metroidvania and "Speed Platforming". Shantae would also learn new transformations that would be similar to how Sonic's species appear. Sonic can also receive buffs from Shantae's magic.

I know it's rough, but what do y'all think? Would you be down for this?

 

[Sysreq]

One crossover I would like to see would be a Shantae X Sonic the Hedgehog game.

Sonic has experience with genies thanks to Secret Rings, and I think his chemistry (friendship, just to clear that up) with Shantae would actually be both cute and kinda interesting to see play out. Heck, I can already see characters like Tails and Sky getting along pretty fine. Knuckles and Bolo also make sense as a duo. Amy and Rottytops would be the shakiest one, on account they're barely similar to one another.

Plot would be that Eggman has recruited the help of Risky Boots by means of Shantae sending her to Sonic's world (unknowingly) with some new magic she learned in an effort to end the conflict with her once and for all. After about three days, Shantae feels a disturbance in her soul. She feels in her heart that Risky is still at large, but in a different world. She realizes her new magic created a much bigger problem than it solved. To set things right, her and her friends travel to this unknown world that she banished Risky and her crew to (via the same magic that sent Risky there).

They find Risky soon after (probably after an introduction level), but something is off. Shantae looks around and notices the Tinkerbats have been... upgraded. The scrawny little drones are now beefed up with metal armor and even some weapons. Shantae tries to whip them senseless, but the Tinkerbats are stronger than before. If matters couldn't get any worse, Eggman shows up with an army of new, menacing, pirate-themed robots (Risky's idea). Shantae and her friends give it their all before crashing on their knees from exhaustion. Before Eggman and Risky can claim their victory, a sonic boom could be heard from behind them. Rushing towards them is none other than Sonic the Hedgehog. He makes short work or both the robots and tinkerbats. Shantae is taken back a little bit, but she rises to her feet thanks to Sonic buying her and her friends time.

An epic battle then ensues between the Blue Blur and the two collaborating villains. Sonic emerges victorious and sends both Eggman and Risky retreating. Shantae and her friends are wowed by his sheer speed and unique abilities. Most of all, Shantae is taken back that a boy did that. Normally I wouldn't touch on this, but given Matt's comments about how Shantae's world is predominantly ran by women while the men are "stupid", this would come as a shock to her. Sonic leads them to his where him and his friends normally hang out, where they all get to know each other. Sonic tells Shantae all about Eggman, while she tells him all about Risky. Knowing what they're both capable of doing on their own, let alone together, the two groups work together to help stop the Robotic Genius and the Queen of the Seven Seas from taking over Sonic's world.

Most of the story would take place in brand new stages to the Sonic universe, except for maybe one returning location (Green Hill, since it's the most iconic). There'd be 8 playable characters (Sonic, Shantae, Tails, Sky, Knuckles, Bolo, Amy, and Rottytops), each with different abilities. Gameplay would be a mix of Metroidvania and "Speed Platforming". Shantae would also learn new transformations that would be similar to how Sonic's species appear. Sonic can also receive buffs from Shantae's magic.

I know it's rough, but what do y'all think? Would you be down for this?

Interestingly enough, there are mods for Sonic Mania and Sonic Generations to make Shantae playable.

 

[TOY the Gamer]

Interestingly enough, there are mods for Sonic Mania and Sonic Generations to make Shantae playable.

Yeah, but they look cheap.

 

[meleebrawler]

One crossover I would like to see would be a Shantae X Sonic the Hedgehog game.

Sonic has experience with genies thanks to Secret Rings, and I think his chemistry (friendship, just to clear that up) with Shantae would actually be both cute and kinda interesting to see play out. Heck, I can already see characters like Tails and Sky getting along pretty fine. Knuckles and Bolo also make sense as a duo. Amy and Rottytops would be the shakiest one, on account they're barely similar to one another.

Plot would be that Eggman has recruited the help of Risky Boots by means of Shantae sending her to Sonic's world (unknowingly) with some new magic she learned in an effort to end the conflict with her once and for all. After about three days, Shantae feels a disturbance in her soul. She feels in her heart that Risky is still at large, but in a different world. She realizes her new magic created a much bigger problem than it solved. To set things right, her and her friends travel to this unknown world that she banished Risky and her crew to (via the same magic that sent Risky there).

They find Risky soon after (probably after an introduction level), but something is off. Shantae looks around and notices the Tinkerbats have been... upgraded. The scrawny little drones are now beefed up with metal armor and even some weapons. Shantae tries to whip them senseless, but the Tinkerbats are stronger than before. If matters couldn't get any worse, Eggman shows up with an army of new, menacing, pirate-themed robots (Risky's idea). Shantae and her friends give it their all before crashing on their knees from exhaustion. Before Eggman and Risky can claim their victory, a sonic boom could be heard from behind them. Rushing towards them is none other than Sonic the Hedgehog. He makes short work or both the robots and tinkerbats. Shantae is taken back a little bit, but she rises to her feet thanks to Sonic buying her and her friends time.

An epic battle then ensues between the Blue Blur and the two collaborating villains. Sonic emerges victorious and sends both Eggman and Risky retreating. Shantae and her friends are wowed by his sheer speed and unique abilities. Most of all, Shantae is taken back that a boy did that. Normally I wouldn't touch on this, but given Matt's comments about how Shantae's world is predominantly ran by women while the men are "stupid", this would come as a shock to her. Sonic leads them to his where him and his friends normally hang out, where they all get to know each other. Sonic tells Shantae all about Eggman, while she tells him all about Risky. Knowing what they're both capable of doing on their own, let alone together, the two groups work together to help stop the Robotic Genius and the Queen of the Seven Seas from taking over Sonic's world.

Most of the story would take place in brand new stages to the Sonic universe, except for maybe one returning location (Green Hill, since it's the most iconic). There'd be 8 playable characters (Sonic, Shantae, Tails, Sky, Knuckles, Bolo, Amy, and Rottytops), each with different abilities. Gameplay would be a mix of Metroidvania and "Speed Platforming". Shantae would also learn new transformations that would be similar to how Sonic's species appear. Sonic can also receive buffs from Shantae's magic.

I know it's rough, but what do y'all think? Would you be down for this?

This plot sounds eerily similar to Sonic Rush Adventure, only somehow cringier than Marine. Abner and that warrior guy in Pirate's Curse object to males being largely useless, and so does Ammo Baron plus his troops despite being villainous; he's genuinely a competent opponent.

 

[TOY the Gamer]

This plot sounds eerily similar to Sonic Rush Adventure, only somehow cringier than Marine. Abner and that warrior guy in Pirate's Curse object to males being largely useless, and so does Ammo Baron plus his troops despite being villainous; he's genuinely a competent opponent.

I was just going off Matt's interview with The Mary Sue from 2015. He hasn't had a new one since.

 

[ChadTR]

This little list is a coda to my project above. When you reach 150 characters, you want to know if you can do 200, and this unreasonable endeavour is now rounded out with this list of 50 unranked retro characters that, if I had time and motivation, could for a few have easily featured in my top 150 pre-2005 characters that could have been in Smash from above, if I had remembered them before. The biggest goof being Bomberman - his appearance as an assist trophy in the game just made me take him for granted or something and I forgot to include him. Also Impa I guess. I included Risky Boots, because when the list becomes that long, I think she definitely becomes legit - we all know that like Shantae, her moveset writes itself. I've been trying to find visual novel characters that could work, but I confess that I was unable to. Some characters have notes to justify why IMO they would be at least a bit legit.

Spoiler: 50 more pre-2005 characters

Akira Yuki (Virtua Fighter, 1993, Sega)
Alyx Vance (Half-Life, 2004, Valve)
Amy Rose (Sonic, 1993, Sega)
Andy/Ryo (Advance Wars, 2001, Nintendo)
Arle Nadja (Madō Monogatari/Puyo Puyo, 1990/1991, Compile) [big in Japan]
Arthas Menethil (WarCraft, 2002, Blizzard)
Ashley (WarioWare, 2004, Nintendo)
Bass (Mega Man, 1995, Capcom)
Blaze the Cat (Sonic, 2005, Sega)
Bomb Jack (Bomb Jack, 1984, Tecmo)
Bomberman (Bomberman, 1983, Hudson)
Bubsy (Bubsy, 1993, Accolade)
Caleb (Blood, 1997, Monolith) [big in Europe]
Conker (Conker, 1999, Rare)
Corvus (Heretic/HeXen, 1994, Raven/id Software) [big in Europe]
Croc (Croc, 1997, Fox)
Dana (Solomon’s Key, 1986, Tecmo)
Denam Pavel (Ogre, 1995, Quest) [big in Japan]
Edward Carnby (Alone in the Dark, 1992, Infogrames)
Faris Scherwiz (Final Fantasy, 1992, Square)
Gabriel Logan (Syphon Filter, 1999, Eidetic/Sony)
Gunstar Red & Gunstar Blue (Gunstar Heroes, 1993, Sega)
Impa (Zelda, 1998, Nintendo)
Iori Yagami (The King of Fighters, 1995, SNK)
Jody Summer (F-Zero, 1998, Nintendo)
Jonathan Ingram (Policenauts, 1994, Konami)
Kasumi (Dead or Alive, 1996, Tecmo)
Klaymen (The Neverhood, 1996, DreamWorks)
Krystal (Star Fox, 2002, Rare/Nintendo)
LeChuck (Monkey Island, 1990, LucasArts)
Lenneth (Valkyrie Profile, 1999, Enix)
Lip (Panel de Pon, 1995, Nintendo)
Marshal James Anderson (Outlaws, 1997, LucasArts) [cult following]
Meryl Silverburgh (Policenauts/Metal Gear Solid, 1994/1998, Konami)
Monster Max (Monster Max, 1994, Rare)
Morrigan Aensland (Darkstalkers, 1994, Capcom)
Nina Williams (Tekken, 1994, Namco)
Plok (Plok, 1993, Software Creations)
Reimu Hakurei (Touhou Project, 1997, Team Shanghai Alice) [big in Japan]
Risky Boots (Shantae, 2002, WayForward/Capcom)
Rudy Roughknight (Wild Arms, 1996, Sony) [big in Japan]
Samurai Goroh (F-Zero, 1990, Nintendo)
Scorpion (Mortal Kombat, 1992, Midway)
Sengoku Manjimaru (Tengai Makyo II: Manji Maru, 1992, Hudson) [big in Japan]
Sir Arthur (Ghosts ‘n Goblins, 1985, Capcom)
Tifa Lockhart (Final Fantasy, 1997, Square)
Toad (Mario, 1995, Nintendo)
Tron Bonne (Mega Man, 1997, Capcom)
Vectorman (Vectorman, 1995, Sega)
Yuna (Final Fantasy, 2001, Square) [as featured in FFX-2]

And now I'm going to stop. Sorry for bothering you with that, but this little project was too much fun.

Hopefully final little edit: replaced Sho Kurosawa (Faselei!, who was definitely filler anyway) with the more iconic Faris Scherwiz (FFV is bigger in Japan than in the West).

 

[meleebrawler]

I was just going off Matt's interview with The Mary Sue from 2015. He hasn't had a new one since.

It's just a joke in poor taste, not to mention out of character as Shantae has never expressed such sentiment. Sky did once, but only in the heat of the moment, plus it's in her nature to be snarky and cranky.

If you look at most of Wayforward's games, the female view is really not limited to Shantae... It's not a series thing. It's a Matt thing.

 

[TOY the Gamer]

It's just a joke in poor taste, not to mention out of character as Shantae has never expressed such sentiment. Sky did once, but only in the heat of the moment, plus it's in her nature to be snarky and cranky.

If you look at most of Wayforward's games, the female view is really not limited to Shantae... It's not a series thing. It's a Matt thing.

I didn't mean to offend anybody. I just get tired sometimes of seeing most of the "hero-aligned" males being stupid for more than half the time. I just want Shantae to run across a male hero that's competent and not a buffoon for once.

Heck, even the whole "all half-genies are female and none of them are male" thing bothers me. There's no way, not even with genie magic, that there wasn't at least one male half-genie born somewhere in Sequin Land.

 

[meleebrawler]

I didn't mean to offend anybody. I just get tired sometimes of seeing most of the "hero-aligned" males being stupid for more than half the time. I just want Shantae to run across a male hero that's competent and not a buffoon for once.

Heck, even the whole "all half-genies are female and none of them are male" thing bothers me. There's no way, not even with genie magic, that there wasn't at least one male half-genie born somewhere in Sequin Land.

That Sonic Boom Knuckles feminism speech gag feels pretty appropriate here... Drawing attention to Sonic's status as a competent male just further reinforces the notion of males being inferior to females solely on the basis of gender.

Sonic is a blue, hypersonic anthropomorphic hedgehog, a creature the likes of which Shantae has never seen before, and the thing that is supposed to be most striking about him here is his gender?

There's no grand conspiracy to why gender works the way it does in most Wayforward games. It's just the whim of it's developers.

 

[TOY the Gamer]

That Sonic Boom Knuckles feminism speech gag feels pretty appropriate here... Drawing attention to Sonic's status as a competent male just further reinforces the notion of males being inferior to females solely on the basis of gender.

Sonic is a blue, hypersonic anthropomorphic hedgehog, a creature the likes of which Shantae has never seen before, and the thing that is supposed to be most striking about him here is his gender?

There's no grand conspiracy to why gender works the way it does in most Wayforward games. It's just the whim of it's developers.

You know what? Forget I even mentioned that bit.

 

[zferolie]

Ok so... has anyone else gotten their limited run special edition yet? I ordered and paid for it back in august... and i still dont have it. I have sent a few tickets too and no answer either...

 

[WingedSupernova]

Ok so... has anyone else gotten their limited run special edition yet? I ordered and paid for it back in august... and i still dont have it. I have sent a few tickets too and no answer either...

I got the Switch one with the soundtrack and a foil card a couple weeks ago. I don't think I got a shipping notification or anything it just showed up.

 

[Inoj]

Still waiting for my copy. Then again international shipping takes a while.

t. Forest Mongol

 

[LaBeteNoire]

Man, the Game Awards seriously killed the rumor mill. I can't remember the last time things have been this slow around here or the rest of the Smash Speculation scene.

 

[Lamperouge]

I'm still waiting for LRG to ship my copy of Gunvolt Chronicles: Luminous Avenger iX. Not too happy with how long the process is taking since I paid for it back in September and haven't received a single update on its status.

 

[meleebrawler]

Man, the Game Awards seriously killed the rumor mill. I can't remember the last time things have been this slow around here or the rest of the Smash Speculation scene.

It's the holidays. Can't we all just take a little break from all the theorizing of both the leaker-generated and private kind?

 

[Dukefire]

It is not the best time to speculate after the storm passed recently.

Cause remember what happened to a lot of people at the VGA.....

Spoiler: Everyone Loses

 

[Morning Raven]

Been busy, checking in.

So, dancing Dixie Kong? I definitely see the monkey being a go to choice among transformations because of how consistent it has been in the series.

Anyways, an oddball choice having nothing to do with transformations would be making her a cat because of her crouching animation. Just give her a big bushy tail like her human ponytail.

Another would be an animal that is known to dance. From what little I know off the top of my head, that's mostly birds.

I know you're just having fun, but the cameo characters that joined Animal Crossing from other games all were based on animals from said games. They're based off of canon.

I don't know Splatoon well enough to know who gets used other than two existing being reworked into squirrels.

But Zelda villagers use W. Link (wolf), Epona (horse), Medli (bird, from a Rito), and Ganon (pig). Ganon specifically not Ganondorf, as it's the monster pig form inspired, not the human warlock. Wolf Link as that's an animal form of Link taking a major place in one game. They're all based off canon stuff (albeit with more options for 'major' animal characters).

So since monkey is the default transformation iconic for Shantae, first one gained and mentioned twice in Seven Sirens, she gets monkey form. And it would be AC style with a new texture/coloring to look like her. Purple fur and the circlet.

Spoiler: Monkey example, recolor this thing

Though if I did transform the humans into animals, then Shantae would take that cat option over the bird as Skye would get changed into a bird.

One crossover I would like to see would be a Shantae X Sonic the Hedgehog game.

Sonic has experience with genies thanks to Secret Rings, and I think his chemistry (friendship, just to clear that up) with Shantae would actually be both cute and kinda interesting to see play out. Heck, I can already see characters like Tails and Sky getting along pretty fine. Knuckles and Bolo also make sense as a duo. Amy and Rottytops would be the shakiest one, on account they're barely similar to one another.

Plot would be that Eggman has recruited the help of Risky Boots by means of Shantae sending her to Sonic's world (unknowingly) with some new magic she learned in an effort to end the conflict with her once and for all. After about three days, Shantae feels a disturbance in her soul. She feels in her heart that Risky is still at large, but in a different world. She realizes her new magic created a much bigger problem than it solved. To set things right, her and her friends travel to this unknown world that she banished Risky and her crew to (via the same magic that sent Risky there).

They find Risky soon after (probably after an introduction level), but something is off. Shantae looks around and notices the Tinkerbats have been... upgraded. The scrawny little drones are now beefed up with metal armor and even some weapons. Shantae tries to whip them senseless, but the Tinkerbats are stronger than before. If matters couldn't get any worse, Eggman shows up with an army of new, menacing, pirate-themed robots (Risky's idea). Shantae and her friends give it their all before crashing on their knees from exhaustion. Before Eggman and Risky can claim their victory, a sonic boom could be heard from behind them. Rushing towards them is none other than Sonic the Hedgehog. He makes short work or both the robots and tinkerbats. Shantae is taken back a little bit, but she rises to her feet thanks to Sonic buying her and her friends time.

An epic battle then ensues between the Blue Blur and the two collaborating villains. Sonic emerges victorious and sends both Eggman and Risky retreating. Shantae and her friends are wowed by his sheer speed and unique abilities. Most of all, Shantae is taken back that a boy did that. Normally I wouldn't touch on this, but given Matt's comments about how Shantae's world is predominantly ran by women while the men are "stupid", this would come as a shock to her. Sonic leads them to his where him and his friends normally hang out, where they all get to know each other. Sonic tells Shantae all about Eggman, while she tells him all about Risky. Knowing what they're both capable of doing on their own, let alone together, the two groups work together to help stop the Robotic Genius and the Queen of the Seven Seas from taking over Sonic's world.

Most of the story would take place in brand new stages to the Sonic universe, except for maybe one returning location (Green Hill, since it's the most iconic). There'd be 8 playable characters (Sonic, Shantae, Tails, Sky, Knuckles, Bolo, Amy, and Rottytops), each with different abilities. Gameplay would be a mix of Metroidvania and "Speed Platforming". Shantae would also learn new transformations that would be similar to how Sonic's species appear. Sonic can also receive buffs from Shantae's magic.

I know it's rough, but what do y'all think? Would you be down for this?

Basic concept seems fun. I did actually think of Sonic Rush Adventure myself since the enemy is a pirate robot guy. Makes me miss Blaze a lot too. She also is Sonic speed with Shantae mcguffin searching with the Sol Emeralds.

The friend pairing makes sense. Other than I see Tails hanging out with Mimic more. Amy and Rotty are both energetic characters chasing the main character (at least traditionally. Modern Amy is toned down and I could also see hanging out with Skye).

My problem more so comes from preferring the strong, stoic if socially awkward and quick tempered Knuckles than the dumb butch style of writing him. I like Sonic Boom as a whole, but I've never preferred that Knuckles. Plus he doesn't need to be so much taller. But I feel similarly to how I prefer Raphael written from the Ninja Turtles as well.

But you're making a cross over with a treasure seeking pirate and fan service babes, and not include Rouge somewhere? I feel like that's a missed opportunity.

But concept is fine. Gameplay would need more time to thoroughly plan out.

You know what? Forget I even mentioned that bit.

You're allowed to be tired of dumb male heroes. (See my previous comment on Knuckles) It's an old trope. It just should be something more shown than told.

 

[TOY the Gamer]

But you're making a cross over with a treasure seeking pirate and fan service babes, and not include Rouge somewhere? I feel like that's a missed opportunity.

It's not out of the question. I can see her being like a mini-boss.

The friend pairing makes sense. Other than I see Tails hanging out with Mimic more. Amy and Rotty are both energetic characters chasing the main character (at least traditionally. Modern Amy is toned down and I could also see hanging out with Skye).

In regards to Rottytops chasing Shantae the same way Amy chases Sonic:
I personally don't think she's doing it for love. If anything, Rotty is just being clingy because Shantae is the only non-zombie person that's ever offered friendship towards her. Not every friendship has to lead to romance (it's why shipping can bother me more often than not, even though I'm guilty of it as well).

 

[MeteoRain]

I know you're just having fun, but the cameo characters that joined Animal Crossing from other games all were based on animals from said games. They're based off of canon.

I wouldn't know, I posted that one out of boredom and reminding everyone I'm still here.

 

[SoupCanMafia]

When the guys mentioned "Rumor Mill", I instantly thought up of the friggin' Gaither's Pond clip.

This was a guy who took a Saberspark clip from Gaither's Pond, clipped it down to the Retraction part, then posted the 10 second clip.
Sorry it isn't Shantae, but the well's dry, both on Seven Sirens and Smash Ultimate.