Official Smash Ultimate Discussion

[Guybrush20X6]

The previous games only had 1 character get promoted from assist to full fighter (Charizard from Pokeball and Little Mac from Assist Trophy) but I think there's a lot of characters with potential to make the jump. Heck, Inklings are an example in and off themselves having come from mii costumes.

The likley candidates (above 45% likelihood) IMO are

Assist

• Waluigi
• Lyn
• Isaac
• Samurai Goroh
• Dark Samus
• Dillon
• Midna

Costumes

• Heihachi
• Chrom
• Black Knight
• King K. Rool
• Geno
• Toad

Both

• Isabelle
• Ashley
• Skull Kid
• Takamaru

 

[Nekoo]

>People arguing that anyone else have the star power of Cloud/Ryu/Sonic/Pac-man
>Or that they're in the same situation as Cloud

If Banjo made in. He should be compared to MegaMan. Forgotten Star of his system. But not mother****ing Cloud Strife...
Are people that unconscious, or do they don't realize the impact of FFVII on the world? Just look how long EVERYONE screamed for a FFVII remake and how EVERYONE DID lose their **** when it was announced.

Do you really think someone who doesn't play games is going to drop money on a console and a game just to play as a single character from a TV show they like? That might be what commercials want you to think, but no one is just going to suddenly buy a console and a game out of the blue unless they're rich. That's not even about Smash or thinking it's purely to appeal to gamers, that's just common sense. Random Joe didn't buy a Wii U after seeing Pac-Man in Smash because he fondly remembers the Pac-Man cartoon of yesteryear, he bought it because he played Pac-Man and probably wanted to play other games anyway.

You don't know the power of the Sonic Fanbase.

 

[Guybrush20X6]

>People arguing that anyone else have the star power of Cloud/Ryu/Sonic/Pac-man
>Or that they're in the same situation as Cloud

If Banjo made in. He should be compared to MegaMan. Forgotten Star of his system. But not mother****ing Cloud Strife...
Are people that unconscious, or do they don't realize the impact of FFVII on the world? Just look how long EVERYONE screamed for a FFVII remake and how EVERYONE DID lose their **** when it was announced.



You don't know the power of the Sonic Fanbase.

Only character I cna think of that's comparable to Cloud is Lara Croft in terms of impact on pop culture.

Like you said, Banjo's closest equivalent is Mega Man (forgotten but fondly remembered)
Crash Bandicoot is closest to Sonic in being a former rival who's glory days are behind them (and the best games of both have been remasters/remixes of the classics) [At least Sonic only had half a clunky beat-em-up game no-one asked for instead of two]
Spyro and Rayman don't have counterparts in Smash but mirror each other (highly successful platformers that were forced to play second fiddle to stay relevant [skylanders and Rabbids respectively.])

 

[DNeon]

Spyro and Rayman don't have counterparts in Smash but mirror each other (highly successful platformers that were forced to play second fiddle to stay relevant [skylanders and Rabbids respectively.])

I'd argue that there was no forcing, it was simply AAA publishers having this weird breakdown in the early-mid 00's thinking that platformers just couldn't be successful instead of realising that they'd lost the talent behind the games and what made them good, the typical lack of introspection of Activision and Ubisoft. They could have stayed relevant had they been handled with the care of other franchises.

Back to the topic though, Cloud definitely is in his own tier. I can name a few icons that are on a higher level, those ubiquitous choices like Master Chief or Mario/Link, the ones who are literally used to push an entire console generation, but it's hard to think of any characters who have the same pull from much less content. Lara Croft is the only one that does come to mind (and even then she's moving away from her old iconic look and now has a much less distinct image).

Maybe Dragonborn or the Power Armor/Vaultboy from Fallout? Big Daddy from Bioshock? But even then they're so much more recent that you can't judge them the same way, and still lack the same level of cross-media reference.

I guess the Assassins from Assassin's Creed now have that movie and have the iconic look...still hard to compare considering how many games they have.

 

[Guybrush20X6]

I'd argue that there was no forcing, it was simply AAA publishers having this weird breakdown in the early-mid 00's thinking that platformers just couldn't be successful instead of realising that they'd lost the talent behind the games and what made them good, the typical lack of introspection of Activision and Ubisoft. They could have stayed relevant had they been handled with the care of other franchises.

Back to the topic though, Cloud definitely is in his own tier. I can name a few icons that are on a higher level, those ubiquitous choices like Master Chief or Mario/Link, the ones who are literally used to push an entire console generation, but it's hard to think of any characters who have the same pull from much less content. Lara Croft is the only one that does come to mind (and even then she's moving away from her old iconic look and now has a much less distinct image).

Maybe Dragonborn or the Power Armor/Vaultboy from Fallout? Big Daddy from Bioshock? But even then they're so much more recent that you can't judge them the same way, and still lack the same level of cross-media reference.

I guess the Assassins from Assassin's Creed now have that movie and have the iconic look...still hard to compare considering how many games they have.

Rayman definitely was (look at Raving Rabids 3, he's only there to be tormented by the Rabbids) before making a successful break.
Spyro was a more give and take. It keep him in the public eye but I think Skylanders severely underused the Spyro licence with only Spyro, Cynder Sparx and the sheep making it in. Though this does mean that Spyro has been relevant longer than Crash has which is an odd thought.

 

[NintenRob]

I'd argue even with her new look, Lara Croft is still an iconic figure that rivals or exceeds cloud. You can still see the influence from her classic design so it's not as drastic as what they did to Link.

 

[Murlough]

I literally have never considered Lara Croft a gaming icon. The thought honestly never crossed my mind.

I'm obviously wrong but its just funny that people defend her with passion and I'm just here like "the chick from Uncharted?"

 

[Nekoo]

I'd argue even with her new look, Lara Croft is still an iconic figure that rivals or exceeds cloud.

I wish I didn't look like a Final Fantasy guy by defending Cloud like that but no.
New-Lara is probably Agent 47 / Deux-Ex tiers of Iconess. But she's nowhere in her glorious past Era-
Just look at how people are receiving the new Tomb raider games. Or their sales-
Cloud is still a monster by himself without even needing any games.
FFVII's PC port/PSN remaster are all he need to be relevant and still kicking in pop-culture with one or two KH cameo-
Cloud is right under Mario/Link/Sonic in iconess
But way over Lara Croft now-

 

[YoshiandToad]

I literally have never considered Lara Croft a gaming icon. The thought honestly never crossed my mind.

I'm obviously wrong but its just funny that people defend her with passion and I'm just here like "the chick from Uncharted?"

Depends how old you were and your location I guess. 90s kids and UK dwellers couldn't get away from Lara and she's appeared in Hollywood blockbusters a fair amount of times. Guinness Book of World Record she holds so many gaming records it's honestly crazy...

Meanwhile the younger gen are all " Nathan Drake genderswap?"

God I feel like Cranky Kong right now.

 

[Nekoo]

Guinness Book of World Record she holds so many gaming records it's honestly crazy...

You mean that book that Rank Cloud in Top 5 gaming icons in 2011 over Lara Croft And FFVII being way over any Lara-Croft games but Portal 2 being number 1?

Look Guinness is great for actual record... But subjective gaming record of how people perceive a character? Let's not go into that territory. Because Lara is way under Cloud in every ranking ever

 

[TumblrFamous]

Lara Croft was a gaming icon in the 90s. Her popularity and iconic-ness rivals Cloud. People know who she is, she's a such a prominent force in the gaming industry.

These were her Guinness records: "...most successful video game heroine.

Croft also scooped awards for the most recognisable female in a video game; most detailed game character; most real-life stand-ins; highest grossing game spin-off and most successful live-action transfer."

I don't know how they gauge "detail", but even without that you have most recognizable female video game character, most successful heroine (probably gauged by sales), highest grossing spin-off, and most successful live-action transfer. That's nothing to bat an eye at.

If we are still following the notion that third-party requests must be gaming icons who have shaped game industry, Lara Croft should be at, or at least very near the top of the list.

 

[Murlough]

Depends how old you were and your location I guess. 90s kids and UK dwellers couldn't get away from Lara and she's appeared in Hollywood blockbusters a fair amount of times. Guinness Book of World Record she holds so many gaming records it's honestly crazy...

Meanwhile the younger gen are all " Nathan Drake genderswap?"

God I feel like Cranky Kong right now.

I mean I was born in 1997 which is kinda an awkward year. I think I just barely missed a ton of hype for a lot of characters, one of which being Lara.

 

[TumblrFamous]

I mean I was born in 1997 which is kinda an awkward year. I think I just barely missed a ton of hype for a lot of characters, one of which being Lara.

I'm in the same boat.

My father was super into the Tomb Raider series before I was born, however, and he still showed me all of her games. So I have experience with her, but less with characters like Crash and Cloud.

Anyone born in that 96-99 span is really in an awkward space.

 

[YoshiandToad]

You mean that book that Rank Cloud in Top 5 gaming icons in 2011 over Lara Croft And FFVII being way over any Lara-Croft games but Portal 2 being number 1?

Look Guinness is great for actual record... But subjective gaming record of how people perceive a character? Let's not go into that territory. Because Lara is way under Cloud in every ranking ever

Sorry, I'm confused; at what point did I claim Cloud was not well recognised?

Why is Lara even competing with Cloud? I'm just stating Lara is incredibly well known.

 

[J0eyboi]

Sorry, I'm confused; at what point did I claim Cloud was not well recognised?

You didn't, this guy did.

I'd argue even with her new look, Lara Croft is still an iconic figure that rivals or exceeds cloud. You can still see the influence from her classic design so it's not as drastic as what they did to Link.

 

[DNeon]

I'm in the same boat.

My father was super into the Tomb Raider series before I was born, however, and he still showed me all of her games. So I have experience with her, but less with characters like Crash and Cloud.

Anyone born in that 96-99 span is really in an awkward space.

Im in that space but I remember the hype around the movie, Angelina Jolie playing a video game character is no small deal. Also she was iconic enough that I remember a Halloween costume free dress day at my primary school where the teachers dressed up and the school librarian came as Lara Croft. They had a popularity contest at a school assembly for who had the best costume and she won with all the lower grades being able to name her too (while admittedly I didn't get it until someone told me).

 

[Chandeelure]

Years ago I thought Lara Croft's name was Tomb Raider lol.

 

[Verde Coeden Scalesworth]

Years ago I thought Lara Croft's name was Tomb Raider lol.

I feel bad for Link. >.>

But yeah, the character I knew of before I even played the games. Movies helped, but she was easy to recognize for me.

 

[papagenos]

I'm in the same boat.

My father was super into the Tomb Raider series before I was born, however, and he still showed me all of her games. So I have experience with her, but less with characters like Crash and Cloud.

Anyone born in that 96-99 span is really in an awkward space.

Yeah thats an awkward year to be born, kind of a 90s kid/millenial but sorta too old to really cherish that stuff. Like people had N64s and playstations in their house and the 90s tv shows keep playing through like 2001-2007 so you'd have played the games of the 90s but they'd be a bit old and I assume that experience would be more of a "younger sibling" getting to have a turn type deal. My brother was born in 94 and he still sorta falls into that awkward period where his first real gaming is gamecube era but its not like he wasn't around for snes and 64 days. I was born in 87 and feel like I was sorta around for the NES, but its not like I was playing it when it came out it was more like in the early 90s a lot of 80s stuff if still popular or bleeding into the next era, so nes and genesis were in more peoples houses than super nintendo while I was young but by the time I'm not playing my dads systems and getting games for myself its really super nes and 64. I guess the lesson is be born at the start of a decade not the middle lol.

 

[Roberk]

Didn't Lara Croft just have a Hollywood movie? While to some she might not be as recognizable as Cloud, I know my dad and sister were excited for the new movie and loved the old ones. They know about Lara Croft but they would be confused if you showed them a picture of Cloud.

Lara Croft and Cloud appeal to different audiences. Cloud's appeal is significant in the sense he is the pinnacle of JRPG, and would be held very high up by a more hardcore audience. Meanwhile, Lara Croft appeals to casuals/a general audience by being very multimedia with heavy significance in movies. British Heroine with Hollywood movies trumps weird-haired Japanese guy any day to people who aren't into gaming. Awesome dude who embodies JRPGs trumps regular human girl any day to people that put more emphasis into gaming significance.

 

[Wyoming]

Absolutely correct. Cloud is more recognizable to older gamers but we are a dying breed, fellas. This is an echo chamber for us early 20's-early 30's folk where the new stuff scares us.

Lara Croft is insanely well known and as the most iconic female gaming character she definitely has a case for being more iconic than Cloud these days.

 

[papagenos]

Absolutely correct. Cloud is more recognizable to older gamers but we are a dying breed, fellas. This is an echo chamber for us early 20's-early 30's folk where the new stuff scares us.

Lara Croft is insanely well known and as the most iconic female gaming character she definitely has a case for being more iconic than Cloud these days.

i really thought smash4 was going to be the last time i was invested in smash before i became all old and responsible but thankfully this new one is coming out super quick! dunno what woulda happened if we had to wait til like 2021 like i feared before.

 

[Wyoming]

i really thought smash4 was going to be the last time i was invested in smash before i became all old and responsible but thankfully this new one is coming out super quick! dunno what woulda happened if we had to wait til like 2021 like i feared before.

On the same boat, actually. This could be the last Smash game I truly devote myself to as the next one will undoubtedly be released when I am 30+.

Hope it goes out with a bang for me.

 

[Yoshi-Thomas]

i really thought smash4 was going to be the last time i was invested in smash before i became all old and responsible but thankfully this new one is coming out super quick! dunno what woulda happened if we had to wait til like 2021 like i feared before.

I think even with my children I'll keep buying Nintendo systems, they are the perfect excuse to keep playing games lol

 

[Roberk]

I'm nowhere near being considered "old", but I still have a fear of growing out of games when I have a career and/or a family. I hope this stuff can keep me interested for years to come, there's still so much to be explored.

 

[ErenJager]

The previous games only had 1 character get promoted from assist to full fighter (Charizard from Pokeball and Little Mac from Assist Trophy) but I think there's a lot of characters with potential to make the jump. Heck, Inklings are an example in and off themselves having come from mii costumes.

The likley candidates (above 45% likelihood) IMO are

Assist

• Waluigi
• Lyn
• Isaac
• Samurai Goroh
• Dark Samus
• Dillon
• Midna

Costumes

• Heihachi
• Chrom
• Black Knight
• King K. Rool
• Geno
• Toad

Both

• Isabelle
• Ashley
• Skull Kid
• Takamaru

Technically Skull Kid isn't a costume, Majora's Mask is the only part of the Mii costume, while every other mii costume is a complete set. Majora's Mask (the item) doesn't name Skull Kid directly, nor does it have a complete outfit. Seems to be more of a reference to the Mask directly than Skull Kid.

List of Costumes

K.K. Slider
Mega Man X
Proto Man
Dunban
Link
Zero
MegaMan EXE
Akira
Jacky
Lloyd
Flyingman
Samus
Monster Hunter x2
Fox
Viridi
Captain Falcon
Knuckles
Tails
Gil

I know you stated *likely* then I think the only glaring omission was Viridi.

 

[Roberk]

With the Mii costume speculation, we don't have to count out likely picks like Ashely and Takamaru as being more likely by the fact that unlikely picks like Dunban got costumes. Dunban already had a model from Shulk's Final Smash cutscene so he was pretty easy to implement. Others that are unlikely could just be because they are Mii Costumes and that's it. Highly speculated characters however have higher chances due to this work being put into them, and shouldn't be discredited as newcomers just because unlikely newcomers got costumes.

 

[Lyndis_]

I'm confused as to how Mega Man is "forgotten"...

They never stopped getting games. Ignoring the fact that Mega Man itself as a franchise has like a billion games and has always been getting them, the main Mega Man series was at Mega Man 10 before Smash 4's release, and that was only in 2010, not a huge amount of time especially if you consider when Sm4sh actually started development and the gap between many Nintendo franchises.

It's not like he ever fell out of popularity, either, he never stopped getting talked about on any gaming forum. The series overall had gotten at least one (generally more than one) game or collection on every single Nintendo system since the NES (aside from the Virtual Boy and probably the original Gameboy?)...

 

[Guybrush20X6]

Technically Skull Kid isn't a costume, Majora's Mask is the only part of the Mii costume, while every other mii costume is a complete set. Majora's Mask (the item) doesn't name Skull Kid directly, nor does it have a complete outfit. Seems to be more of a reference to the Mask directly than Skull Kid.

List of Costumes

K.K. Slider
Mega Man X
Proto Man
Dunban
Link
Zero
MegaMan EXE
Akira
Jacky
Lloyd
Flyingman
Samus
Monster Hunter x2
Fox
Viridi
Captain Falcon
Knuckles
Tails
Gil

I know you stated *likely* then I think the only glaring omission was Viridi.

Yeah I have my doubts about another KI character but outside of that bias she could be in with a shot.

 

[Staarih]

i really thought smash4 was going to be the last time i was invested in smash before i became all old and responsible but thankfully this new one is coming out super quick! dunno what woulda happened if we had to wait til like 2021 like i feared before.

I’ll probably find myself invested in many future Smash games still even if I think I won’t lol. I feel like nowadays intergrating video games in the midst of a career and/or family isn’t as frowned upon as it might’ve been before (some peoples’ careers are playing video games after all) so I’ll try and stick with it till the end. As long as it interests me of course.

As for this speculation... well, E3 couldn’t come any sooner haha! I still follow this thread and sometimes start to comment on something but later go ”nahh, this doesn’t bring anything new to the table”, it’s going in circles. Luckily less than a month left.

 

[Lyndis_]

The Nintendo Switch overall makes it much easier to incorporate video games into a busier or just very travel heavy lives.

The ability to play Smash anywhere on an actual console is great, and even with one joycon you will still have a better time than a sideways Wiimote.

I do feel strongly that Nintendo should make Smash Switch very 1v1 focused to emphasize both joycon play and their recent endeavors towards eSports in games like ARMs & Splatoon.

It'd be really silly for them to ignore the huge popularity of competitive Smash and Melee specifically, especially after Sm4sh. I feel the modern day internet and streaming sites like Twitch especially has had a big impact on how Nintendo views competition in their games.

 

[Sigran101]

What's everyone's biggest pipe dream character? Mine is probably Kumatora from Mother 3. I love her design and the game she comes from, but seeing as how Mother 3'll probably never make it West...yeah, I'm not exactly optimistic about her chances.

I'd also love to see a Persona protagonist, but that unfortunately is an even bigger pipe dream than Kumatora, ha ha.

For me, I can't decide whether to include joker from persona 5 or not. Most of me considers him a pipe dream but Bradli Wartooth convinced me somewhat that he is not. I guess I'll say Ray from custom robo since that series is one of my favorites of all time and a smash character could lead to a series revival. Plus it would be a really cool addition.

 

[ErenJager]

Yeah I have my doubts about another KI character but outside of that bias she could be in with a shot.

If we're to run under the hypothetical premise that the amount of other content a non-playable character received (Assists & Costumes) means they're more likely to be included as playable in Smash 5, then I would always argue Viridi is in that contention. Not just because of the costume but also because of Palutena's Guidance.

 

[CrusherMania1592]

So ready for E-3! Hurry up and get those characters unleashed!

 

[UserKev]

What's everyone's biggest pipe dream character? Mine is probably Kumatora from Mother 3. I love her design and the game she comes from, but seeing as how Mother 3'll probably never make it West...yeah, I'm not exactly optimistic about her chances.

I'd also love to see a Persona protagonist, but that unfortunately is an even bigger pipe dream than Kumatora, ha ha.

My biggest pipe dream character is most likely Ghirahim. I accepted he would never happen at the time I didn't even realize. Its also seeming to be turning out the case for Spyro The Dragon.

 

[Nekoo]

Lara Croft is insanely well known and as the most iconic female gaming character she definitely has a case for being more iconic than Cloud these days.

Uh... Really now?
These days? I'm ready to admit that in the 90-00's she was as/More popular as Cloud- but these days?
I'm "only" 20- I was born in 1997, and grew up with games but was also influenced by the growth of pop-culture. I love both Tomb Raider, heck, I love it more than Final Fantasy series in general.

But- as far as Icons goes, and what they represents-
Mario represent platformer, Sonic Represent the 90's era, Pac-man is the god-father of video-games, Ryu is mister Fighting Games and Cloud is Mister JRPG-
Those characters will always lives, becaue the trace they left on gaming will never perish. No matter what. Not because of their genders, but because of the feats they done and how people perceive them-
But Lara Croft Icons would be...Female gaming Icons? Or would it be Action game Icons? And even then, people nowadays think Nathan Drake took her spot for that...Weird uh? And even then, I believe Chun-Li/Cammy from Street Fighters take the "badass" woman tropes before Lara. (Both being Interpol Agent kicking ass like no one else do)
And even for Cloud, people argue that FFVI is better than FFVII, VI had a female lead, Tina/Terra but she's not as famous as Cloud for multiple reasons.

I'm not arguing her iconess in the "common pop-culture
I'm not sure but for me, to be a gaming icons, it should be for the traces you left in the Genre, for YOUR game . What you left in video games. Not for your gender, sexuality or whatever the hell... because then, we're mixing Politics, Feminisms and tons of issues that I wish wouldn't be discussed in something that the only goal is to have fun further more.

I would be happy if she gets in. But at this rate, are we adding Lara Croft because she's a GAMING icons? Or do we add her for being a POP-CULTURE icons?

That's where the line should be drawn for me.

I'm confused as to how Mega Man is "forgotten"...

Says no Mega-Man Fan ever.

They never stopped getting games. Ignoring the fact that Mega Man itself as a franchise has like a billion games and has always been getting them, the main Mega Man series was at Mega Man 10 before Smash 4's release, and that was only in 2010, not a huge amount of time especially if you consider when Sm4sh actually started development and the gap between many Nintendo franchises.

It's not like he ever fell out of popularity, either, he never stopped getting talked about on any gaming forum. The series overall had gotten at least one (generally more than one) game or collection on every single Nintendo system since the NES (aside from the Virtual Boy and probably the original Gameboy?)...

2006 Mega Man Powered Up
2007
2008 Mega Man 9
2009
2010 Mega Man 10
2011
2012 Street Fighter X Mega Man
2013
2014
2015
2016
2017
2018 Mega Man 11

And let's not forget the """"WONDERFUL"""" appearance of Megaman in STxT, him missing MVCU3, Legends 3 being canceled, Universe being canceled. The betrayal that was Inafune leaving Capcom and Mighty N9 fiasco.
When your series only survive through life support re-release and Easy digital only 8bit games and a FAN GAME (STxM being one) . Yes. Yes you are forgotten.

 

[Fenriraga]

Uh... Really now?
These days? I'm ready to admit that in the 90-00's she was as/More popular as Cloud- but these days?
I'm "only" 20- I was born in 1997, and grew up with games but was also influenced by the growth of pop-culture. I love both Tomb Raider, heck, I love it more than Final Fantasy series in general.

But- as far as Icons goes, and what they represents-
Mario represent platformer, Sonic Represent the 90's era, Pac-man is the god-father of video-games, Ryu is mister Fighting Games and Cloud is Mister JRPG-
Those characters will always lives, becaue the trace they left on gaming will never perish. No matter what. Not because of their genders, but because of the feats they done and how people perceive them-
But Lara Croft Icons would be...Female gaming Icons? Or would it be Action game Icons? And even then, people nowadays think Nathan Drake took her spot for that...Weird uh? And even then, I believe Chun-Li/Cammy from Street Fighters take the "badass" woman tropes before Lara. (Both being Interpol Agent kicking *** like no one else do)
And even for Cloud, people argue that FFVI is better than FFVII, VI had a female lead, Tina/Terra but she's not as famous as Cloud for multiple reasons.

I'm not arguing her iconess in the "common pop-culture
I'm not sure but for me, to be a gaming icons, it should be for the traces you left in the Genre, for YOUR game . What you left in video games. Not for your gender, sexuality or whatever the hell... because then, we're mixing Politics, Feminisms and tons of issues that I wish wouldn't be discussed in something that the only goal is to have fun further more.

I would be happy if she gets in. But at this rate, are we adding Lara Croft because she's a GAMING icons? Or do we add her for being a POP-CULTURE icons?

That's where the line should be drawn for me.




Says no Mega-Man Fan ever.




2006 Mega Man Powered Up
2007
2008 Mega Man 9
2009
2010 Mega Man 10
2011
2012 Street Fighter X Mega Man
2013
2014
2015
2016
2017
2018 Mega Man 11

And let's not forget the """"WONDERFUL"""" appearance of Megaman in STxT, him missing MVCU3, Legends 3 being canceled, Universe being canceled. The betrayal that was Inafune leaving Capcom and Mighty N9 fiasco.
When your series only survive through life support re-release and Easy digital only 8bit games and a FAN GAME (STxM being one) . Yes. Yes you are forgotten.

Friendly reminder that SF x Mega Man was also only a fan game that Capcom took notice of and slapped their approval on. While it's a fun time, it's not an official Mega Man game.
And Rockman Online and a first person X reboot by Metroid Prime devs being canned along with Universe and Legends.

 

[Sigran101]

Rule for 3rd party inclusion for me: Can an average Joe Schmoe in the street who's not into video games recognize the character? If yes, yes. If not, no.

I really don't think that's true. I've been playing video games all my life and didn't know who Snake was before brawl. Most of my non gamer friends and family have no idea who mega man Ryu and cloud are. Sonic and Pacman are the only current third party characters who Joe shmoe would know.

 

[True Blue Warrior]

The Mega Man in Street Fighter X Tekken was just a really poorly-timed joke since his inclusion in that game was finalised in early 2011, before his upcoming games was cancelled and the MvC3/UMvC3 fiasco.

 

[Bowserlick]

A benefit of third-party characters is delivering a new fan-base to play and hopefully buy a Smash game that they would not have beforehand.