Official Smash Ultimate Discussion

[Deleted member]

Donkey Kong should've got more representation after DKCR and TF. I don't think a port, enhanced as it may be, is going to move the needle any further... but that's partly because it's already at a place where it should result in something.

This is important to note and it's for this reason why a Tropical Freeze port for the Switch changes nothing.

People latching on to Dixie Kong, Cranky Kong, and Funky Kong to be the third DK character don't realize that recency isn't going to be enough to add a character in. Recency functions less as a way to add characters and more to eliminate potential characters in order to narrow down the pool. It's not going to change Sakurai's - or the next director's - mind if he doesn't want to add said character in the first place.

Dixie Kong has been given two if not three chances to become playable and she failed all of these opportunities. We only know that she was considered as a tag team to Diddy before being moved below Wolf for priority. Tropical Freeze should have been the smoking gun for Sakurai to add a third DK character if recency was so important and he didn't. If she's not important enough to even be a semi-clone of Diddy, she's not going to make the roster. She is DK's Ridley except without the huge fan support and Sakurai's statement saying she's "not unique".

As for Cranky Kong and Funky Kong, they only get brought up because a lot of people are wanting another DK character and doing so checks off an imaginative checklist that Sakurai doesn't have. They both had a chance to be added as DLC because of the recent apperances and weren't added. That indicates that Sakurai doesn't want anymore Kongs in Smash and Funky Kong isn't magically going to be the third most important DK character because of one playable appearance.*

When it comes to DK characters, it's King K. Rool or no one. I say this only because he's the only major exclusion outside of veterans without a specific explanation for his absence and he's probably the only character left that could be added because of the Ballot results (assuming that fan polls have any sort of accuracies). Sure we can deduct that his lack of appearance prevented him from joining but nothing indicates it's anything deeper than that. He's a mystery and no news is not necessarily bad news. This is important because there's actually a good chance K. Rool will return in another DK game and I am confident we will get one for the Switch before the next new Smash game, which will come later than people expect. If he returns before the next game's roster is decided, then that will remove the only argument people have against his inclusion and then it will be up to Sakurai on whenever or not he can get in. And if not, then we'll finally hear something regarding his exclusion like he did with Ridley. If he does get in, then K. Rool will end up being the final DK character.

Bottom line, people need to temper their expectations on a third DK character. DK supporters in general downplay the factors that kept it from getting a character last time and they have not gone away. Then we wonder why we get disappointed when it gets shafted for characters again. I speak as someone who was confident on us getting two newcomers and got disappointed when that didn't happen.

*To be fair, I could be wrong about Funky or Cranky Kong because there's a chance Sakurai may find something unique about them to implement in Smash which I would be all for. But I see no circumstances where Dixie Kong gets added.

 

[MamaLuigi123456]

When it comes to DK characters, it's King K. Rool or no one. I say this only because he's the only major exclusion outside of veterans without a specific explanation for his absence and he's probably the only character left that could be added because of the Ballot results (assuming that fan polls have any sort of accuracies). Sure we can deduct that his lack of appearance prevented him from joining but nothing indicates it's anything deeper than that. He's a mystery and no news is not necessarily bad news. This is important because there's actually a good chance K. Rool will return in another DK game and I am confident we will get one for the Switch before the next new Smash game, which will come later than people expect. If he returns before the next game's roster is decided, then that will remove the only argument people have against his inclusion and then it will be up to Sakurai on whenever or not he can get in. And if not, then we'll finally hear something regarding his exclusion like he did with Ridley. If he does get in, then K. Rool will end up being the final DK character.

That's assuming King K. Rool returns in the next Donkey Kong Country game. Retro seems to want to differentiate themselves from Rare, and as such brought in new villains like the Tiki Tak Tribe and the Snowmads, hence why we haven't seen him in Returns or Tropical Freeze. It's either that or Retro seems to hate the Kremling Krew for whatever reason. Either way, if your requirements for K. Rool getting a spot on the roster are what makes the decision, then it's highly unlikely we'll get a new Donkey Kong Country game on the switch after the Donkey Kong Country: Tropical Freeze remake, let alone one with K. Rool as the villain.

Let's not forget a similar situation happened with the 3DS port of Donkey Kong Country Returns. Yes, Retro could have made another game on the system, but they made Tropical Freeze on the Wii U instead, which is why I doubt we'll see another game on Switch.

 

[Krysco]

I'm a huge Galacta Knight fan. I love his theme, his design, what he is (the most powerful warrior in the galaxy, so powerful that he was sealed away and was only brought out of his seal literally because Meta Knight wished to fight him). Big problem for him though is that he hasn't actually been relevant to the plot of any Kirby game. He appears at the end of Meta Nightmare Ultra or whatever it was called because of what I mentioned and he appears in the True Arena of both SSU and RtDl. He also appears in PR and while I don't remember the exact details, he out right destroys the machine that brought him there in the first place and in one strike for that matter. He's been a reoccurring super boss presumably due to popularity but I can't see him becoming a playable character, not even as a Meta Knight clone. First off, there's Bandana Dee who has far more popularity and I'd even argue relevance (he's a boss amusingly enough in SS/SSU and behaves like any other Waddle Dee, just takes more hits) and there's again, the relevancy issue. Plus, if Sakurai directs the next Smash, I can see him holding back since Kirby is his series and he held back when it came to Melee too. I'd love for him to appear as a Meta Knight clone with a unique down special (a blade beam perhaps? Dude loves spamming them in his boss fights) since he lacks a cape but for now, I'm just holding my hopes that he becomes an Assist Trophy.

As for Donkey Kong, I actually find it super weird that despite the legacy the series has, they only have 2 characters and only had 1 up until Brawl. The Rare buyout was mentioned before as a reason and Dixie was apparently planned for Brawl to be with Diddy but then with Sm4sh they got...1 new stage? And it's another jungle themed one. No new characters, trophies can stop being a thing for all I care and...did it even get any new items?

Speaking of stages, if there's any representation that needs to be fixed, I'd say it's the stages moreso than any oversaturation of FE characters. If you've never played a Nintendo game before and you pick up Smash, you'll think Donkey Kong is nothing but jungles, Metroid is nothing but lava, Fire Emblem is generic as all get out, Pokemon is just a bunch of stadiums and Starfox is nothing but the Great Fox. Oh and you wouldn't know Bowser has a castle outside of 1 portion of the Paper Mario stage. Can't fault F-ZERO, Animal Crossing, Pikmin or G&W too hard. I would say Sonic but idk if him being third party adds any issues to having more than 1 stage per game. I find Mario, Zelda, Kid Icarus and Kirby are fine for stages. Can't really speak too much for the Mother series. I'm personally fine with the 4 stages the series has gotten but I am aware that 3 of them are just towns/cities when the series does have more locals than that.

 

[Deleted member]

As for Cranky Kong and Funky Kong, they only get brought up because a lot of people are wanting another DK character and doing so checks off an imaginative checklist that Sakurai doesn't have. They both had a chance to be added as DLC because of the recent apperances and weren't added. That indicates that Sakurai doesn't want anymore Kongs in Smash and Funky Kong isn't magically going to be the third most important DK character because of one playable appearance.*

No, Funky never had his chance before now.

Yes, he appeared in Tropical Freeze as Cranky's shopkeep replacement, but are you honestly going to tell me that gave him a chance to be DLC when Dixie and Cranky actually had spotlight going for them within the same game? It's like saying Cranky had a shot before Tropical Freeze just because he showed up in Returns.

Now, Funky actually has his chance. For the Switch port, he was not only given playable status, but given his own MODE for the game that has him take the place of DK, with said mode being made the highlight of the port's announcement and determined to be important enough to promote on the game's packaging.

The reveal, along with the packaging advert for his role in the game exploded in the Internet culture, spawning a new exploitable meme in the same vein as "& Knuckles", making Funky ironically a lot more notable than Dixie and Cranky to the general public.

http://www.dorkly.com/post/85784/funky-kong-twitter-reactions-tropical-freeze-nintendo-switch


So no, this is Funky's first opportunity. And considering he got something major and recent, has potential for a unique and interesting fighting style, and has mainstream appeal, this is the best shot a DK character has had in a while.

 

[NonSpecificGuy]

That's assuming King K. Rool returns in the next Donkey Kong Country game. Retro seems to want to differentiate themselves from Rare, and as such brought in new villains like the Tiki Tak Tribe and the Snowmads, hence why we haven't seen him in Returns or Tropical Freeze. It's either that or Retro seems to hate the Kremling Krew for whatever reason. Either way, if your requirements for K. Rool getting a spot on the roster are what makes the decision, then it's highly unlikely we'll get a new Donkey Kong Country game on the switch after the Donkey Kong Country: Tropical Freeze remake, let alone one with K. Rool as the villain.
.

On the K. Rool thing, that's really not anyone's call to say for sure that K. Rool definitely won't appear in the next game. Retro more so than most listens to it's fans and adheres to legacy. Why do you think a lot of the Metroid Prime music was remixes of Super Metroid music? Why do you think they brought back David Wise? And basically restarted his career? If the fans are loud enough they'll hear them and be more than happy to oblige, that is even if Retro is the one working on the next DKC, and yes I'm 100% certain a new one is coming. If they're not by the way, I hope they pass it on to Monster Games as their levels in Returns 3D were stellar.

Speaking of Monster Games!

Let's not forget a similar situation happened with the 3DS port of Donkey Kong Country Returns. Yes, Retro could have made another game on the system, but they made Tropical Freeze on the Wii U instead, which is why I doubt we'll see another game on Switch

That isn't a fair comparison at all. 3DS was a sister system to the Wii. The successor to the DS. The Switch is the successor to the Wii U AND possibly the 3DS. Plus, Retro had almost nothing to do with the port to 3DS. They literally just gave Monster Games the original Wii version and their toolset for it and Monster had to optimize it as best they could for the 3DS. It's admirable too! As I said those 7, only 7 but still, levels that they did for the secret world at the end of the game was some of the best levels in the game. Period.

I dunno if K. Rool will come back in the next Country game but if Retro, or whoever is making it, is listening at all it'll happen.

This is important to note and it's for this reason why a Tropical Freeze port for the Switch changes nothing.

People latching on to Dixie Kong, Cranky Kong, and Funky Kong to be the third DK character don't realize that recency isn't going to be enough to add a character in. Recency functions less as a way to add characters and more to eliminate potential characters in order to narrow down the pool. It's not going to change Sakurai's - or the next director's - mind if he doesn't want to add said character in the first place.

Dixie Kong has been given two if not three chances to become playable and she failed all of these opportunities. We only know that she was considered as a tag team to Diddy before being moved below Wolf for priority. Tropical Freeze should have been the smoking gun for Sakurai to add a third DK character if recency was so important and he didn't. If she's not important enough to even be a semi-clone of Diddy, she's not going to make the roster. She is DK's Ridley except without the huge fan support and Sakurai's statement saying she's "not unique".

As for Cranky Kong and Funky Kong, they only get brought up because a lot of people are wanting another DK character and doing so checks off an imaginative checklist that Sakurai doesn't have. They both had a chance to be added as DLC because of the recent apperances and weren't added. That indicates that Sakurai doesn't want anymore Kongs in Smash and Funky Kong isn't magically going to be the third most important DK character because of one playable appearance.*

When it comes to DK characters, it's King K. Rool or no one. I say this only because he's the only major exclusion outside of veterans without a specific explanation for his absence and he's probably the only character left that could be added because of the Ballot results (assuming that fan polls have any sort of accuracies). Sure we can deduct that his lack of appearance prevented him from joining but nothing indicates it's anything deeper than that. He's a mystery and no news is not necessarily bad news. This is important because there's actually a good chance K. Rool will return in another DK game and I am confident we will get one for the Switch before the next new Smash game, which will come later than people expect. If he returns before the next game's roster is decided, then that will remove the only argument people have against his inclusion and then it will be up to Sakurai on whenever or not he can get in. And if not, then we'll finally hear something regarding his exclusion like he did with Ridley. If he does get in, then K. Rool will end up being the final DK character.

Bottom line, people need to temper their expectations on a third DK character. DK supporters in general downplay the factors that kept it from getting a character last time and they have not gone away. Then we wonder why we get disappointed when it gets shafted for characters again. I speak as someone who was confident on us getting two newcomers and got disappointed when that didn't happen.

*To be fair, I could be wrong about Funky or Cranky Kong because there's a chance Sakurai may find something unique about them to implement in Smash which I would be all for. But I see no circumstances where Dixie Kong gets added.

To be fair, it's not the expectations that gets fans so riled up. It's moreso the fact that as big and as diverse as Donkey Kong is, there should be more characters that are just overlooked for no good reason. K. Rool being the prime example. Too many Kong's? K. Rool. Too few super heavyweight characters? K. Rool. Too few villain's? K. Rool. But sadly Donkey Kong has been shafted so hard in Super Smash Bros. and that's what people get upset about.

Edit: **** I'd say DK deserves at least a clone in the next game.

 

[Opossum]

No, Funky never had his chance before now.

Yes, he appeared in Tropical Freeze as Cranky's shopkeep replacement, but are you honestly going to tell me that gave him a chance to be DLC when Dixie and Cranky actually had spotlight going for them within the same game? It's like saying Cranky had a shot before Tropical Freeze just because he showed up in Returns.

Now, Funky actually has his chance. For the Switch port, he was not only given playable status, but given his own MODE for the game that has him take the place of DK, with said mode being made the highlight of the port's announcement and determined to be important enough to promote on the game's packaging.

The reveal, along with the packaging advert for his role in the game exploded in the Internet culture, spawning a new exploitable meme in the same vein as "& Knuckles", making Funky ironically a lot more notable than Dixie and Cranky to the general public.

http://www.dorkly.com/post/85784/funky-kong-twitter-reactions-tropical-freeze-nintendo-switch


So no, this is Funky's first opportunity. And considering he got something major and recent, has potential for a unique and interesting fighting style, and has mainstream appeal, this is the best shot a DK character has had in a while.

No joke, while I'm a big advocate for Dixie (since I'd love to see a playstyle set around her grappling with her hair and slowing people down with bubble gum balls to let her get in close), Funky is seriously growing on me.

 

[IronTed]

It's really mindblowing how in one week Funky Kong goes from that random NPC to legitimate contender. He's far from a shoe-in of course, but still.

 

[Verde Coeden Scalesworth]

It's really mindblowing how in one week Funky Kong goes from that random NPC to legitimate contender. He's far from a shoe-in of course, but still.

Eh, he didn't feel that random. He was playable in Mario Kart, and was one of the more well-defined NPC's(much like Candy, although possibly more popular?).

He's a heavily recurring NPC too.

But yeah, this is his clear time in the sun, though that doesn't mean he's some obvious addition either, heh. Would be a cool choice, though.

 

[IronTed]

Eh, he didn't feel that random. He was playable in Mario Kart, and was one of the more well-defined NPC's(much like Candy, although possibly more popular?).

He's a heavily recurring NPC too.

But yeah, this is his clear time in the sun, though that doesn't mean he's some obvious addition either, heh. Would be a cool choice, though.

Random may be a bit much, but he certainly was towards the bottom of any list of importance (although not at the bottom, to be fair). Perhaps dark horse is a better term?

I still think K. Rool should get in first though, off the top of my head I'm not sure how important relevancy is to a character's chances.

 

[FangleManiac]

I think Dixie is way more likely than K Rool, especially with the revival of Tropical Freeze.

 

[Verde Coeden Scalesworth]

Random may be a bit much, but he certainly was towards the bottom of any list of importance (although not at the bottom, to be fair). Perhaps dark horse is a better term?

I still think K. Rool should get in first though, off the top of my head I'm not sure how important relevancy is to a character's chances.

It depends upon what he's looking for at the time. Recency could affect characters from an already represented(via playable characters) series, or sometimes for a newer series. It obviously isn't important for retro options.

That said, dark horse seems about right to me.

 

[wildvine47]

Yeah, as much as I like Funky, the thought of him getting in over either K. Rool or Dixie makes my stomach turn. He's got recency, sure, but Dixie and K. Rool far outpace him in moveset potential and overall series importance. He can battle with Cranky for the fifth DK slot, as if that'll happen, but Dixie and K. Rool should both absolutely take precedence.

 

[MamaLuigi123456]

Yeah, as much as I like Funky, the thought of him getting in over either K. Rool or Dixie makes my stomach turn. He's got recency, sure, but Dixie and K. Rool far outpace him in moveset potential and overall series importance. He can battle with Cranky for the fifth DK slot, as if that'll happen, but Dixie and K. Rool should both absolutely take precedence.

I wouldn't say Funky has less moveset potential than Dixie.

I mean he has a surfboard

 

[Doubleslasher]

People don't like the Smash 4 artstyle? it's the best one we've had so far.

Smash 64's is better.

 

[Deleted member]

That's assuming King K. Rool returns in the next Donkey Kong Country game. Retro seems to want to differentiate themselves from Rare, and as such brought in new villains like the Tiki Tak Tribe and the Snowmads, hence why we haven't seen him in Returns or Tropical Freeze. It's either that or Retro seems to hate the Kremling Krew for whatever reason. Either way, if your requirements for K. Rool getting a spot on the roster are what makes the decision, then it's highly unlikely we'll get a new Donkey Kong Country game on the switch after the Donkey Kong Country: Tropical Freeze remake, let alone one with K. Rool as the villain.

Let's not forget a similar situation happened with the 3DS port of Donkey Kong Country Returns. Yes, Retro could have made another game on the system, but they made Tropical Freeze on the Wii U instead, which is why I doubt we'll see another game on Switch.

Every other groups of villains that other companies try to bring in that aren't the Kremlings disappear after one game. Nintendo and Retro have yet to make a villian and enemy group that is as beloved in the DK franchise as K. Rool and the Kremlings. Retro Studios is also known for being receptive to fan demand which Tropical Freeze reflects and who's to say they won't stop there? There's still the Kremlings and Animal Buddies that fans really want and you bet if they were included they would be important selling points in a new DK game.

Also I seriously doubt that Retro Studios took four years just to port one title onto the Switch with Funky Mode. Miyamoto did say he wanted to expand Retro Studios so who's to say that there's not both that and a DK title in the works?

No, Funky never had his chance before now.

Yes, he appeared in Tropical Freeze as Cranky's shopkeep replacement, but are you honestly going to tell me that gave him a chance to be DLC when Dixie and Cranky actually had spotlight going for them within the same game? It's like saying Cranky had a shot before Tropical Freeze just because he showed up in Returns.

Now, Funky actually has his chance. For the Switch port, he was not only given playable status, but given his own MODE for the game that has him take the place of DK, with said mode being made the highlight of the port's announcement and determined to be important enough to promote on the game's packaging.

The reveal, along with the packaging advert for his role in the game exploded in the Internet culture, spawning a new exploitable meme in the same vein as "& Knuckles", making Funky ironically a lot more notable than Dixie and Cranky to the general public.

http://www.dorkly.com/post/85784/funky-kong-twitter-reactions-tropical-freeze-nintendo-switch


So no, this is Funky's first opportunity. And considering he got something major and recent, has potential for a unique and interesting fighting style, and has mainstream appeal, this is the best shot a DK character has had in a while.

Interesting points although I will mention that with recency being such a major factor, Cranky Kong could have gotten in the initial roster had Sakurai thought he could have merited an original moveset. This is the same man who made Wii Fit Trainer playable after all and added Rosalina over Toad. But points taken, Funky Kong certainly has been a big deal lately.

The question is, will this stick? Funky Kong might have a popular meme now but it still hasn't lasted long enough to have prevalent influence on even Nintendo internet culture. We still don't know if this will reflect on much higher sales than the original game or if Funky Kong becomes a more prominent character after this port. To make him a legitimate contender, both of these must happen.

If it does, then I'll agree he has a shot but until then, I'm standing by what I said.

 

[FantasticMr.StarPit]

The question is, will this stick? Funky Kong might have a popular meme now but it still hasn't lasted long enough to have prevalent influence on even Nintendo internet culture. We still don't know if this will reflect on much higher sales than the original game or if Funky Kong becomes a more prominent character after this port. To make him a legitimate contender, both of these must happen.

If it does, then I'll agree he has a shot but until then, I'm standing by what I said.

As much as it would be interesting to see Funky as another DK character with an interesting moveset based on his surfboard, he doesn't seem to be top priority as something like Dixie or K.Rool. I wouldn't hold my breath for him to be quite honest, but would have no problem if he's actually in.

 

[Deleted member]

Interesting points although I will mention that with recency being such a major factor, Cranky Kong could have gotten in the initial roster had Sakurai thought he could have merited an original moveset. This is the same man who made Wii Fit Trainer playable after all and added Rosalina over Toad. But points taken, Funky Kong certainly has been a big deal lately.

The question is, will this stick? Funky Kong might have a popular meme now but it still hasn't lasted long enough to have prevalent influence on even Nintendo internet culture. We still don't know if this will reflect on much higher sales than the original game or if Funky Kong becomes a more prominent character after this port. To make him a legitimate contender, both of these must happen.

If it does, then I'll agree he has a shot but until then, I'm standing by what I said.

No, he really couldn't have. Tropical Freeze literally could not have influenced the initial roster.

 

[UserKev]

Cranky Kong still holds my vote as a newcomer, even over Dixie and K Rool. Give me the original DK.

 

[MamaLuigi123456]

Interesting points although I will mention that with recency being such a major factor, Cranky Kong could have gotten in the initial roster had Sakurai thought he could have merited an original moveset. This is the same man who made Wii Fit Trainer playable after all and added Rosalina over Toad. But points taken, Funky Kong certainly has been a big deal lately.

Correct me if I'm wrong, but wasn't the base roster sans decided around 2012? Sure, one could make the argument that Donkey Kong Country: Tropical Freeze was in development during Smash 4, but I highly doubt Sakurai would know about Dixie or Cranky's soon-to-be playable appearance during that time, considering he probably has little connection with Retro as is.

 

[Deleted member]

Eh, he didn't feel that random. He was playable in Mario Kart, and was one of the more well-defined NPC's(much like Candy, although possibly more popular?).

He's a heavily recurring NPC too.

But yeah, this is his clear time in the sun, though that doesn't mean he's some obvious addition either, heh. Would be a cool choice, though.

Also to mention that in spin-offs, he's typically the 4th player Kong after DK, Diddy, and Dixie. In fact, part of why Cranky was so shocking for Tropical Freeze was that he WASN'T Funky. But then again, since the other Kongs just rode on DK's back unless Player 2 was active, it makes sense Funky wasn't chosen.

 

[Deleted member]

No, he really couldn't have. Tropical Freeze literally could not have influenced the initial roster.

But he did appear in DKCR which could have influenced the roster had Sakurai wanted him and he didn't.

 

[Deleted member]

But he did appear in DKCR which could have influenced the roster had Sakurai wanted him and he didn't.

Again, you HONESTLY think Returns would have influenced Sakurai on Cranky Kong when it wasn't until Tropical Freeze that he had something to work with?

 

[Bowserlick]

Now can Sakurai resurrect his team idea with Diddy and Dixie by pairing Dixie up with Funky Kong?

 

[NonSpecificGuy]

Now can Sakurai resurrect his team idea with Diddy and Dixie by pairing Dixie up with Funky Kong?

That'd be... Awkward to say the least. But no, I think that idea is absolutely dead. In terms of DK characters at least, it could be used for a future character but not with Dixie and Funky. That'd just be weird.

Maybe, MAYBE, if you paired her with Kiddy Kong but everyone hates that ****** so that's probably a no go.

Again, you HONESTLY think Returns would have influenced Sakurai on Cranky Kong when it wasn't until Tropical Freeze that he had something to work with?

Devil's advocate, Rosalina was a non playable support character before she was announced though, and there was probably no way 3D World had an effect on her.

 

[Swamp Sensei]

People keep pushing Funky.

But I say this TF port just makes Dixie more likely.

 

[MamaLuigi123456]

Devil's advocate, Rosalina was a non playable support character before she was announced though, and there was probably no way 3D World had an effect on her.

With it's very clear her moveset is taken from the Super Mario Galaxy games as a whole, not just the character herself.

From that standpoint, other than being the so-called "original Donkey Kong" that was presumably the DK in the arcade games, what did Cranky have to offer prior to Donkey Kong Country: Tropical Freeze?

 

[Deleted member]

Devil's advocate, Rosalina was a non playable support character before she was announced though, and there was probably no way 3D World had an effect on her.

Fair point, though there was at least something to really work with the concept of having cosmic powers and the Lumas to assist her.

Until Tropical Freeze introduced a more active Cranky that used his cane as a weapon and to bounce around the Scrooge McDuck, there really wasn't any inherent fighting style for him.

Sure you had some concepts to try to incorporate, but they weren't as "obvious" for the character like DK's and Diddy's were.

 

[N3ON]

Y'all are blowing the Funky business waaaaay out of proportion. What we have here is a Nabbit in New Super Luigi U (or whatever it was called) situation. A creative way to implement an easier option. That, plus, the reason Funky's mode is being highlighted so much, the reason it's on the box, is because it's basically the only thing that sets this port apart from the original. It's because the character simultaneously addressed a gameplay function, proved similar in mechanics to existing characters, and acted as a more effective hook to entice double dipping than a straightforward easy mode. It's serendipitous but it's not a testament to Funky's importance. He has popularity, but let's not run away with it now.

This spotlighting is very methodical. Remember Hyrule Warriors Legends? Remember Mario Kart DX? Remember Pokken DX? Even the Luigi game. On which characters was the focus during reveal? Who takes up real estate on those boxes? The characters that would set the game apart from the original. This is standard affair. This is marketing. And spin-offs or not, memes or not (no matter how dank), ports aren't of enough magnitude to shake things up to such an extent the Smash roster will feel it. When it comes to Smash, even remakes struggle for impact.

So yeah, I agree this is Funky's best shot... but now it's like he's moved up to the minors, and it's still a far cry away from the majors. Frankly I see his best shot going forward as an easy semi-clone of DK.
(That's part of the reason he was added to this! To function as a stand-in DK, they have the same physiology.)

 

[MamaLuigi123456]

Y'all are blowing the Funky business waaaaay out of proportion. What we have here is a Nabbit in New Super Luigi U (or whatever it was called) situation. A creative way to implement an easier option. That, plus, the reason Funky's mode is being highlighted so much, the reason it's on the box, is because it's basically the only thing that sets this port apart from the original. It's because the character simultaneously addressed a gameplay function, proved similar in mechanics to existing characters, and acted as a more effective hook to entice double dipping than a straightforward easy mode. It's serendipitous but it's not a testament to Funky's importance. He has popularity, but let's not run away with it now.

This spotlighting is very methodical. Remember Hyrule Warriors Legends? Remember Mario Kart DX? Remember Pokken DX? Even the Luigi game. On which characters was the focus during reveal? Who takes up real estate on those boxes? The characters that would set the game apart from the original. This is standard affair. This is marketing. And spin-offs or not, memes or not (no matter how dank), ports aren't of enough magnitude to shake things up to such an extent the Smash roster will feel it. When it comes to Smash, even remakes struggle for impact.

So yeah, I agree this is Funky's best shot... but now it's like he's moved up to the minors, and it's still a far cry away from the majors. Frankly I see his best shot going forward as an easy semi-clone of DK.
(That's part of the reason he was added to this! To function as a stand-in DK, they have the same physiology.)

I'm gonna play Devil's Advocate here and say that at least Funky Kong was a recurring character in the Donkey Kong series LONG before the Switch remake of Donkey Kong Country: Tropical Freeze, something that Nabbit lacked, who only had one appearance (two if Mario Golf: World Tour came before New Super Luigi U) before the DLC expansion, as well as half of the stuff you mentioned.

 

[Ryu Myuutsu]

Even though the idea of having 4 DK newcomers (namely K. Rool, Dixie, Cranky and Funky) looks excessive, I believe people would be less reluctant for having this much in comparison to the amount FE got in Smash 4.

Let's not forget that the DK series hasn't been the most well represented one in Smash either, with all but 1 of its stages consisting of jungle-themed areas, no Assist Trophy, and DK Island Swing having no less than 8 remixes.

I assure you that history tends to repeat itself. Source Gaming did some research a while back about the pre Brawl days, and people were up in arms because Kirby, Star Fox and Earthbound got too much representation and complaining that series like Fire Emblem and Mario got less. If I find the link for that article, I'll put it up.

I can perfectly visualize people complaining about how a game series that is not even Nintendo's top 3 got to have 3/4 newcomers. Plus, the whole FE controversy began before Roy and Corrin were revealed, so people were already mad that there were four characters.





I still would be ok with it if they do it though.

 

[NintenRob]

Y'all are blowing the Funky business waaaaay out of proportion. What we have here is a Nabbit in New Super Luigi U (or whatever it was called) situation. A creative way to implement an easier option. That, plus, the reason Funky's mode is being highlighted so much, the reason it's on the box, is because it's basically the only thing that sets this port apart from the original. It's because the character simultaneously addressed a gameplay function, proved similar in mechanics to existing characters, and acted as a more effective hook to entice double dipping than a straightforward easy mode. It's serendipitous but it's not a testament to Funky's importance. He has popularity, but let's not run away with it now.

This spotlighting is very methodical. Remember Hyrule Warriors Legends? Remember Mario Kart DX? Remember Pokken DX? Even the Luigi game. On which characters was the focus during reveal? Who takes up real estate on those boxes? The characters that would set the game apart from the original. This is standard affair. This is marketing. And spin-offs or not, memes or not (no matter how dank), ports aren't of enough magnitude to shake things up to such an extent the Smash roster will feel it. When it comes to Smash, even remakes struggle for impact.

So yeah, I agree this is Funky's best shot... but now it's like he's moved up to the minors, and it's still a far cry away from the majors. Frankly I see his best shot going forward as an easy semi-clone of DK.
(That's part of the reason he was added to this! To function as a stand-in DK, they have the same physiology.)

Well said, I think I agree with everything you just said

 

[N3ON]

I'm gonna play Devil's Advocate here and say that at least Funky Kong was a recurring character in the Donkey Kong series LONG before the Switch remake of Donkey Kong Country: Tropical Freeze, something that Nabbit lacked, who only had one appearance (two if Mario Golf: World Tour came before New Super Luigi U) before the DLC expansion, as well as half of the stuff you mentioned.

Fair point, but my comparison was not to say they stood on equal footing so much as to show that such a maneuver is not inherently indicative of a highly deserving character. Perhaps I didn't communicate that effectively enough. My bad if that's the case. I agree that Funky does have more in his favour than Nabbit (though I also don't think that's saying very much). But regardless, this promotion was a function of gameplay above all else.

Ultimately, like I said earlier, I don't believe this moves the needle in any great way for the DK series, whether for Funky or anyone else (though obv Funky is benefitted the most). Ports are ports, enhanced or not. Of anything, Tropical Freeze is what has the impact, and Tropical Freeze released four years ago.

 

[Rosalinatehplumber]

Yep the tables have turned for sure. If I remember correctly, when DLC ended people are claming that Brawl has the best roster. Even though back then they were complaining that Brawl had a terrible roster. They were complaining about the lack of Mario and FE characters while StarFox, Kirby, Mother has too many. I don't know why they were shock about it IMO. I knew there were going to be a third SF character , and a third Kirby character because they were lots of requests for more Kirby characters and a third SF character. Sure, there were requests for more FE and Mario, but the chances werent that high IMO. Fast forward to the present, it's the complete opposite. "Too many Mario" "Too much FE" "More SF" etc. I can only imagine if 1-2 FE characters gets removed there will be flame wars. I think it's best that we should not worry about reps so much and enjoy what we have. After all, the two most important things about the characters is their uniqueness and are they fun to play as. That's why Corrin got in. It was either him or no one.

 

[NonSpecificGuy]

Yep the tables have turned for sure. If I remember correctly, when DLC ended people are claming that Brawl has the best roster. Even though back then they were complaining that Brawl had a terrible roster. They were complaining about the lack of Mario and FE characters while StarFox, Kirby, Mother has too many. I don't know why they were shock about it IMO. I knew there were going to be a third SF character , and a third Kirby character because they were lots of requests for more Kirby characters and a third SF character. Sure, there were requests for more FE and Mario, but the chances werent that high IMO. Fast forward to the present, it's the complete opposite. "Too many Mario" "Too much FE" "More SF" etc. I can only imagine if 1-2 FE characters gets removed there will be flame wars. I think it's best that we should not worry about reps so much and enjoy what we have. After all, the two most important things about the characters is their uniqueness and are they fun to play as. That's why Corrin got in. It was either him or no one.

Brawl does have the best roster though.

It has Snake.

 

[Deleted member]

Tropical Freeze had the misfortune to get released too late before getting considered for Smash 4, and it is now getting a second chance with its Switch port before an official Smash development begins.

I don't get all this "ports hardly influence Smash" nonsense.

 

[Krysco]

Brawl does have the best roster though.

It has Snake.

Even without Snake, Brawl still has the best roster and I'm not just saying that because of Wolf although he is part of it.

 

[Deleted member]

For people arguing over Dixie and Funky, how about we add both? They do not have to be forced as clones, the creators can get creative you know, but they shoud at least. Their choice.

As far as art style is concerned, am I the only one that is satisfied with the one we got from Smash 3DS & Wii U? It looks lively compared to the dreary look of Brawl which was trying too hard to be "hardcore" in looks. I hope that they keep this for next game.

Me too, in fact Smash 4's looks really grown into me more than any other Smash game by far. The worst case is Bowser. I mean Bowser does not even look like Bowser, he looks like a severely messy and slimy turtle creature instead of Bowser. Either way, I agree with you.

 

[Cosmic77]

Tropical Freeze had the misfortune to get released too late before getting considered for Smash 4, and it is now getting a second chance with its Switch port before an official Smash development begins.

I don't get all this "ports hardly influence Smash" nonsense.

I'd argue that ports do have an effect on Smash, but not as much as a new game. The only problem that Tropical Freeze has to face is that, just like most of their other ports, Nintendo moves on from them rather quickly if sales aren't great. A whole ocean of new games have been released in the past year. Like MK8D, Tropical Freeze needs to stay above water and avoid being drowned out by all the new stuff.

For people arguing over Dixie and Funky, how about we add both? They do not have to be forced as clones, the creators can get creative you know, but they shoud at least. Their choice.

Honestly, I think plenty of us would be excited even if one of those characters got in as an assist trophy. Expectations are low, but we remain hopeful.

 

[The Stoopid Unikorn]

For people arguing over Dixie and Funky, how about we add both? They do not have to be forced as clones, the creators can get creative you know, but they shoud at least. Their choice.

They don't have to be forced as clones, but the fact that they have the same body frame as Diddy and DK respectively is going to lead to at least some animations shared here and there.

That's called using existing resources to save on development time.

 

[Venus of the Desert Bloom]

We all know Funky would be a Cap Falcon clone!

“FUNKY...PUUUUNCH!!!!!”

“FUNKY....KICK!!!!!”

“Show ya’ b’nanas!”