So you know how whenever someone suggest cuts, they get a lot of flack for it? Well I've been thinking about how I would decide on cuts for a new Smash Bros game. First of all, it'll be a priority list. Characters on the top of the list will be the first to be cut, characters lower on the list will be characters I'd be more hesitant to. I see cutting as more of a necessary evil then a way to "clean" the games roster of characters I don't personally care for as most people who suggest this sort of list seem to.
I'm keeping all echoes and Dr.Mario unless the character they are echoing is cut as well. Cutting them seems unnecessary.
- Young Link and Pichu have their fans, but most of them were pretty understanding when they weren't in Brawl. At the end of the day they are just a smaller Link and a smaller Pikachu.
- See above.
- Wii Fit Trainer has her charms in Smash, but her popularity never took off as a joke character the same way Mr.G&W or Duck Hunt did. She was fine as a one off thing, but I don't think many people would miss her.
- I'd hate to say it, but Lucas's fanbase is pretty niche. Nothing personal against the kid, it's just that the Mother series is already lucky to even have Ness.
- Even if Roy has been decloned a bit, even I won't deny there's an over saturation of FE characters in Smash. It was a toss up between him, Ike and Corrin, but ultimately I decided to cut the one who's least unique in move set and play style. I'd still be really sad to see him go though. Naturally no Roy also means no Chrom, unfortunately.
- Being a legendary member of the original 12 has given her plot armor so far, but let's be real here; even if she's still fairly popular in Japan she's not exactly necessary in anyway. Pikachu, Pokemon Trainer, and Mewtwo basically have all of gen 1's bases covered, so Jiggs is just frosting on the cake.
- Another character who I'd hate to see go but would ultimately consider cutting anyway just because Kid Icarus sadly doesn't seem to have much of a future. I love Uprising to bits but I think that game's representation would still be fine even if it only had Pit.
- Greninja is popular, don't get me wrong, but whether it'll stand the test of time like Gen 1 mons or Lucario is still up in the air. I feel like it's the least recognizable of the admittedly strong Pokemon selection we currently have. Pokemon representation is already solid and I wouldn't be bothered too heavily to let one more guy go
but of course I'm heavily biased in Ivysaur's favor.
- Now this is one I'd be heavily conflicted on cutting. It's really novel being able to play as Mr.Rodgers, Abraham Lincoln or Star Butterfly, but these guys seem like a little bit of a pain to develop for because they're essentially three different characters. Even if they borrow several moves from other members of the roster, they still more resource heavy then what they're worth. Maybe they'd be more popular if they were allowed online and at tournaments though, so we'll see if more people play in them in Ultimate.
- I really love what a unique character ROB is and what he brings to the table with his playstyle, but just like Wii Fit Trainer, I don't think the fanbase will mourn his loss too heavily. But perhaps I'm just being heartless in suggesting that we kill off the last of a dying race.
If I were the dev, I might give
the old Doctor Mario treatment and make a few more tweaks so she's just barely outside of clone status. I don't think she's needs to be a full-fledged unique character but a lot of her fans don't seem fully satisfied with her echo status, so may as well throw them a bone.
Now I know this topic can be touchy, so feel free to start roasting me for suggesting that ROB is more important then Roy and Jiggles.