Hello everyone !
I finally decide to register to the boards, since I follow this thread since page 180 or so. (Also, sorry for my English, french here).
I'm a huge Isaac supporter since the brawl era, so you can count me among you for the support list.
Recently, I post this kinda long message about Isaac on the french Smash Facebook community. It got some success and be translated elsewhere so I was thinking it could be a good idea to share it with you people. I don't think you'll learn anything new though, since it's pretty much a recap about you also said in this thread concerning Isaac's chances.
Anyway, here you go :
(I didn't wrote my original message in english so shout outs to @Selman Ghaoui on Facebook for translating it.)
ISAAC's CASE:
All right, I'v decided to recap the factors that point to Isaac's inclusion in Smash Bros. I find that his chances increased with the phenomenal hype around this character (Isaac is the most supported character on Smashboards, aka the largest Smash Bros. forum)
I myself was very surprised to see how my opinion changed over time, from denial to hope.
First, I will review the arguments against his inclusion, then the favorable arguments, and then discuss the potential clues left by Sakurai. I will not talk about leaks, because it is impossible to know which are real and which are fake (and until now, all the leaks are debunked one after the other).
AGAINST :
- Golden Sun is a "dead" license:
This argument is heavily criticized, since several exceptions have already proven that Sakurai is cool with resurrecting old and forgotten characters (such as R.O.B, Ice Climbers, Pit, Duck Hunt Duo). Even more so when we now know that Sakurai is focusing on the poll results for the Ultimate roster.
- He's a swordsman:
As ridiculous as it may be, I will still take the time to answer this psychotic phobia that some people have against swords. First, Sakurai has already explained that the fact that a character weilds a sword is not prohibitive as long as its gameplay is creative and interesting (Shulk and Robin for example). It just happens that Isaac has potential for a moveset almost unlimited as his psynergies (elementary magic) are numerous (more than a hundred of them) as well as his Djinns (72) and his summons (29). Isaac also knows his way with axes and maces.
- Golden Sun is a niche license:
It isn't as niche as much as we think it is. The success of Golden Sun was so great that it became one of the most well-known games on the GBA, to the point that it was one of the few games (alongside Zelda, Mario and Pokemon) to appear on the art box of the GBA and the GBA SP. Even though the license has indeed lost its popularity as the years go by, it has undoubtedly left an indelible mark on Nintendo's game library.
- There are more popular characters:
This is certainly the biggest obstacle to Isaac's inclusion in Smash Bros. Even if the results of the polls on the internet shows that Isaac was indeed popular, we can't know where he ranks with the 1.8 million votes. Characters like Geno, Banjo & Kazooie and Rayman might have got him right.
- Sakurai announced that only a handful of newcomers will make it to the roster:
Coupled with the argument above, this is what makes Isaac's inclusion uncertain. It all depends on his results in the Smash ballot. Note however, that with the inclusion of Ridley and K.Rool, there aren't many competitors who can overshadow Isaac now. With these few newcomers (not counting the echoes), if Sakurai had in mind a dozen new characters, that increases the chances of Isaac considerably. But if there are only 2 or 3 spots left, however...
FAVORABLE :
- The fact that Golden Sun is an extremely popular license is undisputable, its critical and commercial success is there (if we exclude Dark Dawn on the DS). Golden Sun has made an impression, and that's certainly why Isaac is requested so much by the fans.
- Golden Sun is not a third party license:
This means that it is much simpler for Sakurai to include Isaac, since he has already announced in a recent interview that including a character from a third party license is often laborious. This could give him priority over Geno (Square Enix) and Banjo & Kazooie (Rare).
- Smash Bros has already included Golden Sun related content:
The most notable being obviously the appearance of Isaac as an assist trophey, but also the inclusion of two songs from Golden Sun in Brawl. Note that additional music (Weyard, Golden Sun Dark Dawn) has also been added in Smash for WiiU & 3DS. This means that Sakurai is well aware of the existence and popularity of Golden Sun, and has not forgotten it. Recall also that we have already had the case of an assist trophey being promoted as a playable character: Little Mac.
- Isaac seems to have had very good results in polls dating back to the time of the Smash ballot:
Although we do not have access to the official results of the ballot, many polls on the net tried to count the votes for Isaac and he constantly ranks in the top 10 at worst (he's often top 3). I had shared a few days ago the census of several polls compiling more than 44 000 votes, showing Isaac in second position right after King K.Rool. If Isaac might not have ranked as well as in the ballot, this sample would still show the great popularity of Isaac.
- Sakurai focuses on poll results for Ultimate roster:
He said it explicitly in a recent interview. Combined with the argument above and the recent inclusion of K.Rool, this can only augur well for Isaac.
- Isaac's popularity is exploding:
Recently, on the 4chan sites, Gamefaqs, Smashboard and Reddit: Isaac seems to be the most promoted newcomer (to the point that anti-Isaac groups have emerged, it echoes the previous success of Ridley at the time of Smash 4). All leaks also focus on Isaac's presence to gain credibility. If Isaac is not included in the basic roster, then it is possible that he arrives as DLC given his new and growing popularity.
- Isaac has an unlimited potential for his moveset:
I have already spoken about it in the counter argument about his status as a swordsman. Isaac offers loads of possibilities that the fans are unable to imagine how he'll play if Sakurai decides to include him.
- Issac have been requested for 10 years now:
Or since the release of Brawl. If Sakurai really decides to play the fanservice card until the end of Smash Ultimate, then maybe he will decide to put an end to this long wait.
POTENTIAL HINTS:
- Sakurai's tweet:
Recently, Sakurai tweeted a screenshot of Smash Bros. featuring the dragon Rathalos against Link, Marth and Shulk. The scene and especially the angle of the camera evokes very strongly the fights and combat of Golden Sun. Note also that Sakurai has already explained that he was very meticulous about his tweets... why bother to share this screenshot of Rathalos when he announced it himself in the recent live?
Another clue noticed by the fans is the choice of characters: Link, Marth and Shulk, a layout that strongly evokes the Golden Sun 1 team:
Link is a silent protagonist like Isaac. Marth is named "Mars" in Japan, Garet, the second member of the group is a fire (Mars) adept. Finally Shulk has the ability to see the future, just like Ivan: the third member of the group.
In addition, this image links directly to the "Assist Tropheis" section of the official Smash Bros. website. When we factor the fact that Isaac once shared this status with Rathalos, it looks even less hazardous.
Finally, another element that seems to prove that the angle of the camera is not insignificant is that it is not reproducible manually in the photo mode (at least in Smash 4), which would show a real desire to reference Golden Sun and not just a reference to RPGs.
Critics of these theories, however, remain convinced that this is a simple reference to the box art of Monster Hunter World and the Monster Hunter series, and that the choice of Marth and Link are references to recent DLC.
Theorists persist in saying that the choice of Shulk as the third character is strange, that the angle of view is too precise, and that the boxart does not look at all like that screenshot (Sakurai has already shown impossible shots showing the characters back as on the boxart of MH World, and why would he choose the coliseum instead of wild terrain similar to the one on the box art of MH?)
- The end of King.K.Rool's trailer:
Sakurai has already sown hints for newcomers in some trailers in the past. Some look for the smallest of clues in the clouds and that have been the case for Pac-Man in Greninja's trailer and some have noticed something quite "big" this time: the huge golden sun which we see at the end of the trailer. It could just as well be a coincidence, and even if Issac is announced, we'll never know, since Sakurai never talks about the clues he leaves.
CONCLUSION:
I wouldn't go so far as to say that Isaac's inclusion is certain, but I think it's very likely. I do not believe in the second clue (the sun lol), but I find the first one extremely suspicious. Finally, Isaac has definitly more arguments in his favor than against him.