Super Smash Bros. director says character selection is stressful 'almost to the brink of death'

[Vintage Creep]

http://www.polygon.com/2013/6/17/44...director-masahiro-sakurai-character-selection

So...

 

[Frostwraith]

We're discussing this in the general discussion thread. Very interesting read, indeed.

 

[Zonderion]

So... did someone die?

Whether it's a minor character or a character that is one of the most highly skilled and most played," Sakurai said, "if that character is removed from the game, the people who live for that character in Smash Bros. are going to have their feelings hurt.

I don't doubt people will be butt hurt if their favorite character isn't in the game any more. But they'll get over it. In 64 I played Falcon, Melee: Sheik, and Brawl: Falco. It didn't matter to me if the next game had a previous character that I loved playing with. I was, and still am willing to change. I don't plan to start with Falco in Sm4sh (even if he's in there). I'll try a bunch of the characters out to see what fits my playstyle. He shouldn't be worrying himself over this too much.

 

[Curious Villager]

I guess I should start thinking a bit more about who I should be maining in this new game. This doesn't seem to be looking good for Toon Link and knowing how Sakurai shut Layton down as well. I guess Mewtwo's return is the only thing I can hope for. But if worst comes to worst. I guess I should start over and main Ness again like I did during Smash 64. Kinda sad how my most wanted characters always show up in one game but leave in the next one. :/

 

[Frostwraith]

He shouldn't be worrying himself over this too much.

Well, at least, it shows that Sakurai cares about the players and all people claiming that "Sakurai doesn't care about the fans" are plain wrong.

Some people play as a character because they LIKE the character and are willing to learn the moveset out of attachment for the character and I think Sakurai respects that and wants to avoid cutting characters because he knows people will be disappointed.

 

[TreK]

I read this as 'rejoice, Roy fans'.
But I may be biased, eh.

 

[Zonderion]

Well, at least, it shows that Sakurai cares about the players and all people claiming that "Sakurai doesn't care about the fans" are plain wrong.

Some people play as a character because they LIKE the character and are willing to learn the moveset out of attachment for the character and I think Sakurai respects that and wants to avoid cutting characters because he knows people will be disappointed.

Oh no doubt. It makes my heart glad that he is putting so much decision into this. I just hope he can rely more on his team to choose the right characters.

 

[Holder of the Heel]

If Sakurai's doom is what it takes for this game to be released, then from the bottom of my heart I can sincerely say that I hope he rests in peace.

jk

 

[Frostwraith]

Oh no doubt. It makes my heart glad that he is putting so much decision into this. I just hope he can rely more on his team to choose the right characters.

Well, he stated in a recent interview that his team is putting their energy in bringing as much characters as possible. Those are, without a doubt, good news for the roster.

 

[Arcadenik]

Looks like Sakurai knows what he is doing... contrary to popular belief.

 

[TreK]

The guy receives way not enough credit from this community, that's kinda sad.
At least he receives our moneyz :D

 

[Admiral Pit]

Gonna have to copy my post from the other thread since I feel it's important.

I understand Sakurai's point on this. Ppl these days are selfish and wants this and that, but what about what the developer wants?

What should we thankful for? We should be thankful that:
-We're even getting a new Smash Bros after Brawl
-There's a Wii U version for excellent HD and looks
-There's a 3ds version for those who want to play Smash on the go
-Sakurai does listen to the fans. Why else do you think Sonic and Megaman made it to Brawl and Smash4 respectively?

And keep in mind that WFT is one of Sakurai's own wants, and half of us have grown to like her. Granted, not all of us will be satisfied and that's a given, but we're all gonna have to get used to changes as said before once the game comes out. Besides, for those who are unable to adapt to the changes, then you're definitely gonna have a hard time, and hopefully will find another character that fits you. Who knows? You may find that different but special character that fits you as you try em out.
All-in-all, relax everyone. D:


In addition to that, for my evolution of characters in Smash, I went from Donkey Kong (one of my childhood characters) and Link in the 64 version, to Bowser (another childhood fave) with Zelda, Mewtwo, and Pichu in Melee, to Pit and Bowser in Brawl. I didn't know bout the competitive part til like a few months after Brawl's release.

 

[Curmudgeon]

I'm still a little disappointed with the new Dojo updates, but maybe that's for the better...

Anyways, I'm glad he at least CARES about the players

 

[Platsy]

Makes me sad that he becomes pretty much depressed over this stuff. Good thing he doesn't go on Smashboards, otherwise he'd have a heart attack. Major respect to the guy.

 

[Power-Stunna]

As long as I got C. Falcon, I'm good to go. He's been a mainstay in the smash series due to the famous falcon punch and the knee. But i'm open to anyone else returning and newcomers. Don't stress too much Sakurai.

 

[Pyra]

The man cares so much about his player base.

 

[Mr. Mumbles]

Is it sad that despite everything this article had to say about Sakurai's troubles and his attempts to give us all what we want, all I heard was that he won't be giving us as much in the way of updates?

 

[Big-Cat]

I guess I should start thinking a bit more about who I should be maining in this new game. This doesn't seem to be looking good for Toon Link and knowing how Sakurai shut Layton down as well. I guess Mewtwo's return is the only thing I can hope for. But if worst comes to worst. I guess I should start over and main Ness again like I did during Smash 64. Kinda sad how my most wanted characters always show up in one game but leave in the next one. :/

I pretty much learned a while back that maining a character is more than just who they are, but how they play. I wanted to play Viewtiful Joe in the vs. Capcom games, but his playstyle didn't suit me. Meanwhile, Miss Fit almost feels like the character I never knew I wanted.

This isn't so much at you, but at those who main a character specifically for who they are when they have no idea how they'll turn out.

 

[Mr. Mumbles]

I pretty much learned a while back that maining a character is more than just who they are, but how they play. I wanted to play Viewtiful Joe in the vs. Capcom games, but his playstyle didn't suit me. Meanwhile, Miss Fit almost feels like the character I never knew I wanted.

This isn't so much at you, but at those who main a character specifically for who they are when they have no idea how they'll turn out.

This is part of the reason I ran into some difficulty with Melee. I wanted to main either Bowser, or Ganondorf, because awesome. I had never played a fire emblem game after all, so it took me forever to figure out Marth was the character for me.

 

[smashbrolink]

If Link and Pit weren't in Smash 4, I would gladly have switched to either Mega Man or Mario, but since Link is always a given, I've got immunity and can freely choose people as secondaries.

 

[Curious Villager]

I pretty much learned a while back that maining a character is more than just who they are, but how they play. I wanted to play Viewtiful Joe in the vs. Capcom games, but his playstyle didn't suit me. Meanwhile, Miss Fit almost feels like the character I never knew I wanted.

This isn't so much at you, but at those who main a character specifically for who they are when they have no idea how they'll turn out.

Well the games are usually made so people can duke it out as their favourite character's... At least, that was their initial intention I guess... Plus I loved Toon Link's playstyle as well. He's the first Link who's playstyle I could actually bare. I could never get into the playstyle of the previous Link's and Young Link. But Toon Link's playstyle felt so natural and great to me, it was almost as if Sakurai designed him especially for me. That's how great he played for me. So yeah I'm a bit bummed that I likely can't have him back in Smash 4. (Then again, playstyles don't usually stay the exact same between games if I'm correct so Toon Link may have played a bit differently in smash 4 anyway if he was buffed or nerved).

I will be looking forward to all the characters who will be showing up and I will try them all out. But I think in the end I might end up maining Ness and try and get good at him again. He's alway's been my secondary right behind Mewtwo and Toon Link respectively.

 

[PadWarrior]

As long as I got C. Falcon, I'm good to go. He's been a mainstay in the smash series due to the famous falcon punch and the knee. But i'm open to anyone else returning and newcomers. Don't stress too much Sakurai.

Yeah he should be returning. Can't wait to see him.

 

[Neanderthal]

I guess I should start thinking a bit more about who I should be maining in this new game. This doesn't seem to be looking good for Toon Link and knowing how Sakurai shut Layton down as well. I guess Mewtwo's return is the only thing I can hope for. But if worst comes to worst. I guess I should start over and main Ness again like I did during Smash 64. Kinda sad how my most wanted characters always show up in one game but leave in the next one. :/

I think MewTwo will definitely be back. And he may be much higher tier most are expecting a faster version of him to go with his new form.

 

[Curious Villager]

I think MewTwo will definitely be back. And he may be much higher tier most are expecting a faster version of him to go with his new form.

I do hope he return's. I'll be looking forward to his hopeful reveal. ^_^

 

[BluePikmin11]

The only guys if I was forced to, would be Toon Link, Lucario, Wolf, Snake, and *gulp* Lucas..

 

[Neanderthal]

The only guys if I was forced to, would be Toon Link, Lucario, Wolf, Snake, and *gulp* Lucas..

I don;t get why everyone is okay with Snake going.... one of the most interesting characters in the game. Both in who he is and especially how he plays.

 

[BluePikmin11]

Snake doesn't represent Nintendoat it's 3rd partiesdepartment that well.

 

[kackamee]

I think MewTwo will definitely be back. And he may be much higher tier most are expecting a faster version of him to go with his new form.

When people say Mewtwo is returning, are you guys talking about

\
Or are you guys referring to the traditional Mewtwo? Because the only way I really see Mewtwo coming back is if Mewthree is how he looks. Or if Mewthree is his final smash or something.

 

[Ray Robo]

I'm glad Sakurai cares about the fanbase, but aside from taking characters in and out I think he should focus on making characters more diverse so that there are less clones and a wider variety of playstyles.

 

[Neanderthal]

If Link and Pit weren't in Smash 4, I would gladly have switched to either Mega Man or Mario, but since Link is always a given, I've got immunity and can freely choose people as secondaries.

Kind of the same since Link is my favourite video game character too. But I just didn't like the way he played in Brawl. Too slow and campy. Didn't suite the offensive hounding way I play.

When people say Mewtwo is returning, are you guys talking about

\
Or are you guys referring to the traditional Mewtwo? Because the only way I really see Mewtwo coming back is if Mewthree is how he looks. Or if Mewthree is his final smash or something.

There's no such thing as MewThree. It's just a different form.
I'd kind of expect a transformation or something. This form is confirmed to be faster and therefore probably higher tier in Smash.
(I don't think it's more powerful, just different attributes).

 

[kackamee]

There's no such thing as MewThree. It's just a different form.
I'd kind of expect a transformation or something. This form is confirmed to be faster and therefore probably higher tier in Smash.
I don't think it's more powerful, just different attributes.

I was just saying Mewthree for the sake of differentiating who I was referring to.
And yeah, I'd be excited if he got the new form, otherwise I'd rather have a new pokemon from a newer generation.
And I'm hoping that we don't have the repeating metagame where faster characters are higher tiers. I'd like to see some slower, bulkier characters getting higher tiers in the new game.

 

[Starcutter]

If sakuri keeps all of brawl's pokemon and adds mewtwo, I would be fine with that. just don't cut lucario. hell will have no fury like my wrath if that happens.

that means i'd most likely punch a pillow a couple of times.

 

[Kapus]

I don;t get why everyone is okay with Snake going.... one of the most interesting characters in the game. Both in who he is and especially how he plays.

Probably because Sakurai wants to keep 3rd parties to a minimum. If we assume the minimum is two, Sonic seems more likely to return as he has a bigger history with Nintendo and is a much more popular choice. If the minimum is three or so, it might be safe to assume Snake returns, but only if the Pac-Man rumor ends up being false.

Also ,Snake doesn't really fit in that well with the other bright and cartoony Nintendo charatcters.

 

[DefenseTech]

Sakurai is a good guy who really cares about this game...

 

[smashbrolink]

Kind of the same since Link is my favourite video game character too. But I just didn't like the way he played in Brawl. Too slow and campy. Didn't suite the offensive hounding way I play.

Yeah, took me a while to get used to how he played in Brawl, too.
In the end, though, I think it was mostly due to the way his Boomerang and Bombs functioned that made him worse than in Melee.
Well, that and his clawshot HAD to hit an edge to work, but I digress, I'm just hoping that they let Link keep his closing options with the hookshot as another aerial attack. It's got insane reach and its priority can even go through the Mach Tornado, which is a big deal.
Letting his boomerang do more damage both going out and returning and letting him spin attack into his own bombs again would also be big benefits.

 

[Neanderthal]

I was just saying Mewthree for the sake of differentiating who I was referring to.
And yeah, I'd be excited if he got the new form, otherwise I'd rather have a new pokemon from a newer generation.
And I'm hoping that we don't have the repeating metagame where faster characters are higher tiers. I'd like to see some slower, bulkier characters getting higher tiers in the new game.

Problem is, if you buff a slow character to make it even with fast characters at the competitive level it makes them overpowered at the casual level.
It's a tricky one but I think the best way to balance them evenly for both casual level and competitive level might be to give them more hitstun immunity frames.
Wouldn't change much for casuals but would balance it for experts.

Yeah, took me a while to get used to how he played in Brawl, too.
In the end, though, I think it was mostly due to the way his Boomerang and Bombs functioned that made him worse than in Melee.
Well, that and his clawshot HAD to hit an edge to work, but I digress, I'm just hoping that they let Link keep his closing options with the hookshot as another aerial attack. It's got insane reach and its priority can even go through the Mach Tornado, which is a big deal.
Letting his boomerang do more damage both going out and returning and letting him spin attack into his own bombs again would also be big benefits.

That and his standard attacks where just slower and nerfed in general.
Recovery was nerfed too.

Probably because Sakurai wants to keep 3rd parties to a minimum. If we assume the minimum is two, Sonic seems more likely to return as he has a bigger history with Nintendo and is a much more popular choice. If the minimum is three or so, it might be safe to assume Snake returns, but only if the Pac-Man rumor ends up being false.

Also ,Snake doesn't really fit in that well with the other bright and cartoony Nintendo charatcters.

I think he might want to keep it to a minimum............ per game. Not in total.

Edit: Oops just triple posted... I blame the alert function. Disorienting.

 

[Kapus]

I would think so as well. It wasn't my intention to imply otherwise.

 

[Moon Monkey]

One thing we should definitely start taking into consideration, before we start suggesting characters all willy-nilly is this:

What is the uniqueness of this character? What does this character bring into the Smash Bros. universe? What do they have that other characters don't? How do they complement or contrast other characters?

This is even more evidence that Sakurai is straying from clones.
This really puts characters like Toon Link, Falco/Wolf on the chopping block unless Sakurai opts to diversify them even further.

 

[verysleepywolf]

Gotta have respect for the guy. At least he doesn't have to worry about balancing the characters all by himself anymore.

 

[Venus of the Desert Bloom]

Lots of good information there! I hope Sakurai doesn't exhaust himself needlessly.

Two particular things I found interesting were:

I recall Sakurai mentioning during Brawl that he waited for 3rd party companies to come to him. I need a source though. It's interesting to note that Sakurai and his team went to Capcom to ask them to include Megaman.

Secondly, it's interesting to note that Sakurai will have less of a visual prescence concerning the Dojo and won't be as talkative. This leads me to think that we will, for the time being, be only getting daily screenshots (minus weekends) on Miiverse and several characters updates on the website. This may happen after Nintendo Direct announcements.