Social Swamp's Social Thread 3 - And now, the end is near, and so I face the final curtain...

[PushDustIn]

It doesn't really matter that he came after if Sakurai himself does nothing but imply Mac is a retro character. Director's words vs. conjecture in a debate about what the director wants characters to represent.

This.

We aren't Sakurai so we can't say 100% but based on the column, the new challenger art work (which Sakurai worked on himself) it seems that retro was a big deal.

 

[Frostwraith]

Sakurai mainly talks about the arcade game in regards to Little Mac's inclusion, even offering Wireframe variations to his alts.

Suffice to say, the arcade game might be the main source of inspiration for his inclusion.

Of course, Sakurai didn't just include elements from the arcade game. From the NES game, we have Doc Louis, Mac's iconic pink jumpsuit, as well as music. The opponents from said game also appear as trophies.

The Wii game also has plenty of elements in Smash: the character designs and the Boxing Ring stage's visuals all come from this game. The opponents' trophies also use their Wii designs. Giga Mac comes from this game as well, meaning Little Mac's Final Smash would be something different had the Wii game never happened. Some music from this game is also included. In addition, the fact Little Mac's poster has DK as Mac's opponent is likely an allusion to DK's cameo in the game as a secret opponent.

In other words: Sakurai was mainly inspired by the arcade game and that was the reason for his inclusion, but in true Smash Bros. fashion, he also looked at other games to get elements from.

I think if the Wii game didn't exist, Sakurai might have added him anyway, filling a retro spot and due to his popularity outside of Japan. This said, he didn't ignore the game either.

 

[Godzillathewonderdog]

You know what? I'd be fine if in the future the 3rd party line up expands from just gaming legends to gaming legends + 1 relatively popular character with really big ties with Nintendo (I guess mainly being exclusive to Nintendo), like Bayonetta. Professor Layton could easily be a future character.

However I feel the gaming icons should stick around forever while the Nintendo oriented characters should be a one time thing, getting a new one each game. They're not big enough to stick around, but they're given time in the spotlight for their relative popularity and their work with Nintendo, and it pleases a lot of fans that play their games on Nintendo who want to see them in this Nintendo crossover.

I'm actually really starting to love this idea! To think I hated the idea of getting non legendary guest characters just the other day, but now I've twisted it in a way to where I love it!

 

[Swamp Sensei]

It doesn't really matter that he came after if Sakurai himself does nothing but imply Mac is a retro character. Director's words vs. conjecture in a debate about what the director wants characters to represent.

This does nothing but give conjecture as well. Hell you're even saying imply. Who is to say that Sakurai just viewed the arcade aspect as interesting but it wasn't the reason for inclusion?

This.

We aren't Sakurai so we can't say 100% but based on the column, the new challenger art work (which Sakurai worked on himself) it seems that retro was a big deal.

Or just a marketable aspect of the character since no other Nintendo newcomer came from the arcades.

It's like Pit, a popular character request that just happened to have retro star power but wasn't included for the sake of being retro like the hardware trio or Ice Climbers.

I admit, we don't know for sure but I strongly feel that Little Mac wasn't the "retro" choice. Duck Hunt was.

 

[Arcadenik]

I think I have an idea who might be a logical choice after Mr. Game & Watch, R.O.B., and Duck Hunt. Let's see...

Mr. Game & Watch reps the Game & Watch games.
R.O.B. reps the NES Robot peripheral and games.
Duck Hunt reps the NES Zapper peripheral and games.

How about someone who represents the NES Power Pad peripheral and games?

No, really... I think this could be feasible... even "realizable". It is not like Nintendo forgot about the NES Power Pad. Check this out.

See? Reggie playing with the NES Power Pad in 2015.

Anyway, the game that came bundled with the NES Power Pad is World Class Track Meet. It was also bundled with Super Mario Bros. and Duck Hunt.

The character who represents the NES Power Pad could be named "Track Meet". He looks like your generic track & field athlete except he is always on the NES Power Pad. He stands on it. He runs in place on it and it moves along the ground. It disappears when he jumps and reappears when he lands. It floats like a flying carpet as a recovery special move. He might even have a "jumping over hurdles" special move where a hurdle pops out of thin air and he jumps over it... and the hurdle sticks around for a while to block projectiles and forces opponents to jump over it (it won't let them pass). I imagine he would be a fast character with jumping prowess due to the fact he is an Olympic-level runner who competes in long jumps and hurdle jumps.

Please take note at the bottom of the 3-in-1 box art... see the three symbols and what they represent.

Action Series for Super Mario Bros.
Light Gun Series for Duck Hunt.
Sports Series for World Class Track Meet.

Now, where have we seen the "Sports Series" symbol before?

We still do not have a character who represents those NES sports games. Those games were also represented in NES Remix games so it is not like Nintendo completely forgot about them. Track Meet could possibly represent both the NES Power Pad games AND the Sports Series games. Track Meet could possibly use tennis rackets, baseball bats, and golf clubs in his normal moveset in addition to his NES Power Pad special moves.

He might even use a special move or two from the other NES Power Pad game, Short Order + Eggsplode.

Oh, yeah! In the world of Smash Bros., the NES Power Pad is some sort of advanced technology that transports Track Meet around when he runs in place on it and makes sports equipment, hurdles, and bombs appear out of thin air for him to use!

And you have a recipe for a quirky retro character.

In conclusion, Track Meet for Smash 5!

 

[Swamp Sensei]

I think Diskun would be in line before the Power Pad.

 

[Frostwraith]

Takamaru could be next in line for a retro spot.

Recently, he's had his game released on the VC and a mini-game in Nintendo Land. Now, he has a Mii costume that could be seen as a way to gauge interest, as he probably got ballot votes.

I do think we're running out of potential retro characters, though. Sakurai being Sakurai, however, we may see something more unexpected.

 

[Arcadenik]

Takamaru could be next in line for a retro spot.

Recently, he's had his game released on the VC and a mini-game in Nintendo Land. Now, he has a Mii costume that could be seen as a way to gauge interest, as he probably got ballot votes.

I do think we're running out of potential retro characters, though. Sakurai being Sakurai, however, we may see something more unexpected.

Oh, yes... and I'm rooting for Track Meet to win the race.

Melee: Ice Climbers and Mr. Game & Watch
Brawl: Pit and R.O.B.
SSB4: Little Mac and Duck Hunt
SSB5: Takamaru and Track Meet

 

[Shroob]

Man, what I would give for 1920x1080 pic of Smash 4's WiiU Roster with Corrin and Bayonetta added in where they'll go.

 

[Pokechu]

uh it's only like 5 am

but I was trying to rig honey trees and I found a Drifloon in my nuzlocke

so um

Who wants to be in my nuzlocke as a Drifloon? @Zoroarking tagging you just in case you want to be it
-------------------------------------------------------------

Not gonna lie tho I'm hoping for Lip as the retro rep. She didn't do much but female retro? Who fights with a flower? And is pink?

yas

 

[Shroob]

uh it's only like 5 am

but I was trying to rig honey trees and I found a Drifloon in my nuzlocke

so um

Who wants to be in my nuzlocke as a Drifloon? @Zoroarking tagging you just in case you want to be it
-------------------------------------------------------------

Not gonna lie tho I'm hoping for Lip as the retro rep. She didn't do much but female retro? Who fights with a flower? And is pink?

yas

I have a feeling at as long as Lip's Stick is an item, Lip isn't going to be playable. The fact her item has shown up in 3 games now but she hasn't shows they know of her, but probably won't use her since that's her main weapon.

 

[Pokechu]

I have a feeling at as long as Lip's Stick is an item, Lip isn't going to be playable. The fact her item has shown up in 3 games now but she hasn't shows they know of her, but probably won't use her since that's her main weapon.

Yeahh, and also how Kirby can transform into the garbage block from her game..

but it'd be nice to have a puzzle rep (besides Dr. Mario).

 

[Arcadenik]

I have a feeling at as long as Lip's Stick is an item, Lip isn't going to be playable. The fact her item has shown up in 3 games now but she hasn't shows they know of her, but probably won't use her since that's her main weapon.

I'm surprised she didn't even get in as an Assist Trophy.

There's an interesting little tweet from Sakurai himself:
http://www.neogaf.com/forum/showpost.php?p=189706172&postcount=13132
"While we were in the discussion phase, I did worry that we were getting too many "Fire Emblem" characters, but thankfully, Corrin has become a fighter unlike any other. It'll be just a little while more until we're done, so please look forward to it!"


See? Even he worries that we're getting too many, but he puts fun and unique playstyles over representation.

Ahh... fun and unique playstyles over over representation.

If we were to extend this philosophy to Pokemon, then it should not matter how many 1st gen Pokemon are playable as long as they are fun and unique.

Meowth for Smash! Team Rocket for Smash!!

 

[CyberHyperPhoenix]

You know, I had the weirdest smash related dream when I was taking a nap in the afternoon.

It was a dream where Ryu's classic ending didn't get leaked and everyone had super hype raw reactions from the direct he was featured in.

After getting hyped out of my mind I went to Smashboards and as you can expect, it was Crashboards.

But it lasted for two whole days and I was getting really bored with life kinda like @Flight because I had no one to share my hype with

Its kinda a bit hazy in some parts, but still weird none the less

 

[Knuckles the Knuckles]

...I still cant believe Bayo is actually in Smash, and I JUST got adjusted to Cloud

 

[redroses]

Hey guys, I saw Force Awakens tonight. I really wanted to dump my thoughts somewhere so now I shall share them with you!

I'm going to make this as spoiler free as possible, so if you haven't seen it HAVE NO FEAR!

Spoiler

If you're wondering if it's another Episode I, rest easy. Ep. VII is good. But.

Yeah, it comes with a bit of an asterisk.

Force Awakens has a real hard time distancing itself from its legacy as a Star Wars movie. Without spoiling anything, it starts out pretty solid. It's a mix of something old and something new. Familiar themes and locations, but with some new twists and characters. Fin, Rey and a few other newbies I won't spoiler are a lot of fun and incredibly lovable and are really easy to get attached to. They actually manged to stand up well on both their own and along side beloved classic characters, who actually play big roles in the story and aren't just limited to cameos.

The story starts out strong too. It's an interesting and engaging mystery that mixes the old with the new brings the characters to a ton of neat locals and across some interesting characters. Impressively, it manages to feel fresh and unique while still retaining nostalgic elements.

Until half way through the movie when it suddenly decides it needs to drop the plot like a hot potato to reenact Episode IV.

Yeah, just like Jurassic World before it, another long awaited sequel to a beloved classic film series, it feels incredibly rehashy due to its inability to escape its predecessors. The fact that its engage main plot is completely dropped due to something that has zero foreshadowing and only seems to exist so the movie can have a call-back to A New Hope and to give it a big explosive climax, even if the main plot was suggesting more of an emotional one.

Kylo Ren is also a major, major let down. The poor guy was presented as this cold-blooded badass who seeks to continue what he believes to be Vader's work. In the actual film, he's less Darth Vader and much more Anakin Skywalker. As blunt as this sounds, he's honestly kind of a loser. In the first five minutes of the film he immediately is told off by a secondary characters, which hurts his credibility. He frequently throws temper tantrums which come off more as silly rather than scary, his character arc is awkwardly implemented and is poorly done due to good old, "tell, don't show" syndrome, and worse of all, without spoiling too much, he comes off less as a badass successor to Vader and more like some clueless Vader fanboy who desperately wants to be like his hero but is too immature to be taken seriously.

That being said, it's still a fun movie that I would see again. I think when we look back on it in a decade or so it will seem a little dated, a bit samey compared to other things that were out at the time (you might notice that it takes hints from Marvel's style here and there, just a little) but still a decent film in its own right. Despite my complaints, its a fun watch with lovable characters, charming but not intrusive fan service and a masterful mix of practical and digital effects.

If I was to give it a grade, I'd say it's a solid B-. It's a good movie that unfortunately can't escape from the shadow of the originals. Hopefully episode VIII will boldly attempt to be more of its own thing.

More Spoiler Don't Read:

Spoiler

To Kylo Ren, I actually really enjoy his character.
I am happy that he wasn't just Darth Vader 2.0. I think it is only normal that he is so frustrated that he can't live up to the stories he heard of Darth Vader, not only is he his role model but even his grandfather.
He so badly wants to be so superior, intimidating and strong as Vader was, so everything that goes wrong makes him feel like he can never be that person, which in turn makes him throw tantrums, which make him probably make him feel even angrier at himself that he can't keep his cool.

I do not know what motivation he had to turn to the dark side, but whatever his reasons were, he isn't 100% sure about his decision which he also tells Han, and Snoke mentions it as well, if I remember correctly. He himself says it when he begs Darth Vader to show him the power of the dark side, so he doesn't forget why he chose it.

This all plays in to way he is so unstable, and has no respect by others. He just is not Vader, and I think that is great. They can do so much more with his character this way and show is descend to the dark side, then just having him be a Vader copy that is just so evil from the beginning. This time we are actually starting with experiencing the villain as a person, with thoughts and emotions than just this super intimidating person that Vader was.

I can understand that that is not for everybody, but I truly enjoy this and I must I really really like Kylo Ren a lot.

 

[Spazzy_D]

Sakurai might disagree with your statement Swamp Sensei
http://www.sourcegaming.info/2015/0...r-is-very-hot-sakurai-famitsu-column-vol-448/
He only talks about the arcade game. The NES gets a shout out.

Also Roy was very much the cut Melee rep. Listen to how Sakurai discusses him.

Final Smash, Ring Design, Mac Design, Doc Louis Design, Doc Louis dialogue, all come from the Wii game. It had a large effect on his design.

 

[Solfiner]

MR SATURN IS IN MARIO MAKER

 

[Spazzy_D]

MR SATURN IS IN MARIO MAKER

Mr. Saturn > Daisy

Also:

 

[The Novice Sword]

I think Donkey Kong Jr. would make a fun retro Smash character. It'd be a fun acknowledgement of the arcade to nes/snes transition of gaming. Plus a celebration of the early days of Donkey Kong's franchise.

I would also love Excitebiker. Bonus points if they remain on the bike at all times for a unique move set.

 

[BluePikmin11]

TEMMIE FOR MARIO MAKER PLZ!

 

[Deleted member]

If you haven't seen it yet, see Star Wars as soon as possible. I can't recommend it enough.

Ugh, I still can't take that title seriously. Blame this fan film that had the same title.

Every time I read that title, that narrotor's voice always pops into my head.

 

[Fenriraga]

Master Belch, literally a gross pile of gunk and garbage, got a costume before Daisy did.

I know they don't mean anything by it, but that is still hilarious for all the wrong reasons :V

 

[Deleted member]

Actually if they were to cut a FE clone, I would choose Lucina over Roy. She's not bad, but Roy is our boy and a fan favorite.

Roy is only a fan favorite in the Smash community though
Lucina has the actual FE fanbase

+Female representation,

When we start using these as a plus for characters, we know we have failed

Hey guys, I saw Force Awakens tonight. I really wanted to dump my thoughts somewhere so now I shall share them with you!

I'm going to make this as spoiler free as possible, so if you haven't seen it HAVE NO FEAR!

Spoiler

If you're wondering if it's another Episode I, rest easy. Ep. VII is good. But.

Yeah, it comes with a bit of an asterisk.

Force Awakens has a real hard time distancing itself from its legacy as a Star Wars movie. Without spoiling anything, it starts out pretty solid. It's a mix of something old and something new. Familiar themes and locations, but with some new twists and characters. Fin, Rey and a few other newbies I won't spoiler are a lot of fun and incredibly lovable and are really easy to get attached to. They actually manged to stand up well on both their own and along side beloved classic characters, who actually play big roles in the story and aren't just limited to cameos.

The story starts out strong too. It's an interesting and engaging mystery that mixes the old with the new brings the characters to a ton of neat locals and across some interesting characters. Impressively, it manages to feel fresh and unique while still retaining nostalgic elements.

Until half way through the movie when it suddenly decides it needs to drop the plot like a hot potato to reenact Episode IV.

Yeah, just like Jurassic World before it, another long awaited sequel to a beloved classic film series, it feels incredibly rehashy due to its inability to escape its predecessors. The fact that its engage main plot is completely dropped due to something that has zero foreshadowing and only seems to exist so the movie can have a call-back to A New Hope and to give it a big explosive climax, even if the main plot was suggesting more of an emotional one.

Kylo Ren is also a major, major let down. The poor guy was presented as this cold-blooded badass who seeks to continue what he believes to be Vader's work. In the actual film, he's less Darth Vader and much more Anakin Skywalker. As blunt as this sounds, he's honestly kind of a loser. In the first five minutes of the film he immediately is told off by a secondary characters, which hurts his credibility. He frequently throws temper tantrums which come off more as silly rather than scary, his character arc is awkwardly implemented and is poorly done due to good old, "tell, don't show" syndrome, and worse of all, without spoiling too much, he comes off less as a badass successor to Vader and more like some clueless Vader fanboy who desperately wants to be like his hero but is too immature to be taken seriously.

That being said, it's still a fun movie that I would see again. I think when we look back on it in a decade or so it will seem a little dated, a bit samey compared to other things that were out at the time (you might notice that it takes hints from Marvel's style here and there, just a little) but still a decent film in its own right. Despite my complaints, its a fun watch with lovable characters, charming but not intrusive fan service and a masterful mix of practical and digital effects.

If I was to give it a grade, I'd say it's a solid B-. It's a good movie that unfortunately can't escape from the shadow of the originals. Hopefully episode VIII will boldly attempt to be more of its own thing.

STAR WARS VII SPOILERS DO NOT OPEN IN ANY CIRCUMSTANCES UNLESS YOU'VE SEEN THE MOVIE

Spoiler

Tbh, I liked Kylo Ren's character
Yeah, he is a big tryhard Vader fanboy but that's part of his character
I liked how he throws temper tantrums, other Star Wars villains were always presented as calm and calculating while Kylo Ren is basically a teenager that wants to be like his grandfather and can't accept defeat
And that's what I liked about him so much, he isn't just a Vader fan continuing what he did, he's a Vader fanboy that is too afraid of not being as powerful as Vader and that's what compromises him

And I believe they did show his badassery very well
I mean, HE STOPPED A ****ING LASER SHOT
HOW CAN YOU EVEN DO THAT? IS THST **** EVEN LEGAL?

uh it's only like 5 am

but I was trying to rig honey trees and I found a Drifloon in my nuzlocke

so um

Who wants to be in my nuzlocke as a Drifloon? @Zoroarking tagging you just in case you want to be it
-------------------------------------------------------------

Not gonna lie tho I'm hoping for Lip as the retro rep. She didn't do much but female retro? Who fights with a flower? And is pink?

yas

Lol, I can't believe you spent so much time in a honey tree when a Drifloon shows up on Fridays in Valley Windworks after you defeat Team Gaga
I'll have to refuse the offer though, you know why

 

[Spazzy_D]

Here's a time waster.

Capcom and Sega got a cartoony mascot in Smash 4. Let's say this pattern continues with the next Smash. What would your two character, one cartoony one realistic roster look like for:

SEGA:
CAPCOM:
NAMCO:
SQUARE ENIX:
KONAMI:
UBISOFT:

Feel free to add third party companies if you want.

 

[Strofirko]

Here's a time waster.

Capcom and Sega got a cartoony mascot in Smash 4. Let's say this pattern continues with the next Smash. What would your two character, one cartoony one realistic roster look like for:

SEGA:
CAPCOM:
NAMCO:
SQUARE ENIX:
KONAMI:
UBISOFT:

Feel free to add third party companies if you want.

SEGA:and
CAPCOM: and
NAMCO: and Heihachi/Nightmare
SQUARE ENIX: Slime and
KONAMI:Bomberman and /Belmont
UBISOFT:Rayman and Assassins creed guy

 

[Deleted member]

You know, I had the weirdest smash related dream when I was taking a nap in the afternoon.

It was a dream where Ryu's classic ending didn't get leaked and everyone had super hype raw reactions from the direct he was featured in.

After getting hyped out of my mind I went to Smashboards and as you can expect, it was Crashboards.

But it lasted for two whole days and I was getting really bored with life kinda like @Flight because I had no one to share my hype with

Its kinda a bit hazy in some parts, but still weird none the less

I had a weird dream as well. But unlike yours, it wasn't Smash-related.

 

[Bedoop]

Here's a time waster.

Capcom and Sega got a cartoony mascot in Smash 4. Let's say this pattern continues with the next Smash. What would your two character, one cartoony one realistic roster look like for:

SEGA:
CAPCOM:
NAMCO:
SQUARE ENIX:
KONAMI:
UBISOFT:

Feel free to add third party companies if you want.

SEGA: Sonic n' Bayonnaise
CAPCOM: Mega Man n' Ryu
NAMCO: n' Dig Dug / Heihachi / Orson + TOC-MAN
Squeenix: Cloud n' Slime
Konami: Bomberman (Snake Successor) n' Belmont
Ubisoft: Rayman n' AC Guy
Steam [BONUS]: Scout n' Hatty Hattington

 

[Frostwraith]

Ahh... fun and unique playstyles over over representation.

If we were to extend this philosophy to Pokemon, then it should not matter how many 1st gen Pokemon are playable as long as they are fun and unique.

After all, we play as characters, not series.

It's all about the gameplay. Of course, series balance does have its place. After all, Wario didn't get in Melee because Peach and Bowser had already been added and Sakurai preferred to add characters from other series, namely Mewtwo and Marth (and Roy).

Sakurai did say that only if he hadn't done those would he have been able to add Wario.

Of course, Wario did end up being in Brawl onward, which was one of the highlights of the first Brawl trailer. Wario being added to Smash was so much hype back then. Wario Land 3 is a big game of my childhood.

 

[Spazzy_D]

Clearly, Gex the Gecko is correct cartoony Sqaure Enix choice.

 

[wedl!!]

Smash 4's competitive custom moves meta is more relevant than Gex

 

[Rosalinatehplumber]

After all, we play as characters, not series.

It's all about the gameplay. Of course, series balance does have its place. After all, Wario didn't get in Melee because Peach and Bowser had already been added and Sakurai preferred to add characters from other series, namely Mewtwo and Marth (and Roy).

Sakurai did say that only if he hadn't done those would he have been able to add Wario.

Of course, Wario did end up being in Brawl onward, which was one of the highlights of the first Brawl trailer. Wario being added to Smash was so much hype back then. Wario Land 3 is a big game of my childhood.

Not to mention that Wario was probably the first newcomer to be added back in brawl

 

[Arcadenik]

Master Belch, literally a gross pile of gunk and garbage, got a costume before Daisy did.

I know they don't mean anything by it, but that is still hilarious for all the wrong reasons :V

At this point, Daisy is on her way of becoming the K. Rool/Ridley of Mario Maker.

 

[Fenriraga]

You know what else I find funny?

is still technically a SEGA IP, and we all know how it's not shy to make SEGA references all over the place in both games, and yet never shows up in her trailer, or even her official artwork.

Not even Platinum wants to associate themselves with Sonic these days :V

 

[Champ Gold]

You know what else I find funny?

is still technically a SEGA IP, and we all know how it's not shy to make SEGA references all over the place in both games, and yet never shows up in her trailer, or even her official artwork.

Not even Platinum wants to associate themselves with Sonic these days :V

Sakurai hates Sonic, not Platinum.

Plus he's a veteran. Third Party veteran, but still a veteran

 

[Fenriraga]

Sakurai hates Sonic, not Platinum.

Plus he's a veteran. Third Party veteran, but still a veteran

You sure about that? Because even Bayonetta itself barely references Sonic. Even the whole "Eggman the Destroyer" thing from the start of the first game isn't really in reference to Sonic, don't remember all the details about it.

And what does being a veteran have to do with anything? Bayo interacted with plenty of vets in both the trailer and artwork.

 

[Champ Gold]

You sure about that? Because even Bayonetta itself barely references Sonic. Even the whole "Eggman the Destroyer" thing from the start of the first game isn't really in reference to Sonic, don't remember all the details about it.

And what does being a veteran have to do with anything? Bayo interacted with plenty of vets in both the trailer and artwork.

Halo and Rings comparisons moreso but it's there. And she does interact with vets all around but Sonic is probably the one veteran no one ever cares about at Sora considering Sonic is only in 2 posters and it's his Sonic 1 sprite, still only one remix overall, still that lazy moveset which has him doing the same move twice, reused English voice clips from other Sonic games and competitively, the most hated character in the game that's not named Rosalina and Lucario (only because of Aura+Rage)

 

[Deleted member]

Here's a time waster.

Capcom and Sega got a cartoony mascot in Smash 4. Let's say this pattern continues with the next Smash. What would your two character, one cartoony one realistic roster look like for:

SEGA:
CAPCOM:
NAMCO:
SQUARE ENIX:
KONAMI:
UBISOFT:

Feel free to add third party companies if you want.

SEGA: and Akira or
CAPCOM: and
NAMCO: and Nightmare or Siegfried
SQUARE ENIX: Slime and
KONAMI: Bomberman and Simon or
UBISOFT: Rayman and Ezio

 

[Fenriraga]

Halo and Rings comparisons moreso but it's there. And she does interact with vets all around but Sonic is probably the one veteran no one ever cares about at Sora considering Sonic is only in 2 posters and it's his Sonic 1 sprite, still only one remix overall, still that lazy moveset which has him doing the same move twice, reused English voice clips from other Sonic games and competitively, the most hated character in the game that's not named Rosalina and Lucario (only because of Aura+Rage)

That's all pure speculation really. Especially since Sora and Sakurai gives no damn about competitive play even remotely, so that last statement is irrelevant. And Sonic still got a huge, very detailed facelift from Brawl, even with most of the same moves. :V Besides, the artwork was the choice of the various artists from Capcom/SEGA/Square and the various Nintendo artists, I doubt Sakurai went and said "You can draw whoever you'd like for this... Except that Sonic guy."
Also the halos aren't meant to be references to rings. Platinum has gone on record with saying that.

 

[Frostwraith]

Halo and Rings comparisons moreso but it's there. And she does interact with vets all around but Sonic is probably the one veteran no one ever cares about at Sora considering Sonic is only in 2 posters and it's his Sonic 1 sprite, still only one remix overall, still that lazy moveset which has him doing the same move twice, reused English voice clips from other Sonic games and competitively, the most hated character in the game that's not named Rosalina and Lucario (only because of Aura+Rage)

1. The posters aren't done by Sakurai, but guest artists.
2. Sakurai has stated he gives freedom to the music composers in regards to song choices. None of the composers are affiliated with Sakurai directly, just hired for the game.
3. The fact people hate Sonic in competitive games has nothing to do with whatever the development team thinks.
4. If none of the people on the development team care about Sonic, why did they go through the trouble to license him and put him in the game?

Just playing the Devil's advocate here and pointing flaws in your argumentation. (I don't care much about Sonic myself, to be honest. I agree the series is a bit lacking in content, though mainly in the musical department. Not as bad as FF content, all things considered. lol)

Another note: Sora Ltd. isn't the development studio. Sora Ltd. is just Sakurai's company to hire other game studios for development resources. In this game, the developer is Bandai Namco Games.