The Half Genie Protector of Scuttle Town, Shantae for SSB4 (WayForward wants her in Smash)

[XbusterKosmos]

Well guys, finally got around to something that has been LONG over due...

I added Shantae to the Notable campaigns section of my help thread, and have thus revived it.


SHANTAE
Spoiler Updated: 9/11/2015

Spoiler

Classification: Protagonist
Franchise: Shantae

Rundown: Shantae is a half-genie. Being the guardian of Scuttle Town, a fishing port town in Sequin land, she works tirelessly to protect the town, and it's citizens from danger. This of course includes the constant attacks, and evil plots of the nefarious pirate captain, Risky Boots. Though somewhat young, and naive, Shantae is modest, and persistent. She will go to great lengths to protect her home town and her friends.

Combat potential: Shantae may just seem like your average belly dancer, but don't be fooled! She is adept in combat, and is even capable of using her long hair as a whip (and boy does that thing HURT!). She knows some magic attacks, however, her main key ability, is her ability to transform into different animals and creatures using different dances. She can turn into a monkey, elephant, spider, harpy, and much more. She has even rocked some pirate gear at one point in her career. All of this said, don't let her innocent appearance fool you. She'll happily dance all over your face if you let your guard down!

Campaign link: Found here

Thread owner: 8-peacock-8

Supporters: N/A (Needs to be counted up.)

Thread pages: 151

Hashtag: N/A

nice, that image might make a nice avatar XD

 

[Mario123311]

Didn't Bomberman already die years ago?View attachment 72906

On a serious note, he has potential, mostly based on his 3D outings, like Hero and Jetters, but... Bomberman doesn't really bring in money anymore. Not to mention that it's just been just the same game over and over recently.

Konami did pretty much what Capcom did with Mega Man legends 3, 3DS adventure game, Gets Canned, you get the idea. And from that we haven't heard from him since. ((And I still found Snake out of place compared to Sonic... No offense.)) But that's just my opinion anyway... And Thankfully that game did not kill him (as they started going back to his original design) ...Makes me wish Namco would see how much of a fail the new Pac-Man is though.

 

[XbusterKosmos]

they can practically make any character work in the game, if enough fans warrant it.

 

[TheRickyWill]

they can practically make any character work in the game, if enough fans warrant it.

Good luck, Sakurai!

 

[XbusterKosmos]

hence why i said practically LOL

 

[Mario123311]

View attachment 72930
Good luck, Sakurai!

Gonna admit, I got a good laugh.

 

[TheRickyWill]

I can't believe it took me this long to realize that Rayman's smashified pose is based on the original box art.

 

[GoldLiger]

Yeah those guys sure know how to check their history for inspiration.

 

[TheRickyWill]

The original game is painfully hard, by the way... Mainly because it's unfair.

Think you're done with the level? A whole new set of obstacles suddenly spawn.

 

[XbusterKosmos]

rayman has always been fun game to play, just never bothered to play the more recent games.

too much backlog XD

 

[SuperSegaSonicSS]

rayman has always been fun game to play, just never bothered to play the more recent games.

too much backlog XD

Rayman 2/3 will always be my favorite Rayman games. The new ones are ok for those that like it, but I prefer the Classic Trilogy.

 

[TheRickyWill]

Rayman 2/3 will always be my favorite Rayman games. The new ones are ok for those that like it, but I prefer the Classic Trilogy.

I hate 1, like 2, pretty okay with 3, love Origins, love Legends.

Rayman 3 is nice, but there are moments where it really, really drags. (Longest shortcuts, I'm looking at you)

 

[SuperSegaSonicSS]

I hate 1, like 2, pretty okay with 3, love Origins, love Legends.

Rayman 3 is nice, but there are moments where it really, really drags. (Longest shortcuts, I'm looking at you)

I never could beat R1 as a child. R2 I 100%, but it was hard, but not as hard as R1 to me. R3 was my favorite and well, I did at the time hated the Longest Shortcut when I was younger, but after playing it again recently, it was fine, although I still prefer the other levels than that one.

 

[ShyGuy XL]

The ONLY Rayman game I played was Origins loved it but had no one to play it with...

And I'm planning on drawing Shantae YET again going draw her in one of the Zero Suit Samus alts taking suggestions which one ya'll want to see ? Shantae in the orange from Zero Mission or the blue from Fusion ?

Never mind....not feeling it

 

[TheRickyWill]

I never could beat R1 as a child. R2 I 100%, but it was hard, but not as hard as R1 to me. R3 was my favorite and well, I did at the time hated the Longest Shortcut when I was younger, but after playing it again recently, it was fine, although I still prefer the other levels than that one.

Rayman 1 is near impossible. You have to remember that you are required to pretty much 100% the game in order to make it to the last world, with the location of the electoons to unlock the last world being a complete mystery.

 

[SuperSegaSonicSS]

Rayman 1 is near impossible. You have to remember that you are required to pretty much 100% the game in order to make it to the last world, with the location of the electoons to unlock the last world being a complete mystery.

And it was just too much for a 6 year old to mangage at the time for me, so, at the art world, I jsut gave up cuz it was just too hard to do. Maybe I can retry it someday with better luck. But besides that, I still loved the game since it introduced me to my childhood hero, and R2 and R3 made him one of my favorite characters to date. Sonic and Shantae being the others.

 

[TheRickyWill]

IT'S HAPPENING

 

[XbusterKosmos]

i am debating of downloading that shantae game on the wiiu but its 24 dollars maybe wait for a price drop.

the ps4 version 3 dollars was a steal. XD

 

[GoldLiger]

Let me know his username so that I can play that level.

 

[TheRickyWill]

I'm planning to do a few Shantae drawings with her in sports uniforms. Which sports would you like to see her do?

The only ideas I have right now is Baseball and Basketball.

I will turn down anything that involves a swimsuit.

 

[Shadowknight1]

I'm planning to do a few Shantae drawings with her in sports uniforms. Which sports would you like to see her do?

The only ideas I have right now is Baseball and Basketball.

I will turn down anything that involves a swimsuit.

Darn, there goes volleyball. Then again, guess it's not fair, WayForward already has put her in a swimsuit several times lol

I'd suggest Tennis. It's a very active sport, really tests hand-eye coordination, and tennis outfits usually show off legs and by thunder Shantae has nice legs darn it.

And I have to wonder, I only skimmed the past couple of pages, but why did I see Freddy Fazbear's name mentioned? Are people seriously voting for him as a Smash character? I mean, I don't hate the games, but I just don't see Freddy and friends working for Super Smash Bros....or any game outside of their own series. I like to consider myself fairly creative, but there's only so many moves you can make for a character that are based on biting. And the FNAF animatronics primary MO of dispatch is stuffing people into an animatronic suit. That...would be extraordinarily bloody. I could see FNAF's characters in something like Mortal Kombat or an M rated fighter, but not Smash. Same reason I don't think Bayonetta belongs in Smash, as much as I hate to admit it. I love Bayonetta as a game and a character, but her method of defeating enemies is dependent on magic that uses her hair which happens to double as her clothing, leading to a lot of near nude scenes in her games. Not exactly E10+.

 

[TheRickyWill]

I'd suggest Tennis. It's a very active sport, really tests hand-eye coordination, and tennis outfits usually show off legs and by thunder Shantae has nice legs darn it.

I guess all that walking and the scimitar dash certainly toned them up a bit, no wonder the kicks she can use in the series are so powerful.

 

[Solo Bolo]

I'm planning to do a few Shantae drawings with her in sports uniforms. Which sports would you like to see her do?

The only ideas I have right now is Baseball and Basketball.

I will turn down anything that involves a swimsuit.

I second tennis, and add bowling as those are the ones I do the most.

 

[TheRickyWill]

I know this seems like a very weird thing to say, but am I the only one who wants to see Shantae a little more... Built? I don't know if it's because I like tougher girls, but considering all the running, jumping, climbing, and fighting Shantae does throughout the series, I'd think that she'd build up some muscle.

I'm not saying to make her all-out buff, but give her a bit of bulk, probably on the arms and waist.

(I think this would also fit Samus, too.)

I second tennis, and add bowling as those are the ones I do the most.

Baseball, Basketball, Tennis, Bowling... I'll just add Golf to that, with Bolo as a caddy.

 

[Shadowknight1]

Kinda hard to say as we don't really know what Shantae's diet consists of. Or her normal day to day life for that matter lol.

 

[TheRickyWill]

Kinda hard to say as we don't really know what Shantae's diet consists of. Or her normal day to day life for that matter lol.

In terms of Daily life, since she's the guardian of Scuttle Town, I think she probably wouldn't do too much, but considering how lenghty Shantae's adventures are from her perspective, I'd think she gain something.

In terms of diet (minus potions)... bento boxes, lobster tails, meat chunklets... It's quite protein-filled.

 

[XbusterKosmos]

I hate that squid baron O_O

 

[ShyGuy XL]

Any sports wear is fine then again anything Shantae wears is fine I personally see her perfectly as a soccer player

 

[Shadowknight1]

In terms of Daily life, since she's the guardian of Scuttle Town, I think she probably wouldn't do too much, but considering how lenghty Shantae's adventures are from her perspective, I'd think she gain something.

In terms of diet (minus potions)... bento boxes, lobster tails, meat chunklets... It's quite protein-filled.

Well, I can't speak for bento boxes as I've never had one, lobster tails, flesh pops, and hunks of meat can't be all that good for the tummy.

 

[Children0fTheStars]

Wow... what are the odds.

Some time ago I brought up how I was able to possibly get the attention of one semi-prominent Youtuber (he's approaching one million subs) on Twitter. Since Cobanermani456 mostly covers Nintendo stuff, he just put out a Mario Maker video what with the game today. I didn't hear back from him after I told him my suggestion for a small video on a Shantae game, but look what happened in this, the key part being a Smash Miiverse post at around 32 seconds in:

https://youtu.be/q_rMbW4PCjg?t=17

When I first saw this I was dumbfounded, wondering if it caught his attention at all in light of the tweets I sent him.

Cobi just came back from a trip, which he went on the night before I tweeted him. So I knew nothing was going to come of it right away. But this... I have no words. Someone's laughing at me.

 

[XbusterKosmos]

a genie in a bottle O_O

that caption XD

 

[TheRickyWill]

Alright, the sports I can draw...
>Baseball
>Basketball
>Tennis
>Bowling
>Soccer
>Golf (With Bolo as a caddy)

 

[ikke471]

Rayman 1 is near impossible. You have to remember that you are required to pretty much 100% the game in order to make it to the last world, with the location of the electoons to unlock the last world being a complete mystery.

Really?
I love that game to death

I feel like the Electoon placement being hard is great because it forces you to look for everything and the game being hard is something I miss a lot of that in this generation of gaming.

Then again I might be biased from nostalgia.

 

[Guybrush20X6]

I'm planning to do a few Shantae drawings with her in sports uniforms. Which sports would you like to see her do?

The only ideas I have right now is Baseball and Basketball.

I will turn down anything that involves a swimsuit.

Well let's see if there's some more...

We got Soccer aka Association Football for high socks and shorts.
We got 'murican football for 80's shoulders
We've got Hockey (either Ice or regular varieties) perfect for getting rid of that pesky perfect smile

And there's also horse riding, either as the jockey or (thanks to genie powers) the horse.

 

[TheRickyWill]

Well let's see if there's some more...

We got Soccer aka Association Football for high socks and shorts.
We got 'murican football for 80's shoulders
We've got Hockey (either Ice or regular varieties) perfect for getting rid of that pesky perfect smile

And there's also horse riding, either as the jockey or (thanks to genie powers) the horse.

Hockey?

But we love the perfect smile.

Even though we never see her teeth.

 

[whitekirby9]

No, you weren't harsh it's just good to know your opinion of the character and say you have grown to respect of who she is.
So the smallest support for Shantae is greatly accepted.

@ 8-peacock-8
Could you add GhostlyLure & whitekirby9 to the support list please.

oh hey, you didn't have to all that!
but thanks tho, i would love shantae! my 1st vote, peroid!

 

[TheRickyWill]

Dumping this again, since we need all the backup we can get in these last few weeks of the ballot.

Shantae's history and the issues her and Wayforward faced since she a was female protagonist, and what she'll represent as a 3rd party.

Spoiler

Hate to be PC, but... Here's a few quotes from a blog post I found that really opened my eyes:

"If you look at all the video game franchises with three or more games, only 12 have women as the main characters. WayForward’s Shantae the half-genie represents a particularly important - if often overlooked - milestone in representation for female characters."

"Created in 1994 by Erin Bell, with some input from her future husband Matt Bozon, Shantae is the first female character to have her own successful game franchise that was always intended to be female and the star, and who wasn’t spun off a male character’s game." (Believe it or not, it's true! Popular female protagonists like Samus and Lara Croft were first conceptualized as male characters.)

Something interesting I also found was this quote from Matt Bozon about a comment he made during an interview about the difficulty of pitching Shantae to publishers, long before the Game Boy Color game:
"The female character thing… at the beginning, my goodness, you would not believe how hard that was. We had opportunities to get the Shantae project rolling for a while and there were plenty of conversations. With a young game industry - with people who had some money and would have to make a colossal risk to get the game manufactured and into stores, and they would ask some tough questions like “We gotta ask you… have you considered making it a male character instead? ‘Cause this is a male audience. Gotta put a guy. We don’t know, it’s never been proven that a male-dominated audience will accept a female character. Especially one that looks like this. She’s not tough, she’s just this unsuspecting [belly dancer]!” I think we were taking on too many things at the time that were risky. … It was a female character. It was a dancing game. And when we were pitching this, there was no DDR yet. We were saying we want this to be where you have to have some rhythm and there’s like a beat to it in order to transform. And they were like "Oh, it’s too hard to understand what that’d be like. What if somebody can’t get that concept?” “Well we think we can teach it to them.” “Mm… I don’t know. And it’s a girl?” And a couple of times they were like “If you put a male character and even have it be selectable, you can play as the male character or the female character. Or maybe you unlock the female character!” And we were like “NO. This is what the game is; we want it to be about this. This is her, this is her game."
Keep in mind that these pitches that Matt is talking about were made long before games like Tomb Raider, which was an enourmous success.

PERSONALLY, THIS FEELS IMPORTANT.

In a time where female leads, and diversity in general, is becoming encouraged in gaming (heck, Nintendo's been doing it by putting the spotlight more on the Inkling Girl in Splatoon, and the inclusion of same-sex relationships in Fire Emblem: Fates).

Shantae personally seems like a character that seems capable of representing something more than the eShop, Indies,and Handheld-born franchises. She is one of the very first female protagonists (Not to mention of a different race/color) of a long-running franchise. Like the quote above says, there's only 12 franchises mainly starring with 3 or more games. Shantae has been critically successful, and some of her games have sold well, too. She's is currently fast approacing her fourth and largest installment.

That sounds like a pretty solid reason to put Shantae in Smash Bros, to me.

Every 3rd party in Super Smash Bros has their proper place, from gaming's past to it's future.

>Pac-Man was the game that brought gaming to a larger audience.

>Mega Man was one of the most succesful 3rd party franchises birthed on Nintendo, and constantly changed and evolved on it as the systems did.

>Solid Snake added more story elements to games, and introduced a new mechanic to gaming: Stealth.

>Sonic was the one who stepped up against Mr. Video Game himself, with a battle that changed the gaming industry.

So, what will Shantae bring to the table? What impact has she made, or what will impact will she make?
Well, Shantae will represent the growing encouragement of diversity within gaming, and promote the independent developers who struggle just to bring their vision to life.

C'mon, do you want Samus to continue to be the only female protagonist on the roster?

Nintendo Power coverage...

Spoiler

Also pointing out that Pirate's Curse had a cover story and Risky's Revenge had multi-issue coverage helps.

Reviews!

Spoiler

GBC original
"Shantae uses the WayForward GBC engine at its absolute peak, showing off elements that push the Game Boy Color hardware almost into Game Boy Advance territory. You'll find multi-scrolling backgrounds, water transparencies, night and day effects...By far, the prettiest Game Boy Color game ever created. This is one well-rounded package, and definitely one that no handheld gamers should be without." -IGN Pocket (score 9/10)

"Great graphics, solid play control and the developers' obvious commitment to create a game with real depth. Shantae may seem like an unlikely title to garner such praise, but this purple-ponytailed newcomer is for real." -Nintendo.com (score 4.5/5)

"Shantae hits all the right notes—from the solid audio and video to simple, tight controls. Shantae is one virtual babe who’s worth the hefty time investment to get to know better." -Gamepro.com (score 4.5/5)

"This title has everything--it looks great, sounds wonderful, and the gameplay is outstanding and varied. ...The whole game is truly a visual feast; Shantae will stand out as one of the few titles to demonstrate what the GBC was capable of, and more importantly, what the GBA should be doing." -EAGB (score 5/5)

"Shantae really is one of the best games on the Game Boy Color, and in many ways can easily stand shoulder to shoulder with games released on the Game Boy Advance. The folks at Wayforward Technologies really must be commended, as this effort must have squeezed every last ounce of potential out of the system. We can only hope they continue their work on the Game Boy Advance." -Gamer Web (score 9/10)

"Shantae is at the top of her class for the handheld genre. The developers stopped at nothing to create a full and detailed gaming experience. Engaging and demanding gameplay, careful attention to detail, unique puzzles, and well designed audio/visual elements make Shantae a cut above the rest. So don't let those preconceptions fool you - get your hands on Shantae and don't miss out on one of the best handheld games on the market today!" -Game Zone (score 9/10)

Risky's Revenge
GameRankings(DS) 86.30%
Metacritic(DS) 85/100
1UP.comA-
Eurogamer6/10
GamesRadar

IGN9/10
Nintendo World Report9/10

Pirate's Curse
GameRankings(3DS) 84%
(Wii U) 84%
Metacritic(3DS) 82/100
(Wii U) 85/100

Destructoid7.5/10
Game Informer7/10
IGN8.5/10
Hardcore Gamer4.5/5
Pocket Gamer9/10

Matt Bozon on why Wayforward continues to be a big supporter of Nintendo platforms!

Spoiler

We’ve been there supporting Nintendo with every system launch starting with the Game Boy Color. We want to be first in line to make games for these legendary platforms. Whether they reach a massive audience or not, Nintendo fans occupy an extremely loyal corner of the game industry. They like intelligent design and visually iconic characters, and they typically understand that games of high quality take time. Sure, we want our games to appear everywhere and be played by everyone, but I feel we have a real connection with Nintendo and its fans.

We’re working to expand our fan base, but Nintendo fans got us here which is why we go the extra mile to serve them when we can.

(Made before the Smash ballot, so there's no sudden bias that people can point out.)

And that video of Matt Bozon making Shantae NAB! for Warioware DIY...

I think this is enough to convince people to support Shantae... phew!

Repost any of these wherever you like!

 

[Shadowknight1]

Really?
I love that game to death

I feel like the Electoon placement being hard is great because it forces you to look for everything and the game being hard is something I miss a lot of that in this generation of gaming.

Then again I might be biased from nostalgia.

That's something I actually appreciated in a few levels of Shantae and the Pirate's Curse, though the spikes in the last level were unspeakably unfair.

 

[SuperSegaSonicSS]

https://miiverse.nintendo.net/posts/AYMHAAACAAADVHkbPXZ4OA

 

[BluePikmin11]

Part 5 of the individual character poll is complete:
https://goo.gl/zqINJP
This adds in missing characters people requested.
Go vote guys!