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

[CNMNE]

All this arguement literally is making me tear up. I meandered down to the Shantae fan page right before the ballot closed to watch the rest of us freak out over her near guaranteed inclusion, and this is what defiles my heart.

I jumped on the Shantae bandwagon a month or so before the ballot opened with my purchase of Pirates Curse, and i fell in love with the non-generic female protagonist. I supported her in the polls from day one, and NONE of my friends stood behind me. I watched people rave over Isaac (Golden Sun) and Shovel Knight, but nobody noticed our Hero. Then i slowly saw a change, like we all did. Near the middle of the ballot, leaning towards the end, our fanbase blew up! More and more word of Scuttletowns Savior, Shantaes Smashification by Artsy Omni, we were on the rise!

But suddenly... costumes come out...

All of my friends high hopes get condemned to eternal Mii fighter status. I didnt think many others wanted Shan-bae, and was ready to accept her fate. Heihachi, Lloyd, K. Rool, all costumes,.. But where was Cha'Girl?

OH MY GOD, SHE SURVIVED.

Shantae danced her way through the darkness, and now has Whipped her hair back and forth all the way to the top!

And on the final day of the ballot, when I go to the people who should be the most elated, what do i see?

Arguements.
Race and gender.
Competition.

And now I'm legit crying. A near-grown man crying over some random message boards reaction to the inclusion of a fictional character to some videogame.

Who cares what we went through? Who cares if Shantae is black or white or Turkish?

WE MADE IT!!! So lets just bask in the glory!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wfMel-bUJws

...this is the song im using for my first combo video with her... so... yeah

 

[5Rings]

How do i go about locating tournaments in indianapolis?

 

[ShyGuy XL]

Well it became the 4th in Oakland the Ballot is over also did anyone else notice that the Movies on the site are down ?

 

[GP2]

Welp midnight pacific time and the ballot's still up. The suspense is crazy!

 

[GP2]

Well it became the 4th in Oakland the Ballot is over also did anyone else notice that the Movies on the site are down ?

Wait what? Sorry for the double post but the ballot is still up for me

 

[CNMNE]

Well it became the 4th in Oakland the Ballot is over also did anyone else notice that the Movies on the site are down ?

yeah man, ballots still up in EST

 

[5Rings]

Anyone near indy?

 

[BigShad]

Anyone near indy?

Bruh, this definitely ain't the place to look lol

Find like, the Regional Zones forum (I think it was that) and look around there.

 

[CNMNE]

Anyone near indy?

no but, why ask that here? there are other threads for finding tournaments specifically bro.

 

[ShyGuy XL]

yeah man, ballots still up in EST

Oy when is this going to end ???

 

[SL the Pyro]

Shantae broke 5k votes on the strawpoll, and Shovel Knight isn't far behind. This is crazy.

 

[GoldLiger]

I think Nintendo forgot to close the ballot because as of now no matter what entries you put today won't be viewed by Sakurai.

 

[TheRickyWill]

Did Nintendo just forget about the ballot or are they trying to clear out the trash votes before closing it?

 

[SuperSegaSonicSS]

As I stated elsewhere.

It's the weekend. So anything Smash related most likely will be addressed starting this Monday.

 

[GoldLiger]

Did Nintendo just forget about the ballot or are they trying to clear out the trash votes before closing it?

You can continue to vote but it won't matter at this point and time since Sakurai or Nintendo will not count it as valid.

 

[TheRickyWill]

I honestly wonder how much work is done at WF sometimes.

 

[GoldLiger]

Probably a joke office for online jokes.

 

[TheRickyWill]

Probably a joke office for online jokes.

I was about to put "Don't take that comment too seriously" but okay

 

[TheRickyWill]

Oh, Mantae.

You're a great meme character that unfortunately faded away too quickly.

It would be pretty cool if he somehow wound up in Half-Genie Hero, though. He could probably function like Luigi in Paper Mario: The Thousand Year Door, where he sometimes appears in the hub world, talking about the adventure he's having, happening at the same time as Shantae's.

In Mantae's case, he'd probably appear in dungeons too, and normally comment that his enemies and friends are basically gender-swapped versions of the regular Shantae cast.

Edit:

James tweeted this:

I TOLD YOU SO

 

[GoldLiger]

Yeah and haven't you heard of PR response? It is basically when a company denies any claims that any event happens that would spoil a reveal ahead of it's time. His denial is literally him confirming the rumors. The only way to deny anything is by not saying ANYTHING AT ALL. You never EVER confirm or deny ANYTHING secret details. That is why most people say "NO COMMENT".

 

[MoveMan1]

Yeah and haven't you heard of PR response? It is basically when a company denies any claims that any event happens that would spoil a reveal ahead of it's time. His denial is literally him confirming the rumors. The only way to deny anything is by not saying ANYTHING AT ALL. You never EVER confirm or deny ANYTHING secret details. That is why most people say "NO COMMENT".

"OMG guys he said no comment! He's totally hiding something, Shantae confirmed!"

 

[Children0fTheStars]

GoldLiger, I salute your effort and enthusiasm (and I mean that), but the thing is we have no concrete information. Nobody does. It's going to cause negative blowback if people went around hyping up that photo without any additional supportive evidence, prematurely announcing it as confirmation, and nothing comes of it.

Better safe then sorry, you know.

 

[GoldLiger]

GoldLiger, I salute your effort and enthusiasm (and I mean that), but the thing is we have no concrete information. Nobody does. It's going to cause negative blowback if people went around hyping up that photo without any additional supportive evidence, prematurely announcing it as confirmation, and nothing comes of it.

Better safe then sorry, you know.

And I find your lack of faith disturbing lol. But seriously look at all WayForward as done in the past months to promote Shantae? Costumes, statements and confidence that their character will be a DLC for Smash. Sakurai's only problem with 3rd Party characters is the LEGAL WORK(as in how much money they have to pay to get the character into Smash, which is why the game is mostly 1st or 2nd party characters). WayForward with this campaign showed Sakurai that his fears of the LEGAL WORK is not needed. They are willing to GIVE Sakurai permission to use their character FREE OF CHARGE. All Sakurai has to do is check to see if the character would sell(which in this case Shantae has shown to have the support needed for the DLC to be successful).

In conclusion, WayForward is confident about their character being in Smash because THEY are willing to do what Phil Spencer and Microsoft WON'T do. Giving Sakurai the permit to use their IP FREE OF CHARGE with no LEGAL headache.

Trust in WayForward and See you in Smash

GoldLiger - October 2015

 

[Shadowknight1]

I do find it funny how many are afraid of Mii Fighter costumes when...really, they can look pretty good. The Inklings can look great, but many called the costume "creepy" because...well, Nintendo didn't exactly get creative with the Mii. Here's my Mii fighter Inkling and the current set up I have for my Shantae Mii. Hopefully it'll be deleted soon in favor of Shantae as a character, but I have back-up just in case. I do believe that if she doesn't get in as a character, her popularity will at least get us a Mii costume.

 

[TheRickyWill]

It's apparently the 5 year anniversary of Risky's Revenge.

I'd have an opinion, but I think playing the IOS version (it was free, okay?) wouldn't have my negative points, mainly about the controls, hold much merit.

It's great, but the map is confusing and the game somewhat drags towards the end.

 

[Children0fTheStars]

I do find it funny how many are afraid of Mii Fighter costumes when...really, they can look pretty good. The Inklings can look great, but many called the costume "creepy" because...well, Nintendo didn't exactly get creative with the Mii. Here's my Mii fighter Inkling and the current set up I have for my Shantae Mii. Hopefully it'll be deleted soon in favor of Shantae as a character, but I have back-up just in case. I do believe that if she doesn't get in as a character, her popularity will at least get us a Mii costume.View attachment 76471 View attachment 76472

Well, the thing is that groups of people (not everyone) on either side of the argument for the character would see it as an insult to them and their fans anyway. It also completely nullifies any possible chance at the character getting music or, and this is less likely, a stage.

 

[TheRickyWill]

slow claps

 

[Shadowknight1]

Well, the thing is it would be seen as insulting to groups of people that are either for or against the character's inclusion. It also completely nullifies any possible chance at the character getting music or, and this is less likely, a stage.

I get that. I just think that it's a consolation prize if she doesn't make it as a character.

It's apparently the 5 year anniversary of Risky's Revenge.

I'd have an opinion, but I think playing the IOS version (it was free, okay?) wouldn't have my negative points, mainly about the controls, hold much merit.

It's great, but the map is confusing and the game somewhat drags towards the end.

Gee, it'd be the perfect moment to release the Director's Cut on the Wii U. Ah well.

 

[TheRickyWill]

Gee, it'd be the perfect moment to release the Director's Cut on the Wii U. Ah well.

I think it'd be smarter for WF's focus to be on Half-Genie Hero, for now. So they can reach the "Late 2015" ETA.

And give us awesome holiday gifts like they did last year with the Wii U version of Pirate's Curse.

 

[Yellowlord]

After doing further research into the absence of the Movie List, I found out this ONLY applies to the Americas, and not to the Asia-Pacific or Europe versions of the Movie List. Based on my findings, I'd assume it's just a glitch.

 

[TheRickyWill]

Not Shantae-related, but if freaking Youtubers, who swear and bring up somewhat "adult" topics, can get toys for children, Shantae has to be able to get collectable figures intended for collectors (most likely teen-adult) with no problem.

I can understand making figures of characters from pop culture, and in some cases, even memes (Mikudayo), but...

who honestly asked for these?

 

[König Nickerchen]

After doing further research into the absence of the Movie List, I found out this ONLY applies to the Americas, and not to the Asia-Pacific or Europe versions of the Movie List. Based on my findings, I'd assume it's just a glitch.

I know but last time germanys movies were there but the us movies was down and later we got an update.

 

[SneakyLink]

Not Shantae-related, but if freaking Youtube personas can get figures without anyone outright screaming bloody murder at the idea upon the reveal at NYCC (which I would most likely do), Shantae can.
View attachment 76488
I can understand making figures of characters from pop culture, and in some cases, even memes (Mikudayo), but...

who honestly asked for these?

TubeHeroes? What in the world is that?!

On Topic: What if Shantae was revealed near the release date of Half-Genie Hero?

 

[TheRickyWill]

TubeHeroes? What in the world is that?!

A set of mini figures based on gaming youtubers (normally of the "please play something else instead of minecraft" kind), with items associated with them.

JazWares doesn't even produce toys that're all that great, as shown by their fantastic recent attempts at producing Mega Man figures:

(If you stare long enough, you'll hear "kill me" coming from the Mega Man on the far left.)

It's clear that TubeHeroes is just JW trying to make a quick buck based on a pretty lousy bandwagon.

 

[BigShad]

TubeHeroes? What in the world is that?!

On Topic: What if Shantae was revealed near the release date of Half-Genie Hero?

Oh lord, you do not wanna know. Which is why I'm telling you anyway.
They're rip-off Minecraft figurines of "popular" lets-players given edgy superpowers. And they even have their own horrible series and backstories. If 8chan wasn't down again I'd be linking the thread.

Now as far as on-topic goes, that'd be awesome.

 

[SneakyLink]

Oh lord, you do not wanna know. Which is why I'm telling you anyway.
They're rip-off Minecraft figurines of "popular" lets-players given edgy superpowers. And they even have their own horrible series and backstories. If 8chan wasn't down again I'd be linking the thread.

Now as far as on-topic goes, that'd be awesome.

Suddenly, I wish I didn't know.

 

[TheRickyWill]

Those Mega Man figures, just... ugh.

Mega Man and X just look like they're starving to death, Bass looks like an angry taxi driver, I'm not even going to talk about Cut Man and Zero, and ProtoMan's smile is really making me uncomfortable.

Quick Man is the only decent figure.

 

[Manic Rykker]

Hey everyone!

To the fellows that replied to me last night, sorry for the wait. Went to sleep lol. I'll put the replies to that stuff in spoilers.

You're making a mistake, if not in meaning or intention then in rhetoric.
If it were "just" up to the ballot, yes, it would directly equate to chances, but, no, it's obviously neither.
Ballot divided by Sakurai equals chances is more accurate. :D
Therefore, it's not the deciding factor, but is a significant factor.
You're also conflating chance and consideration. Prime example, Ridley, much considered by Sakurai with little to no chance.
Prease take a look: http://www.sourcegaming.info/2015/09/26/sakurai-on-character-choices/

Also, ballot stuffing ain't cool, man.

Spoiler

I put high emphasis on the ballot, as it is still a key factor in all of this. Fact is, if it were just on Sakurai's shoulders alone, this whole thing would be pointless. Basically, what I intended last night (since I may have goofed a bit here and there, as it was late), was this:

Sakurai is heavily bound to what the Ballot results are. He can't just pull from the bottom of the barrel, for a few reasons. One, it just wouldn't be fair to the higher contenders, and 2. A less popular, and less demanded fighter would pose some risks.. As we all know, making Smash fighters takes a lot of work from Sakurai and his team. They have to make the model, rig the animations, prepare a balanced, and pleasing moveset, set up the taunts and the final smash... it takes time, and resources. So, why would you waste that development time on a fighter that wouldn't do well on the DLC shop? So, he is fairly restricted in the choices he can pull. Yes, he does have a bit of leeway, however if he were to try to pull a Sakurai and pull an low demand character(an off the wall character), the fans would call foul, and things would get hairy. (and for that matter, it would sit in the DLC shop gathering dust.. which I doubt Nintendo would be a fan of.)

So I guess you were right in that point. It's a significant factor, and there are several factors going into play here. (The Ballot, Sakurai, Fan service, Which ones would gain sufficient profit, etc.) Also, thanks for the link! Was an interesting read. ^_^

Master Chief would've been a better example. I'm sure tons of idiots are voting for him along with Goku. And no, Sakurai is the deciding factor, not the ballot. That's not to say the ballot is pointless. The point of the ballot is to give Sakurai ideas and help sway him towards one character or another. That's why there's a field with a 500 character limit for you to write about why the character you want should be in.

Demand is chances. But demand is simply not enough for good chances. Hypothetical situation: Shovel Knight places 1st in the ballot and Shantae places 2nd in the ballot, and Sakurai only wants to add 1 DLC character from the ballot. He would look at both Shantae and Shovel Knight and consider them. Ultimately, even though Shovel Knight placed higher, Sakurai would most likely choose Shantae. He would choose Shantae because of all the qualifications she has over Shovel Knight: starting out as nintendo exclusive, having a history with a nintendo, having the best titles on DSiware, and more. All of that trumps the one thing Shovel Knight has over Shantae, popularity. Hell, Sakurai could just go "nope I don't want no indies" and choose the 3rd most popular vote.

I'm not saying Shovel Knight doesn't have a chance, and there's nothing wrong about wanting him. I'm saying his chances are very low, and I don't like it when he's lumped in with other characters saying they have the same chances.

Spoiler

No. Master Chief wouldn't have been a better example >_>...

Though he is just as ridiculous as the others, he DID originate in video games. (Halo to be exact) So no. Goku is the primary example here. Some other examples that would apply here would be Shrek, Mickey Mouse, Naruto,... Basically anyone from media that is not gaming. (Anime, Manga, Cartoons, etc.) I find that funny to be honest. The ballot throughout the page heavily emphasizes the word Video game character, yet idiots still don't realize the characters they are voting for, whether serious or troll, are out of bounds.

I'll quote what I said up there!
"Sakurai is heavily bound to what the Ballot results are. He can't just pull from the bottom of the barrel, for a few reasons. One, it just wouldn't be fair to the higher contenders, and 2. A less popular, and less demanded fighter would pose some risks.. As we all know, making Smash fighters takes a lot of work from Sakurai and his team. They have to make the model, rig the animations, prepare a balanced, and pleasing moveset, set up the taunts and the final smash... it takes time, and resources."

With this in mind, Sakurai is restricted in his choices. (at least in that it has to be characters near the top, at least) Whether we like the idea or not the fact that this is Paid DLC is a factor in this too actually. (Dunno if I mentioned that in that post last night.. probably didn't XD) So really if you want to get technical, Sakurai is pulling from the ballot, but at the same time, the ballot limit's his choices.

All in all, I didn't really say Shovel Knight is on top. By no means did I intend that! I'd just rather people not underestimate some fighters' chances. (Like how some downplay Shantae's for example) Despite the limitation, there is still a decent pool to pull from, as after all, there are a lot of big, popular, and highly demanded characters that were campaigned for this.

 

[TheRickyWill]

Shantae clock. Apparently from a Japanese fan.

 

[GoldLiger]

View attachment 76518 Shantae clock. Apparently from a Japanese fan.

More evidence that Shantae has a growing fanbase in Japan.