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

[Teeb147]

Shantae isn't that well known in Japan, it seems, so it's not just that she's 3rd party. Shulk was better known in Japan than in NA.
And unfortunately the final decisions are taken in Japan, so we're dealing with a bit of a challenge, but hopefully they want to please fans all over the world, and will take the time to know Shantae
What I don't understand is why Shovel Knight is so popular over here, at least in the polls we've seen.. I like the pixel art, but I don't think it has that much to offer..

What this poll is making me realize is that no poll we've taken is really telling us the real worldwide account of everything, cuz devotees in areas that know of the polls share the poll to get their character up, whereas the official ballot isn't going to so biased, and rather going all over the world, so I think it's still a big mystery, and I want to know the official results!

 

[Manic Rykker]

Shantae isn't that well known in Japan, it seems, so it's not just that she's 3rd party. Shulk was better known in Japan than in NA.
And unfortunately the final decisions are taken in Japan, so we're dealing with a bit of a challenge, but hopefully they want to please fans all over the world, and will take the time to know Shantae
What I don't understand is why Shovel Knight is so popular over here, at least in the polls we've seen.. I like the pixel art, but I don't think it has that much to offer..

What this poll is making me realize is that no poll we've taken is really telling us the real worldwide account of everything, cuz devotees in areas that know of the polls share the poll to get their character up, whereas the official ballot isn't going to so biased, and rather going all over the world, so I think it's still a big mystery, and I want to know the official results!

I'm sure they will. Considering this is paid DLC, they won't just ignore a prominent reasonable suggestion just because it's 3rd party/indie/"obscure"... (If they were, they would have stated the ballot is Nintendo IP exclusive, and not stated it's open to "all" video game characters.)

With so many faces in this, I am really interested in what gets pulled out of all of this, that's for sure.

 

[SuperSegaSonicSS]

I would also like to add that Shantae is more than likely much smaller as a franchise then the likes of the Xeno series, even if Xenoblade I believe is still kinda new of a series in itself. Still, for the likes of predetermined characters, characters added in before any of this DLC stuff was a thing, Shantae wasn't known practically at all in the East, and only a bit in the West. Shantae's popularity burst thanks to the newer games, the Smash Ballot, but mostly the "loud" fanbase pointing out how great she is.

Before the ballot, I figured by the time Smash 5 came out, people should be a bit more aware of her to possibly get considered, but now thanks to all this Smash stuff, it's gotten much more likely that could happen soon than later, although I'm not nearly holding my breath for her inclusion this game, and more likely would think she would next game most definitely now thanks to all this extra recent attention.

 

[Warlock*G]

Half-Genie Hero is going to be a great game.

 

[SuperSegaSonicSS]

Half-Genie Hero is going to be a great game.

So that bat enemy in the game was suppose to be a concept Shantae could transform into. These look kinda cool.

 

[SegaNintendoUbisoft]

Half-Genie Hero is going to be a great game.

I love Pill Bug Shantae the most, I hope it's used.

 

[Serell]

Half-Genie Hero is going to be a great game.

goddamn I hate that bat, they are the most annoying enemies, died so many times because of them.. I hope that one doesn't win. Pill Bug is ok, Naga is cool but I'd prefer all of Shantae's transformations to be animals, and Tiger looks cute but doesn't have enough Shantae.

 

[Manic Rykker]

I love how Shantae frowns as a bat... it's like she is having flashbacks of the terrible time she had with those enemies.. XD

 

[Mikegamer0608]

Half-Genie Hero is going to be a great game.

I would choose between the Naga or the Tiger.

 

[Warlock*G]

I love Pill Bug Shantae the most, I hope it's used.

I would choose between the Naga or the Tiger.

I might as well chime in too... I happen to prefer pill bug Shantae and naga Shantae, though pill bug Shantae is a little small for my tastes (assuming of course that this screenshot shows us correctly-sized transformations).

 

[Cutie Gwen]

I can't choose, they all look nice

 

[Warlock*G]

I can't choose, they all look nice

CHOOSE! NAO!

 

[Cutie Gwen]

A transformation that makes her playable in smash

CHOOSE! NAO!

 

[KeyFortune]

I'm rooting for the Naga form.

 

[Laniv]

I'll probably go with the tiger.

 

[Deleted member]

I'd root for the naga form because it's really adorable, but I have no idea what the merits of singing and slithering would be gameplay-wise.

Same with the tiger really. Don't see the point of it since we already have the monkey form.

As for pill bug and bat? I think there are better alternatives, such as the harpy form and the crab that's already in. Even if that pill bug form is cuddly as a duck.

 

[Warlock*G]

 

[CNMNE]

Hey guys throw a vote to Shantae in this poll.
http://strawpoll.me/4688981

YAY! in that poll, WE'RE WINNING.

 

[SL the Pyro]

It's a safe assumption that we're not catching up to K. Rool

Hey guys throw a vote to Shantae in this poll.
http://strawpoll.me/4688981

YAY! in that poll, WE'RE WINNING.

yes I know it's a tiny poll but still

 

[Felix the Slayer]

Well I'm new to the Shantae series, I just beat the first one last week and I really enjoy it. After playing Shantae I would love to see her in Smash. Though I still need to play the other two Shantae games I still support her regardless. So if you guys have a supporter list I'd very much like to be added to it

 

[Yellowlord]

Well.... Sakurai said that he can only do several more characters and that there are no more pre-ballots characters. I am worried about Shantae getting in now because of this statement.

 

[Burruni]

Well.... Sakurai said that he can only do several more characters and that there are no more pre-ballots characters. I am worried about Shantae getting in now because of this statement.

He never said we're done with Pre-Ballot.
There's an IMPLICATION of it.
Big difference

 

[Yellowlord]

He never said we're done with Pre-Ballot.
There's an IMPLICATION of it.
Big difference

You're right; He has only implied it, not outright deconfirmed it. I suppose in that sense, anything can happen.

 

[Burruni]

You're right; He has only implied it, not outright deconfirmed it. I suppose in that sense, anything can happen.

The way I see it, he said that it'd be pure fan service from here. Meaning no odd pulls like or to a lesser extent .

That could easily still mean , being similar in case to to being done as pre-ballot DLC for august.

 

[Mikegamer0608]

If you guys want to have a read here's the article, Credit goes to Soma.
https://sourcegaming.wordpress.com/...in-the-battle-sakurai-famitsu-column-vol-481/

 

[gb7zone7]

The way I see it, he said that it'd be pure fan service from here. Meaning no odd pulls like or to a lesser extent .

That could easily still mean , being similar in case to to being done as pre-ballot DLC for august.

Agreed. You know Sakurai and his April tricks.

 

[Yellowlord]

To be honest, I believe Shantae might get in thanks to the huge amounts of fan service she's been getting recently, and that will just continue to grow. Perhaps Sakurai has considered her for the game as I speak? (It is all, but a wish).

 

[KeyFortune]

What would you do for Shantae to be in Smash? *Klondike music plays in background*

 

[Manic Rykker]

The weird thing about this is the fact Sakurai hasn't mentioned anything about the ballot itself..

This is so weird. Since the ballot's announcement, they all sorta piped up about it (save for confirming it's open to all video game characters)..

Another thing, is what Sakurai's idea of "there will only be several more characters"...

Is it like 3? Or is there more? For that matter, whats pre-ballot and post-ballot? IS THERE EVEN A PRE-BALLOT at all?

I just can't stand this because we haven't gotten any more info on the ballot for a while..... :/

 

[Burruni]

The weird thing about this is the fact Sakurai hasn't mentioned anything about the ballot itself..

This is so weird. Since the ballot's announcement, they all sorta piped up about it (save for confirming it's open to all video game characters)..

Another thing, is what Sakurai's idea of "there will only be several more characters"...

Is it like 3? Or is there more? For that matter, whats pre-ballot and post-ballot? IS THERE EVEN A PRE-BALLOT at all?

I just can't stand this because we haven't gotten any more info on the ballot for a while..... :/

"Is there even a pre-ballot at all."

& were inarguably done/worked on before the ballot went up.
assuredly came before ballot had influence.
and following likely much the same case.
Wolf is most likely going to be a blurred line between pre and post ballot.

 

[Manic Rykker]

"Is there even a pre-ballot at all."

& were inarguably done/worked on before the ballot went up.
assuredly came before ballot had influence.
and following likely much the same case.
Wolf is most likely going to be a blurred line between pre and post ballot.

Hmm... you're probably right. Also, I found a solid full translation of what he said about that stuff..:

"There is a fighter ballot on the official Smash for Wii U/3DS website. We’ve received an extremely large number of votes, but of course, Lucas, Roy, and Ryu were in development even before the ballot was created. I had a grasp on their popularity and demand, though.

From now until the end, it is going to be fan service, but I can’t keep the development team together forever, so there’s only going to be several more characters. I also ask for your patience, as we need time to develop more content.

There may be unforeseen circumstances that arise as well, but I’ll try my best!"


Footnotes from the translation

1. When the first Street Fighter was first ported to for home versions, it was released on the TurboGrafx-16, called the PC ENGINE in Japan. Here, its title was changed to “Fighting Street.” Because the PC ENGINE controller only had two buttons and no pressure sensitivity, weak and strong attacks were performed based on how long you held down the attack button for.

2. His specific wording here is “サービス,” literally “service.” While the definition of “service” in Japan does have its own nuances compared to what it means in English, I’m assuming based on context here that he’s referring to “fan service,” in reference to the ballot, although he never explicitly says this.

3. 数 means “several,” and it can be combined with another character to say “several of a specific something.” For example, 人 is the character for “person,” 数人 is “several people.” Sakurai wrote 数体. “体” is “bodies,” generally used for things that humanoid, or humanlike but usually aren’t actually alive. If I was referring to several dolls, or several figurines, I might say “数体.” Similarly, I assume Sakurai is referring to characters, not updates, because of his character choice.

 

[Burruni]

Hmm... you're probably right. Also, I found a solid full translation of what he said about that stuff..:

"There is a fighter ballot on the official Smash for Wii U/3DS website. We’ve received an extremely large number of votes, but of course, Lucas, Roy, and Ryu were in development even before the ballot was created. I had a grasp on their popularity and demand, though.

From now until the end, it is going to be fan service, but I can’t keep the development team together forever, so there’s only going to be several more characters. I also ask for your patience, as we need time to develop more content.

There may be unforeseen circumstances that arise as well, but I’ll try my best!"

Okay.

So like I basically just said xD

all worked on before the ballot had influence, likely the same case but less of a priority.

"Fan service" could just be no or tier curveball newcomers. certainly being popular and in demand comparably to Lucas.

(I read the translation prior)

 

[Felix the Slayer]

If Wolf is DLC I believe they will announce him or possibly release him alongside Star Fox Zero.

 

[Burruni]

If Wolf is DLC I believe they will announce him or possibly release him alongside Star Fox Zero.

...Or in August
With DLC Wave 3.

 

[Manic Rykker]

Yep. So just as I had suspected (and ironically mentioned several times before)

This is all about the fans. No tricks, no nothing. It makes sense from a business standpoint as well.

This being Paid DLC, they are going to want to make DLC that fans will actually buy. (This of course means no curveballs, like Burruni mentioned). Thus, looking to the fanbases makes sense. Getting characters that have large fan followings is very likely to generate the most profit.

All that said, this also makes sense why the ballot is open to all video game characters. Nintendo (and Sakurai) know there are several 3rd party/indie characters (Like Rayman, or Shantae), that have a large and/or growing fanbase that would love to see those characters join the game. That said, this is why I have persistently snapped at people that like to say "They are 3rd party so their chances are less." Actually, in some cases their chances can be HIGHER. There are several characters out there that have HEAVY amounts of popularity. Ones that would pretty much guarantee a profit. (Looking at you limbless wonder >_>) Thus, it doesn't take rocket science to see they would put in the effort to do the licensing stuff. It's also why the other companies are so loose on this too... the allure of the revenue outweighs normal licensing quirks...

Thus, this ballot is going to be bigger than ever. Being all about the fans, it's going to be interesting. I can't wait to see what we get out of all of this..

 

[SegaNintendoUbisoft]

If Sakuari mentioned fan service, Shantae is a shoo-in, amirite?


Seriously though, this raises the chances for a whole lot of characters. I can't wait to see the result.

 

[SL the Pyro]

Oh dear.

Just happened upon this in the Smash General. I was wondering where that last influx of votes came from.

 

[Kevandre]

Man, I've never even played a Shantae game but I'm really coming around to supporting her as a fighter

 

[Mikegamer0608]

Man, I've never even played a Shantae game but I'm really coming around to supporting her as a fighter

Would be glad if you showed support for Shantae, heck maybe you can even try her games on 3DS/Wii U.

 

[BigShad]

So, with this new info, we need to really put the pedal to the metal. Shantae may be in top 10, but I've got a feeling that may not be enough depending on how many characters they're really adding in.
Maybe we could find a way to get Sugimori's thoughts on Shantae for Smash? ...assuming any of us can type japanese?