ChronoBound
Smash Hero
- Joined
- Sep 20, 2006
- Messages
- 8,998
I have meaning to say what I am about to post very a very long time. I originally wanted to say this prior to FE13's North American release, but now that it has came and went not only for North America, but for Europe as well, and with E3 only about three weeks away, there is more pressing things to say about the battles and challenges that lie ahead for us Roy supporters.
Part 1: After FE13's release....
Originally when FE13 was released, I believed that there would be a massive surge of Chrom supporters based on the accolades and hype FE13 was getting. However, as fate would have it, many of the people who loved and experienced FE13 ended up taking a liking to other characters in that game aside from Chrom. Chrom is still much more expected than he is wanted among Smash Bros. fans. However, although Chrom did not benefit as much from the international FE13 release as I thought he would, there still has been an explosion of interest for some sort of FE13 character.
Support threads for Anna, Lucina, My Unit, and Tharja popped up, and these character seemed to have more passionate supporters than Chrom's does, even though Chrom still has more supporters overall than any of those other FE13 characters.
Particularly with Lucina, we have actually dodged a major bullet. Typically, female character fanbases in Smash Bros. tend be quiet fanatical, loud, and aggressive. FE13 was a title that was well-received both critically and in sales. Lucina, unlike every other female lord (except possibly Cellica from the virtually unknown FE2), outshined her male lord co-star as both a unit (the female lords are usually much weaker than the male lord they have to share the game with) and as a character. Yet, how come Lucina is not a heir to the throne to a fanbase on par with what Lyn and Micaiah saw during pre-Brawl (and the first two years of pre-Smash 4 with Micaiah?).
Lucina had all the stars aligned for her. She was not outshined by a Hector/Ephraim/Ike as an unit/character. Her game did not get a mixed reception by fans and critics like FE8 (Eirika) or FE10 (Micaiah did). And for many, FE13 was their first game in the series. Yet why is Lucina in Chrom's shadow among Smash Bros. fans?
Up until FE13, there has been four female lords in the series, Cellica, Lyn, Eirika, and Micaiah. Typically, female lords (exception may be Micaiah) are usually far less good as units than the male lords of their games. Also, half of all the female lords in the series up until FE13, used a primary weapon that was not a sword (both Cellica and Micaiah are mage lords). There was literally a 50/50 chance that the female lord we could have gotten in FE13 would have been someone whose primary weapon was not a sword. And also, of the two female sword-wielding lords we did receive up until Lucina (Lyn and Eirika) they visually contrasted with any other male sword-wielding lords.
Literally, the biggest handicap Lucina had from being the next Lyn/Micaiah was that for every possible for her to copy their appearance, she happened to be a female Marth. Marth, whom is probably the only FE character that is 100% safe to return for Smash 4. To make things even particularly worse for Lucina to gain ground among Smash Bros. fans was that Marth himself was given a re-design for FE13 that made him almost exactly the same outfit as Lucina does in FE13. This re-design for Marth was not only done by a series veteran (the art/character designer for FE9/FE10), but also happened to be most popular and well-known re-design due to it not only being the first DLC character made available, but also the only one made available for free.
Could you imagine what we would have to face if Lucina had been a non-primary-sword-wielding lord (or really even a sword-wielding lord that did not look like a genderswap version of Marth) with the benefits of a highly acclaimed source game and being extremely strong as an unit? As it currently stands, Lucina is probably the most popular female lord among FE fans. Her being a genderswap version of Marth (to the point where she spent almost half of the main game calling herself Marth) is basically what is keeping her from eclipsing Chrom in requests among Smash Bros. fans. She may end up eclipsing Chrom in requests at some point, but in terms of convincing people who have not played FE13 that she would be a stand out addition in comparison to Marth and Ike, she faces greater challenges than even Chrom.
Aside from Lucina, Anna has emerged as a possible choice for a newcomer for Smash 4. Amongst Western FE13, Anna is certainly very popular (she received nearly the same amount of votes as Chrom did in the North American FE13 poll done by NOA). However, although she may have more passionate supporters than either Chrom or Lucina, and although there is a much better case for her to be a better standout character than Chrom/Lucina, overall she has less support among Smash Bros. fans than the two FE13 lords. However, unlike Chrom/Lucina/MyUnit/Tharja, Anna is likely to continue to have a fanbase even if she fails to make it for Smash 4 due to her very likely having future appearances in FE game and probably future playable appearances. Anna's time could very well be with Smash 5. However, for now she lurks under the shadow of Chrom/Lucina.
My Unit is the third main character of FE13 and unlike Chrom/Lucina, is easily visually distinctive from other FE lords even in his/her "default" design, and uses magic as a primary weapon just as much as he/she uses swords. However, despite all of this, My Unit has less support than even Anna. My Unit is hurt by not having a defined name, gender, or even an appearance. Most people customized their My Units, and have different personal experiences and envisionments about what My Unit is supposed to look like, what his/her name is, what kind of voice he/she has, and what his/her gender is. Chrom and Lucina (at least Lucina) seem to be more popular as main characters in regards to main characters as well.
Tharja is a bit surprising to see have quite a bit of support in regards to being a playable character (its not seen here, but go to GameFAQs and its pretty evident). I don't need to explain why she has a lot of support, but I am sure wearing a loincloth and showing lots of cleavage certainly plays a very large part. While Tharja is a good contender to show up as an Assist Trophy, her chances of making it as a playable character, even if FE were to have six slots, are very dismal. Those that actually believe she is a plausible candidate for Smash 4 are within the realm of the perverted fanboy and/or extraordinarily dumb (which again explains why places like GameFAQs are the primary place for her support).
The purpose of all this is to show that contrary to my previous expectations, FE13 did not lead to an explosion of interest in Chrom, but rather led to a large fracturing on whom FE13 fans actually wanted to see for Smash 4. Perhaps, the only thing they can agree on is that Roy is an obstacle (for Chrom supporters it even extends to Ike) to them for their character of choice getting in.
With this much division for FE13 characters, Roy supporters would do well to convince people that FE getting four slots is not unwarranted. Indeed, from polls I have done, there is just as much support for four FE character as there is for the DK series, and much more support than there is for four Kirby or four Star Fox characters. So the interest is there. The key will be to convince people that such a scenario is even possible.
I feel with many FE13 character supporters, although they can't agree on who to even have represent FE13, they do believe Roy could possibly keep them all out. If you have these people believe that four FE characters is actually a realistic scenario, they will be less inclined to attack Roy returning for Smash 4. Without Roy as a common target to attack, they will point at each other (at least among Chrom/Lucina/Anna/MyUnit).
Although Roy has the most support of any FE character, being under the attack of so many different fanbases is something that is very bad for Roy, and bad for picking up support. Getting people accustom to the idea of four FE characters, and for Roy to definitely be among those four (which is a much easier case to argue than for the three slot scenario).
However, even if people remain unconvinced that FE could receive four slots, uncommitted Smash Bros. fans can still be convinced that Roy is the better choice for a third FE character when offered the alternate of Chrom or Lucina. Others have already posted the moveset possibilities for Roy, and Roy is already more visually distinctive than Chrom and Lucina. It will be a challenge but definitely possible.
So to sum it up, although FE13 did not create a massive rivalry with Chrom fans, it did make many Smash Bros. fans think Chrom is definitely" "next in line" and a "shoe-in" (something that we really, really need to challenge), and it did make it so that people are really divided as to who the FE13 character should be.
FE13 turning out the way it did in terms of the way its main characters were portrayed (Chrom, Lucina, and My Unit) was luck on our part. FE13 certainly has a ton of rabid fanboys. Smash Bros. fans being skeptical of Chrom/Lucina's worth as possible newcomers is our biggest bulwark against them.
We have the numbers, we just need the motivation and the initiative to change the field of battle. If everything goes according to plan, Smash Bros. fan rosters will look like:
Fire Emblem:
Marth
Roy
Ike
<insert roster maker's personal choice here>
Its going to take some time and effort, but I think it can be done.
I still have a lot more to say before the advent of the E3 unveil (I am also unfortunately behind on making a proper Roy support topic). However, I really felt this needed to be said as it shows how much the Roy fanbase has persevered in spite of the conditions and new characters introduced in FE13.
Part 1: After FE13's release....
Originally when FE13 was released, I believed that there would be a massive surge of Chrom supporters based on the accolades and hype FE13 was getting. However, as fate would have it, many of the people who loved and experienced FE13 ended up taking a liking to other characters in that game aside from Chrom. Chrom is still much more expected than he is wanted among Smash Bros. fans. However, although Chrom did not benefit as much from the international FE13 release as I thought he would, there still has been an explosion of interest for some sort of FE13 character.
Support threads for Anna, Lucina, My Unit, and Tharja popped up, and these character seemed to have more passionate supporters than Chrom's does, even though Chrom still has more supporters overall than any of those other FE13 characters.
Particularly with Lucina, we have actually dodged a major bullet. Typically, female character fanbases in Smash Bros. tend be quiet fanatical, loud, and aggressive. FE13 was a title that was well-received both critically and in sales. Lucina, unlike every other female lord (except possibly Cellica from the virtually unknown FE2), outshined her male lord co-star as both a unit (the female lords are usually much weaker than the male lord they have to share the game with) and as a character. Yet, how come Lucina is not a heir to the throne to a fanbase on par with what Lyn and Micaiah saw during pre-Brawl (and the first two years of pre-Smash 4 with Micaiah?).
Lucina had all the stars aligned for her. She was not outshined by a Hector/Ephraim/Ike as an unit/character. Her game did not get a mixed reception by fans and critics like FE8 (Eirika) or FE10 (Micaiah did). And for many, FE13 was their first game in the series. Yet why is Lucina in Chrom's shadow among Smash Bros. fans?
Up until FE13, there has been four female lords in the series, Cellica, Lyn, Eirika, and Micaiah. Typically, female lords (exception may be Micaiah) are usually far less good as units than the male lords of their games. Also, half of all the female lords in the series up until FE13, used a primary weapon that was not a sword (both Cellica and Micaiah are mage lords). There was literally a 50/50 chance that the female lord we could have gotten in FE13 would have been someone whose primary weapon was not a sword. And also, of the two female sword-wielding lords we did receive up until Lucina (Lyn and Eirika) they visually contrasted with any other male sword-wielding lords.
Literally, the biggest handicap Lucina had from being the next Lyn/Micaiah was that for every possible for her to copy their appearance, she happened to be a female Marth. Marth, whom is probably the only FE character that is 100% safe to return for Smash 4. To make things even particularly worse for Lucina to gain ground among Smash Bros. fans was that Marth himself was given a re-design for FE13 that made him almost exactly the same outfit as Lucina does in FE13. This re-design for Marth was not only done by a series veteran (the art/character designer for FE9/FE10), but also happened to be most popular and well-known re-design due to it not only being the first DLC character made available, but also the only one made available for free.
Could you imagine what we would have to face if Lucina had been a non-primary-sword-wielding lord (or really even a sword-wielding lord that did not look like a genderswap version of Marth) with the benefits of a highly acclaimed source game and being extremely strong as an unit? As it currently stands, Lucina is probably the most popular female lord among FE fans. Her being a genderswap version of Marth (to the point where she spent almost half of the main game calling herself Marth) is basically what is keeping her from eclipsing Chrom in requests among Smash Bros. fans. She may end up eclipsing Chrom in requests at some point, but in terms of convincing people who have not played FE13 that she would be a stand out addition in comparison to Marth and Ike, she faces greater challenges than even Chrom.
Aside from Lucina, Anna has emerged as a possible choice for a newcomer for Smash 4. Amongst Western FE13, Anna is certainly very popular (she received nearly the same amount of votes as Chrom did in the North American FE13 poll done by NOA). However, although she may have more passionate supporters than either Chrom or Lucina, and although there is a much better case for her to be a better standout character than Chrom/Lucina, overall she has less support among Smash Bros. fans than the two FE13 lords. However, unlike Chrom/Lucina/MyUnit/Tharja, Anna is likely to continue to have a fanbase even if she fails to make it for Smash 4 due to her very likely having future appearances in FE game and probably future playable appearances. Anna's time could very well be with Smash 5. However, for now she lurks under the shadow of Chrom/Lucina.
My Unit is the third main character of FE13 and unlike Chrom/Lucina, is easily visually distinctive from other FE lords even in his/her "default" design, and uses magic as a primary weapon just as much as he/she uses swords. However, despite all of this, My Unit has less support than even Anna. My Unit is hurt by not having a defined name, gender, or even an appearance. Most people customized their My Units, and have different personal experiences and envisionments about what My Unit is supposed to look like, what his/her name is, what kind of voice he/she has, and what his/her gender is. Chrom and Lucina (at least Lucina) seem to be more popular as main characters in regards to main characters as well.
Tharja is a bit surprising to see have quite a bit of support in regards to being a playable character (its not seen here, but go to GameFAQs and its pretty evident). I don't need to explain why she has a lot of support, but I am sure wearing a loincloth and showing lots of cleavage certainly plays a very large part. While Tharja is a good contender to show up as an Assist Trophy, her chances of making it as a playable character, even if FE were to have six slots, are very dismal. Those that actually believe she is a plausible candidate for Smash 4 are within the realm of the perverted fanboy and/or extraordinarily dumb (which again explains why places like GameFAQs are the primary place for her support).
The purpose of all this is to show that contrary to my previous expectations, FE13 did not lead to an explosion of interest in Chrom, but rather led to a large fracturing on whom FE13 fans actually wanted to see for Smash 4. Perhaps, the only thing they can agree on is that Roy is an obstacle (for Chrom supporters it even extends to Ike) to them for their character of choice getting in.
With this much division for FE13 characters, Roy supporters would do well to convince people that FE getting four slots is not unwarranted. Indeed, from polls I have done, there is just as much support for four FE character as there is for the DK series, and much more support than there is for four Kirby or four Star Fox characters. So the interest is there. The key will be to convince people that such a scenario is even possible.
I feel with many FE13 character supporters, although they can't agree on who to even have represent FE13, they do believe Roy could possibly keep them all out. If you have these people believe that four FE characters is actually a realistic scenario, they will be less inclined to attack Roy returning for Smash 4. Without Roy as a common target to attack, they will point at each other (at least among Chrom/Lucina/Anna/MyUnit).
Although Roy has the most support of any FE character, being under the attack of so many different fanbases is something that is very bad for Roy, and bad for picking up support. Getting people accustom to the idea of four FE characters, and for Roy to definitely be among those four (which is a much easier case to argue than for the three slot scenario).
However, even if people remain unconvinced that FE could receive four slots, uncommitted Smash Bros. fans can still be convinced that Roy is the better choice for a third FE character when offered the alternate of Chrom or Lucina. Others have already posted the moveset possibilities for Roy, and Roy is already more visually distinctive than Chrom and Lucina. It will be a challenge but definitely possible.
So to sum it up, although FE13 did not create a massive rivalry with Chrom fans, it did make many Smash Bros. fans think Chrom is definitely" "next in line" and a "shoe-in" (something that we really, really need to challenge), and it did make it so that people are really divided as to who the FE13 character should be.
FE13 turning out the way it did in terms of the way its main characters were portrayed (Chrom, Lucina, and My Unit) was luck on our part. FE13 certainly has a ton of rabid fanboys. Smash Bros. fans being skeptical of Chrom/Lucina's worth as possible newcomers is our biggest bulwark against them.
We have the numbers, we just need the motivation and the initiative to change the field of battle. If everything goes according to plan, Smash Bros. fan rosters will look like:
Fire Emblem:
Marth
Roy
Ike
<insert roster maker's personal choice here>
Its going to take some time and effort, but I think it can be done.
I still have a lot more to say before the advent of the E3 unveil (I am also unfortunately behind on making a proper Roy support topic). However, I really felt this needed to be said as it shows how much the Roy fanbase has persevered in spite of the conditions and new characters introduced in FE13.
That video is extremely sexy however Croph!! If Roy got THAT moveset, damn, I think I'd play him!
