Social Lower Norfair

[pupNapoleon]

Since Bandai Namco is the company behind Metroid Prime 4, maybe they will just... happen... to have Smash viable (or, Smashifiable), options in their brain about former Metroid characters. Ready for Ridley?

 

[Ridley_Prime]

That's still a rumor right now, though if it comes to that, should be interesting to see how they design Ridley no holds barred, compared to the more limited time they had to work on him as a stage hazard. It wouldn't be just importing the Other M model like they did for that, it would be making a new half cybernetic Ridley or something from the ground-up for MP4.

And that's a pretty good moveset @ the post before that. Like how you had the images with it too.

 

[Cosmic77]

Even if Metroid's next Ridley isn't "Smash-worthy", the fact that the same studio that worked on Smash 4 could be working on Prime 4 is a huge advantage for Ridley (and any other Prime 4 character for that matter). Metroid isn't a very popular franchise in Japan, so having a team of people who worked on an actual Metroid game help create Smash Switch is honestly a pipe dream I never would have expected.

 

[RomanceDawn]

Even if Metroid's next Ridley isn't "Smash-worthy", the fact that the same studio that worked on Smash 4 could be working on Prime 4 is a huge advantage for Ridley (and any other Prime 4 character for that matter). Metroid isn't a very popular franchise in Japan, so having a team of people who worked on an actual Metroid game help create Smash Switch is honestly a pipe dream I never would have expected.

Hmmm I never thought of that.

So let’s say Ridley is revealed during the debut player as a playable character on the roster. How would you expect the smash community to react?

-1/3 of Smash fans would scream bloody murder that Ridley got in over their favorite.
-1/3 would be absolutely shocked because fans convinced themselves its a literal impossibility. But they would be super happy.
-1/3 would probably die of happiness overload.

 

[Zem-raj]

Even if Metroid's next Ridley isn't "Smash-worthy", the fact that the same studio that worked on Smash 4 could be working on Prime 4 is a huge advantage for Ridley (and any other Prime 4 character for that matter). Metroid isn't a very popular franchise in Japan, so having a team of people who worked on an actual Metroid game help create Smash Switch is honestly a pipe dream I never would have expected.

I don't think it has been confirmed that Bandai Namco are handling Metroid Prime 4 yet, though it seems to be pointing that way. Even better still, the job listing for Smash 6 from 2014 also pointed towards Bandai Namco developing Smash 6 too.

 

[Guybrush20X6]

Well it's all to play for at E3 this year. Especially since Nintendo has already had Mario, Zelda, Splatoon and a new IP (ARMS) out in the last year and needs to keep up momentum.

We know of Metroid Prime 4 and Pokemon Switch but will they be shown?

 

[One winged Devil]

So Ridley, he's pretty cool I guess.

 

[Diddy Kong]

Even if Metroid's next Ridley isn't "Smash-worthy", the fact that the same studio that worked on Smash 4 could be working on Prime 4 is a huge advantage for Ridley (and any other Prime 4 character for that matter). Metroid isn't a very popular franchise in Japan, so having a team of people who worked on an actual Metroid game help create Smash Switch is honestly a pipe dream I never would have expected.

I have to give it to you guys, this is probably indeed the best possible chance Ridley could have.

 

[One winged Devil]

I have to give it to you guys, this is probably indeed the best possible chance Ridley could have.

Didn't you guys say the same thing when we Ridley's Shadow?

Never forget.

 

[Ridley_Prime]

Not everyone, though some people (at least half or so of supporters at the time) played mental gymnastics with the shadow, but that kind of thing goes for like any fandom that doesn’t want to immediately admit defeat when the writing’s on the wall. Has happened time and again with such groups during the main speculation eras, where they try to save face from defeat or something as long as possible by finding ways to deny what’s there... Sometimes the drawback of people being ballsdeep passionate for a character they support I suppose.

 

[Cosmic77]

Not everyone, though some people (at least half or so of supporters at the time) played mental gymnastics with the shadow, but that kind of thing goes for like any fandom that doesn’t want to immediately admit defeat when the writing’s on the wall. Has happened time and again with such groups during the main speculation eras, where they try to save face from defeat or something as long as possible by finding ways to deny what’s there... Sometimes the drawback of people being ballsdeep passionate for a character they support I suppose.

I won't lie though, it annoys me that people seem to act like Ridley is the only character whose fans were determined to not give up after he was directly hinted at not being playable. Literally the same thing happened with K. Rool and that Mii Fighter costume when fans thought it wouldn't effect his chances of becoming DLC.

 

[Zem-raj]

To be fair, pretty much every fan base would be desperate to continue to have hope despite the odds against them. It's just that the Ridley fan base is always the one to take the flak for it. Smash 6, aka Super Smash Bros. for Nintendo Switch [tentative title], might be a clean slate, if Sakurai doesn't come back. Sure, having the game without Sakurai doesn't guarantee anything, but the situation would be better by not having him at the helm.

 

[BKupa666]

People who tell fans of a character to "give up" really just mean "stop liking what I don't like/care about" but are smart enough to try masking their feelings a little.

Which isn't to say there hasn't been some far-fetched reasoning from some Ridley fans over the years, but I do think the "give up" sentiment from much of the fanbase has made it so even the level-headed supporters can barely talk about him without feeling defensive. . .like they're walking on eggshells to not say anything that people will take and use to mock "those crazy Ridley fans" in bad faith.

So long as you keep your expectations in check and don't attack anybody, what the mainstream considers reasonable shouldn't hold you back from voicing what characters you'd personally be excited to see in your Nintendo video games.

 

[Crystanium]

Ridley would be a heavy character, but would he float or fall fast? As for RIdley's wings and tail, would those have hitboxes? If so, it would make Ridley a very easy character to hit, and he would suffer as a result. It doesn't appear Charizard's wings or tail have a hitbox, so perhaps Ridley would be the same. He would suffer from juggling, unfortunately, as most heavy, large characters do. Would Ridley's aerial speed be good, or poor like Charizard's? I compare the two because the two seem to have a common physique. While I think it would be interesting to have Ridley as a playable character, it doesn't seem he would be viable. It seems he would have more cons than pros, and being a Metroid fan myself, I likely wouldn't care enough to use the character.

 

[Ridley_Prime]

Well not like every playable character was done that well in their first Smash debut. Bowser for instance has come a long way since Melee... as has Mewtwo surprisingly. The answers to your questions could go either way really that said, though no hitbox on wings and tail and good aerial speed would be preferred.

 

[Zem-raj]

This sort of relates to Ridley because he's in the game:

Metroid Samus Returns has won the Handheld Game of the Year award at the 21st Annual D.I.C.E. awards 2018.

So that's 3 awards it has earned overall.

 

[Cosmic77]

This sort of relates to Ridley because he's in the game:

Metroid Samus Returns has won the Handheld Game of the Year award at the 21st Annual D.I.C.E. awards 2018.

So that's 3 awards it has earned overall.

It's a shame this game wasn't released back in 2013 when the 3DS was doing great. Samus Returns deserved so much more than being one of the last few games on a fading handheld.

Regardless, winning three big awards is nothing to sneeze at. It's another sign of a growing interest in the series.

 

[Ridley_Prime]

I honestly don't see MP4 getting that many awards, even though I assume Ridley will be in it somewhere since Samus Returns proved he's not a fading staple even with the Sylux hype. It's just it had been much longer since we had a 2D which Other M didn't count as thankfully, and made MSR all the more embraced, but the 1st person/Prime sub-series is still on thin ice for some after Federation Force, and MP4 is currently rumored to have online multiplayer on top of that. -.- Hopefully there'll be a trailer before too long to solidify thoughts on the game, even though the logo was enough to keep us sated last year... None of the main entries of Prime suffered from having no multiplayer, so I hope that's just saved for another spinoff, even if it's mostly been a mismanaged attempt to aim at a Halo type crowd.

 

[GolisoPower]

...and MP4 is currently rumored to have online multiplayer on top of that.

Didn't Metroid Prime Hunters have online multiplayer? Because I have fond memories of playing that game mode on the DS.

 

[Ridley_Prime]

Yes, but that was more a spinoff from the main Prime trilogy, or more its own thing rather. I could give it a pass at least, but Federation Force strayed too far from what I like about Metroid, which is part of why I'm iffy on an entry having multiplayer again this soon.

 

[Cosmic77]

Yes, but that was more a spinoff from the main Prime trilogy, or more its own thing rather. I could give it a pass at least, but Federation Force strayed too far from what I like about Metroid, which is part of why I'm iffy on an entry having multiplayer again this soon.

Federation Force dug it's own grave with the terrible artstyle and lack of focus on iconic Metroid characters. I have a feeling that MP4 will be handled differently due to it's undoubtedly higher budget and insane fan support, as well as the success of the Switch and the need for more "big seller" games now that Mario and Zelda are off the table. In other words, a lot more is riding on MP4 than Federation Force.


Online multiplayer isn't necessarily a bad thing for MP4 if the quality of the main game isn't greatly effected by it. If anything, online multiplayer alone could cause more people to pick up a copy of MP4. Yes, the idea of being lumped together with the Halo audience isn't ideal for us Metroid fans, but we're gonna need all the help we can get if we ever want Ridley in Smash 5.

More sales = more recognition for Metroid. More recognition for Metroid = higher chance of Ridley getting added in Smash.

 

[Ridley_Prime]

Fair enough. Might help if they had two different sub-teams or something to work on the single player and multiplayer in which case, so the online doesn't take away too much development time from the main campaign. And don't get me wrong, I love Halo, but the attempts to emulate it on Metroid thus far have been kinda subpar, Blast Ball for instance being a discount Grifball (or discount Rocket League). Even with that said though, I can't deny the potential for a good multiplayer mode on the Switch, whether it be a "bigger budget MPH" with more characters or some other kind of experience.

 

[Zem-raj]

It's a shame this game wasn't released back in 2013 when the 3DS was doing great. Samus Returns deserved so much more than being one of the last few games on a fading handheld.

Regardless, winning three big awards is nothing to sneeze at. It's another sign of a growing interest in the series.

If Nintendo hasn't taken taken notice before, they will now. I've read in places about rumours that mention that Nintendo are already working on the next 2D Metroid game. It wouldn't surprise me if they were. Fingers crossed.

Also, there seems to be some updates for the Meta Ridley figure:

"Meta Ridley is in the air so it will be hard to not have him attached to something. They will maybe look into having the support beam a bit transparent if you don’t want it to be visible" - Q&A #52 (5th January)

"Meta-Ridley is still being duplicated"
"No plans to coordinate Meta Ridley PO with Metroid Prime 4" - Q&A #56 (2nd February)

"Meta-Ridley is looking “very sick" and will “possibly” be up for order this year" - Today's Q&A.

 

[Zem-raj]

Metroid Samus Returns has been nominated for more awards.

For the National Academy of Video Game Trade Reviewers (NAVGTR) Awards, it has been nominated for the following:

Control Design, 2D or Limited 3D
(It's up against 1-2-Switch, Getting Over It with Bennett Foddy, Hidden Agenda, and Matterfall)

Original Light Mix Score, Franchise
(It's up against Crash Bandicoot N. Sane Trilogy, Mario + Rabbids: Kingdom Battle, The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild, and Yakuza 0, so it doesn't stand a chance here...)

http://navgtr.org/nominees/

 

[GolisoPower]

Here’s an idea for Ridley:

He wouldn’t jump per se. Instead, he would fly upwards to about the height of 3 Ganondorfs, only boosted further by his Up-B. The downside with it is is that Ridley would immediately become helpless after using his Up B, and he would be knocked out of flying when he takes 30% damage. Ridley could also change his position in altitude and move horizontally by using the joystick. This could hypothetically make Ridley unique while staying true to the franchise.

 

[One winged Devil]

So would you guys like to see a new design for Ridley in Smash or one of his older ones? If the latter then which one?

 

[NintenRob]

So would you guys like to see a new design for Ridley in Smash or one of his older ones? If the latter then which one?

A somewhat new design is borderline necessary for Ridley. But I'd like a smaller Samus Returns but without the mechanical parts.

 

[Guybrush20X6]

Honestly, I think Smash should give characters their own designs in general rather than drawing directly from one game. Nintendo stopped making Ganondorf the main villain so now the "realistic" part of the Zelda cast will be stuck in Twilight Princess mode forever.

 

[Cosmic77]

Honestly, I think Smash should give characters their own designs in general rather than drawing directly from one game. Nintendo stopped making Ganondorf the main villain so now the "realistic" part of the Zelda cast will be stuck in Twilight Princess mode forever.

I'd prefer characters to have their appearance updated with each Smash to reflect their newest games. If a character didn't appear in any new games (like Ganondorf), just stick with the old design or create something original that matches the art style the other characters use.

In other words, BotW artstyle for Zelda characters and Prime 4 artstyle for Metroid characters, then swap them for something new in the next Smash game.

 

[Zem-raj]

For a Ridley design, I'd say create a composite of designs. Proteus Ridley as a base, but remove the mechanical parts, and add in the classic design in those covered areas (Wings, tail, legs, chest and shoulders). The classic design's pencil neck was an issue, but Proteus Ridley's seems to be better for Super Smash Bros. model. His wing span doesn't seem as wide compared to Other M clone's.

 

[Ridley_Prime]

Just a quick observation, but why do people (no one specifically but just some in general in different places) still say that Ridley's appearance, particularly with Samus Returns, is just forced or contrived fanservice? I get it's easy to call it that if you ignore context, but it still served a purpose as a prelude to Super Metroid which the end of II/Returns is just right before. I suppose after things like Phantoon in Other M (which made no sense for it to be there even though I liked the appearance), some be conditioned to think as such even for Ridley? It just seems like an odd way of discrediting him as a final boss though in the case of MSR. I mean if not him, or the Metroid Queen for the 2nd or 3rd time (4th if you count AM2R), who would they have preferred as the final boss? A new enemy wouldn't of tied in at all, and Diggernaut filled the new enemy role nicely enough as a recurring boss, so I don't know.

Secondly, there's still the argument of how Ridley needs to take a break asap or somesuch. Now, I think giving him a break during MP5 (like with MP2) or the next spinoff depending on the nature of it would be reasonable, but if MP4 is like the start of a new trilogy, then he has as much business being there as the other major appearances he's made. I don't think he'll ever reach Bowser levels of overexposure though, not that I really see people consistently say "They should give Bowser or Ganon/dorf a break" like you do with Ridley. It's just weird.

 

[CCD23]

I posted this in the general discussion thread since Ridley was brought up, but figured it was worth mentioning here:

What if Pyrosphere is cut in the Switch version? This is something I can see easily happening. Nintendo is well aware of the dislike for Metroid Other M and since then we've had Samus Returns and an announced Metroid Prime 4. Instead of keeping a stage based on an older, disliked game, it would make more sense to replace it with a stage based on the newer Samus Returns or Metroid Prime 4. And if the Pyrosphere stage is cut, then obviously the stage hazard Ridley would be too as well. Then what role would Ridley have in Smash Bros.? Could this open the door a little bit more for Ridley?

 

[Diddy Kong]

Didn't you guys say the same thing when we Ridley's Shadow?

Never forget.

No. I always said the chances where extremely slim after that moment. Still, cognitive dissonance happened. And it was ugly.

 

[Deleted member]

I posted this in the general discussion thread since Ridley was brought up, but figured it was worth mentioning here:

What if Pyrosphere is cut in the Switch version? This is something I can see easily happening. Nintendo is well aware of the dislike for Metroid Other M and since then we've had Samus Returns and an announced Metroid Prime 4. Instead of keeping a stage based on an older, disliked game, it would make more sense to replace it with a stage based on the newer Samus Returns or Metroid Prime 4. And if the Pyrosphere stage is cut, then obviously the stage hazard Ridley would be too as well. Then what role would Ridley have in Smash Bros.? Could this open the door a little bit more for Ridley?

The only stage that has any sort of possibility of being axed from the jump from Wii U to a Switch port is Miiverse, and that's because the Miiverse service itself is shut down, rendering the stage completely pointless.

If the developers at all cared about Other M's poor reception, they would not have had the Pyrosphere stage to begin with, nor have Samus and a majority of the Metroid series' content take after the Other M designs in the first place, so the idea that the Pyrosphere stage would be scrapped for that reason doesn't make any logical sense.

But on the hypothetical that the stage is cut, then it really does nothing for Ridley's chances.
It doesn't at all address the issues that led to the decision against having him as a fighter. All it does is remove what he did get instead.
And unless Proteus Ridley shows up in the proposed Samus Returns stage or the hypothetical MP4 Ridley appears in the proposed MP4 stage, the best Ridley could have without Pyrosphere is a boss role in a new mode or Assist Trophy status like what was going to happen in Brawl.

I really don't mean to be a downer, but at this point in time it is important to keep realities in check.

 

[Ridley_Prime]

Yeah, it’s a stretch no matter how you slice it. Well it was a stretch before even after Brawl when he was already an established boss, yet here we are still. It’s no reason to stop wanting him, but yeah, just keep expectations in check like with anyone.

Hm... For a proposed stage in Samus Returns, presumably the landing site of SR388 with Samus’ ship, could have the baby or literally any Metroid evolution as stage hazards instead (maybe Diggernaut pops out of the ground somewhere and occasionally attacks too), but even Proteus Ridley as a boss would be more salvageable than the hated clone in Pyrosphere, especially for later mods and such that could be made with it. MP4, will have to see later far as content.

 

[NintenRob]

Correct me if wrong, but wasn't Ridley smaller in early Metroid Prime 3?

I tried to find this but couldn't. Could someone help me here?

Never mind found it

 

[Ridley_Prime]

That’s because of him crawling (which I think could still work for movement speed in a playable build depending on how it’s done), but yeah, cool beta version of the Omega Ridley cutscene.

Metroid can’t crawl but Ridley crawl!

 

[MasterOfKnees]

Correct me if wrong, but wasn't Ridley smaller in early Metroid Prime 3?

I tried to find this but couldn't. Could someone help me here?

Never mind found it

If you compare the cutscenes then there's not much difference, if there is a change between the beta and final versions then it's minimal. Something I've seen create a bit of confusion over the years is that Ridley's size in Prime 3 changes throughout the game, in the Meta Ridley fight he's the biggest he's ever been, he could basically eat Samus in one bite, but then in the Omega fight he'd at best be able to use her Morph Ball form as a chewing toy, the latter is probably his smallest 3D appearance.

 

[Ridley_Prime]

Even that Meta Ridley was able to fit through a small generator shaft during its fight...

 

[MasterOfKnees]

So, Smash Switch is announced. Depending on whether it's a port of Smash 4 and whether or not Sakurai is at the helm we can probably determine pretty early on whether Ridley is in or not, if either of those are true then chances look pretty slim from the get go.

In the likely scenario that both of those are true then the only things I could see making a difference this time around is 1. Metroid being relevant again and desperately needing representation, and 2. Sakurai having a good old fashioned change of heart. It's also worth noting that with Sylux likely playing a key role in Prime 4 Sakurai could just opt for him as he's an easier inclusion, so we'd have to heavily rely on the second point.