Social Lower Norfair

[SmashKeks]

It's really a shame Tony Jay is dead, because I would've absolutely loved to hear him voice Ridley, because quite frankly that'd be absolutely terrifying. Though Mark Hamill, who can do refined and monstrous-sounding at the same time, would be a close second.

Ohoho. I just looked up a video of Tony Jay voice roles. Yeah, he would be a good contender to voice Ridley.

 

[MasterOfKnees]

I honestly don't think Sakurai and co. have any strict guidelines as to how drastically they can scale characters, I think we as fans overanalyze the situation like crazy, it's probably more a case of whether a character still feels right when scaled up or down, which is the case with Olimar, Bowser, Ganondorf and the Pokémon. A lot of Sakurai's character planning seems to come down to nailing the right feel, there's a quote somewhere out there where he says that he'll only try and put a character into Smash if he can see exactly how it functions inside his head, if he can't imagine it then he won't even entertain the idea (as was the case when Pac-Man was suggested to him for Brawl). When you combine that with what he was saying about Ridley (too big, can't fly freely) then I think it's pretty clear Sakurai doesn't believe he can make Ridley still feel like Ridley with the restrictions that being a playable character comes with, it's not necessarily a case of Sakurai thinking it's too drastic to scale someone of Ridley's size down as it's him thinking that being big is a core part of Ridley's character.

I don't agree that size is all that important to Ridley of course, but I can understand and respect that line of thinking much more than if they had set a limit as to how big a character can be before being taken into consideration, like some people are suggesting is the case. That philosophy is why every single character in Smash feels faithful to the source material (with the obvious exception of Ganondorf, which was a bit of a special case to begin with), the only downside to it is that it's very subjective to Sakurai and therefore every potential character is at the mercy of his own personal opinion, something Ridley has unfortunately gotten on the wrong side of.

 

[Zeox]

what kind of species is Ridley anyways? does he have brothers or sisters? what does he eat? what are his hobbies?

 

[IronTed]

what kind of species is Ridley anyways? does he have brothers or sisters? what does he eat? what are his hobbies?

The answers to those thoughtful questions are don't know, don't know, people (when he's nearly dead), and don't know.

On a serious note, we don't have canonical answers. And after the disaster that was Other M, Nintendo will definitely stay away from giving Metroid characters notable backstories, at least for a while.

Other M did show Little Birdie eating the Kihunter nest I guess.

 

[SmashKeks]

what are his hobbies?

I just had this image in my head of Ridley flying home after a long day and a beat down from Samus. He comes home to a sizeable pent house befitting for a successful leader of the Space Pirates. He puts a hat on a coat rack and sets a briefcase down somewhere. He warms up some kind of ready meal in a microwave. sits down in front of a computer and types out the notice for the next Space Pirate share holders meeting this Thursday. Checks his Space Tinder account and swipes left a few times. Sylux, Kraid, Mother Brain, Dark Samus. He walks out to his balcony, looks out at the fading sunset, and just lets out a long, bored, unfulfilled sigh.

 

[Morbi]

what kind of species is Ridley anyways? does he have brothers or sisters? what does he eat? what are his hobbies?

Species: Ridley, Genus: Rid, Family: Space Pirates, Order: Carnivora, Class: Space Dragon, Phylum: Purple, Kingdom: Animalia, Domain: Eukarya.

That is probably 100% scientifically accurate, maybe.

 

[Zeox]

Wasn't Ridley the one that wrote the movie "Alien" and the sequels?

 

[IronTed]

Species: Ridley, Genus: Rid, Family: Space Pirates, Order: Carnivora, Class: Space Dragon, Phylum: Purple, Kingdom: Animalia, Domain: Eukarya.

That is probably 100% scientifically accurate, maybe.

Purple is definitely my favorite phylum.

 

[A Distant Demon]

Wasn't Ridley the one that wrote the movie "Alien" and the sequels?

I have no accepted the headcanon that Ridley's hobby is watching movies. Particularly horror films. (They root for the monster)

 

[Morbi]

Wasn't Ridley the one that wrote the movie "Alien" and the sequels?

No, you are thinking of Ellen Ripley.

 

[SmashKeks]

I have no accepted the headcanon that Ridley's hobby is watching movies. Particularly horror films. (They root for the monster)

What would happen if Ridley watched The Shape of Water?

My headcanon is that when he goes to sleep that night, he has horrible nightmares about Samus Aran. Specifically Nightmares similar to this old Newgrounds Flash animation, but replace Eggman and Blaze with Ridley and Samus.

 

[Aetheri]

Species: Ridley, Genus: Rid, Family: Space Pirates, Order: Carnivora, Class: Space Dragon, Phylum: Purple, Kingdom: Animalia, Domain: Eukarya.

That is probably 100% scientifically accurate, maybe.

Instead of a backbone Ridley is just the colour purple...

 

[Smashoperatingbuddy123]

I honestly don't think Sakurai and co. have any strict guidelines as to how drastically they can scale characters, I think we as fans overanalyze the situation like crazy, it's probably more a case of whether a character still feels right when scaled up or down, which is the case with Olimar, Bowser, Ganondorf and the Pokémon. A lot of Sakurai's character planning seems to come down to nailing the right feel, there's a quote somewhere out there where he says that he'll only try and put a character into Smash if he can see exactly how it functions inside his head, if he can't imagine it then he won't even entertain the idea (as was the case when Pac-Man was suggested to him for Brawl). When you combine that with what he was saying about Ridley (too big, can't fly freely) then I think it's pretty clear Sakurai doesn't believe he can make Ridley still feel like Ridley with the restrictions that being a playable character comes with, it's not necessarily a case of Sakurai thinking it's too drastic to scale someone of Ridley's size down as it's him thinking that being big is a core part of Ridley's character.

I don't agree that size is all that important to Ridley of course, but I can understand and respect that line of thinking much more than if they had set a limit as to how big a character can be before being taken into consideration, like some people are suggesting is the case. That philosophy is why every single character in Smash feels faithful to the source material (with the obvious exception of Ganondorf, which was a bit of a special case to begin with), the only downside to it is that it's very subjective to Sakurai and therefore every potential character is at the mercy of his own personal opinion, something Ridley has unfortunately gotten on the wrong side of.

Yea most definitely agree with that

 

[Ridley_Prime]

what kind of species is Ridley anyways? does he have brothers or sisters? what does he eat? what are his hobbies?

Well there was Greed from a certain spinoff manga series; I'd take him as a canon relative over 2010's canon... The official prequel manga hinted at the Chozo having an unknown history with Ridley's race though. Two bird-like species having something of a rivalry I suppose isn't hard to imagine.

 

[Danpal65]

what kind of species is Ridley anyways? does he have brothers or sisters? what does he eat? what are his hobbies?

We know at least from Zero Mission that he builds robots don't we? I'm pretty sure he was the one who built Mecha Ridley...

In terms of voice actors, Danny DeVito or riot.

 

[CannonStreak]

I guess you can count me in as one of those who wants Ridley. I will gladly welcome him if he gets in, and if that leak from Vengabens is anything to go by, even though I am taking it with a grain of salt for now, I can see Ridley getting in.

 

[TheWozny]

If Ridley got in, he would most likely have generic dragon noises, just like Bowser.

In terms of Smash consistency, I wouldn't say the series is all that consistent; even the sizes of playable characters differ between games (Bowser in Melee vs. Sm4sh).

what kind of species is Ridley anyways? does he have brothers or sisters? what does he eat? what are his hobbies?

Quoted directly from the Metroid Prime Pirate Data:
"The reconstruction of geoform 187, code-named Ridley, was recently completed. After his defeat on Zebes, Command ordered a number of metagenetic improvements for him. Though aggressive, we were able to implement these changes in a cycle. The metamorphosis was painful, but quite successful in the end. Early tests indicate a drastic increase in strength, mobility, and offensive capability. Cybernetic modules and armour plating have been added as well. We believe our creation, now called Meta Ridley, will become the mainstay of our security force, a job he will certainly relish."

Therefore, given my background in Biology, his scientific name is hereby Geoformius onehundred-eightysevenian

 

[RomanceDawn]

When it comes to the Olimar argument I think it is totally in favor of Ridley. When I initially imagined Olimar and Pikmin as a fighter I imagined a swarm of little ant things on screen with everyone else in Smash. Seeing him large like that was odd to me at first but I understood what was necessary for the game.

Olimar and the Pikmin may scale well together but they don't scale with ROB, who made a cameo in the game. Or rather his head. You find it and take it back to the union.

Either way it doesn't matter one little bit.

Even NES Ridley. Retcon or not, it doesn't change the fact that Ridley once existed that way and that silly little sprite has been referenced several times since. The countless Super Mario Bros ports/rereleases updated the characters with modern sprites but it's not like blocky 8-bit Mario was retconed or ceased to exist. Or baby Yoshis. For a couple generations the baby Yoshis we know in World were later to be born exactly as adult Yoshi's but just smaller. Then NSMBU comes out and its back to the little cute sleepy eyed baby Yoshis.

My point is none of it matters in a game like Smash. All that matters is that Ridley is popular, fans ask for him and Sakurai complies. As long as he thinks he can design him in a way that fits his vision is all that matters.

 

[Zeox]

If the model had smaller wings I think it would be better, but of course the person that made the mod doesn't have the fault, after all is just a mod.
But if Sakurai wanted, he could do something like that, hell, maybe even a little smaller if he is still not convinced.

 

[Danpal65]

If the model had smaller wings I think it would be better, but of course the person that made the mod doesn't have the fault, after all is just a mod.
But if Sakurai wanted, he could do something like that, hell, maybe even a little smaller if he is still not convinced.

From the video I would have to say I reckon Ridley could probably do with sizing down a little more, or at the very least reduce his reach for his tail and smash attacks. Looks like he is putting Corrin to shame there in regards to reach.

Definitely a good demonstration of how Ridley could work though.

 

[SmashKeks]

If the model had smaller wings I think it would be better, but of course the person that made the mod doesn't have the fault, after all is just a mod.
But if Sakurai wanted, he could do something like that, hell, maybe even a little smaller if he is still not convinced.

I think that actually strikes just about the perfect balance of being big comparatively to Samus, and imposing enough to look like Ridley proper, while also being scaled down to a reasonable character size.

One thing people always bring up about Ridley is his wing span, but here's a question, does it matter how big wis wingspan is if his idle animations have his wings on a 2.5d plane that's non-interactable with any characters moves? What if Ridley was angled so that his wings stick out a bit into the background and foreround, but his hurtbox is solely focused on his head and back?

Although, is this an imperfect solution for his up special and aerials? Would those necessarily have to include his wings as a part of his hurtbox? Or is there another reason why his wings being wide might cause a problem?

 

[Organization XIII]

If the model had smaller wings I think it would be better, but of course the person that made the mod doesn't have the fault, after all is just a mod.
But if Sakurai wanted, he could do something like that, hell, maybe even a little smaller if he is still not convinced.

As someone who's pretty indifferent to Ridley at first he did look a little big. The stage with the giant Ike didn't help with his wings clipping through the platforms but when he faced Captain Falcon and in comparison to Bowser he looked fine. I never really had an opinion one way or the other about him but that mod convinced me that he can be scaled.

 

[James Phillips]

If the model had smaller wings I think it would be better, but of course the person that made the mod doesn't have the fault, after all is just a mod.
But if Sakurai wanted, he could do something like that, hell, maybe even a little smaller if he is still not convinced.

They could always go the route of Super Metroid, Fusion and Zero Mission to an extent and give him small bumblebee wings that look like they shouldn't be able to support his body.

Ridley really does have small wings in a lot of his 2D appearance while he has a giant wingspan in his 3D appearances.

 

[**Gilgamesh**]

I mean I am not a anti-Ridley fan; but as someone who is deeply conservative about how a character feels and how they play in their respective games (like sakurai); I am deeply worried about how Ridley would feel if Sakurai just took the liberal option and just scaled him down, What moves would he even have; will this make him feel foreign off compared to his original game; would he just be a charizard clone? How many characters would be to be sacrificed to fit Ridley in because we all know Sakurai would have a hard time making him work in his image.? These are the questions I'm concerned with.

 

[IsmaR]

Ridley scaled down would play like Ridley.

Unless Charizard suddenly starts pogo-tailing and scraping people against walls, he'll feel plenty different.

Sakurai will spend as much time on the characters as they do on other characters, no more at the expense of other "potential characters", no less.

And if all that doesn't end up being the case, then those who are fans would at least appreciate the attempt.

 

[A Distant Demon]

Going to ignore most of the questions because they are super subjective, or one's that I don't feel like answering at midnight

would he just be a charizard clone?

Nope.

Just like Ike isn't a Marth clone, having imilarities does not mean that a character will be a clone of another.

Hell, Luigi and Mario are basically the same characters (action wise) in their games, and are still wildly different in smash.

How many characters would be to be sacrificed to fit Ridley in because we all know Sakurai would have a hard time making him work in his image.?

Probably none. Being "difficult" wouldn't be in a sense of man-hours. It's conceptual. If Sakurai were able to get the image he wants in his head, Ridley would take no more time than any other, assuming he doesn't try to shoehorn in a gimmick or something, but that would not be a ridley-specific problem.


Please do not call me a mongrel for saying this, oh great Gilgamesh.
(watching Fate/Zero for the first time and loving Archer so I felt the need to add some flair)

 

[Eisendrachen]

Said this before, will do so again: Looking at proportions and how he's moved on the ground before, if Ridley is going to be a semi/clone of anyone it will most likely be Donkey Kong.

 

[AndreaAC]

This is also happened with Rosalina & Luma with Ridley taking over for Luma.

Ridley_Prime xD I haven't forgotten about them. It has been a while.

 

[SmashKeks]

View attachment 139135
Ridley_Prime xD I haven't forgotten about them. It has been a while.

That is an adorable picture.

I fully support more pictures of Ridley acting like a cute animal. (B̶e̶c̶a̶u̶s̶e̶ ̶h̶e̶ ̶i̶s̶ ̶o̶n̶e̶.̶ ̶H̶e̶ ̶i̶s̶ ̶a̶ ̶c̶u̶t̶e̶ ̶l̶i̶t̶t̶l̶e̶ ̶c̶i̶n̶n̶a̶m̶o̶n̶ ̶r̶o̶l̶e̶ ̶w̶h̶o̶ ̶n̶e̶e̶d̶s̶ ̶p̶r̶o̶t̶e̶c̶t̶i̶o̶n̶.̶ )

 

[Cosmic77]

View attachment 139135
Ridley_Prime xD I haven't forgotten about them. It has been a while.

Ridley's probably trying to make Samus jealous so she'll appreciate him more.

I'd imagine it's working quite well.

 

[Malkior7]

Source Gaming did a short discussion video on Ridley

 

[Morbi]

I mean I am not a anti-Ridley fan; but as someone who is deeply conservative about how a character feels and how they play in their respective games (like sakurai); I am deeply worried about how Ridley would feel if Sakurai just took the liberal option and just scaled him down, What moves would he even have; will this make him feel foreign off compared to his original game; would he just be a charizard clone? How many characters would be to be sacrificed to fit Ridley in because we all know Sakurai would have a hard time making him work in his image.? These are the questions I'm concerned with.

Honestly, unlike the others, I would not be surprised if Ridley did bump someone else off the roster. To that end; however, I am believe it is obviously more than worth it. Especially this time around, we are hardly "missing" anyone outside of Ridley as it stands.

 

[CaptainAmerica]

Honestly, unlike the others, I would not be surprised if Ridley did bump someone else off the roster. To that end; however, I am believe it is obviously more than worth it. Especially this time around, we are hardly "missing" anyone outside of Ridley as it stands.

True. Ridley is one of the last unambiguously first party recurring characters, from a series represented since Smash 64, and is the object of intense speculation each time. I would take Ridley over any other potential newcomer.

When we’re getting D-listers in over a recurring vilain because he’s gangly, priorities are skewed...

 

[Cosmic77]

When we’re getting D-listers in over a recurring vilain because he’s gangly, priorities are skewed...

Even if Ridley gets in Smash this time, we'll always have to live with the fact that the raunchy and somewhat niche Bayonetta, who had only made two appearances in video games prior to her inclusion, was deemed more of a priority.

Could be worse though. At least Ridley has a good chance of getting in Smash before Stanley the Bugman.

 

[Morbi]

Even if Ridley gets in Smash this time, we'll always have to live with the fact that the raunchy and somewhat niche Bayonetta, who had only made two appearances in video games prior to her inclusion, was deemed more of a priority.

Could be worse though. At least Ridley has a good chance of getting in Smash before Stanley the Bugman.

To be fair, that is not just a Ridley problem. Every character's fans have to live with the fact that not only did she get in prior to them, she actually "won" a fan poll. At the very least, we can acknowledge that Ridley has been in Smash since the beginning, unlike those poor souls.

 

[Graizen]

 

[domriver]

Didn't Sakurai said they IF they spend alot of time tweaking a Ridley character eventually it can happen? But due to time constraints he was a BOSS in Smash WIi U / 3DS? Sakurai has been working on this title in secret for a while now.... wonder what things he has accomplished........ :D

 

[Morbi]

Didn't Sakurai said they IF they spend alot of time tweaking a Ridley character eventually it can happen? But due to time constraints he was a BOSS in Smash WIi U / 3DS? Sakurai has been working on this title in secret for a while now.... wonder what things he has accomplished........ :D

He has gone back and forth, at this point, I would not trust anything he says regarding Ridley. Especially with the potential of a red herring so close to this game's launch window. In general, the problem is supposedly his wings (specifically their proportions, I guess). Beyond that, Ridley is probably not going to be able to free fly. Shocked, I am shocked I say!

 

[MasterOfKnees]

Didn't Sakurai said they IF they spend alot of time tweaking a Ridley character eventually it can happen? But due to time constraints he was a BOSS in Smash WIi U / 3DS? Sakurai has been working on this title in secret for a while now.... wonder what things he has accomplished........ :D

It was after Brawl that he said that if they had tried hard enough they could maybe have pulled it off, but he'd have to be a bit slow. After Smash 4 he just completely shut down the idea altogether, so if anything it's been going in the wrong direction.

 

[MoveMan1]

You know, it might not be Sakurai's decision to not have Ridley. After all, anything he does with the characters has to pass with their usual dev teams. And if Yoshio Sakamoto says Ridley has to be 50ft tall in Smash, well...