Translated Sakurai Famitsu Interview

[StarshipGroove]

Lucina is in and she's a clone, arguing about it won't change anything.

 

[Staarih]

Is it just me or does this thread just go in circles? *unwatches thread*

 

[ChikoLad]

Just gonna say - mods?

You really gave me an infraction for "flaming"?

When all I did was make some reasonable points, yet people throw "UR A TROLL" comments at me and use that as their reasoning to tell me I'm wrong? Even though I gave everyone the proper time of day?

...Yeah, based on this topic, and a few other discussions I've lurked on (as in, not posted in), I'm starting to think you guys pander about as much as Sakurai is with Lucina.

Now I'm out for good. Only reason I came back is because someone tagged me, despite the fact I explicitly said I was leaving and had unwatched the thread as a result (but apparently I still get notifications when tagged when that happens). Plus, that infraction made me ever so curious.

Love how the post where I leave is considered "flaming". Real smooth.

Don't even care if I get another one, from my experience, being civil and giving each person the time of day is considered flaming around here.

Flame trolling is the posting of a provocative or offensive message, known as "flamebait",[14] to a public Internet discussion group, such as a forum, newsgroup or mailing list, with the intent of provoking an angry response (a "flame") or argument over a topic the poster often has no real interest in.[15] While flaming can occur as a result of legitimate debates or grievances, flame trolling implies the intentional posting of inflammatory, grossly offensive or menacing rhetoric or images for the fun of it in order to cause others harm.[16]

As stated, flame trolling can stem from a variety of issues, including misunderstandings, frustration, and perceptions of unfairness. One motive (from trolls especially) is the desire for attention and for entertainment derived at the expense of others.[17] Posted flamebait can provide the poster with a controlled trigger-and-response setting in which to anonymously engage in conflicts and indulge in aggressive behavior without facing the consequences that such behavior might bring in a face-to-face encounter, a fact parodied in a YouTube video by Isabel Fay.[18] In other instances, flamebait may be used to reduce a forum's use by angering the forum users. In 2012, it was announced that the US State Department would start flame trolling Jihadists as part of Operation Viral Peace[19]

Believe me, this was not entertaining.

 

[D-idara]

This in fact very interesting.
For one reason I think Sakurai was making Chrom a all new moveset or playstyle. But somehow he got bored with or he could not work with it (The moveset, Playstyle or how he gonna fight.)

So they add Lucina. A clone easy to make and a new woman...(I'm really not like Lucina though.)

So Sakurai was to use Robin and Chrom as two completely unique newcomers but it when to Robin(the real new fighter) and Lucina(Clone). (I like more Chrom and Robin duo though.)

I must say: Is really necessary to have a New Marth clone. Roy was not enough and choose and another that look even more like Marth. I just don't get it.(But Robin to me is a masterpiece and well done, Lucina is FAN-SERVICE TO THE TOP.)

Buddy, Smash is built on the foundation of fanservice.

 

[viewtifulduck82]

.....So can we get a Chrom alternate costume over Lucina, or nah..?

 

[D-idara]

Chrom was not planned to be a part of Robin's Final Smash from the beginning of the game's development and you have absolutely nothing to support such a claim. He could have easily been a generic blue haired swordfighter clone like Lucina is. But Sakurai claims Chrom couldn't be playable because that's all he could ever be. Yet Lucina.

Ridley plays great. He's not playable, but he's a stage boss in the game. He really tries his hardest despite not getting a role he wanted, so he's a pretty great sport.

In all seriousness though, ever heard of the concept of first impressions? That's what my current impression of Lucina is based off of, because I have nothing else. Kinda why these newcomer trailers exist, to give us those first impressions. Every move she performs in the trailer is one Marth does and doesn't seem to function any differently. Then that PotD comes along and the only stated difference between her and Marth is Lucina lacks Marth's tipper mechanic, and is shorter than him (barely noticeable though - in fact, the PotD made her look like the taller of the two from the angle it was taken at). Then, Sakurai writes this article, and STILL divulges nothing more on her that makes her different - yet clears up how Robin works, which wasn't too obvious from the trailer.

And no, removing the tipper doesn't make her interesting. It's what made Marth interesting to begin with. At least Roy had the same mechanic, only in a different part of the blade, so he still has that interesting mechanic (in a new flavour), as well as all of the other small differences. Lucina is just Marth with training wheels. That's not interesting, it's dumbing her down. As if Smash ever needed that. If that's enough to make a character interesting, than I suppose Pink Gold Peach shot to the top of every wishlist. Give heavier physics than Peach and change nothing else. Best addition.

And simply being just another female or just another character is not a substantial addition, as it brings nothing new to the table, so I have no reason to be appreciative of her. That's like saying a starving African child should be appreciative if I give him my own feces for dinner.

You have no reason to be appreciative of her, but her fans do have a reason, and that's enough for Smash, a game that focuses on pleasing the fans. And I don't enjoy Ridley jokes. Lucina was one of the main characters of Fire Emblem Awakening, a widely-loved game, and I don't really care how much you don't like her moveset, she's here to stay, and to think a Rosalina supporter can't understand how a character with a small fanbase can mean a lot to some people.

 

[ChikoLad]

You have no reason to be appreciative of her, but her fans do have a reason, and that's enough for Smash, a game that focuses on pleasing the fans. And I don't enjoy Ridley jokes. Lucina was one of the main characters of Fire Emblem Awakening, a widely-loved game, and I don't really care how much you don't like her moveset, she's here to stay, and to think a Rosalina supporter can't understand how a character with a small fanbase can mean a lot to some people.

I just think some sort of new thing should be brought with every character, which is my complaint with Lucina herself (the Chrom comparison I made was only to point out how poor Sakurai's reaosning was in Lucina's case, and how it doesn't justify her being a particularly obnoxiously bad clone).

...And Rosalina and Lucina are not comparable cases at all. From the Iwata Asks interview for 3D World:

Motokura
I was thinking about what would be pleasing after the ending and wanted to bring in another female character in addition to Princess Peach. Rosalina has a following among the Super Mario Galaxy fanbase, and she's appeared in Mario Kart recently, so I think she's well known.

The creators of the Mario franchise consider her well known. If a character from Mario, the most successful video game franchise ever, is considered "well known" by it's creators, then she's not really that niche, like Lucina. As I said, Super Mario Galaxy is an 11 million seller, FE:A is a 1 million seller. It's not a comparable situation, at all.

And as a Rosalina supporter, I'd be pissed if she was just a Peach clone, which is what everyone assumed she'd be if she ever got in. It makes the character look a whole lot less than she actually would be, which I am guessing is what Smash is doing to Lucina, if my own opinion on her so far is "she's Femarth without a tipper".

 

[D-idara]

I just think some sort of new thing should be brought with every character, which is my complaint with Lucina herself (the Chrom comparison I made was only to point out how poor Sakurai's reaosning was in Lucina's case, and how it doesn't justify her being a particularly obnoxiously bad clone).

...And Rosalina and Lucina are not comparable cases at all. From the Iwata Asks interview for 3D World:



The creators of the Mario franchise consider her well known. If a character from Mario, the most successful video game franchise ever, is considered "well known" by it's creators, then she's not really that niche, like Lucina. As I said, Super Mario Galaxy is an 11 million seller, FE:A is a 1 million seller. It's not a comparable situation, at all.

And as a Rosalina supporter, I'd be pissed if she was just a Peach clone, which is what everyone assumed she'd be if she ever got in. It makes the character look a whole lot less than she actually would be, which I am guessing is what Smash is doing to Lucina, if my own opinion on her so far is "she's Femarth without a tipper".

Because in Fire Emblem Awakening Lucina is Femarth?

 

[ChikoLad]

Because in Fire Emblem Awakening Lucina is Femarth?

I'm not saying she is. I'm saying that her Smash portrayal is making me think that.

Smash has introduced me to a lot of characters, and not one gave me a completely negative impression, like they were redundant, except for Dr. Mario, because he had absolutely no excuse, since it's still literally Mario in a different outfit.

Lucina is giving me the same feeling, as her Smash portrayal does nothing to set her apart as a unique character. It makes me think she is a gender bent Marth and nothing more.

And if that actually is LITERALLY all there is to her in FE:A? Then I question why anyone wanted her on the Smash roster to begin with, or even like her at all - aside from SJW's on Tumblr, who will mindlessly request any female character.

Sakurai's reasoning for including her in the manner he did does not excuse this fact, nor does it excuse that, even as a clone, they could do more than just remove Marth's interesting mechanic from her and calling it a day.

 

[D-idara]

I'm not saying she is. I'm saying that her Smash portrayal is making me think that.

Smash has introduced me to a lot of characters, and not one gave me a completely negative impression, like they were redundant, except for Dr. Mario, because he had absolutely no excuse, since it's still literally Mario in a different outfit.

Lucina is giving me the same feeling, as her Smash portrayal does nothing to set her apart as a unique character. It makes me think she is a gender bent Marth and nothing more.

And if that actually is LITERALLY all there is to her in FE:A? Then I question why anyone wanted her on the Smash roster to begin with, or even like her at all - aside from SJW's on Tumblr, who will mindlessly request any female character.

Sakurai's reasoning for including her in the manner he did does not excuse this fact, nor does it excuse that, even as a clone, they could do more than just remove Marth's interesting mechanic from her and calling it a day.

Lucina's fightstyle pretty much looks like a Female, less experienced Marth, but her personality, not so much, that's why people wanted her, because she's a memorable character, remember that Nintendo fans want characters because of their character, not their playstyle.

 

[ChikoLad]

Lucina's fightstyle pretty much looks like a Female, less experienced Marth, but her personality, not so much, that's why people wanted her, because she's a memorable character, remember that Nintendo fans want characters because of their character, not their playstyle.

...But what is a man...
without...his MOVES

 

[#HBC | Red Ryu]

Does it matter who deserved what?

Lucina plain and simply was an alt costume that got turned into a clone character due to behind the scenes stuff.

Robin was the legit FE:A pick, not Lucina. Could Chrom have worked? Maybe but at this point they thought Robin was a better pick.

She is just a clone since her intent was, "female Marth alt" anyways.

People are just beating a dead horse at this point. We can debate how it was a bad idea, but it's not gonna change the roster and people already get the points.

 

[D-idara]

...But what is a man...
without...his MOVES

Your argument suddenly sounds 10X more convincing, but seriously, Lucina's not a female Marth personality or character-wise, she's similar to him in fighting style, and I'm pretty sure her no-tipper nature will make her play at least a little different than Marth, being more a rushdown than a spacer. Sakurai's just throwing a bone at Awakening fans with her, and I'm pretty sure no character will be cut because of her, because she took almost no development time.

 

[ChikoLad]

It's not about cuts though, it's about the fact that tipper-less Marth is the worst thing they could have done for him.

It's also kind of a middle finger to Roy fans, since he was a Marth clone that got removed for being a clone, despite being more interesting than Lucina in Smash.

 

[#HBC | Red Ryu]

Being fair, Roy's game isn't as well known as FE:A. FE:A also got hugely positive reception pretty much everywhere.

 

[jaytalks]

.....So can we get a Chrom alternate costume over Lucina, or nah..?

It's not about cuts though, it's about the fact that tipper-less Marth is the worst thing they could have done for him.

It's also kind of a middle finger to Roy fans, since he was a Marth clone that got removed for being a clone, despite being more interesting than Lucina in Smash.

Considering the only way Roy would have gotten in would have been in would be as a slightly upgraded Lucina costume, I think Roy fans dodged a bullet.

Both are interesting characters, but Sakurai chose to make them clones in their respective Smash games, reducing their interestingness a bit.

 

[Jumpman84]

It's not about cuts though, it's about the fact that tipper-less Marth is the worst thing they could have done for him.

It's also kind of a middle finger to Roy fans, since he was a Marth clone that got removed for being a clone, despite being more interesting than Lucina in Smash.

Actually, Roy was intended to be in Brawl, but time constraints caused him to be cut.

 

[Saito]

I just think some sort of new thing should be brought with every character, which is my complaint with Lucina herself (the Chrom comparison I made was only to point out how poor Sakurai's reaosning was in Lucina's case, and how it doesn't justify her being a particularly obnoxiously bad clone).

And as a Rosalina supporter, I'd be pissed if she was just a Peach clone, which is what everyone assumed she'd be if she ever got in. It makes the character look a whole lot less than she actually would be, which I am guessing is what Smash is doing to Lucina, if my own opinion on her so far is "she's Femarth without a tipper".

As a supporter of lucina, I don't think they did her the best justice, but I am happy that she made it in.

But hey, I can see the reasoning behind it.

Rosalina has no reason to be similar to peach. However, Lucina has a fighting style that has been passed down for generations but could have been modified over the years due to time being a factor. They had the potential to make it unique, but they also could of opted against it.

Sakurai's wording in the interview made it seem like he had intended for Lucina to be that way the entire time. It was whether or not he wanted to make her an alternate costume or a different character was the big decision.

It's literally a Melee style clone.

 

[ChikoLad]

As a supporter of lucina, I don't think they did her the best justice, but I am happy that she made it in.

But hey, I can see the reasoning behind it.

Rosalina has no reason to be similar to peach. However, Lucina has a fighting style that has been passed down for generations but could have been modified over the years due to time being a factor. They had the potential to make it unique, but they also could of opted against it.

Sakurai's wording in the interview made it seem like he had intended for Lucina to be that way the entire time. It was whether or not he wanted to make her an alternate costume or a different character was the big decision.

It's literally a Melee style clone.

But it's not the fact she was cloned that bothers me, it's how the change she has from Marth is so minimal, which is especially jarring with all of the moveset and equipment customisation options we will have.

 

[Saito]

But it's not the fact she was cloned that bothers me, it's how the change she has from Marth is so minimal, which is especially jarring with all of the moveset and equipment customisation options we will have.

Don't forget, everything hasn't been revealed about lucina either.

Lucina uses the same techniques as Marth, a fighter with whom I'm sure most of you are already familiar. I even went so far as to make their strength, speed, and special attacks almost identical.

Since he is referring to special attacks, that means he is referring to B moves.

He goes on to say...

However, even though Lucina shares her physical stats and techniques with Marth, the characteristics of their attacks differ. When two such similar characters function in an even slightly different manner, I give them a separate spot on the roster since that will affect battle records and whatnot.

While you could say he was just referring to the difference in how the blade functions, we don't actually know if the properties of their attacks are different. They would have to be played to figure that out.

Their Nair attack was shown and they seem to function similarly but Fox and Falco both had a similar functioning Nair in Melee. while having many differences other than that.

How the other A button attacks might function may be more different than we are led to believe.

 

[zeldasmash]

As a supporter of lucina, I don't think they did her the best justice, but I am happy that she made it in.

Pretty much exactly how i feel about her right now. It's awesome that she made it into Smash as a playable character (barely i might add) but i am disappointed on her moveset and fighting style. I played through Awakening almost twice now and she could have been a lot more as a fighter.

 

[ChikoLad]

I'm pretty sure if there were any stand out differences about her besides the tipper omission (which isn't a very big change), Sakurai would have mentioned it by now, in the 3 chances he has had.

Which I have pointed out numerous times, as have others.

 

[Venus of the Desert Bloom]

I'm personally glad Lucina made it in. Not because I've played Awakening. In fact, the only FE game I've touched was Path of Radiance and I never finished it. However, I always liked her design and character.

I totally understand why she's a "clone" and it makes sense to me considering her similarities to Marth in the game. Sure, it would had been nice if she was more unique and stood out more but I'm happy to see how she was implemented. That being said, I do think she's interesting and unique in her own way and I look forward to trying her out in a few months.

Also, this is just my own opinion and I don't expect others to subscribe to it.

 

[Luigi#1]

[sees thread]
Kay I'll just say LUCINA WAS AN AFTERTHOUGHT TO BE A CHARACTER AND DID NOT REPLACE CHROM!

 

[Saito]

I'm pretty sure if there were any stand out differences about her besides the tipper omission (which isn't a very big change), Sakurai would have mentioned it by now, in the 3 chances he has had.

Which I have pointed out numerous times, as have others.

If you want to believe that, and feel disappointed about that belief, then I can't really stop you.

The moves could be similar entirely as well, but because the strength is uniform across the blade, the functionality of the moves might end up being different.

For example, if marth doesn't tip with the blade during a Dair, it would not spike.
Since Lucina's strength is uniform, it might tip across the entire blade, or not even at all. There are some other nuances that not having the tipper alone could do in terms of playstyle.

Add in the fact that the moves themselves might actually have different properties and you've got a lot of room for thought.

I'm not going to make any final judgement about her move set till I play the character though.

 

[Homelessvagrant]

This is a good sign. Not only does this delve deeper into Sakurai's psyche but Lucina's reasoning is awesome. It shows how far Sakurai is willing to go for alternate costume and also shows that any said alternate costume could easily become a character in his/her own right. I know clones aren't the coolest additions, but characters like Lucina are cool in my opinion.

 

[Pyra]

Check Toon Link's trophy; First sentence: "Link as he appeared in The Wind Waker and Phantom Hourglass".
This at the very least connects "regular" Link and Toon Link, but it doesn't end there.
None of the Stickers use the Toon Link label, even the ones that are of the WW/PH Link.
Link's trophy also gives context that he is a recurring character as opposed to a Legacy Character.

And while not Link, the same concept applies to Zelda (which is more jarring since it actually has been established that each "Zelda" is a descendant and there are two Zeldas in the original two games with the same Link in both), with her trophy actually claiming "her role changes between titles" and bringing up events of both OoT and TP despite Zelda being the TP Zelda. (Though having a Sheik transformation and using spells from OoT may have to do with it, but at the same time proves that Smash Zelda is an amalgam, now taken a step further with the Phantom).

Point taken.
I didn't really look at it that way. I looked at it in more Zelda-ish ways than Smash-ish ways.

Aaaaaaaaanyway,
What's the actual argument right going on in this thread right now? Is it still Lucina taking Chrom's "roster spot"? Because lol

 

[ChikoLad]

If you want to believe that, and feel disappointed about that belief, then I can't really stop you.

The moves could be similar entirely as well, but because the strength is uniform across the blade, the functionality of the moves might end up being different.

For example, if marth doesn't tip with the blade during a Dair, it would not spike.
Since Lucina's strength is uniform, it might tip across the entire blade, or not even at all. There are some other nuances that not having the tipper alone could do in terms of playstyle.

Add in the fact that the moves themselves might actually have different properties and you've got a lot of room for thought.

I'm not going to make any final judgement about her move set till I play the character though.

Actually, it's more a case of if she does end up with no other significant differences to Marth besides the tipper, she will meet my first impression expectations - which are that she is the most redundant addition since Dr. Mario. If she gets a few interesting quirks besides the lack of tipper to make up for her lack of said tipper (because removing it simply makes her a less interesting Marth if she has nothing else), then yes, she won't be so bad, and I can be content with that. However, simply removing the tipper and calling it a day does not do a whole lot to differentiate her from Marth, and a simple speed or power difference wouldn't either, since you can make Marth faster if he isn't fast enough by default, because of equipment customisation.

The lack of tipper isn't that noticeable since most players don't perfectly hit with Marth's tipper all of the time, nor do they aim to. I've seen many a professional player play a rush down game with Marth, as he is perfectly capable of it regardless of whether or not he hits with the tip of his sword..

 

[Saito]

@ ChikoLad
Noted

On a different note, and this is to everyone, are any of you worried about lucina's inclusion as a separate character, because you think it takes a spot from another character?

Because I really hope you don't think Lucina being her own character actually takes a spot away from a different character.

 

[SmashBro99]

They should have just included Lon'qu.

I'm gay for him, just sayin. He's so coooooooooooooooool.

 

[DraginHikari]

@ ChikoLad
Noted

On a different note, and this is to everyone, are any of you worried about lucina's inclusion as a separate character, because you think it takes a spot from another character?

Because I really hope you don't think Lucina being her own character actually takes a spot away from a different character.

With the way she was discussed it sounds more like to me she was included because they had time to include her, I seriously doubt as a one of the few clones we've seen so far that she would take much attention from a more complete Newcomer.

 

[ChikoLad]

I don't think Lucina took the spot of anyone on the roster, I think her situation is a lite version of Sonic's situation in Brawl.

Sonic was a brand new character from a new series added to Brawl at the last minute, so stages, trophies, music, etc had to be developed too. They had to come up with a new moveset altogether.

Lucina was a model they already had rigged and all, and Fire Emblem was a represented series. So she isn't a lot of work to turn into a character. I just think simply removing the tipper isn't enough justification to transcend her past her originally intended alt costume status, and neither will "she's speedier than Marth", if that is the case, because...

...of that.

 

[DraginHikari]

I don't think Lucina took the spot of anyone on the roster, I think her situation is a lite version of Sonic's situation in Brawl.

Sonic was a brand new character from a new series added to Brawl at the last minute, so stages, trophies, music, etc had to be developed too. They had to come up with a new moveset altogether.

Lucina was a model they already had rigged and all, and Fire Emblem was a represented series. So she isn't a lot of work to turn into a character. I just think simply removing the tipper isn't enough justification to transcend her past her originally intended alt costume status, and neither will "she's speedier than Marth", if that is the case, because...

...of that.

Well to be fair whatever speed increases come with that system will probably apply to Lucina as well so it's not like this thing makes the default stats of each character not matter at all.

 

[Saito]

Man, I am so hyped for that character customization you don't even know.

I just wish it gave more than 3 slots.

Probably like 5 and they could be stacked.

I MUST HAVE THE FASTEST BOWSER.

 

[ChikoLad]

Well to be fair whatever speed increases come with that system will probably apply to Lucina as well so it's not like this thing makes the default stats of each character not matter at all.

That's splitting hairs though. It doesn't change the fact that if I want to make Marth faster or more powerful, I already can. So I don't need a Marth clone who's just slightly faster by default (which is only speculation right now), and lacks his tipper (which simply makes her less nuanced, but no more accessible than Marth already was). It reeks of redundancy.

If they just give her something else to make her more her own thing without revamping the moveset (since that would be asking for too much), I'll be content. Otherwise, she will be looked at in the same way as I do Dr. Mario.

 

[Dracometeor]

I don't think Lucina took the spot of anyone on the roster, I think her situation is a lite version of Sonic's situation in Brawl.

Sonic was a brand new character from a new series added to Brawl at the last minute, so stages, trophies, music, etc had to be developed too. They had to come up with a new moveset altogether.

Lucina was a model they already had rigged and all, and Fire Emblem was a represented series. So she isn't a lot of work to turn into a character. I just think simply removing the tipper isn't enough justification to transcend her past her originally intended alt costume status, and neither will "she's speedier than Marth", if that is the case, because...

...of that.

Using equipment is a terrible example... That's like saying Mario and Bowser would be equal in terms of power. Since base stats mean nothing when you can upgrade them... This is bad logic. Have you heard of Pokemon EV's? In Pokemon the base stats of a pokemon change everything, they change the amount of effective EV's and determine what pokemon are actually worth getting certain EV's or even using the Pokemon. Now this is how I see the equipment upgrades. They will work in much the same way Pokemon EV's do and will still account for the base stats.

AKA Marth with max speed equipment would not be faster then a Lucina with max speed equipment (assuming she has a faster or equal base speed)

Also you have to take into consideration competitive play which will ban equipment upgrades therefore not allowing them to make a "faster Marth"

 

[Ghirahilda]

This is Amiibo it isn't?

 

[ChikoLad]

This is Amiibo it isn't?

No, this is the Amiibo screen:

Also, to the guy above - you're judging VERY pre-maturely if you think customisation should be automatically banned from all tournaments.

 

[Ghirahilda]

No, this is the Amiibo screen:

Oh I didn't never noticed this... this is pretty cool! How could I miss that?

 

[Dracometeor]

No, this is the Amiibo screen:

Also, to the guy above - you're judging VERY pre-maturely if you think customisation should be automatically banned from all tournaments.

Except not... there are multiple items, all of the items have varying power levels even if they have the same name, therefore there is no standard for acceptable power levels and would be difficult to get the "BEST" equipment. Because of this I sincerely doubt that ALL of the consoles used at tournaments will have the same equipment accessible. This is to a much larger extent then custom moves (which I believe have a chance at being used in competitive) due to the random variance of equipment. This would also add a ton of setup time. Especially because inbetween games the players would want to change stats or could be using a different character entirely.

This is a TO's nightmare. Near impossible setup and creating MUCH lengthier matches. I believe it is fair to assume equipment upgrades will be banned. Especially considering players are already debating Custom moves being banned for the same reasons, except equipment has the same issues but even more severe.