What should Smash be?

[GoodGrief741]

So, during my time in Smash speculation, and especially with what I do in the Rate Their Chances thread, I've noticed there's a disconnect between what certain groups of people expect or want from Smash newcomers.

Specifically, it would appear that there's a growing split between two groups: those who think Smash should focus on Nintendo representation, and those who think Smash should aim to be a representation of all of gaming, Nintendo or not.

Of course, there are lots of different positions within this spectrum, so I'd like to hear from all of you. To be clear, the main point of discussion of this thread is what everyone wants/thinks Smash should be - not about what it is. This is also not exclusively based on DLC, it's about Smash in general including all future games (so no 'All DLC will be third party because it sells') The reason for this is for all of us to gain some perspective on where the fandom stands on the matter, but of course this is merely a thread on one website so this shouldn't be taken as necessarily representative of the fandom at large.

So, what do you think? Should Smash be a Nintendo crossover or a gaming crossover? Should third parties be included, and if so, under what criteria?

For the record, this is the first thread I've ever made, so sorry for anything I might screw up and feedback is appreciated. Discussion is encouraged, but remember that we're talking about wants, so keep things civil.

 

[Megadoomer]

This poll has a lot to take in, but I'll try to explain my choices as best as I can.

"Smash should be focused on Nintendo characters": this kind of seems like a given, since it's Nintendo's big crossover franchise.

"Third parties should be in Smash": third party characters have given us some of the most fun and interesting types of gameplay, and allowed us to experience or learn about franchises that we might not have if the series had stuck exclusively with Nintendo characters. Plus, it seems unlikely that Nintendo would have lasted as long as it has without third party support.

"A third party should have at least one appearance on a Nintendo console": this includes cameos like Cloud in Kingdom Hearts Chain of Memories, or Joker in Persona Q2. Even if it's a minor role, they should have SOME kind of appearance on a Nintendo system; it seems like it would be a lot harder to justify their inclusion if they didn't.

"So far, the dev team has struck the right balance with representation": I have a few minor quibbles, like the fact that we haven't gotten a completely new/unique Zelda character in 18 years or so, but other than that, I think they've done a great job.

"I like when characters that people like are included, even if I have no stake in them": I didn't particularly have any interest in Simon Belmont (makes sense from a historical perspective, but I find the classic Castlevanias to be frustrating and greatly prefer the Metroid inspired ones), Isabelle (I have a tough time sticking with Animal Crossing), or Incineroar (I'm several generations behind on Pokemon), but it was still cool to see them included. Now that K. Rool and Ridley are in, I can't think of any characters that are absolutely "needed" at this point.

"I'm willing to accept a character that I don't like if I think they deserve to be included": admittedly, I have a tough time of thinking of characters that I don't like. If someone like Steve from Minecraft made it in over Banjo-Kazooie, I'd be frustrated (I thought that B-K were a pipe dream until very recently, so seeing them get so close and yet so far would be annoying), but Steve would still make a lot of sense.

"I will accept whatever character gets into Smash": I accepted Piranha Plant - at this point, I'll pretty much take anyone as long as they have the same level of care and attention put into their portrayal.

"Smash shouldn't be taken so seriously": it's just a game, and I feel like people go overboard about it.

There are some that I probably could have filled in but didn't think about doing - it's close to midnight here, and I'm exhausted.

EDIT: since there are new choices now:

"Smash should mostly be first parties": maybe I'm misinterpreting this, but I'm assuming it's referring to the roster as a whole, as opposed to new additions to the series. I'm probably fine with more third party characters than the average person, but I feel like the majority of the roster should be Nintendo characters since that is what Smash is about.

"Indies should be included in Smash"/"Indies are just like any other third party": I don't see why a character should be excluded just because their developer is independent. If they've clearly made an impact and aren't just a flash-in-the-pan, then why shouldn't they be included?

"Western characters should be in Smash": technically, they already are, depending on how you look at characters like K. Rool, Diddy, and Dark Samus. I realize that language barriers might be an issue, but it seems like an issue that could easily be overcome. Besides, we already got Shovel Knight as an assist trophy, so clearly it's not insurmountable. I'd like to see characters like Rayman, Doomguy, or Crash Bandicoot get a chance to make it into Smash.

 

[Ridrool64]

For the first question, I went with "It should represent all of gaming as much as possible", because I feel like if we just stick to Ninty's own creations, there's a lot of holes that aren't filled. I think Smash truly blossoms when it comes to third parties: with the exceptions of Cloud and Sonic, all of them near-perfectly represent their games, and Sonic is the only one whose case is actually a significant issue; with Cloud, it's not him, it's the content surrounding him. Aside from these outliers, all of the third parties perfectly encapsulate the feeling of playing their game, even more so than the others.

Obviously, this means third parties should be in, I think.

I consider a first and third party characters more or less equally important. While third parties are now the attention grabbers for casuals, first parties still exist to ensure the existing fanbase, which at this point is massive even if it's not as big as the casual base, stick around.

I think they should show up on Nintendo first, at all, in any form, unless their pedigree is big enough to circumvent it.

A half-and-half approach works best in regards to first and third parties.

The dev team is generally doing a very good job on representation. There's only a few characters, mostly from the original trilogy (esp. Melee and 64) that are OOC, but in general everybody feels like they should.

I am okay with the inclusion of characters I don't really care for if they had plenty of people who did. I would also accept the inclusion of characters I dislike or hate, which is more or less SEGA's entire library sans Arle at this point and nobody else, if I think they deserve it (Joker did, Tails does, Eggman does, Kiryu does) etc.

Given it's not General Custer or anybody else who would have a negative real life impact, I will accept anybody. Given that we don't see something like that happen, we really don't need to take Smash so seriously (the only reason I do is because I'm counting on this being a "Colbert Bump", as TV Tropes puts it).

I think a third party has to be in a great game, but if people are asking for them, they are in a great game. Last but not least, Sony and Microsoft characters are welcome, even if I think the former will never happen.

I noticed nothing about non-VG third parties or indie/doujin titles. The former I understand, but what about the latter?

Edit: Indie and Westerns edition! Now look at my list of most wanted characters. I think Indies should be in Smash, Indies shouldn't be held to the same standard as AAA games, but are otherwise any other third party, and that Western characters should be in Smash.

 

[Kirbeh]

That's quite the poll/thread subject.

I'll try not to meander/ramble and keep it organized, emphasis on try, but here goes.

"Smash should be focused on Nintendo characters/be mostly first parties/should have third parties"

While Smash has had guest characters since Brawl now, I do think that Nintendo's own characters should still remain the core focus. Negotiations for third parties won't always yield results. So while they're great to have, I don't think they're reliable to bank on given that they're the most difficult to keep and most likely to experience a revolving cast depending on relations with third parties and conflicting wants between them.

That said, while I'd still prefer the Nintendo end of the ratio to remain higher, I'm open to adding plenty more third parties including more characters from currently represented series like Sonic, Mega Man and Street Fighter.

And overall, I quite enjoy having third parties around, and I think they add a lot to the series, making it more than what it was when it was Nintendo only.

"Smash should attempt to represent all of gaming as well as it can"

Continuing off of the previous point; if we're going to have third parties I think they should still be a main feature even if they're not the primary focus. For many, third parties now make Smash a celebration of gaming as a whole, which I'd say is true to a degree. Depends on how you look at the point on guests.

Is it a celebration of Nintendo's history, plus some notable guests? Or is it a celebration of gaming with a primary focus on Nintendo? In a way it sounds like the same statement twice but with the order flipped, but one puts emphasis on third parties as guests taking part in Nintendo's history, the other puts them all on more equal footing as important to gaming as whole, but with a majority still being Nintendo's own.

"A third party should be iconic/be from a great game/have appeared on a Nintendo system"

I don't think all third parties should be absolute iconic legends like Pac-Man. We already have some that clearly aren't; Bayo and Joker for example. However I do think that they should from good games that allowed them to receive some level of notoriety.

If a character is well known, but their notoriety comes from infamy, then I don't think they're worth the trouble; Bubsy for example.

If a character comes from a great game, but no one knows who they are, then they'd have trouble garnering any interest. In turn making the trouble of securing the character/series' rights not worth it compared to a more recognizable one.

As for appearing on Nintendo, I generally do think this would be preferable even if it's just a small cameo.

"Accept any character/even if I dislike, hate or have no stake in them"

You'd have to dig really deep to find a character I truly hate. I can't really think of any off the top of my head, and even if I have a general dislike (Tingle for example), I know that character has fans who'd be happy to see them join, so I wouldn't object. There are plenty of characters I enjoy who are constantly bemoaned by people who don't want them in (Piranha Plant, Bayonetta, Chrom, Lucina, Corrin, DP, Incineroar). I don't wish to do the same for others just because they aren't among my preferred choices.

Similarly, if I have no stake/am neutral on a character then I'm just happy for the people who do want them.

However, while I did vote in favor of "accept any character" I'm not 100% behind that statement. Generally speaking I want to say yes, but there could very well be a scenario where a character gets added who I have a problem with.

But as with finding a character I hate, I'm talking about extremes here like if Nintendo for whatever reason wanted to force a brand deal on us and made a playable bottle of water or cereal mascot or something to that effect. So yeah, bizarre scenarios that wouldn't actually happen.

 

[Deleted member]

I only voted for three.

My first choice is that Smash shouldn't be taken seriously, its a fun crossover that gives us amazing matchups with characters from multiple series that differ in genre, theme, art style, audience, closeness to Nintendo an so on.

My second choice is that given that Smash shouldn't be taken seriously, I can accept any character that gets in the game irregardless of any factor. I can enjoy any character even if I don't know them at first.

Third should be obvious due to the topic, it can go south pretty fast:b

An extra point I would like to add is that as much as I like Smash, I like other games a lot and Smash at the end of the day is not the end all. Honestly, in the case of many characters whose franchises are dormant/dead, I would like to have new games from their series more than seeing them is smash.

 

[GoodGrief741]

I noticed nothing about non-VG third parties or indie/doujin titles. The former I understand, but what about the latter?

I didn't add anything about Indies because I felt that it's a different matter altogether. But now that I think about it, the question is worth asking.

Also added questions about Western characters as that's another interesting topic of discussion.

 

[RealPokeFan11]

This is one of the most interesting threads I've seen in a while, so I'm gonna share my thoughts.

My views and overall opinions on the roster and inclusions:

Smash Bros is a game where Nintendo all stars and even some gaming icons can come together and beat the crap out of each other, either for fun, or to put their skills to the test. The focus should mostly be Nintendo characters, but iconic guest characters are always welcome to join. (As long as they deserve it. Ratio should be 80%-20%) Indies and Western developed characters are pretty much the same for me as other third parties. Representation wise, some franchises such as FE have way too many clone characters that I would remove if I was in charge of the roster. Zelda has zero characters outside the triforce, which is also a shame. For the most part it's pretty good, but could use some improvement.

Characters I don't like/hate:

For the most part, I'm fine with characters that are disappointing inclusions. The one character I wasn't so happy with was Daisy. Characters I absolutely hate are the ones on my least wanted list. It's in my signature, but the red x glitch haven't been fixed yet. I have some characters to add and remove once the red x glitch is fixed, such as adding Saber (Fate) and removing Jonesy (Fortnite). There aren't many characters I actively don't want in Smash, but the ones on that list should not touch Smash whatsoever. Sans and Robloxian are two big ones. If a character on that list were to get added, let's just say I would not be happy.

This isn't in the poll, (it should be) but non-video game characters (4th parties):

These are characters that actively do not belong in Smash, regardless of my opinion on them. Examples are Goku, Shrek, SpongeBob, Hatsune Miku, Ben Tennyson, etc. I enjoy characters like SpongeBob, Fat Thor, and Xenomorph, but unless Sakurai drops this rule, I am in full support of keeping 4th party representation out of Smash. This is what Mii characters are for, after all.

My opinions on casual vs competitive play:

I'm a little bit of both. I love turning on Pokeballs and Assist Trophies to high and having a blast with casual play, and I love improving my skills with a specific character in competitive play against other players online, flat stage with no items. The thing I don't like is that some competitive players tend to put down casual players for their chosen play methods. TBH it's totally unnecessary, and casual players shouldn't be discouraged for having fun. Smash was made to be a party game after all.

That's all I got for now, and feel free to share your thoughts on my thoughts. (Keep it civil please)

 

[fogbadge]

well we really shouldnt take things so seriously but its hard

i think smash should be about nintendo with only some 3rd parties as extra additions. for me i feel as though the 3rd parties is getting a bit over the top we have everything from the incredibly awesome inclusions (sonic, megaman, final fantasy) to the down right boring (castlevania, monster hunter, ken) and even those who have no business being in smash whatsoever (that creepy lady that was designed by someone going through a mid life crisis) and it is interesting how their treatment has evolved since brawl where they were seemingly even where as now some clearly have preferential treatment.

we all know that fan demand only goes so far as proved by isaac and the fact that the first 3rd parties series to get extra characters were not the ones that got due to sheer fan demand from even before the ballot. and the glut of 3rd party series means that all the less well known nintendo series have got no chance, chibi-robo, qbby and mallo havent got a chance with the way things are going. nintendo has so many franchises and new ones keep getting made which could have characters with unique movesets

mind you i dont think ill do much better even id the focus was entirely on nintendo as the natural character for a mario newcomer is passed over for lesser characters like daisy, my least favourite of the gen 7 pokemon being the one that got in and fire emblem outnumbering zelda. in short im doomed.

 

[Namasura]

First Party and Third Party characters that are relevant to Nintendo, not mattering if they are niche like say, a harvest moon character, or icons like Sonic or MegaMan.

 

[OnyanRings]

Oh boy, that poll is a bit overwhelming but i'll say this :

Firstly, i think that Smash should focus on Nintendo character, that way, third party characters would retain that "special" and unique feeling.

Secondly, I like when characters that people like are included, even if I have no stake in them, seeing other people's hype makes me really happy.

And finally, Don't take smash too seriously.

Spoiler

 

[3DSNinja]

I feel like Smash should have an equal balance between 1st and third parties.
I also am fine with characters getting in that I dislike, but any Three Houses rep, Fortnite, Steve, Gen 8, or fourth party I won’t accept.
I feel like Smash should represent gaming as a whole, which right now it kinda does, except shooters (unless you count Snake)
I feel like Smash characters should have one Nintendo appearance
Not a question, but I feel like Sonic should have the core trio. shadow, Eggman, and Metal as an echo. Metal Gear should have Snake and Raider with a Big Boss echo. Mega Man should have Mega Man and Zero with X as an echo. Street Fighter should have Ryu, Ken and Chun-Li, and Castlevania should have Simon and Alucard with Richter as an echo. Just more third parties for the existing, especially Sonic, Mega Man, and Castlevania.

 

[YoshiandToad]

Voted Smash should be focused on Nintendo
- I wasn't even a big fan of Nintendo when I first played Smash 64, but I can honestly say the concept blew me away. The core idea of seeing Nintendo's best and brightest smash it out was such a great concept. It introduced us to some new and unique IPs we weren't massively familiar with.
I'm not really a big fan of Link, Isabelle, Villager and Inkling being thrust into Mario Kart and I don't really like the seeming incoming overabundance on using third parties to try and bolster the roster.

Third Parties are guests
-Well, they're clearly NOT actually guests. Guest characters in fighting games don't tend to return. The point of a guest is to introduce a fan of said series to the series they're guest starring in. A fan of the Legend of Zelda for example may pick up Soul Calibur 2 due to Link's inclusion which in turn gives Zelda fans a chance to see if they enjoy the Soul Calibur series. Link, however doesn't return in Soul Calibur 3 onwards despite appearing in 2. That's the role of the guest character.

Smash meanwhile is doing something very different...and I'm not a fan. The following characters are likely to return to every future Smash game;
and rumoured four more third parties.

I adore roughly half these guys but if they're in every future Smash, they've outstayed their welcome and role.

A Third Party should have a big place in gaming history.
If we gotta have third parties I'd much rather have someone on at least Lara Croft's level. She was absolutely huge back in the day. I want video game icons who really have taken the world by storm and become their own phenomenon in popular culture.

A Third Party should have at least one Nintendo appearance
And I'm talking more than a tiny cameo or a weird spinoff. Cloud and Joker left bad tastes in my mouth, albeit I cannot deny Cloud's iconic status and influence on the JRPG genre made me warm up to him pretty fast. Ideally the character should have their starring game or games on a Nintendo console. This seems like the most basic bare minimum requirement you'd expect Nintendo to want to put in place.

Smash should be mostly first party
Goes without saying with my first vote. Those who suggest Nintendo's out of interesting characters are full of it when the goddamn Ice Climbers and Game and Watch were made into beloved characters.

The Devs have in my opinion included characters who shouldn't be included
Three Links. Mario in a labcoat, Samus in and out of her armour, disguised Zelda as the only Zelda one off character, going for non iconic Pokemon for the sake of advertising the latest games despite most those iconic Pokemon appearing in the latest titles anyway, including region locked characters such as Roy and Lucas, Piranha Plant as fun as he is is an odd choice before getting all the main Mario cast, Wii Fit getting a character wasn't really needed...there's actually tons of characters I'm not really down with.

I am willing to accept a character if I think they deserve to be included
I was an extremely vocal Bowser Jr hater, but I knew if he got in he'd deserve it given his reoccurring role within the series.
I don't give the tiniest damn about either Cloud, Simon or Megaman but I'm willing to accept their inclusion because of the sheer influence they've achieved within the gaming world, especially amongst Nintendo fans. I don't really care about Banjo either but if he got in I'd be happy for the fans.

Western characters should be in Smash
If you're going to celebrate video game history with your guests, then why not include the west's characters too? K. Rool, Diddy and Dark Samus are the closest we've got, but why not put Crash Bandicoot, Master Chief or Steve in?

To be honest I should take Smash less seriously.
Back in the day being in Smash was a big deal; you made it in there you were one of the Nintendo elite...but I find after the plant it doesn't have that same feel to it. If a random plant can make it in, the prestige sort of takes a tumble.

 

[fogbadge]

Voted Smash should be focused on Nintendo
- I wasn't even a big fan of Nintendo when I first played Smash 64, but I can honestly say the concept blew me away. The core idea of seeing Nintendo's best and brightest smash it out was such a great concept. It introduced us to some new and unique IPs we weren't massively familiar with.
I'm not really a big fan of Link, Isabelle, Villager and Inkling being thrust into Mario Kart and I don't really like the seeming incoming overabundance on using third parties to try and bolster the roster.

Third Parties are guests
-Well, they're clearly NOT actually guests. Guest characters in fighting games don't tend to return. The point of a guest is to introduce a fan of said series to the series they're guest starring in. A fan of the Legend of Zelda for example may pick up Soul Calibur 2 due to Link's inclusion which in turn gives Zelda fans a chance to see if they enjoy the Soul Calibur series. Link, however doesn't return in Soul Calibur 3 onwards despite appearing in 2. That's the role of the guest character.

Smash meanwhile is doing something very different...and I'm not a fan. The following characters are likely to return to every future Smash game;
and rumoured four more third parties.

I adore roughly half these guys but if they're in every future Smash, they've outstayed their welcome and role.

A Third Party should have a big place in gaming history.
If we gotta have third parties I'd much rather have someone on at least Lara Croft's level. She was absolutely huge back in the day. I want video game icons who really have taken the world by storm and become their own phenomenon in popular culture.

A Third Party should have at least one Nintendo appearance
And I'm talking more than a tiny cameo or a weird spinoff. Cloud and Joker left bad tastes in my mouth, albeit I cannot deny Cloud's iconic status and influence on the JRPG genre made me warm up to him pretty fast. Ideally the character should have their starring game or games on a Nintendo console. This seems like the most basic bare minimum requirement you'd expect Nintendo to want to put in place.

Smash should be mostly first party
Goes without saying with my first vote. Those who suggest Nintendo's out of interesting characters are full of it when the goddamn Ice Climbers and Game and Watch were made into beloved characters.

The Devs have in my opinion included characters who shouldn't be included
Three Links. Mario in a labcoat, Samus in and out of her armour, disguised Zelda as the only Zelda one off character, going for non iconic Pokemon for the sake of advertising the latest games despite most those iconic Pokemon appearing in the latest titles anyway, including region locked characters such as Roy and Lucas, Piranha Plant as fun as he is is an odd choice before getting all the main Mario cast, Wii Fit getting a character wasn't really needed...there's actually tons of characters I'm not really down with.

I am willing to accept a character if I think they deserve to be included
I was an extremely vocal Bowser Jr hater, but I knew if he got in he'd deserve it given his reoccurring role within the series.
I don't give the tiniest damn about either Cloud, Simon or Megaman but I'm willing to accept their inclusion because of the sheer influence they've achieved within the gaming world, especially amongst Nintendo fans. I don't really care about Banjo either but if he got in I'd be happy for the fans.

Western characters should be in Smash
If you're going to celebrate video game history with your guests, then why not include the west's characters too? K. Rool, Diddy and Dark Samus are the closest we've got, but why not put Crash Bandicoot, Master Chief or Steve in?

To be honest I should take Smash less seriously.
Back in the day being in Smash was a big deal; you made it in there you were one of the Nintendo elite...but I find after the plant it doesn't have that same feel to it. If a random plant can make it in, the prestige sort of takes a tumble.

personally i wouldnt complain if sonic stays forever, and least wii fit trainer makes sense when you consider wii fits success which is more than you can say for others

 

[YoshiandToad]

personally i wouldnt complain if sonic stays forever, and least wii fit trainer makes sense when you consider wii fits success which is more than you can say for others

I genuinely adore Sonic(and Pac-Man) but it'd be kinda harsh if I had one rule for one or two of them and another for everyone I consider a 'lesser' third party.

Wii Fit I feel definitely should have been included in some context; the stage and music are perfect for example, I just don't know whether the Trainer needed to be a playable character.

 

[fogbadge]

I genuinely adore Sonic(and Pac-Man) but it'd be kinda harsh if I had one rule for one or two of them and another for everyone I consider a 'lesser' third party.

its already the way things are in smash though

 

[3DSNinja]

Honestly, Sonic is the one third party that will never leave
Maybe PAC-Man, but definitely Sonic.

 

[MacDaddyNook]

My take on things.

Smash should attempt to represent all gaming as well as it can

I think we've long passed the whole Smash is a strictly Nintendo thing years ago with the ever increasing number of non-Nintendo content, including those more associated with other platforms, continuously being added to the series. Of course the Nintendo content will always outnumber that from the outside due to both most of it being grandfathered in from previous Smash titles as well as the ease of accessing the rights for said content, so Smash ever not having Nintendo be the majority really isn't possible. With that said, the focus to bring in whatever/whomever stands out as unique, fun, recognizable and truly brings something fresh to the series shouldn't change due to brand loyalty.

Third parties should be in Smash

This is kind of a given, since they already are in Smash. It's great to have so many unique faces and worlds brought into the series, including some of the most beloved out there. Bringing in outside faces also can attract new players, and possibly new lifelong fans, to the game.

Third party characters are the same as any other character

I always abhor the concept of "guest" characters as it leads to loads of interesting and fun content and ways to play to be dropped over arbitrary reasons. Many of my favorite characters to play as and stages to visit are from outside of Nintendo, so it would be super disappointing for them to be a one-time only thing. I'm glad the approach is to avoid cutting veterans, regardless of origin, as much as possible so that those who enjoy any character can have hope to revisit their favorites.

So far, the dev team has struck the right balance with representation
I will accept whatever character gets in Smash
Smash shouldn't be taken so seriously

These all kind of go hand in hand. Maybe it's because I'm getting older and don't take things as seriously, or it's because there's so many great inclusions already that I'm past the whole getting upset over who gets in and who doesn't. That isn't to say that I don't have my preferences, as there are many characters I want in and those I rather see stay on the sidelines, but I like to think the days of getting up in arms over the cast of what is essentially a party game is long in the past now.

A third party character with high fan demand but no other qualifications should not be included

I need to clarify this one since it contradicts my previous statement. I don't believe that a popular-only character should not be included, but rather a character shouldn't just be brought in because they're only popular. All throughout the lead-in to Ultimate's release, fans have cited that Character X is a lock because that character did well on a fan poll only to scream about how "Sakurai is out of touch" when Character X did not become playable as if he was obligated to only bring in those types of characters. I'm glad the focus often lands on a balance between popularity and what a character can bring to the game as a whole. Only picking those that are trending with the fans, who's popularity, let's face it, often fluctuate at times, wouldn't lead to as fun of a game if you ask me, sometimes the surprises are more fun than the wishlist characters. As stated before, I'm not going to have a problem with any of these characters, so if fan favorites get in, that's all good too, this is just my preferences.

Indies are just like any other third party
Western characters should be in Smash

I don't know why there has to be any distinction to where a character comes from. If a character is fun and can bring something fresh to the table, then does it matter if said character was from outside of Japan or not owned by a major corporation? Sometimes these fan rules just get so out of hand to, in a nutshell, say "your character is bad and shouldn't be in."

 

[Deleted member]

My thing with Smash Bros is that it's ever-evolving. Therefore, it's hard to establish what Smash Bros should be because Smash Bros is always changing itself right down to its engine. Every Smash game are strides away from each other, both in representation and physics, and that's a good thing. It makes the series not go stale.

It really shouldn't be anything other than accessible, which I think they've consistently done well in. Ultimate being the ultimate example of this by bringing back everybody and providing an engine that offers a skill ceiling.

Otherwise, go nuts with who you put in, Sakurai.

 

[CboyC95]

I'm currently making my own dream roster which would have over 180 characters and it's a mix of first, third, and indie titles. Right now, my roster is missing some characters because the image pack I've downloaded didn't have the images for them.

 

[Megadoomer]

I'm currently making my own dream roster which would have over 180 characters and it's a mix of first, third, and indie titles. Right now, my roster is missing some characters because the image pack I've downloaded didn't have the images for them.

Sounds good, but that would be better suited to a thread like this: https://smashboards.com/threads/the-perfect-roster.462213/

Alternatively, there's the thread that you already made for your dream roster: https://smashboards.com/threads/my-ideal-smash-bros-roster.479806/ You could just make a new post there with your new roster and say that you updated it.

 

[Captain Shades]

Wow this is a loaded topic, but I guess I’ll give my thoughts...

I feel like my opinions really depend on circumstance of where Smash is heading. While I personally want it to go one direction, I think others may disagree, but here’s what I’ll say.

Smash is about Nintendo characters coming together to fight each other. The series and the roster are built off this concept and third parties are just the icing on top. My main issue with Smash now is how does this stay maintained in a roster of over 75 characters?

I personally am hoping for a reboot or a drastic roster cut and for Smash to try new things going forward. I think it’s healthy for the series and can help keep the core of the Nintendo cast because quite frankly, I don’t see what sorts of Nintendo characters you can really add at this point. Most requests are for franchises long dead or characters who make one time appearances. Every now and again you may get a Bandana Dee or Dixie Kong which is pretty reasonable, but for the most part I feel the Nintendo side is running out of good options outside of FE or Pokémon character #100. All the big players are here now, so I feel Ultimate should put this two decade long journey to rest and allow for a new roster to form with old characters with new movesets and maybe some missed faces. Going forward and building off Ultimate, I don’t think I can really be excited by Nintendo newcomers at this point, so I feel a reboot could bring a spark back into the series.

If we are to build off Ultimate though, then 3rd party all the way. These characters bring in the most unique aspects of Smash, so more of them please.

 

[fogbadge]

Wow this is a loaded topic, but I guess I’ll give my thoughts...

I feel like my opinions really depend on circumstance of where Smash is heading. While I personally want it to go one direction, I think others may disagree, but here’s what I’ll say.

Smash is about Nintendo characters coming together to fight each other. The series and the roster are built off this concept and third parties are just the icing on top. My main issue with Smash now is how does this stay maintained in a roster of over 75 characters?

I personally am hoping for a reboot or a drastic roster cut and for Smash to try new things going forward. I think it’s healthy for the series and can help keep the core of the Nintendo cast because quite frankly, I don’t see what sorts of Nintendo characters you can really add at this point. Most requests are for franchises long dead or characters who make one time appearances. Every now and again you may get a Bandana Dee or Dixie Kong which is pretty reasonable, but for the most part I feel the Nintendo side is running out of good options outside of FE or Pokémon character #100. All the big players are here now, so I feel Ultimate should put this two decade long journey to rest and allow for a new roster to form with old characters with new movesets and maybe some missed faces. Going forward and building off Ultimate, I don’t think I can really be excited by Nintendo newcomers at this point, so I feel a reboot could bring a spark back into the series.

If we are to build off Ultimate though, then 3rd party all the way. These characters bring in the most unique aspects of Smash, so more of them please.

i would say all the big players are not here, mario the biggest nintendo franchise of all is still missing one of its most major characters, impa, dixie and bandana are all large characters in their series which are large nintendo franchises

also its hard to think nintendo is running out of good options when new series keep coming out, drgalia lost is quite recent and astral chain is due out soon

 

[PsychoJosh]

What is the point of this poll? From the number of options you know it's obvious there's a huge variety of opinions on the topic. It serves nothing to be reductive and just boil it all down to numbers. Opinions should be considered on their own merits instead of the number of people who have them.

 

[GoodGrief741]

What is the point of this poll? From the number of options you know it's obvious there's a huge variety of opinions on the topic. It serves nothing to be reductive and just boil it all down to numbers. Opinions should be considered on their own merits instead of the number of people who have them.

I don't want this to be just a poll, I want people to post, go in-depth and maybe debate a little bit. And getting numbers helps look at the bigger picture.

 

[Sabrewulf238]

I don't have a problem with third party characters. (I mean two out of my top three most wanted are third party)

That said one thing I didn't like about Ultimate was how we only get one new Nintendo IP represented in the roster. (Splatoon) Representing gaming as a whole is important but I think they should still be trying to represent Nintendo and taking whatever chance they can get to introduce people to more of Nintendos history and roster. It does feel like the scale has been tipped more strongly towards third parties for Ultimate. (especially considering the fighter pass is probably going to be all third parties)

Again I'm not that bothered about it, but it was a little disappointing.

 

[KoMallow]

" Smash should focus on Nintendo characters "

" Smash should represent 3rd parties the best they can "

** ( I don't care much for guest characters in fighting games in general, still buy them though for roster and friends sake ) **

but I feel like Super Smash Bros is a special case because the characters manage blend in so well. I remember up until Brawl, it was only Nintendo All-Stars and I was fine. Then we seen surprise characters like Sonic and Snake. I don't use them but they got their series and personality down so well, that over time of playing, I started to think they were Nintendo owned property.

Nintendo cares for all properties and IP and Super Smash Bros is a perfect example. Other games do it well to with their guest too, but I feel like Super Smash Bros does it better and I really don't know how to describe it. It's like other games you tell they Cleary guest and they stick out like a sore thumb. In Super Smash Bros, I don't think of characters like Snake, Sonic, Pacman, Ryu, Ken; as guest at all. It is hard to explain : )

I feel like they can pay such homage to these different franchises, then I don't see why not. I feel 3rd not only serve fan service and representation, but also adds an interesting dynamic other Nintendo might not be able to fulfill. ( not exactly move set wise, but backstory, concept, and design. ) Seeing lighthearted and carefree Mario characters go against M rated darker characters like Snake and Bayonetta while simultaneously not conflicting one and another and blend so well is just something I love about the game and series

In short I don't mind 3rd parties in this game. I think it's a great idea. Of course, Nintendo should also incorporate their current IPs as well because some of them are fan favorites like Bandanna Dee. And they belong. But as of now I feel like they did an amazing job with everything and more surprise picks like Joker of coarse wouldn't harm anything IMO.