Event - E3 Invitational 2014 Will the entire roster be announced before the tournament at E3?

[Oatmeal.]

I'd be fine if they showed off a couple obvious ones like Captain Falcon or Ness, I just want to save the majority of the hype for when I actually buy it and unlock stuff.

 

[Katakiri]

Well, we are only a meager 10 characters away from Brawl's 39 characters so I'm start to believe that Smash 4 will have no secret characters, having the entire roster playable out of the box. Pokemon having 4 characters right out the box, and Luigi, Marth, and Toon Link being starters is enough to back up the claim.

Maybe Sakurai figured that unlocking 10+ characters twice (once for 3DS & once for WiiU) would be obnoxious. And honestly, the hype of watching these character trailers with hundreds of other people, live, has been far more enjoyable than finding characters on my own has ever been so continuing with it seems like the best option imo.

Now for the topic of before E3, I think it really depends on how many characters are left to reveal. We'll likely get the usual E3 character dump and maybe one or two beforehand but we'll likely have an E3 build that simply lacks a couple characters they want to use to build hype for the release. But even that depends on the actual release date of the game.

 

[True Blue Warrior]

I hope they won't reveal the entire roster. There's no need to.

 

[Psychoace]

Well, we are only a meager 10 characters away from Brawl's 39 characters so I'm start to believe that Smash 4 will have no secret characters, having the entire roster playable out of the box. Pokemon having 4 characters right out the box, and Luigi, Marth, and Toon Link being starters is enough to back up the claim.

Maybe Sakurai figured that unlocking 10+ characters twice (once for 3DS & once for WiiU) would be obnoxious. And honestly, the hype of watching these character trailers with hundreds of other people, live, has been far more enjoyable than finding characters on my own has ever been so continuing with it seems like the best option imo.

But that feel you get when

 

[Gameboi834]

that feel

That feel is the sole reason I want there to be hidden characters. It's the best feeling randomly finding characters.

 

[Cpt.]

it'll probably be like the E for all demo of brawl with a selective roster. At the most it'll have the starter roster and nothing more.

Yeah I highly doubt we would get the whole rosters. It is just something to wet our taste buds.

 

[Big-Cat]

I hope they won't reveal the entire roster. There's no need to.

And I say there's no need to have hidden characters.

As @ Katakiri said, there's more fun in seeing these character trailers than to get that hidden character screen.

 

[Deleted member]

If there are no hidden characters and the game releases in, say, August or September, I wonder if it's possible that we'll see two major info dump in regards to character; one at E3 and one final Smash Direct that reveals the rest of the initial roster.

 

[Gameboi834]

As @ Katakiri said, there's more fun in seeing these character trailers than to get that hidden character screen.

You're too focussed on the short term. Sure, each trailer is awesome in its own respect, but the further in the year you go the less awesome they seem.
Now the feeling of seeing Mewtwo's silhouette for the first time? That's eternal.

 

[Big-Cat]

That's entirely opinion. Funny how you say the silhouette stays with you yet the trailers kept us in suspense far longer.

Both are short term.

 

[Katy Parry]

Also another factor is that we WILL know everything anyways due to leaks. This happened with every other Smash sequel before it.

And please don't say tradition...

 

[ffadicted]

I don' think there's any way the whole roster is revealed before even the game comes out

 

[Pazzo.]

They'll most likely provide a version of the game with only the revealed characters. That way people can still expect the 3DS version to have the full roster.

 

[Katakiri]

Well here's an alternative to secret characters.

Say the game's been out for a few months now and you're watching a Nintendo Direct about Zelda or Barbie's Dream Home or something and it's just about to end and BOOM Smash Bros logo appears and burns away into another character trailer. A DLC character.
Iwata gives a spiel about Smash DLC being cross-buy-linked via your Nintendo Network ID (you buy it on one version, you get it free on the other) and it will be available for purchase after the presentation.
Hype ensues, Nintendo gets more views on their Nintendo Directs from then on and your money, and you get to play as an old a new character Lucas.

This happens a few more times over the life-span of the game. We get the initial 40-45 characters in the game and randomly have new clones characters out of the blue. Like a surprise party from Sakurai with gifts that cost $7.99 to open.

Can't deny that it's far more exciting than having the internet spoil the entire character roster anyway. In fact internet spoilers were the reason Sakurai didn't want to do in-game cut-scenes this time (and thus we get those amazingly animated trailers DK fur) so it would make a lot of sense for characters to be in the same boat.

 

[BBG|Scott-Spain]

I doubt we'll see the whole roster. I'm also one to believe that they may even add more once the WiiU version is out.

 

[Morbi]

I believe that we will learn about the entire starter roster before the tournament; if not, we will obviously learn by the tournament.

 

[Dark Phazon]

Damn i cant wait for E3

 

[Johnny Wellens]

I agree with others, we'll potentially have the starting roster revealed and I would assume all 3rd party characters will be confirmed.

 

[Thirdkoopa]

I hope they won't reveal the entire roster. There's no need to.

You're right. There's absolutely no need for them to try their A game to hype up a game on a system that's already going downhill.

 

[Johnny Wellens]

You're right. There's absolutely no need for them to try their A game to hype up a game on a system that's already going downhill.

I get where you're coming from bro, but every Smash game has had hidden characters. That's just how it works. And for many people that's kind of the fun of getting the game and seeing who all pops up. I think they would be crazy to release every character before the game's release.

 

[Big-Cat]

Every Smash game has had blatant balancing issues. Let's keep it that way.

 

[ChunkyBeef]

I think Sakurai learned his lesson from Brawl. Chances are we'll know the OPENING roster, but not the unlockables. I can see those being left unannounced to give people that sense of adventure and discovery.

 

[Beatness]

I think Sakurai learned his lesson from Brawl. Chances are we'll know the OPENING roster, but not the unlockables. I can see those being left unannounced to give people that sense of adventure and discovery.

The opening roster would have 29 characters right now then… That's only 10 short from brawl's entire roster. And they will no doubt show a newcomer at e3. So I would say we already know a lot more than the starting roster.

 

[ChunkyBeef]

The opening roster would have 29 characters right now then… That's only 10 short from brawl's entire roster. And they will no doubt show a newcomer at e3. So I would say we already know a lot more than the starting roster.

Oh, I'm sure they let the cat out of the bag of some of the unlockables simply for the hype (or attempted hype), but I could see Sakurai leaving out several newcomers for some of that lovely post-launch hype. Besides, if the roster gets less than 45 characters, I'll be kinda surprised.

 

[Johnny Wellens]

I feel like Sonic and Luigi will be unlockables for sure. Marth I could see being a starter and a new FE rep being unlockable.

 

[Thirdkoopa]

I get where you're coming from bro, but every Smash game has had hidden characters. That's just how it works. And for many people that's kind of the fun of getting the game and seeing who all pops up. I think they would be crazy to release every character before the game's release.

Every Smash Game does, but who's to say tradition won't be broken? We all assume way too much about unlockables when there's going to be two versions this time around - How about the people getting both versions? Plenty of fighting games actually do that. It's not nearly as insane as you're suggesting, and quite frankly, it's better. Even if there were no unlockable characters, there would still be plenty to unlock.

People need to stop thinking about it just from a "Tradition" standpoint. I respect that and agree with that, but there's nothing wrong with tradition being broken when done right. Thinking outside the box is pretty crucial if you ask me.

 

[Deleted member]

Every Smash Game does, but who's to say tradition won't be broken? We all assume way too much about unlockables when there's going to be two versions this time around - How about the people getting both versions? Plenty of fighting games actually do that. It's not nearly as insane as you're suggesting, and quite frankly, it's better. Even if there were no unlockable characters, there would still be plenty to unlock.

People need to stop thinking about it just from a "Tradition" standpoint. I respect that and agree with that, but there's nothing wrong with tradition being broken when done right. Thinking outside the box is pretty crucial if you ask me.

Just look at what has happened to the character roster. If Wii Fit Trainer and Chorus Men don't break expectations for character rosters, I don't know what would.

Plus why would Toon Link be a starter if there were unlockables? He's unlockable material here, no way could I see him as a starter.

 

[Johnny Wellens]

Every Smash Game does, but who's to say tradition won't be broken? We all assume way too much about unlockables when there's going to be two versions this time around - How about the people getting both versions? Plenty of fighting games actually do that. It's not nearly as insane as you're suggesting, and quite frankly, it's better. Even if there were no unlockable characters, there would still be plenty to unlock.

People need to stop thinking about it just from a "Tradition" standpoint. I respect that and agree with that, but there's nothing wrong with tradition being broken when done right. Thinking outside the box is pretty crucial if you ask me.

That's fine if you think it's possible it could change this time around, but don't criticize people for sticking with tradition. You have nothing to back up your theory and we have 3 previous games that have yet to break the cycle. Go ahead and hope for it you like, but don't think people are being ridiculous because they base their opinions on previous data.

 

[Thirdkoopa]

That's fine if you think it's possible it could change this time around, but don't criticize people for sticking with tradition. You have nothing to back up your theory and we have 3 previous games that have yet to break the cycle. Go ahead and hope for it you like, but don't think people are being ridiculous because they base their opinions on previous data.

I'm not saying people are ridiculous for that, you're misinterpreting me completely wrong Johnny. I'm saying that people are crazy for thinking there's no reason for it not to be - I'm not seeing this with everyone in the thread, but I'm seeing many people go "Oh, it's a staple therefor it has to happen. There's no other way" - That lack of an open mind for new stuff/ideas is what I'm trying to prevent. I don't mind unlocking my characters myself, it's just the one-way views I'm sick of. And sure, I may not have the Smash series to back up my data, but I have plenty of other popular multiplayer games I could use along with cross-buy games to back up the idea of at least an easier way to unlock characters on both versions (I.E. you unlock one, it's on the other)

Also to clarify, I wasn't critiquing them saying it wouldn't happen. The post above said "There's no reason for them to reveal the entire roster." in which I sarcastically gave a reason. Answer me this: Am I not allowed to do that? People asked for reasons. Said poster specifically did.

Just look at what has happened to the character roster. If Wii Fit Trainer and Chorus Men don't break expectations for character rosters, I don't know what would.

Plus why would Toon Link be a starter if there were unlockables? He's unlockable material here, no way could I see him as a starter.

That's another fair point. The only locked characters revealed last time around were Sonic and Snake. This seems a bit too strange for some of these characters, i.e. Marth and Toon link, to be starters while characters like Lucas and others are unlockables. It's just a bit too strange.

 

[Deleted member]

IThat's another fair point. The only locked characters revealed last time around were Sonic and Snake. This seems a bit too strange for some of these characters, i.e. Marth and Toon link, to be starters while characters like Lucas and others are unlockables. It's just a bit too strange.

To be fair, I wouldn't be surprised to see Marth as a starter should unlockables return. He is the mascot of Fire Emblem, so he's well overdue to be available from the start.

I'd say that Lucario would be a better example of why Sakurai might be doing away with unlockable characters. He's not exactly someone I would consider starting material; if we were having starters, he would probably been hidden until release.

That said, I wonder if Sakurai could give two options for people; have the entire roster available from the start or unlock part of it as people normally would. It would satisfy both sides and we could stop arguing on whenever or not characters should have to be unlocked. But if such options doesn't exist, I'd rather have the entire roster available from the start because I see no point in unlocking characters like Lucario and Toon Link when they've already been revealed from the start.

 

[Thirdkoopa]

Here's another theory: What if that many characters aren't unlockable this time around but the unlockables have more quality? I.E. Smash 64

To be fair, I wouldn't be surprised to see Marth as a starter should unlockables return. He is the mascot of Fire Emblem, so he's well overdue to be available from the start.

I'd say that Lucario would be a better example of why Sakurai might be doing away with unlockable characters. He's not exactly someone I would consider starting material; if we were having starters, he would probably been hidden until release.

That said, I wonder if Sakurai could give two options for people; have the entire roster available from the start or unlock part of it as people normally would. It would satisfy both sides and we could stop arguing on whenever or not characters should have to be unlocked. But if such options doesn't exist, I'd rather have the entire roster available from the start because I see no point in unlocking characters like Lucario and Toon Link when they've already been revealed from the start.

I agree with this post completely.

 

[Deleted member]

Here's another theory: What if that many characters aren't unlockable this time around but the unlockables have more quality? I.E. Smash 64.

I'd certainly liked to see this if we get unlockables again. Characters like Mewtwo, King K. Rool, Ridley, Mega Man, Mach Rider, Isaac, Pac-Man and others would all make great unlockable materials. Better than mostly unlocking veterans again, that's for sure.

 

[Venus of the Desert Bloom]

I don't think we will be seeing the full roster come E3. Terms of the Invitational and the SmashFest, I am almost certain we will see one of these happen:

1) All characters revealed up to E3 are playable including the Direct characters and the characters revealed at E3.
(great way to show off the newly revealed E3 characters)

2) All characters revealed prior to E3 including the Direct reveals but not the E3 reveals.
(Sakurai may want hold off on showcasing the new reveals for PotD prior to the 3DS launch)

3) Only a select amount of characters are playable but not all of the revealed cast and not including the E3 reveals.
(limit the fans to exactly what Sakurai wants us to experience as well as hold off the rest until the 3DS launch)

As for unlockables, I am neutral. I like the idea of unlockable characters but it wont make or break the game for me personally. Though I found PSASBR stale (among other reasons) due to a lack of unloackable characters.

 

[Bowserlick]

Bring back unlockables.

But still show off unlockable characters prior to the game's release.

 

[Davidius]

The opening roster would have 29 characters right now then… That's only 10 short from brawl's entire roster. And they will no doubt show a newcomer at e3. So I would say we already know a lot more than the starting roster.

Brawl's starting roster was 25 characters (including Sheik/ZSS/Charizard/Squirtle/Ivysaur), 27 if you expand that into revealed characters (Snake and Sonic). That's only 2 short from SSB4's currently known characters, I don't think it's a lot to think that this game may have slightly more characters and thus may have a slightly larger starting roster. Compare to Melee which had 15 starting characters.

Wrt 'unlockable' characters like Toon Link being revealed, it seems to me that the character reveals are either quite popular, newcomers or are there to plug a recent release (like WWHD). This seems sufficient for the purposes of hype. I imagine that, like Brawl, most of the unlockable characters will be veterans - that game's starting roster largely used newcomers for hype too. Everything I've seen so far seems pretty consistent with the idea that characters revealed are starters and we'll get unlockables. I don't really have any reason to suspect a break from tradition.

 

[Deleted member]

Bring back unlockables.

But still show off unlockable characters prior to the game's release.

Unless they're third-parties, no.

If I see a character revealed on the DOJO!, what's the point of having to unlock them? I don't want to spend that time unlocking said character that could be used unlocking hidden characters or playing as said revealed character. It's a waste of time.

 

[eenertv]

Nintendo should leave some mystery in the roster. In my opinion, we will not get the full list until the 3DS version is released.

 

[extremechiton]

we still got 3 more original veterans to be revealed,
a 3 melee veterans (mewtwo?)
and 5 brawl veterans to be revealed. (assuming ike, wolf, and lucas dont get cut, but rob does)
i'd say we will probably get 5 or 6 out of 11 veterans at e3 and maybe 1 or 2 newcomers
and the rest can be released monthly until smash wii u comes out.
but in the interest of ssb3ds coming out first, its entirely possible we could get the final roster, and the rest of the pics could just be informational/filler pics,

 

[Thirdkoopa]

And please don't say tradition...

It's not tradition; it's something every hyped big budgeted game gets. Everyone's too hyped and eventually some QA blabs.

Heck, with leaks we're pretty close to the final roster anyways. Saying leaks won't happen is absurd since they already have.

 

[Deleted member]

I would be fine with that. I would rather know the whole roster now so that I can be excited/disappointed with it now rather than later when I'm buying and playing the game.
I doubt that we would see the whole roster before the tournament. I bet Nintendo and Sakurai would like to keep some things hidden.