Xbox Legends ClimaX: The Xbox Series X/S's 'Ultimate' Smash (Nominating Final Base Game Content (Stages))

[darkvortex]

Swapped my Gum vote out for Nick, will likey re-vote for her when we do a clone job

 

[Qwerty UIOP]

1. Dark Queen
2. Orchid
3. Klungo
4. Gum

 

[Northsouthmap]

1. Orchid
2. Dark Queen
3. Gum
4. Elizabeth

 

[nirvanafan]

Results (Top 4 Added)
1 Orchid 22
2 Dark Queen 15
3 Elizabeth 11
4 Gum 5
5 Nick Ramos 5
6 Klungo 2

Gave the tiebreaker to Gum, general votes were 3-3 on who favorites who & removing my vote makes Gum the winner unless anyone objects to this tiebreaker logic.

Job 43 - Nominate 1 fighter for each of the 2 below categories

A - An XBLA rep, We do have Gunstringer but feel like we could use one or two of the earlier/non-kinect standouts.

B - Nominate someone from a new genre for our roster. Some examples can be puzzle, rhythm, racing, bullet hells, point & click, visual novel, party. Different unrepresented varients are allowed too (ex. tactical rpg or arena fighter).

Spoiler: Genres on Roster

• 1st & 3rd Person Shooter
• 3D & 2D Platformer
• Action & Turn based RPG
• Real time Strategy
• Action/Adventure
• Life Sim
• 2D & 3D Fighter
• Beat Em Up
• Hack n Slash
• Stealth
• Rail shooter
• Horror
• Metroidvania
• Sandbox

Spoiler: My Nominees

Ms Splosion Man/Splosion Man

Same dev as Gunstringer (didnt realize Microsoft bought them out). Not sure if we want them as 1 fighter with alts or add a clone or just add one of them in general.

Zoo Keeper (Zoo Tycoon)

Going to give this business sim one more shot at the roster. Series did see a revival on Xbox One (made by same dev as Rollercoaster Tycoon, Thrillville, Planet Coaster & Zoo)

 

[darkvortex]

Honestly I'd prefer Elizabeth over Gum but it's not fair for me to self vote

 

[nirvanafan]

Honestly I'd prefer Elizabeth over Gum but it's not fair for me to self vote

Tiebreaker was with Nick, Elizabeth made it in either way.

Was referencing the below

Swapped my Gum vote out for Nick, will likey re-vote for her when we do a clone job

 

[darkvortex]

Oh I can't read. eh I don't have a preference. Ether way goes

 

[darkvortex]

Driver (Forza)
A pretty unorthodox fighter. I think racing games are a big part of the Xbox brand, and Forza is a big part of that. They'd be a bit like captain falcon, with an original moveset that takes cues from their series, they'd be able to summon cars for attacks and place pieces of track

Bomberman
Might not quite be what we're looking for but he did have a pretty popular game on XBLA. I think as one of the big scirimblo mascot type characters who 's not in smaah, he would be a big get for our roster.

 

[KneeOfJustice99]

Job #43A:
Character Name: Alien Hominid
Character Origin: Alien Hominid (2002)

The iconic playable character from The Behemoth's run and gun shooter (originally released on Newgrounds in 2002, before seeing a HD release on the Xbox 360 in 2007), I think Alien Hominid would be a really fun - and somewhat unexpected - pick for a lot of people, especially given its ability to represent The Behemoth's work. A lot of people suggest the Castle Crashers in this role, but The Behemoth wouldn't be around without this little yellow creature. Plus, his massive arsenal of unique weapons and the like, as well as his small but versatile toolkit, could make him a really fun character to play as and against!

Job #43B:
Character Name: Kurisu Makise
Character Origin: Stein's Gate (2009)

Representing the visual novel genre, Kurisu feels like an interesting, if unorthodox, candidate for inclusion here. Stein's Gate released on the Xbox 360 in 2009, and - while perhaps not best suited to combat at first glance - I think there's potential here. And so do the developers of Phantom Breaker: Omnia, apparently. Her having some kind of time-based mechanic (perhaps akin to Custom Combos in Street Fighter Alpha 2) could be a lot of fun, as well as using other lab equipment to defend herself - could be a great way to differentiate her from other characters on the roster.

 

[nirvanafan]

Voting Time

Nominees
XBLA
Bomberman (darkvortex)
Alien Hominid (KneeOfJustice99)
Meat Boy (nirvanafan - changed my mind, sorry Splosion series)

New Genre
Forza Driver (darkvortex)
Kurisu Makise (KneeOfJustice99)
Zoo Keeper (nirvanafan)

Vote for your top 2 in each category, self votes in 2nd, Top 2 in each category overall will be added.

1 Alien Hominid
2 Meat Boy

1 Kurisu Makise
2 Forza Driver

 

[darkvortex]

1. Meat Boy
2. Alien Hominid

1. Kurisu Makise
2. Zoo Keeper

 

[DragonRobotKing26]

1. Meat Boy
2. Bomberman

1. Kurisu
2. Forza Driver

 

[KneeOfJustice99]

1. Bomberman
2. Meat Boy

1. Forza Driver
2. Zoo Keeper

 

[Qwerty UIOP]

1. Bomberman
2. Meat Boy

1. Forza Driver
2. Zoo Keeper

 

[Northsouthmap]

1. Bomberman
2. Meat Boy

1. Zoo Keeper
2. Forza Driver

 

[nirvanafan]

Results (Top 2 from each added)

XBLA
1 Meatboy 8
2 Bomberman 7
3 Alien Hominid 3

1 Forza Driver 7
2 Kurisu Makise 6
3 Zoo Keeper 5

Job 44 - Nominate 1 fighter for each of the 2 below categories

A - An assist to be promoted (Some Assists ineligible due to series being cut).

B - A character from a studio Microsoft will acquire within the next 5 years (pretty much everything except Zenimax/Bethesda & Activision/Blizzard). These deals likely take years with studios probably being on good terms leading up to buyout.

Spoiler: Eligible Assists

1. Grunt (Halo)
2. Klungo (Banjo Kazooie)
3. Berri (Conker)
4. Kantus (Gears of War)
5. Theresa (Fable)
6. Zeus (Age of Empires/Mythology)
7. Maromaru (Blue Dragon)
8. Elvis (Perfect Dark)
9. Professor Pestor (Viva Pinata)
10. Kalus (Kameo)
11. Sabrewulf (Killer Instinct/Sabre Wulf)
12. Tom Tom Gang (Blinx)
13. Rachel (Ninja Gaiden)
14. Zack (Dead or Alive)
15. Anna Grímsdóttir (Splinter Cell)
16. Munch (Oddworld)
17. Jetman (Jetpac)
18. Rabbid (Rayman/Rabbids)
19. Bomb Jack (Bomb Jack)
20. Toof (Whacked)
21. Hexic Cluster (Hexic)
22. DLC - Dr. Baltazar Chernenko(Crackdown)
23. DLC - Little Sister (Bioshock)
24. DLC - Wavy Tube Man (Gunstringer)
25. DLC - Adam the Clown (Dead Rising)
26. DLC - Raven Swarm (Alan Wake)
27. DLC - DJ Professor K (Jet Set Radio)

Spoiler: Xbox Buyouts (2015-2019)

Ninja Theory
Undead Labs
Compulsion Games
Playground Games
Obsidian Entertainment
Double Fine Productions

Spoiler: My Nominees

A - Jetman

A character we have discussed before, think it makes sense to add a new Rare series since we cut Cooper & had Rare Replay release.

B - Dawn (Contrast)

Didnt realize Compulsion had any games before We Happy Few (which isnt out yet). Think Dawn seems like she has some interesting potential & would stand outbon the roster.

 

[KneeOfJustice99]

Job #44B:
Character Name: Theresa
Character Origin: Fable (2004, Xbox - Microsoft Game Studios)

Okay, so I'm aware that promoting a Fable character almost immediately after promoting the axing of one of the three Fable characters already on the roster is... a choice, but I think Theresa is a logical pick. Appearing throughout the series (including in the most recent game by now, Fable: The Journey), Theresa is a consistently reoccuring side character who possesses powerful psychic and magical abilities in the form of her power of Will - despite being blind. Additionally - she's the sister of the Hero of Oakvale, and has survived all the way down the timeline - which I think could lend to some interesting interactions, given her default design would be pulled from Fable: The Journey. Of course, her moveset would lie more closely in the "mage" archetype, loosely inspired by her use of more traditional magic in Fable: Heroes - with her general playstyle being mostly reactionary, to reflect her nature as a seer.

Job #44B:
Character Name: Raz
Character Origin: Psychonauts (2005, Xbox - Double Fine)

I think Raz has a lot going for him here.

Firstly, context - while we've gotten rid of characters like Cooper for their lack of relevance, I think we could reasonably make the argument that Psychonauts - despite arguably falling into a similar trap of being "obscure original Xbox exclusive characters" - has the additional boon of being a cult classic with an ever-growing fanbase. Plus, an interesting note is that two years from "now" (ie, 2017), Psychonauts in the Rhombus of Ruin would be released - which we know for a fact was in development in around 2015. With that in mind - having him as a really proactive promotion tool, as well as supporting a small but ravenous fanbase (which we've already done with Jet Set Radio) seems like it'd make him a perfect fit!

And even beyond this - Raz's catalogue of psychic abilities give him plenty of potential to make him a slightly strange, off-kilter combatant who'd nonetheless be wildly fun to play both as and against. On a mechanical level, there's all kinds of cool mechanics and concepts you could pull from Psychonauts to make Raz really unlike anyone else on the roster!

I... wasn't expecting to submit two psychics though. Funny how that works!

 

[darkvortex]

Berri
Render by JCThornton
Conker has been in since the first game so I think him getting a second rep isn't out of the question. Berri would use a lot of kicks, but could also use film parodies like Bullet Time from the Matrix or a Terminator mode to reference her role in the series. I think this would be a chance to give her a more modern redesign. There's a lot of Bad Fur Day nostalgia around this time as this is when we get the Project Spark Conker game.

Edér Teylecg
From Pillars of Eternity. A western RPG in style of Balders Gate developed by Obsidian Entertainment. The game was originally Windows exclusive but it did get a console, including Xbox, release down the line. It was a huge kickstarter success, being the highest funded video game at the time. The game is brand new when this game launches and I think it would make sense to have a tie in character. Edér is one of the games companion characters, being the most popular and returning in the sequel. He's a fighter class and used a bow. I think a fantasy hero like this would be a good addition to our roster.

I considered someone from Ninja Theory but their best option (Hellblade) is still a couple years away and their current stuff is PS exclusive or a bit irrelevant by this point. also Inexile are missing from the buyout list. Don't know if they have many options but Might be worth still adding on

 

[nirvanafan]

Voting Time

Nominees

Assist Promotion
Theresa (KneeOfJustice99)
Berry (darkvortex)
Jetman (nirvanafan)

Future Buyout
Raz (KneeOfJustice99)
Edér Teylecg (darkvortex)
Dawn (nirvanafan)

Vote for your top 2 in each category, self votes in 2nd, Top 2 in each category overall will be added.

1 Theresa (think a new Fable still rep still makes sense as series was still active until 2016 & we are launching in 2015)
2 Jetman

Berri is a good choice too, the Project Spark crossover was something i completely forgot about. Although i think a new stage, assist, or boss would work better imo.

1 Edér Teylecg
2 Raz

 

[DragonRobotKing26]

1. Berri
2. Theressa

1. Raz
2. Dawn

 

[darkvortex]

1. Theresa
2. Jetman
I think a new Fable rep makes a lot of sense and this is a much more appealing option to me than just adding the Fable 3 hero and calling it a day. Rare Replay just came out at the year of our launch so people are more familiar with Jetman currently and I think he makes for a cool retro history pick


1. Raz
2. Edér
Raz actually makes a lot of sense even pre buyout as a character with Xbox association and a loyal fandom. Eder is a self vote but I think he makes sense as a new genre rep and recent character.

 

[Qwerty UIOP]

1. Jetman
2. Berri

1. Raz
2. Dawn

 

[Northsouthmap]

1. Jetman
2. Theresa

1. Raz

Only familiar with him so no second vote

 

[Schnee117]

1. Theresa
2. Jetman

1. Raz
2. Edér

 

[KneeOfJustice99]

1. Jetman (Makes a lot of sense as a retro rep, and he's been in these games a few times now, so he's presumably got a bit more recognition to him too!)
2. Berri (A pretty interesting second candidate who feels like an unusual, but also kind of logical, pick. Film parodies could also make a hella fun moveset.)

1. Dawn (I really like this! Dawn's gameplay and design feels like it'd lend to a really unique playstyle and feel compared to anyone else on the roster.)
2. Edér (A pretty interesting, but fair, candidate - and someone with a bit of context behind him that means he makes a bit more sense. Good pull!)

 

[nirvanafan]

Results (Top 2 in each added)

1 Jetman 9
2 Theresa 8
3 Berri 4

1 Raz 11
2 Eder 5
3 Dawn 4

Job 45 - Our final 2 spots will be clones/echoes, nominate a new echo for someone on our roster.

Spoiler: Eligible Fighters

Master Chief
Arbiter
Prophets
General RAAM
Blinx
Avatar
Jack of Blades
Arkantos
Amelia
Shu
Crackdown Agent
Gunstringer
Banjo & Kazooie
Gruntilda
Mumbo Jumbo
Conker
Joanna Dark
Kameo
Hudson
Fulfore
Battletoads
Alan Wake
Hayabusa
Kasumi
Sam Fisher
Abe
Stranger
Big Daddy
Frank West
Ori
Steve
Lara Croft
Ur-Didact
Orchid
Dark Queen
Elizabeth
Meat Boy
Bomberman
Forza Driver
Kurisu Makise
Jetman
Theresa
Raz
Edér Teylecg

Spoiler: My Nominee

Rintaro Okabe

Not super familar with series but feel like he could make sense as an clone/echo of Kurisu Makise (correct me if im wrong)

 

[darkvortex]

Noble Six
We've been pretty heavy on Third Party characters this game so I think doing some new first party picks makes sense. It came down to this or one of the guys from Gears of War judgment but we already have cole and will likey add Kait next game. I think Master Chief getting a clone makes sense considering he's our star character. I think Reach is still a pretty popular game and Noble Six is a well liked character.

 

[KneeOfJustice99]

Character Name: Sergeant Johnson
Character Origin: Halo: Combat Evolved (2001)

It's probably a bad look from me to also submit a Master Chief clone, but I think he lends to decent potential, and it makes sense to expand both first-party content and the Halo series as well. That said - I think this one would be a little out-of-the-box in a way.

Sergeant Johnson has been a major reoccurring character in Halo media since the very first game, but he's typically depicted either in uniform or ODST gear. However - I'm submitting him in the "Green Machine", just as he was seen in 2017's Halo Wars 2. Now, in terms of timing, this might seem a little questionable at first glance - but the "Green Machine" is a variant of previously-appearing armour in the series (namely the YGGDRASIL), and HW2's development is known to date back to 2014, so it's a logical take to suggest this would work well as future cross-promotion for the project - while simultaneously making sense in the moment, due to Johnson himself being as prominent of a character as he is in the series.

In terms of moveset, I'd say this would be a heavier take on Master Chief's moveset, with the skeleton slightly scaled up - think akin to Beyond Melee's Raichu - but otherwise, the only elements you'd probably need to change would be removing gun/reload animations. With this in mind, he'd be a pretty tanky character - a heavyweight on the roster, albeit with impressive ground speed to mix this up. Not only that - but it'd be fairly simple to include the suit's trademark energy shielding, specifically by introducing a mechanic akin to Bowser's "Tough Guy" wherein small attacks deal no hitstun. (And, let's be honest - this probably already applies to RAAM and Big Daddy anyway, so it'd just be a matter of porting it over.)

 

[DragonRobotKing26]

Job 45: Subject Delta (Bioshock)

Subject Delta is the protahonist from Bioshock 2,he is a big daddy who also protects a little sister.

Subject Delta could be Big Daddy's echo fighter,but he also have some different animations

 

[Northsouthmap]

Resubmitting Nick Ramos from Dead Rising 3
As an Echo fighter of Frank West

 

[nirvanafan]

Voting Time

Nominees
Halo (Noble 6 or Sgt. Johnson) (darkvortex & KneeOfJustice99)
Subject Delta (DragonRobotKing26)
Nick Ramos (Northsouthmap)
Rintaro Okabe (nirvanafan)

Vote for your top 2. Top 2 overall will round out the base roster. Also grouped Master Chief echos together so please also specifiy which of the 2 you would prefer if the Halo option wins.

1 Halo Echo
2 Nick Ramos

Sgt. Johnson would be my pick if Halo wins. Noble Six is a great choice (& someone I also almost submitted) but Sgt. Johnson is very popular & iconic & would probably go over very well even as just a clone/echo. Hopefully we can represent Reach with a new stage or assist.

Subject Delta is a good choice too but went with Nick instead since we already added Elizabeth. Know there is quiet a bit of 3rd party inclusions this time around but it does make some sense as to compete with Smash. Xboxs 1st party lineup is pretty weak at this time plus we have always embraced other companies into the game a bit more than Smash.

 

[darkvortex]

1. Halo (Sgt. Johnson)
2. Nick

Johnson is a great pick for a surprise pick. he's a huge part of the Halo series and has been around since the first game. People wouldn't see him coming but would welcome him. Delta is a great use about we have two BioShock characters already. Nick nearly got in a couple rounds ago so i think it would be nice to get him in.

 

[Schnee117]

Halo (Johnson)
Nick

 

[DragonRobotKing26]

1. Noble Six
2. Subject Delta

 

[Qwerty UIOP]

1. Subject Delta
2. Sgt. Johnson

 

[Northsouthmap]

1. Sgt. Johnson
2. Noble Six

 

[nirvanafan]

Results (Top 2 Added)

1 Halo (Johnson - 5, Noble Six - 1) 9
2 Nick 3
3 Subject Delta 3
4 Rintaro Okabe HM

Sgt. Johnson & Nick Ramos (wins tiebreaker being voted on by 3 users vs Delta's 2) are our final base game newcomers.

Job 45 - How many stages should we have & how many should be new/returning. Normally we match Smash but Sm4sh's split stages puts us in a weird position.

Spoiler: My Idea

I say we match match the Wii U's roster count of 55. We need to cut our Portal stage but also would cut 4 addition stages (mainly cut roster series & misc series) giving us 37 returning & 18 new stages (both previous games also had 18 new base game stages)

Job 46 - Submit an idea for a new stage. Obviously our new series need stages but they can have dedicated jobs later if they dont make it in now.

Spoiler: My Nominee

Rare Replay Gallery

Stage will be in gallery & transition to locations from other games occasionally such as Blast Corps, Jet Force Gemini, RC Pro Am, & maybe Grabbed by the Ghoulies & Jetpac depending on how we handle stages with those series.

 

[darkvortex]

Anvil Gate
Gears could use a second stage since we're not getting another rep in case game but the series has grown in size and popularity and has three characters already. A location form GOW3 (picked at random if I'm honest). Players fight on top of the gate on a long platform with two round parts to each side.

I agree with 55. We could just cut the stages for Portal, Brute Force, Vododo Vince and Goolies.

 

[Northsouthmap]

Columbia
Bioshock could get a second stage due to a new fighter and installment where the fighter is from.

The fight would take place on a platform lifted by the rail system.

 

[KneeOfJustice99]

Results (Top 2 Added)

1 Halo (Johnson - 5, Noble Six - 1) 9
2 Nick 3
3 Subject Delta 3
4 Rintaro Okabe HM

Sgt. Johnson & Nick Ramos (wins tiebreaker being voted on by 3 users vs Delta's 2) are our final base game newcomers.

Job 45 - How many stages should we have & how many should be new/returning. Normally we match Smash but Sm4sh's split stages puts us in a weird position.

Spoiler: My Idea

I say we match match the Wii U's roster count of 55. We need to cut our Portal stage but also would cut 4 addition stages (mainly cut roster series & misc series) giving us 37 returning & 18 new stages (both previous games also had 18 new base game stages)

Job 46 - Submit an idea for a new stage. Obviously our new series need stages but they can have dedicated jobs later if they dont make it in now.

Spoiler: My Nominee

Rare Replay Gallery

Stage will be in gallery & transition to locations from other games occasionally such as Blast Corps, Jet Force Gemini, RC Pro Am, & maybe Grabbed by the Ghoulies & Jetpac depending on how we handle stages with those series.

Sorry I was late to this - completely slipped my mind!

Job #45
The Wii U's stage count seems good to me - 55 makes sense, and us cutting 5 total stages seems fair too. 18 entirely new stages is plenty to play with - and I'm inclined to agree with darkvortex's take on cutting Aperture Test Chamber (Portal), Ferix (Brute Force), New Orleans Square (Voodoo Vince), and Ghoulhaven Hall (Grabbed by the Ghoulies). As for a fifth stage... man, that's a difficult call. One thing I would suggest is that previous versions of "evolving stages" like Dashboard and Bowerstone should be cut if they're not already?

Job #46
Stage Name: Castelletto
Stage Origin: Forza Horizon 2 (2014)

The Forza franchise is, by this point, already pretty established as one of Xbox's biggest - and while the Forza Circuit already represents the Motorsport side of the series, I think it'd be neat to take this opportunity to represent the more recent Horizon side of the series with a second stage.

I'm therefore suggesting Castelletto - a fictionalised interpretation of the town of Amalfi on the Amalfi Coast in southern Italy. It'd be a stage that takes place on top of a yacht overlooking the background, with some licensed cars prominently featured in Forza Horizon 2 (such as the Lamborghini Huracán) featured on the waterfront. As the stage passes, it transitions from midday to sunset, and the yacht slowly moves around in place - in fact, you can even see the tide rise!