SonicMario
Star Spirit
Hello there, Im making a bit of a sequel thread to my previous Merit thread in honor of the new game coming up. Like it has been since I started this, suggest characters and Ill give my opinion on what chances they have to be included in this upcoming game.
Though first I want to give my thoughts on many of the characters of the previous game. We have to remember that last game the roster was HUGE. While I do expect most of the characters to return anyway. I feel like theres a possibility they at least temporarily cut some characters from the base game. But I wouldnt fret for most characters, because I feel this time around updates and/or DLC can rectify that situation pretty quickly. Though I suppose one point against that is thats not something Sakurai likes to do. But still, it is kinda hard to believe that all the nearly 60 characters will all come back immediately given how soon this game is coming out, though Id love to be wrong.
That said, I want to just mention briefly how I feel the likelihood these characters will at least be in the base game should it come down to some being left out or not. I will also mention characters that I think could be saved for later should they decide to go for periodic updates and DLC like I mentioned earlier.
This is mostly speculation as for all I know, every single playable character from Smash 4 could be safe and sound after all. But if there is any doubt about that, I want to explore what the possibilities are. I think Smash 4 will still generally be used as a building block even if there is quite a bit new with this game. Sakurai will treat this as if its Smash 6 (Reminder that he considers 3DS to be Smash 4, and Wii U to be Smash 5), So even if it turns out to be mostly a port, Sakurai will still treat most of the returning characters as veterans. Even the ones that were newcomers in Smash on 3DS and Wii U.
CHARACTERS ALREADY CONFIRMED 100%
Mario
Link
Inkling
Pit
Donkey Kong
Samus
Bowser
(Note: The last 4 are just the most obvious silhouettes in the trailer)
POSSIBLY CONFIRMED (Silhouettes leave it somewhat vague but theres a possibility its them)
Yoshi
Kirby
Marth
Pikachu
Zelda
SHOE-IN FIRST PARTY CHARACTERS
Luigi
Peach
Rosalina
Bowser Jr.
Wario
Diddy Kong
Ganondorf
Palutena
Meta Knight
King Dedede
Fox
Ness
Captain Falcon
Villager
Olimar
Shulk
VERY LIKELY
Mr. Game and Watch
Ike
Robin
Little Mac
Mewtwo
Falco
LIKELY
Charizard
Lucario
Greninja
ROB
Lucas
Roy
Corrin
TOSS-UP FIRST PARTIES
Duck Hunt
Wii Fit Trainer
(Note: Its not that I dont think theyll return. Theyre just 2 newcomers from Smash 4 Im not sure that feel like they would be high priority. They could easily come back at a later time though.)
DEPENDENT ON MECHANICS BUT LIKELY
Shiek (Without a 3DS version, could Zelda transform again?)
Zero Suit Samus (Similar to Shiek)
Mii Fighters (The question here is if custom moves make a return. I think somehow someway they will get the Miis in again. The question is if they will be the same as they are in Smash 4. If Custom Moves dont return, do the Miis go with them? Or perhaps will they be the only characters with custom moves? Maybe theyll be given a default moveset. Or the Miis revamped into a different character altogether)
CHARACTERS POSSIBLY SAVED FOR LATER IF NOT ALL RETURN FOR THE BASE GAME
Toon Link
Jigglypuff (Might be weird to say given last thread I mentioned the seemingly invincibility of the Original 12. But to be fair Jigglypuff has been kind of singled out sometimes. Heck for some reason in the Smash 4 trophy collection. Shes listed among the Brawl characters rather then with the other 11 characters from the original game. She also nearly missed Brawl at one point. I wouldnt like it, but there may be a chance Puff fans could have to wait until later if any characters are left out of the base game. Id love to be wrong though. Because I kinda love the tradition around the Original 12. But should it happen for the first time that an Original 12 is left out of the base game, Puff is on the chopping block. Though probably not for long thanks to the age of updates and/or DLC)
Dr. Mario*
Dark Pit*
Lucina
*This might just be a slight thing that Id prefer to see happen. These 2 are cheap clones so they could easily come back especially if for the most part the roster is mostly porting from Smash 4. But I think it would be a plus to make it an option to have these characters or not. If theyre released later, Ill never buy them. But for those who would like clones like Dr. Mario and Dark Pit back, they can have them potentially through this.
SHOE-IN THIRD PARTIES
Sonic (Sonic Forces and Sonic Mania was on Switch plus Mario + Sonic Tokyo is already a known thing. Plus still one of the most popular characters, and Sega and Nintendo show no signs of friction between one another.)
Megaman (The legacy collection plus Megaman 11 are coming to Switch. And Megaman was a really wanted newcomer that put a lot of hype for the previous game. I think we can count on him returning)
Bayonetta (It would be weird if they left out who was announced as the ballot winner for the previous game. Not to mention we have Bayonetta 3 coming later. Those in the competitive scene of Smash 4 wont like it. But Id say Bayonetta has a really good chance of being back)
TOSS-UP THIRD PARTIES
Ryu (There was a Street Fighter game on Switch. Even if it wasnt the latest game in the series exactly. I think its possible they save him for later as DLC again or something. But its tough to call at the moment I feel)
THIRD PARTIES POSSIBLY IN LIMBO
Pac-Man (Namco-Bandai isnt credited with this game yet. They were a big part of Smash 4s development. And that may have been the big reason Pac-Man made it in the first place. That said Pac-Man has made it on the Switch though a retro collection. And itd be a shame to lose him for this game since with him, Mario, Megaman, and Sonic it felt like it really was the Mount Rushmore of Gaming with them all in. Well have to see how it goes)
Cloud (It would absolutely suck if he left given hes so fun to play as. But hes the only other one besides Pac-Man thats hard for me to say if theyll include him in the base game right away. I would love him to be. But as of now I just dont know. Its not like they confirmed the FF7 Remake is coming to Switch yet either. But who knows. Even if he isnt on the base game though I could easily see him becoming DLC once again)
Last but not least, I will give my thoughts on the inclusion of the Inkling as I did for every newcomer in the previous thread
INKLINGS
Type of Character: Newcomer
Franchise: Splatoon
My Level of Want
Ive only rented the first game once. Generally ok to me. Its a franchise thats more oriented in the online matches then its single player. So personally im not too interested in the franchise. But that said I think they are worthy inclusions for this game for sure.
General Merit Thoughts
There is absolutely no doubting that Splatoon has become a hit new IP for Nintendo. It was only a matter of time until theyd find their way into Smash. And Im all for it. It will be very interesting how they translate Splatoon into a Smash fighter. I really dont have much else to say other then yeah, this is an inclusion that was pretty obvious if any newcomers were to be made for the next game. Theres no question they have good merit for Smash. Hit new franchise, a new IP that could very well represent Nintendos recent endeavors, and as I already mentioned plenty of potential in moveset that will be interesting how they implement things. I give a very warm welcome to the Inklings into Smash
And thats all for now. Feel free to ask me how I feel about any potential newcomers and veterans that didnt make it back in Smash 4. This is (Or at least partly) a new game and thread. So even if I already talked about them in the previous thread feel free to suggest I talk about them again. With so little information we have on the game I may need to come back to any suggestions that are made before E3 afterward. Because who knows where this train of hype takes us. As with any Smash speculation scene, there will probably be characters we dont see coming and possibly even more unwritten rules being broken with new characters riling up the fanbase.
There will probably be moments where Im dead wrong, but I dont care because Smash speculation is back. And its a wonderful thing for sure. I'm excited for what's in store for us. Even when the game is released, it will most likely not be over for a little while now. Speculation ahoy!
Though first I want to give my thoughts on many of the characters of the previous game. We have to remember that last game the roster was HUGE. While I do expect most of the characters to return anyway. I feel like theres a possibility they at least temporarily cut some characters from the base game. But I wouldnt fret for most characters, because I feel this time around updates and/or DLC can rectify that situation pretty quickly. Though I suppose one point against that is thats not something Sakurai likes to do. But still, it is kinda hard to believe that all the nearly 60 characters will all come back immediately given how soon this game is coming out, though Id love to be wrong.
That said, I want to just mention briefly how I feel the likelihood these characters will at least be in the base game should it come down to some being left out or not. I will also mention characters that I think could be saved for later should they decide to go for periodic updates and DLC like I mentioned earlier.
This is mostly speculation as for all I know, every single playable character from Smash 4 could be safe and sound after all. But if there is any doubt about that, I want to explore what the possibilities are. I think Smash 4 will still generally be used as a building block even if there is quite a bit new with this game. Sakurai will treat this as if its Smash 6 (Reminder that he considers 3DS to be Smash 4, and Wii U to be Smash 5), So even if it turns out to be mostly a port, Sakurai will still treat most of the returning characters as veterans. Even the ones that were newcomers in Smash on 3DS and Wii U.
CHARACTERS ALREADY CONFIRMED 100%
Mario
Link
Inkling
Pit
Donkey Kong
Samus
Bowser
(Note: The last 4 are just the most obvious silhouettes in the trailer)
POSSIBLY CONFIRMED (Silhouettes leave it somewhat vague but theres a possibility its them)
Yoshi
Kirby
Marth
Pikachu
Zelda
SHOE-IN FIRST PARTY CHARACTERS
Luigi
Peach
Rosalina
Bowser Jr.
Wario
Diddy Kong
Ganondorf
Palutena
Meta Knight
King Dedede
Fox
Ness
Captain Falcon
Villager
Olimar
Shulk
VERY LIKELY
Mr. Game and Watch
Ike
Robin
Little Mac
Mewtwo
Falco
LIKELY
Charizard
Lucario
Greninja
ROB
Lucas
Roy
Corrin
TOSS-UP FIRST PARTIES
Duck Hunt
Wii Fit Trainer
(Note: Its not that I dont think theyll return. Theyre just 2 newcomers from Smash 4 Im not sure that feel like they would be high priority. They could easily come back at a later time though.)
DEPENDENT ON MECHANICS BUT LIKELY
Shiek (Without a 3DS version, could Zelda transform again?)
Zero Suit Samus (Similar to Shiek)
Mii Fighters (The question here is if custom moves make a return. I think somehow someway they will get the Miis in again. The question is if they will be the same as they are in Smash 4. If Custom Moves dont return, do the Miis go with them? Or perhaps will they be the only characters with custom moves? Maybe theyll be given a default moveset. Or the Miis revamped into a different character altogether)
CHARACTERS POSSIBLY SAVED FOR LATER IF NOT ALL RETURN FOR THE BASE GAME
Toon Link
Jigglypuff (Might be weird to say given last thread I mentioned the seemingly invincibility of the Original 12. But to be fair Jigglypuff has been kind of singled out sometimes. Heck for some reason in the Smash 4 trophy collection. Shes listed among the Brawl characters rather then with the other 11 characters from the original game. She also nearly missed Brawl at one point. I wouldnt like it, but there may be a chance Puff fans could have to wait until later if any characters are left out of the base game. Id love to be wrong though. Because I kinda love the tradition around the Original 12. But should it happen for the first time that an Original 12 is left out of the base game, Puff is on the chopping block. Though probably not for long thanks to the age of updates and/or DLC)
Dr. Mario*
Dark Pit*
Lucina
*This might just be a slight thing that Id prefer to see happen. These 2 are cheap clones so they could easily come back especially if for the most part the roster is mostly porting from Smash 4. But I think it would be a plus to make it an option to have these characters or not. If theyre released later, Ill never buy them. But for those who would like clones like Dr. Mario and Dark Pit back, they can have them potentially through this.
SHOE-IN THIRD PARTIES
Sonic (Sonic Forces and Sonic Mania was on Switch plus Mario + Sonic Tokyo is already a known thing. Plus still one of the most popular characters, and Sega and Nintendo show no signs of friction between one another.)
Megaman (The legacy collection plus Megaman 11 are coming to Switch. And Megaman was a really wanted newcomer that put a lot of hype for the previous game. I think we can count on him returning)
Bayonetta (It would be weird if they left out who was announced as the ballot winner for the previous game. Not to mention we have Bayonetta 3 coming later. Those in the competitive scene of Smash 4 wont like it. But Id say Bayonetta has a really good chance of being back)
TOSS-UP THIRD PARTIES
Ryu (There was a Street Fighter game on Switch. Even if it wasnt the latest game in the series exactly. I think its possible they save him for later as DLC again or something. But its tough to call at the moment I feel)
THIRD PARTIES POSSIBLY IN LIMBO
Pac-Man (Namco-Bandai isnt credited with this game yet. They were a big part of Smash 4s development. And that may have been the big reason Pac-Man made it in the first place. That said Pac-Man has made it on the Switch though a retro collection. And itd be a shame to lose him for this game since with him, Mario, Megaman, and Sonic it felt like it really was the Mount Rushmore of Gaming with them all in. Well have to see how it goes)
Cloud (It would absolutely suck if he left given hes so fun to play as. But hes the only other one besides Pac-Man thats hard for me to say if theyll include him in the base game right away. I would love him to be. But as of now I just dont know. Its not like they confirmed the FF7 Remake is coming to Switch yet either. But who knows. Even if he isnt on the base game though I could easily see him becoming DLC once again)
Last but not least, I will give my thoughts on the inclusion of the Inkling as I did for every newcomer in the previous thread
INKLINGS
Type of Character: Newcomer
Franchise: Splatoon
My Level of Want
Ive only rented the first game once. Generally ok to me. Its a franchise thats more oriented in the online matches then its single player. So personally im not too interested in the franchise. But that said I think they are worthy inclusions for this game for sure.
General Merit Thoughts
There is absolutely no doubting that Splatoon has become a hit new IP for Nintendo. It was only a matter of time until theyd find their way into Smash. And Im all for it. It will be very interesting how they translate Splatoon into a Smash fighter. I really dont have much else to say other then yeah, this is an inclusion that was pretty obvious if any newcomers were to be made for the next game. Theres no question they have good merit for Smash. Hit new franchise, a new IP that could very well represent Nintendos recent endeavors, and as I already mentioned plenty of potential in moveset that will be interesting how they implement things. I give a very warm welcome to the Inklings into Smash
And thats all for now. Feel free to ask me how I feel about any potential newcomers and veterans that didnt make it back in Smash 4. This is (Or at least partly) a new game and thread. So even if I already talked about them in the previous thread feel free to suggest I talk about them again. With so little information we have on the game I may need to come back to any suggestions that are made before E3 afterward. Because who knows where this train of hype takes us. As with any Smash speculation scene, there will probably be characters we dont see coming and possibly even more unwritten rules being broken with new characters riling up the fanbase.
There will probably be moments where Im dead wrong, but I dont care because Smash speculation is back. And its a wonderful thing for sure. I'm excited for what's in store for us. Even when the game is released, it will most likely not be over for a little while now. Speculation ahoy!