Between the playable fighters and inactive characters, Assist Trophies are some sort of middle ground, or they are in limbo if you will. They can occupy the field, but they aren't controlled in the same way a playable fighter is. Their existence is also not considered because players can't determine the character from the Assist Trophy on their own. Essentially they are in a unique position in the Smash roster.
On one hand, there are certain characters who wouldn't be able to participate in the field otherwise. Dr. Kawashima and Andross are prime examples: they are floating heads, which meant that they wouldn't be able to have the same qualities of every other fighter if they were to be playable in some form (just ask Master Hand from Melee, because despite being a hand, it's floating too). There are also a few other examples like Sheriff and Lakitu who have different qualities from a figher that doesn't qualify them as fighters without a major retool. Another point is that a playable fighter takes a huge deal of time to realise (probably why realised characters rarely have major changes), which is something that Sakurai has often mentioned, so the next best thing for some worthy candidates is to be benchwarmers waiting for their turn to auto-fight. This has the benefit of satiating fans of said character, because they could at least appear on the field.
On the other hand, Assist Trophies are a type of item, which means that competitive players will never encounter them since their default setup is to disable them, and so they might not even remember characters who made it as Assist Trophies, meaning they could as well be nobodies to them. Another point is that the Assist Trophy character is random, so you don't know what's going to be your character until it's thrown, so even fan-favourite ones are not guaranteed to appear. Another thing about Assist Trophies is that their personality is more or less stripped, compared to a wide range of expressions every playable fighter get to have. Some are more affected by this than others, such as Waluigi, who has a lot of personality in the games he appeared in, but he's basically only have one expression as an Assist Trophy.
That brings up your stance on this. I suppose it's fair that I bring up my opinion first. In my opinion, Assist Trophies are a brilliant idea for the most part, since I like Poke Balls for the mystery aspect and a new helper. Certainly, there are some inspired choices, such as Nintendog and the Devil from Devil World. In this way, they are important in changing the flow of the fight, giving a unique slant in the current match. On the other hand, there are some characters who I felt is worth their weight in playable form, as they have qualities that befit every other fighter but they just aren't considered. In other words, I felt that Assist Trophies have an equal importance, which is somewhat less than playable fighters that I felt some of them are better as fighters, especially the ones that fight on stage like a traditional fighter (such as Samurai Goroh).
So, what say you?
Thank you for reading.
On one hand, there are certain characters who wouldn't be able to participate in the field otherwise. Dr. Kawashima and Andross are prime examples: they are floating heads, which meant that they wouldn't be able to have the same qualities of every other fighter if they were to be playable in some form (just ask Master Hand from Melee, because despite being a hand, it's floating too). There are also a few other examples like Sheriff and Lakitu who have different qualities from a figher that doesn't qualify them as fighters without a major retool. Another point is that a playable fighter takes a huge deal of time to realise (probably why realised characters rarely have major changes), which is something that Sakurai has often mentioned, so the next best thing for some worthy candidates is to be benchwarmers waiting for their turn to auto-fight. This has the benefit of satiating fans of said character, because they could at least appear on the field.
On the other hand, Assist Trophies are a type of item, which means that competitive players will never encounter them since their default setup is to disable them, and so they might not even remember characters who made it as Assist Trophies, meaning they could as well be nobodies to them. Another point is that the Assist Trophy character is random, so you don't know what's going to be your character until it's thrown, so even fan-favourite ones are not guaranteed to appear. Another thing about Assist Trophies is that their personality is more or less stripped, compared to a wide range of expressions every playable fighter get to have. Some are more affected by this than others, such as Waluigi, who has a lot of personality in the games he appeared in, but he's basically only have one expression as an Assist Trophy.
That brings up your stance on this. I suppose it's fair that I bring up my opinion first. In my opinion, Assist Trophies are a brilliant idea for the most part, since I like Poke Balls for the mystery aspect and a new helper. Certainly, there are some inspired choices, such as Nintendog and the Devil from Devil World. In this way, they are important in changing the flow of the fight, giving a unique slant in the current match. On the other hand, there are some characters who I felt is worth their weight in playable form, as they have qualities that befit every other fighter but they just aren't considered. In other words, I felt that Assist Trophies have an equal importance, which is somewhat less than playable fighters that I felt some of them are better as fighters, especially the ones that fight on stage like a traditional fighter (such as Samurai Goroh).
So, what say you?
Thank you for reading.
