Thursday, February 14, 2013

Ten Characters That Should Be in Super Smash Bros U/3DS.

by Shawn McFadden






















It's no secret that Super Smash Bros. is one of Nintendo's most popular franchises. I mean, it's easy to see why. Who doesn't love taking a giant hammer and smacking the crap out of Pikachu or throwing fireballs at Link for being so effeminate? In case you haven't heard, Nintendo is currently developing not one, but two new Smash Bros titles (One for Wii U and one for 3DS). What has made this game so popular? Well, if I had to pick, I would definitely say it would be the roster of characters. I mean, how excited were you when you first saw that Snake was going to be playable in Brawl? The character reveals have always been the most exciting part of any Smash Bros game. This is why I have decided to go over who I think should be included in the next game's expanded roster. Keep in mind that these are in no particular order by importance. This is just who I think would be a good fit for the game. I am going to keep it to first and second party characters this time. Yes, Namco is helping with development but I won't be putting Pacman or Lloyd (Tales of Symphonia if you don't remember) this time. That's for another list.

1. Dixie Kong (Donkey Kong)














Diddy Kong was an incredibly popular character in Brawl. Who didn't love the old Donkey Kong Country games (Besides Miyamoto himself)? DK has been a huge part of the Nintendo ecosystem for a long time now. This was the brand that helped Mario gain his popularity in the first place after all. Yes, I know; Everybody wants King K. Rool as a character. Well, I think that good ole' Dixie is more deserving. She would play similarly to Diddy, but with her own unique set of moves. I also think that they could integrate some of Tiny Kong's moves from DK64, because let's face it: they were essentially the same character. I mean, she did star in the third DKC. Why not throw her in Smash?

2. Ridley (Metroid)















It would be an understatement to say that Metroid has not gotten the love that it deserves by today's gamers. Metroid: Other M was relatively poorly received and the Prime series got a lot of flack for being a "First Person Adventure" game. But for some reason, since the announcement of Brawl, Ridley has been easily one of the most requested characters. Why? Well, he's a big freaking dragon that is also a space pirate. That's just awesome. Seriously, I get that Ridley is a large character compared to all of the other fighters in Smash, but so was Bowser. Just scale down Ridley and make him playable. He easily could just be 1.5x the size of Bowser in Smash Bros Next. It will make a lot of people happy. Fighting games need more big-ass dragon nowadays.

3. Zoroark (Pokemon)













Pokemon has always been a big part of the Smash Bros franchise. I mean, it's one of Nintendo's biggest sellers, so it makes sense. One thing that is always debated is who should be chosen to represent the series in every Smash Bros game. Well, with the fifth generation being around for so long, it is inevitable that it will be represented in some way. Who better than the first Pokemon to be announced for Black and White. Zoroark is an interesting specimen. He is known as the illusion Pokemon. This means that he can take the form of whoever he is fighting. This is an interesting mechanic that could be great for mind games in matches with three or more fighters. Who wouldn't love that?

4. Dillon (Dillon's Rolling Western)












Probably the newest character on this list comes Dillon. Who is Dillon? Well, he is the awesome new protagonist from Dillon's Rolling Western. Never heard of it? Well, you must not spend a lot of time on the 3DS eShop. Dillon is one of the best characters to come out of Nintendo since captain Olimar and he would make a great inclusion to the game. I mean, how can you not love an armadillo that is also a cowboy? He can roll into a ball to a ripoff of Sonic's spin-dash, along with several other cool abilities. His unique looks and move set should make him a shoe-in. Let's hope that Sakurai sees the same potential in him that I do.

5. Takamru (Nazo no Murasame-Jou)



















Probably from one of the most obscure characters to be recently updated by Nintendo comes Takamaru. He is from a Japan-only Famicom disk system game but apparently, Nintendo thought he was important enough to get his own mini-game in 2012's Nintendo Land (I mean seriously, this guy got one and Pikachu didn't). Takamaru also saw cameo's in Nintendo's Japan-only Captain Rainbow and Samurai Warriors 3 for the Wii. Nintendo even released a sort of spiritual sequel to his game for the 3DS eShop called Sakura Samurai. Nintendo hasn't forgotten him so why not include him? Plus, samurai are just plain cool.

6. Saki (Sin and Punishment)

















Wait a minute, this guy was already in a Smash Bros game. Well, not as a playable character and wasn't that a shame. I mean, Sin and Punishment was such a popular import game that Nintendo was forced to make a sequel. People love the series so why not throw him in Smash? We need more weird anime-inspired guys with laser weapons.

7. Isaac (Golden Sun)


















Another character that didn't quite make the cut for Brawl's playable roster was Golden Sun's Isaac. Sure, they made a third game for the DS, but why not include the original's protagonist. He's the coolest anyway. With all of his swordplay, spells and magical Djinn creatures, he would make a unique and varied character. He certainly has a lot more possible moves than Marth and Ike. That's for sure.

8. Little Mac (Punch-Out)
















Okay, this one seems like a no-brainer. He is the only Nintendo character to fight Mike Tyson and live after afterall! He is a classic character who has been recently revived for a new audience and has already been seen in the previous Smash Bros game. Who doesn't love Punch-Out? Plus, adding a boxing based character would certainly add a unique fighting style to an already crazy game. Sure, he wouldn't be flashy but he doesn't need to be. He just fits.

9. Jill (Drill Dozer)













This one is going back a few years. Drill Dozer was an original IP for the Gameboy Advance. It was a cool and original little game with an interesting protagonist. If you are looking for somebody who would be an interesting character to play in Smash, why not throw her in the roster? I mean, she was popular to enough to be an Assist Trophy in Brawl.

10. Geno (Super Mario RPG)



















Oh my god, just put him in the freaking game already. He is by far the most requested character. He didn't even make an appearance in Brawl even though everyone was ranting and raving about him being included. I get it, he is a cool character. I have never played Mario RPG but I think he would be an interesting inclusion. I want him, the people want him. Make it happen, Sakurai. I know that Square still owns the rights to him but, come on, what have they done with Geno recently? What have they done with him in the past ten years? Nothing! Get him in there.

Honorable Mention: Claus (Mother 3)















Oh, Earthbound fans. We tend to get the short end of the stick. I mean, we had to wait for the stupid fan translation to be able to play Mother 3 in English. This is why most of us missed out of probably the coolest character in the Earthbound franchise. I'm of course talking about the ill-fated brother of Lucas, Claus. Claus, unlike his brother, has a story that is a tragic one. He is killed and resurrected by the evil Porky as a cyborg and forced to fight his brother without any memory of his past life. Why should he be included though? Just look at him! He has a jetpack, light saber, thunder magic, pig bombs. He would be an awesome character! He was even highly requested in the japanese survey before Brawl came out. His original non-cyborg form was also an alternate costume for Lucas in Brawl. Will he be included? Probably not. He was my most wanted character in Brawl and this holds true for the new game as well. What, a guy can dream.

No comments:

Post a Comment