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15 Characters that Should be Playable in the Super Smash Bros Series

Archive — Fri, 02 Dec 2016 11:47:00 +0000

Everyone loves the Super Smash Bros series. Its easy to pick up and play and has everyone's favorite Nintendo characters in a all-star free-for-all. But here's the thing: does it really have everyone's favorite characters? I myself have been wanting several characters to appear in the series ever since Super Smash Bros Melee, and the list keeps growing year after year. But unfortunately the chances of them being playable anytime in the future are slim at best. Still, it wouldn't hurt to share who I want to see in a future installment. And who knows? Maybe you will agree with me on a few choices. So here are my top 15 characters I want playable in the Super Smash Bros series.

#1: Inkling (Splatoon)

Let's get the obvious one out of the way first. I'm sure I'm among one of many people that want an Inkling from Splatoon to be added to the series, and who would blame us? They're deviously cute, have a wide variety of battle styles, and are from one of the best new IP's that Nintendo had made over the past decade. I honestly would be shocked if they weren't included in Smash 5.

#2: Porky Minch (EarthBound)

Now for a not so obvious one. Ever since Porky's inclusion as a Subspace Emissary boss in Brawl, it got me thinking on why he wasn't included as a playable character. I get that he would be rather large in that spider mech he rides in Mother 3, but what about the "Heavily Armed" one in EarthBound? It's a fair bit smaller, 'bout the size of Bowser in terms of relative size, and would provide a much needed villain to represent the EarthBound series. Just give him his attacks and devices from EarthBound and Giygas's "Inexplicable Attack" as a final smash and he'd be set.

#3: Takamura (The Mysterious Murasame Castle)

Sakurai himself has stated on record that he wanted to try and get Takamaru into Smash 4, but decided against it because of the lack of familiarity for the character outside of Japan. Now why would that stop him? He has pushed for characters in Japanese exclusive games before; remember Marth and Roy in Melee? I say he should try again to get Takamaru into the game as a playable character. If Marth and Roy has taught us anything, it sparks interest into a game or series if the character is obscure enough. Maybe it might even revive the series as a whole.

#4: Krystal (Star Fox Adventures)

Probably one of the best characters to be added to the Star Fox series, and it probably helps matters that fans have wanted her in the game since Brawl. We need more varied Star Fox characters in the games. Fox and Falco are far too similar, and Wolf adds to the pile because of him having the same final smash and special moves as the other two. Krystal would bring some much needed originality through her staff skills and the help of her cloudrunner mount. Plus I don't think anyone could handle another Fox clone...

#5: Paper Mario

Think there are too many Mario characters as is? Nonsense! Besides, Paper Mario is different enough that he could be a rather unique character. Compared to regular Mario who is known for jumping, Paper Mario primarily uses a hammer when fighting. Just make Paper Mario's attacks mostly hammer based and make his specials based around the badge attacks and "curses" from The Thousand Year Door and he would be a perfect inclusion to the roster.

#6: Abraham Lincoln (Code Name S.T.E.A.M.)

I know what you're thinking: "You can't include him, he was a real person! It violate's Sakurai's rules!" and normally you'd be right. But Lincoln from Code Name S.T.E.A.M. is a special case. Unlike the real world's 16th President of the United States, this man had faked his death at the Ford Theater so he could found a team of extraordinary gentlemen that could help him (and his steam powered mech) defend the Earth from the invading alien shugguth. Just find some way to incorporate the game's overwatch attacks into his moveset and give him his mech for his final smash and I'm sure everyone would love him. The only problem would be getting Wil Wheaton to reprise his role as Lincoln's voice.

#7: Captain Syrup (Wario Land)

Another case of a villain being needed to fill out a roster; in case you don't know who she is, she's a recurring antagonist from the Wario Land series. Even though she only appeared in three games in the series, she got a major design upgrade when Wario Land: Shake It! was made for the Wii. Now I will admit she doesn't have many original attacks from the games she appears in, she does take great pride in her gadgets and getting her toadies to do her fighting for her. I'm sure those could be implemented into her fighting style in some way.

#8: King K. Rool (Donkey Kong Country)

Let's keep the villain train rolling shall we? This is yet another character that has been requested for the series since Brawl. He does have a few idiosyncrasies that make him a rather eclectic fighter in the games he's in, but I think that adds to his charm so to speak. Now the problem would be whether or not to base his moveset on just one game appearance, or on a combination of all of the Donkey Kong Country series. I think the latter option would probably work better, plus not many people realize that King K. Rool, Kaptain K. Rool, and Baron K. Roolenstein are all the same person.

#9: Vaati (The Legend of Zelda: The Minish Cap)

Can't stop the villain train now! Vaati has been on my personal character wishlist ever since Zelda: Minish Cap was released. He certainly would make for a more interesting inclusion to the game with his wind-based magic, plus his narcissistic personality would make for some interesting taunts. And it's not like his body proportions would be an issue; Toon Link is already in the game after all and they have practically the same build. Plus to be honest, we need a new Zelda character that has a unique moveset.

#10: Isaac (Golden Sun)

Let's get back to the heroes for a moment before I do some more villains. Like Robin, Isaac has a fighting style that combines sword skills and magic. The only difference with this though is most of Isaac's magic (called Psynergy), is primarily defensive and environmental whereas Robin's is mostly offensive and status hindering. I think that Isaac could make for a very interesting fighter if this distinction was included. The real question now is should they use young Isaac or his adult incarnation from Golden Sun: Dark Dawn?

#11: Black Shadow (F-Zero X)

BACK TO THE VILLAINS! Now if there is one series that Nintendo has been criminally neglecting, it is F-Zero. Even Smash Bros is evidence of this series' neglect. Out of all four games only Captain Falcon is playable, and it wasn't until Brawl when Samurai Goroh was added as an assist trophy. Now if any character from F-Zero that deserves to be playable in Smash it is the series main antagonist, Black Shadow. The only problem would be making a fighting style that works for him. As long as the energy rope that he used against Captain Falcon in the F-Zero GX story is incorporated somehow, then I'd be content.

#12: Ridley (Metroid)

This is the last villain, I promise. Now I know the memes that has spawned from Ridley not being in Smash 4, but there IS a way to incorporate him into the roster and still make him big, but not "too big." The way I see it, Ridley wasn't notable because of his size, but because of his ferocity and primal fighting instincts. Give his movement some girth to it and he could feel big while still being around Bowser's size. I've seen hacks and mods of Brawl that have Ridley being playable and they all make him into a beast because of his heavy claw swipes and footsteps. Sakurai could do the same if he had thought of that as well.

#13: Saki (Sin & Punishment)

Now I'll admit that I don't know much about Saki even though I've played and beaten both Sin & Punishment games, but the thought of a sword user with a laser gun that flies around with a jet-pack and can transform into a super powered monster called a ruffian is freaking awesome in my book. To me, it all just screams Neon Genesis: Evangelion, but on a less weird scale.

#14: Zoroark (Pokemon Black/White)

Out of all the pokemon to be included as playable fighters in the series, I'm kinda surprised that Greninja won out over Zoroark. Greninja doesn't even have a movie staring it like what Zoroark and Lucario have. Instead, Zoroark was relegated to pokeball status while Greninja got to roam free. It's also kind of insulting that what Zoroark does is a carbon copy of Greninja's final smash. There is so much that could have been done with this pokemon, but it is just wasted potential at this point in time. Making her playable would certainly make for some unusual fighting styles though. Maybe make it so her downward special is a counter that transforms her into whoever attacked her? It would certainly be an interesting take on her illusionary abilities.

#15: Simon Belmont (Castlevania)

Now if you thought I would finish this list without at least one third party character, well you'd be wrong. Now I know that very few people like Konami as of late, but I really think Simon Belmont should be included in the roster for the simple reason that the Castlevania series has thrived on Nintendo's systems. Plus if you think about it this way, if the third party characters from Smash 4 made their way back into the next installment, then it would have all of the main characters from Captain N (minus Kevin), and I think that would be hilarious.

Well I would like to say that that's the end of my list, but I've had some issues with how some pre-existing characters play and I believe that a few of them could benefit from some minor modifications. So here is an additional 5 characters that are already playable in the games, but I think could use a little bit of tweaking.

#1: Lucina

She is a clone of Marth in the purest sense and to me, that is EXTREMELY lazy game design. Either get rid of her in the next game, or turn her into an alternate costume for Marth. Either or, this is unacceptable in her current form.

#2: Dark Pit

Yet another clone character, but of Pit this time. A slightly slower and slightly stronger variant of an existing character does not a good fighter make. He had so much potential to be good as he had his own exclusive arsenal in Kid Icarus: Uprising with even a weapon named after him. This needs to be fixed in the next game.

#3: Ganondorf

Now even though Ganondorf is technically a clone of Captain Falcon, he's a special case as he's actually a pretty good clone. But given this fact, he's still a clone. Now with the newest games, I don't understand why he doesn't have his sword now, or why his special moves aren't more like his dark magic from Ocarina of Time or any of the games where he's Ganon. It would make him so much more interesting.

#4: Jigglypuff

To be completely honest with you, I am not a fan of this character in the slightest. She plays weird, her final smash is garbage, and Smash 4 doesn't take her new Fairy-type in to account for new attacks at all. She needs a new moveset that takes advantage of her new type; her final smash especially.

#5: Wario

There isn't much wrong with Wario as of right now, but I do have a few issues with a couple of his special moves. His upward special doesn't gain enough air to be a viable recovery move, so why not move his down special to his up one and make it so you can manually charge it? And to replace his old down special, make it is quake punch from Wario Land: Shake It! While we're at it, bring back his side smash from Brawl as well. It's starting to feel like Sakurai is trying to make people forget that Wario was in a series other than Wario Ware.

Well, that's my list folks, if you disagree with my choices, tell me why in the comments and what you would have chosen instead. But until then, I'll be seeing you.

10 Games that I Personally Think the Nintendo Switch Needs to Have

Archive — Mon, 16 Jan 2017 11:47:00 +0000

I'm sure most of you are with me when I say that while the Switch presentation that happened not too long ago was rather impressive, there was a bit of disappointment when it came to the game department. Outside of Zelda, Mario, Splatoon, and a couple of other games, there wasn't really anything for the core gamer to look forward too. Reggie did say in an interview that we shouldn't give up hope for the games we've been asking for, but it begs the question, if we don't get what exactly what we want, what would the Switch need in order to pull old fans back? Well I can't personally say for sure what the average core gamer wants, but I certainly know what I want to see. So here are 10 games and game concepts that I really want to see on the Switch.

EarthBound Trilogy HD

No matter what forum or gaming site I visit, the one game I've seen that everyone wants on Virtual Console is Mother 3, and to tell you the truth, I'm one of them. I've played through the fan translation in its entirety and I loved it. But don't think that a Virtual Console release is what we need. Because the fan translation patch is already readily available to the public for free, I propose that a collection of all 3 Mother & EarthBound games redone with HD graphics would be the best way to go. It would breath new life into a series that had been neglected for such a long time.

Metroid Prime 4

We desperately need a proper new Metroid game, I think we can all agree on that. Now I'm not saying that Federation Force was bad; I actually enjoyed that game quite a bit. But I do think we need a new entry in the series where you play as Samus. There is so much that can be done with the game on the Switch, especially since both Prime 3 and Federation Force ended in a way that alluded to the enemy hunter, Sylux. I would think that if Prime 4 were made, you could have the ability to switch between the two characters and they would each have their own unique abilities and story line. Just a thought.

Hyrule Warriors Complete Edition

Hyrule Warriors was a helluva lot of fun despite its simplistic gameplay, but I think that Hyrule Warriors Legends on the 3DS was a little lackluster compared to the Wii U version. I think that combining all the features, content, and DLC of both games and releasing it on the Switch would make for a great collectors pack. But then again, since it would technically be the third iteration of the same game, I think a "casual mode" where you gain rupees, materials and EXP at a greatly accelerated rate would make the game much more enjoyable for those that lack the time to do all of that grinding.

Super Smash Bros for Switch

This situation would be similar to the Hyrule Warriors idea from the previous paragraph, but since both the 3DS and Wii U versions of Smash have vastly different content, I propose that having all of the characters, most of all the stages (with obvious duplicates removed), both Smash Tour and Smash Run, and the inclusion of Tag-Team Battles. And while we're at it, maybe bring back the Ice Climbers and Wolf. I was understanding of Ice Climbers being removed, but I was a little shocked that Wolf never came back.

Final Fantasy Hexology

This is another collection much like the EarthBound one I said earlier, but unlike EarthBound this wouldn't require a lot of work to do as the HD remakes already exist. Now the "hexology" I'm referring to is the first 6 Final Fantasy games on the NES and SNES which to my knowledge were all remade for iOS and PC in some form. Just port all of those to Switch and sell it for $40-50 and you're set.

Super Nintendo Land

I'm probably one of the few people that wished that Nintendo would make a sequel to Nintendo Land. The game was fun, so sue me. But as fun as it was, it was kinda lacking in the variety department. So I think a "deluxe" version of the game that has a few more attractions based around other games like Splatoon or Star Fox would probably make the experience more enjoyable in the long run. I personally think there should be around 20 attractions total, even if that means recycling the ones from the previous game.

Bayonetta 3

THIS NEEDS TO HAPPEN. This series is criminally underrated and has been the subject of a lot of unnecessary backlash because people can't handle how the main character looks or acts. But the thing is, the series is one of the most fun, most polished games I've played in a very long time. And since the Switch seems to have a minor focus on paid online play, I think the online multiplayer this time around should be a MOBA of sorts where you make and customize your own Umbran Witch/Lumen Sage and play as them during the great war that happened 500+ years before the series starts.

Kirby Air Ride 2

Kirby Air Ride for the Game Cube was one of the most fun and most replayable racing games I ever owned. There was so much to do despite how little there was actually in the game. Now since the original game had a lot of focus around randomly selected events and challenges, I think a sequel could amp that up quite significantly if they also made the City Trial map and the race courses procedurally generated as well. And of course add more characters, air ride machines, and challenges as well.

Pokken Tournament Deluxe

I really liked the original Pokken; it gave me and a lot pokemon fans what we've been asking for for years. But I am a little disappointed that ONLY the arcade version of the game had been updated with 4 more characters since the release of the Wii U version. So I think the game needs to have a rerelease on the Switch with all of these new characters available, and maybe 3-6 new characters and a tag-team game mode to make it more worth your money to double dip.

Digilux: The Complete Art Style & Bit Generations Collection

I may like my fair share of difficult and challenging games, but that doesn't mean I don't want to kick back and relax with a simple game every once in a while. That's why I think a compilation of all the games from the Art Style and Bit Generation series would be perfect. These games have all but fallen completely off the radar in the past 7 years and I think a revival is in order. There's 15 games in these series each with their own gameplay styles and some of them even have multiplayer game modes; they would be perfect. (By the way, if you're curious about the name Digilux, it was a prototype name that Nintendo was originally going use before Art Style)

Well, those are my opinions on the matter. The Switch has a lot of promise for a great lineup of games, but only time will tell if devs will take advantage of the system's features. While just about none of these game ideas of mine actually do that, they are desperately needed regardless of what features they lack for the new system, even though this is just wishful thinking for me. So until then, I'll be seeing you.