Super Smash Bros. Brawl - Fay's Thoughts

[Onishiba]

Although there already exists a thread for Brawl, I'm going to write my personal oppinions on several changes made to the game, mostly including or removing characters.
I also will include the "Forbidden 7", the 7 characters which were planned to be in the game but didn't make it actually.

Warning. This thread will contain SPOILERS. If you don't want to spoil your fun for unlocking things in Brawl, read not ahead.


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Super Smash Bros. Franchise

Return of: The SSB64 roster (Mario, Luigi, Donkey Kong, Yoshi, Kirby, Link, Captain Falcon, Ness, Fox, Samus, Pikachu, Jigglypuff)

Answer: Simple... Smash Bros. wouldn't be Smash Bros. without the original characters. Most of the strongest Nintendo franchises are covered by them (Mario, Donkey Kong, Kirby, Zelda, Metroid and Pokemon and F-Zero), as well as well-known, but not that good selling ones (namely Yoshi's games, Star Fox and Mother-series).
Nintendo would make itself look ridicolous if none of these characters was included.

Mario and Yoshi Franchises

Return of: Mario, Luigi, Peach, Bowser, Yoshi
Of course the characters of the Mario franchise return. Simply put - there always have been only these five main characters. Mario, Luigi, Peach and Bowser and in several cases Yoshi.
Now, which character could you possibly add to them? The Baby Mario Bros.? Princess Daisy? All not really likely for Smash Bros. The only character I could think of would be Kamek. Maybe. But not really.

Removal of: Dr. Mario
Dr. Mario is one of the "Forbidden 7". Characters who were to be included but in the end didn't make it. For Dr. Mario the only thing I could imagine being possible for removing was the general removal of identical clones, Dr. Mario having the EXACT moveset of Mario, only with the pattern of his pill shot and the length of his coat changed. Besides he wasn't really famous in Melee.

Donkey Kong Franchise

Return of: Donkey Kong
Inclusion of: Diddy Kong
Of course the DK-franchise was one of the obvious underdogs in the Smash Bros.-series. In the first two games DK only was alone in there, and now he gets one fighter out of his series - Diddy. It was necessary, as the DK-franchise is one of the best selling ones, and having no other character besides the name giver is not really... well... proving for Nintendo's love. Besides Diddy has his own series (Diddy Kong Racing).

Removal of: Dixie Kong
I can't explain myself that one - but it's probably because Dixie isn't so famous among the Kong-family, having starred only in a couple of games. My second thought is that the creators weren't really sure about a moveset for her - she would've needed an original one including her hairspin and all. So not even a clone of Diddy would've been able.

The Legend of Zelda Franchise
Return of: Link, Zelda/Sheik, Ganondorf
Well... Link is obvious, Ganondorf too (although I don't see why they didn't give him an original moveset). Zelda/Sheik was very famous in Melee, so she probably returns because of that - besides she is only one of three and a half females (counting Jigglypuff as the half girl) in Smash Bros., so to keep at least a lil bit the female-quote, she was added, too. I think.

Inclusion of: Toon Link
Removal of: Young Link
Actually... Toon Link = Young Link, only that the Young Link-subseries (which started with Majora's Mask) turned slowly more and more cartoony - resulting in Wind Waker Link, in Brawl Toon Link. Young Link actually wasn't popular in Melee, but probably to turn a little the sells of the subseries, they included the new face of Young Link.

Removal of: Toon Zelda, Toon Sheik
These are another couple of the "Forbidden 7". I think the creators didn't want to overdo it with the Young Link-subseries - that's most likely what it has to be.

Metroid Franchise
Now Metroid, all in all, is one of the most tormented franchises when it comes to Smash Bros. If not the most tormented at all.

Return of: Samus
Inclusion of: Zero Suit Samus
Of course, one of the Top 5 selling franchises of Nintendo would not be likely to be not included. Lawl. It's obvious why Samus returns. Although ZSS is only a form of Samus, at least she got a half character added to her aid - still too little in my oppinion. The Metroid franchise has a lot of awesome characters which could've been used, not only Ridley, but also the Hunters. Meh.

Kirby Franchise

Return of: Kirby
Inclusion of: Meta Knight, King Dedede
Well, Sakurai's other loved child, the Kirby series... it has been pretty run over until Brawl, as well. Now that two characters are included, being Kirby's most important rivals, there is not much to say about that. It has been needed, anyway.

Star Fox Franchise

Return of: Fox, Falco
Inclusion of: Wolf
Well... Star Fox turned out to be a great disappointment. Star Fox and Star Fox 64 were extremely high selling games, but with Star Fox Adventures and the following games (Command, Assault) the sells got lower and lower... I think until now Star Fox turned into one of the worse selling franchises at the Nintendo All-Stars. Oh, and I think it has to do with Starfox Adventures, which actually wasn't even planned originally to turn into a Starfox game. It's very bleh-ish. The inclusion of Wolf and the return of Falco most likely is for advertising the series a little bit, following the Fire Emblem phenomenon, which I will illuminate later on.

Pokémon Franchise

Return of: Pikachu, Jigglypuff
Inclusion of: Trainer, Lucario
The Pokemon franchise, although being one of the youngest among the old caps in the Smash games, is one of the most sucessful ones. Of course, the Poke-phenomenon, and all of it. Pikachu is one of the most famous characters around the world, Jigglypuff a semi-main character in the anime - and one of the underdogs in Smash. The inclusion of the Trainer was kinda necessary, Lucario's in most likely to advert the current Pokemon-games.

Removal of: Mewtwo
Mewtwo is one of the "Forbidden 7". He was removed as last character, which can be seen by the fact that quite a lot of his data is still in the game - tho being empty. There's this rumor that he'll be in the US and PAL versions together with Roy, but as long as it's not proven, I won't say anything about his return. He probably got removed to not over-represent Pokemon.

Removal of: Pichu, Plusle & Minun
Pichu's removal is quite obvious. He was one of the most hated characters in Melee, never got the love Pikachu or even Jigglypuff earned and yeah... he still was a clone.
Plusle & Minun, one character of the "Forbidden 7", probably were to take his place, but seeing that the franchise would've consisted 6 characters (Pikachu, Jigglypuff, Trainer, Lucario, Mewtwo and P&M), the creators most likely removed it because of the same reason I think they removed Mewtwo - not to overrepresent this one series.

F-Zero Franchise
F-Zero has the same status as Metroid, only that it didn't get as much stages and not a half character update like Metroid did. It's also among the Top 5 selling franchises of Nintendo and is, in my oppinion, one of the best over all. Too bad it doesn't get the love it deserves.

Return of: Captain Falcon
Well, duh... <_<

Fire Emblem Franchise
Now this is actually QUITE interesting. Fire Emblem was nearly only Japan-released only, a few titles made it to US and PAL, but they didn't sell well, although FE is one of the best Strategy RPG-series ever made. With Marth's and Roy's inclusion in Melee the franchise got kind of a boom - people seeing both characters and searching for their roots found Fire Emblem. Roy's game was released nearly at the same time as Melee, so yeah. You know what happened then.

Return of: Marth
Marth was the first main character of the Fire Emblem series, and starred in more than one FE-game. Also, he was in Melee, of course, and actually Nintendo would make a big mistake to include Fire Emblem without its first protagonist. That's like including the Mario franchise without Mario.

Inclusion of: Ike
Well, Ike is the star of the newest two Fire Emblem games: Path of Radiance and Radiant Dawn. He, as Roy was in Melee, is most likely in for advertisment.

Removal of: Roy
Another one of the "Forbidden 7". Roy is rumoured to return with Mewtwo as unlockables in US and PAL versions. His purpose in Melee was actually ONLY for advertising the new Fire Emblem game for the GBA which was released at that time. It's interesting that Roy was the second last character to be removed, as Sakurai clearly stated he wouldn't let Roy return. Yet he nearly did and is rumoured to do so later. Well - Roy is quite popular among the gamers, specially in US and PAL (as he was one of the first Fire Emblem lords they ever saw). So... yeah. *shrug*

Mother Franchise

Return of: Ness
Uhm, yeah... Ness was in the first game and actually Mother 2 was one of the game classics of interest back when it was released. Smash Bros. without Ness wouldn't be Smash Bros., though, so let's be happy he returned!

Inclusion of: Lucas
See Ike. <.<

Pikmin Franchise

Inclusion of: Captain Olimar & Pikmin
Hum. I can't explain this one myself, as I totally didn't expect Olimar to show up. Guess Miyamoto told Sakurai to put in Olimar. That's actually the only franchise and character I can't really explain.

WarioWare Franchise

Inclusion of: Wario
Wario was, actually, one of the mostly approved characters back then when Brawl was announced. He is quite old and had a lot of cameos in most of the Mario multiplayer games. Mario's fat and ugly... pardon, manly and sexy evil counterpart is finally joining the fight!
Wario, though, has two game series: Wario Land and WarioWare. Interestingly only WarioWare is mentioned in Brawl. The Wario Land-series aren't. At All. At least not when it comes to Stage, music, moveset or skills of Wario.
It's quite interesting to have him in this form, though, not as another Mario clone. Good.

One-Hits

Return of: Ice Climbers, Mr. Game & Watch
Inclusion of: Pit, Robot/R.O.B.
One of the most interesting topics. Ice Climbers and G&W returning made me actually go "wha?". Especially as even after Melee the Ice Climbers didn't get a sequel at all. They were most likely added just because they were in Melee and had an unique moveset, as well. As for G&W... he actually was one I more likely expected. He became quite popular due to Melee and although Game & Watch-games aren't produced anymore, I think he was in for nostalgic reasons AND fun in the first place... I mean come on. A beeping black 2D-figure throwing sausages at the enemy?
Robot most likely was included kind for the same reason G&W was - it's kinda the Brawl-G&W. As for Pit... after the Ice Climbers were in Melee and even return in Brawl, our beloved angel deserved being mentioned as well. The creator of Kid Icarus already mentioned that he wants to create a new Kid Icarus-sequel for the Wii, using Brawl's model of Pit. We can stay tuned for more!

Third Party Franchises

Inclusion of: Sonic
Simply said? Pure fanservice. He was one of the most demanded characters, if not the most demanded. Including Sonic also shows the new era for Nintendo and other companies working together - we probably will see more than Mario & Sonic at the Olympic games and those two punching themselves in Brawl.

Inclusion of: Solid Snake
Well... for this one there are two factors. Factor one is that Snake's creator knows Sakurai and is friends with him. the second one is that he wanted Snake already in Melee (Sakurai is quoted with a "practically begged for Snake to be in"), but the game already was too far in development to squeeze Snake in. So he is now in the sequel.

Characters which should have been included:
- Ridley: Only for the reason of being awesome and the fact that Metroid needs more love from Nintendo. And for having more villains in Brawl.
- any F-Zero character (most likely Goroh or Black Shadow): See Ridley
- King K. Rool: For adding more villains in this game. It needs more evil characters to be playable. People love playing villains.
- Lip (main character of Panel de Pon): Yes, Lip needs to be in this game series. First of all, she provided one of the most dangerous items (Lip's stick, normally named "Lipstick" or "that flower stick"). Besides we need more girls. And who wouldn't love to say "lol, you got Panel de Pwned"?!

[Forci S.]

We've got the other thread, you kn--*shot*

Looking at this honestly, Metroid at least got a double-dose of Ridley in SSE (or was the second one actually Meta Ridley? I can't exactly tell...). What did F-Zero get? Nothing. We just have Captain Falcon...but, then again, why would we need anything else? At least we have Sakurai beginning to better "spread the love" among the various series. Perhaps when Super Smash Bros. Rumble* for the next system comes out, we'll see a much more even spread.

*=Fake title. Not to be taken seriously.

[Sights]

Interesting, Fay. If I may, I'd like to add one more character that might have been possible to add, as well as some other tidbits:

Character that had a good a chance as any of being included: Bomberman

Why? Well, Bomberman has been a very highly requested character, even for Melee. He did get the shaft again, and while it is justifiable, it is a bit flimsy. For one thing, Hudson isn't a subsidary of Nintendo like HAL Labortories and Camalot are (correct my if I'm wrong about Camalot), so Nintendo would have to get permission from Hudson to use Bomberman. That's cool, he could have been a third-party character. Another snag would be his moveset. All he did in his games was plant and throw bombs. That's not much to work with. Then again, I never expect Pikmin and Olimar to show up, so I'm sure they could've at least tried.

So, yeah. Bomberman did get the shaft this time round, such is life.

Now, some other thoughts. A friends of mine asked my brother "Do you think ROB is the next Game and Watch?" to which he replied. "No, I think ROB the Robot is the first ROB the Robot." Just because he's an obscure part of Nintendo's history like Game and Watch was doesn't mean they're completely comparable. They have very different fighting styles. Besides, Game and Watch is in the game already.

As for your character suggestions, well, K. Rool would be cool, but there's one snag. Rareware owns the rights to the K. Rool character. And since they're not a subsidary of Nintendo anymore, Nintendo would have to get permission from Rare to use K. Rool in the game.

I haven't played a lot of F-Zero, Panel de Pon, or Metroid, so I can't judge the other guys.

As for Captain Olimar's appearance, well, let me tackle this one. First off, like I said before, he barely squeezed by moveset-wise. But, from what I've seen, they really made it work. Secondly, he is part of Nintendo history, although he's slightly obscure. I say slightly, because his first game came out shortly after Luigi's Mansion, and was publisized to some degree. The sequal just silently snuck onto shelves, and only publisized from gaming magazines. Point being, if you were from my generation (N64), did you have any godly idea who Ness or Captain Falcon were when you first unlocked them in SSB (correct me if I'm wrong on this, but I think the first F-Zero game that came out for the N64 was released after SSB. Either that, or I was out of the loop at the time.)? How about Marth and Roy when you first unlocked them in Melee? Olimar is like those characters to an extent: obscure, but still has a certain charm. Actually, if anything, he should be placed with the Ice Climbers, ROB, Pit, and Game and Watch. I think he's a one-shot deal, too.

As for Star Fox, well, I can't speak about Command since I don't have a DS, but I enjoyed Star Fox Assault, which in my opinoin was a massive improvement over Adventures. Adventures was actually made by Rare before Nintendo sold them to Microsoft. Conisidence? Maybe. Star Fox Assault was a pretty solid game, especially in the multiplayer, but it's true that its single player pales in comparison to Star Fox 64. Namco helped with the creation of Star Fox Assault, I believe. Maybe Nintendo should make a Star Fox game by themsleves without any third party support, I don't know.

Well, I yapped for long enough. Not sure about the whole "Forbidden 7" thing, though. I mean, isn't 35 characters enough? There's only so much data you can store in one game disk, after all. And with that, I bid you all good night, and god speed.

[Crawdaunt PWNS!]

fay said:

Young Link, only that the Young Link-subseries (which started with Majora's Mask)

Actually, you ALWAYS played as young link until OoT, which make me wonder: Why do we call adult link ''Link'' and the usual link ''Young Link''. I think the Kid link should have been called ''Link'' and the adult one (Which only appeared in 2 games) ''Adult'' Link

[DivineAll]

Let me add some commentary of my own. I believe that a certain AT character I have grown particularly fond of ever since he was first introduced should have been an actual playable character in Brawl. Which one? Waluigi.

I mean, come on, he's Waluigi! He deserves to be a fighter in Brawl after Wario was announced, them being the Wario brothers and all, but no... instead he gets stuck being the new Luigi: the not so popular yet still popular enough to be a likable sidekick to his more famous brother.

At least he won't be the new Luigi for long, 'cause rumor has it that he'll be starring in his own game soon. Of course, it is a rumor...

[Sights]

divineall said:

Let me add some commentary of my own. I believe that a certain AT character I have grown particularly fond of ever since he was first introduced should have been an actual playable character in Brawl. Which one? Waluigi.

I mean, come on, he's Waluigi! He deserves to be a fighter in Brawl after Wario was announced, them being the Wario brothers and all, but no... instead he gets stuck being the new Luigi: the not so popular yet still popular enough to be a likable sidekick to his more famous brother.

At least he won't be the new Luigi for long, 'cause rumor has it that he'll be starring in his own game soon. Of course, it is a rumor...

Waluigi is an Assist Trophy, no? I guess that works, somewhat. But yeah, he would've been cool as a playable character.

Also, if Waluigi is going to get his own game, it's not going to be made by Miamoto. Waluigi was just a character made up by someone on the Mario Tennis (N64) programing team so that Luigi would have a dopplganger. That's why he's only been in multiplayer games, like Mario Party, Mario Kart, and the Mario Sports games. Personally, I hope Waluigi gets some character development and have his own game, but I have my doubts.

[L .H. C.]

I say your opinions are biased.

Characters which should have been included:
- Ridley: Only for the reason of being awesome and the fact that Metroid needs more love from Nintendo. And for having more villains in Brawl.
Good options, yeah, but there's a slight problem. [glow=red,2,300]RIDLEY'S TOO BIG!!!!11 *gamefaqs fad*[/glow]Now, seriously, he's waaay too big. You'll likely to say: "but they resized Bowser and look at him!!!!" But Bowser =/= Ridley. Due to Bowser's more human-oid frame, he was able to be resized without problems. Ridley could be resized to Bowser's height, but he would end up looking like a mini-Ridley, and though it wouldn't look lame to the fans, it wouldn't have the imposing feel that the original giant Ridley has. And his moveset? Other than plasma beams, the only thing Ridley has is his giant size. And since he would be resized...
- any F-Zero character (most likely Goroh or Black Shadow): See Ridley
I can't complain. But Falcon is enough.
- King K. Rool: For adding more villains in this game. It needs more evil characters to be playable. People love playing villains.
lolrare
- Lip (main character of Panel de Pon): Yes, Lip needs to be in this game series. First of all, she provided one of the most dangerous items (Lip's stick, normally named "Lipstick" or "that flower stick"). Besides we need more girls. And who wouldn't love to say "lol, you got Panel de Pwned"?!
PERSONAL BIAS. Seriously, outside of Japan, nearly nobody knows who the f*** is Lip. *ignores Lucas* But anyways, Panel de Pon wasn't an extremely famous game either side of the Pacific. I say Megaman is more likely to be in Smash 4 than Lip.
However, I agree with you in one thing: The lack of female brawlers is disturbing.

[Sights]

gospelman said:

- Lip (main character of Panel de Pon): Yes, Lip needs to be in this game series. First of all, she provided one of the most dangerous items (Lip's stick, normally named "Lipstick" or "that flower stick"). Besides we need more girls. And who wouldn't love to say "lol, you got Panel de Pwned"?!
PERSONAL BIAS. Seriously, outside of Japan, nearly nobody knows who the f*** is Lip. *ignores Lucas* But anyways, Panel de Pon wasn't an extremely famous game either side of the Pacific. I say Megaman is more likely to be in Smash 4 than Lip.
However, I agree with you in one thing: The lack of female brawlers is disturbing.

Female characters would be nice, yes, but I'm not going to complain. It's not that great a factor.

As for Lip, well, same can be said about Marth and Roy in Melee. No one in the States knew who they were unless they were familiar with the Fire Emblem series, which was only in Japan at the time. Besides, Panel de Pon was famous enough to have one of the items in Melee and Brawl, why not a character? Not saying that she would be a good character for SSB since I don't know who the hell she is, but don't jump to conclusions here.

As for Megaman, well, that's for Capcom to decide. Third party characters aren't easy to get (Snake being an exception).

One last thing. Brawl's going to be pretty damn hard to top. A fourth instalment would be a very difficult feat to pull off, but that's just my opinion.

[Forci S.]

snipeanteater said:

gospelman said:

- Lip (main character of Panel de Pon): Yes, Lip needs to be in this game series. First of all, she provided one of the most dangerous items (Lip's stick, normally named "Lipstick" or "that flower stick"). Besides we need more girls. And who wouldn't love to say "lol, you got Panel de Pwned"?!
PERSONAL BIAS. Seriously, outside of Japan, nearly nobody knows who the f*** is Lip. *ignores Lucas* But anyways, Panel de Pon wasn't an extremely famous game either side of the Pacific. I say Megaman is more likely to be in Smash 4 than Lip.
However, I agree with you in one thing: The lack of female brawlers is disturbing.

Female characters would be nice, yes, but I'm not going to complain. It's not that great a factor.

As for Lip, well, same can be said about Marth and Roy in Melee. No one in the States knew who they were unless they were familiar with the Fire Emblem series, which was only in Japan at the time. Besides, Panel de Pon was famous enough to have one of the items in Melee and Brawl, why not a character? Not saying that she would be a good character for SSB since I don't know who the hell she is, but don't jump to conclusions here.

As for Megaman, well, that's for Capcom to decide. Third party characters aren't easy to get (Snake being an exception).

One last thing. Brawl's going to be pretty damn hard to top. A fourth instalment would be a very difficult feat to pull off, but that's just my opinion.

Lip could get an Assist Trophy. That's about all I can see it getting, mostly for the same reason as Rekai (Fire Emblem and Mother are hits in Japan, so it's no surprise to see their characters in, since it's the Japanese culture that's coming first here. Panel de Pon, on the other hand......).

As for SSBR, two/three words: eight-player fights.

[Kenzamaka]

Just stating something here, I've decided to accept spoilers, because it's not like my little bro's gonna jump right on GameFAQ's when Brawl gets shipped to us.

Anyways, back on topic.
F-Zero series:
Goroh's an Assist Trophy, maybe Black Shadow will be, too! Who knows, they may include all of the F-Zero characters! You know, releasing Goroh as one of the first leaked Assist Trophies pretty much gave away Capt. Falcon....
Toon Link:
WHAT? This actually happened? I kinda hoped it would happen, but never thought it would! Ooh, maybe Toon Zelda/Tetra will be an Assist trophy!
G&W:
Hooray! G&W Pwnz.
Ridley:
Assist Trophy possibility! Maybe. Probably not. Nope. Then again...
Lip:
Assist Trophy possibility, again. I mean, if they'll put THIS guy in...
Ganondorf:
Can someone please answer me on this one? Why didn't Ganondorf bring his TP sword? Goddangit!
Dr. Mario:
Wh-what? NO! Now my mother has nothing to look forward to in Brawl, except for possible Dr. Mario music.
Lucario:
I can see how this would work. He IS a Fighting type.
Plusle & Minun:
*snickers* They were actually thinking of including these two loser Pokemon? Or they just shot down any rumors of it?
Third-Parties:
Sonic & Snake + Brawl = Awesome. Complete AWESOME!

Megaman: Think of 8-bit Assist Trophies!

That's all I have to say. I know that no-one cares, but thanks for listening!

[Foozdude]

I thought Sakurai wanted Melee to be the last Super Smash Brothers game, but then the fans craved more percentage-based fighting, and so Brawl was born. I won't disregard the fact that they have a money-making series on their hands, but I do doubt that they'll make another installment.

But getting back on topic, I kinda wanted Lyn to be a Fire Emblem representative instead of Marth or Ike. :/
Yeah, I know she's an Assist, but still. >_>

[Onishiba]

@kenzamaka:
Actually I was talking from a possible fourth installment.

gospel:

Common Arguments [against Ridley in Brawl] DEBUNKED

1) "Ridley is too big for Brawl."

Ridley's size is hardly an argument. Smash is meant to bring fan-favorite (mostly) Nintendo characters into playable fighting form. As long as a move set can be created for them, then they are capable of being in Smash. Ridley's size would not interfere with this. Bowser is a good example, as he has been much larger than Ridley has even been in some games. But, in other games (even Smash), he has been downsized to fit whatever role he was given. Ridley's role has always been as a boss (an important one, at that). It's only natural for him to be large and imposing for this role. Ridley's role in Smash? To fight of course! So he would be easily downsized to compete with the rest of the Nintendo all-stars.

Another thing to point out is that the issue of size has yet to be a problem in Super Smash Brothers. For example, Pikachu is only a few inches tall. However, he has been resized for Smash to roughly the size of Mario. And on top of that, it isn't that Nintendo (or Sakurai for that matter) is not aware of Pikachu's actual size. In the opening cinematic for the original Super Smash Brothers, Pikachu was seen rolling around on top of a Pokeball in the middle of a crowded sidewalk. Guess what? He was no bigger than the shoes of the people around him! Yet, he is as tall as the likes of Link and Captain Falcon (two humans) when battling. This alone is proof that Sakurai knows how big the characters are in their respective games, but doesn't take it into serious consideration before deciding whether or not they make the cut. The bottom line is that it doesn't matter how small, or how big, or how zany, or how sinister a character is, they are never, I repeat, NEVER too anything for Smash.

2) "Ridley would look awkward."

This argument holds so little water that it is upsetting to see someone use it as a reason why Ridley shouldn't be in Brawl. Ridley is a large, pterodactyl-esque purple dragon. So, his appearance must cause people to think that he would look out of place, but this is probably because there were no other characters currently like him in Smash. This would be why the frequency of this qualm’s appearance has died down some since the confirmation of Charizard.

Also, note that since Ridley is, in a way, anthropomorphic, he is also bipedal (as best seen in this image). This can often go overlooked, and lead one to believe that Ridley always moves around on all fours when he is not flying (like Omega Ridley in Metroid Prime 3: Corruption). Even then, that wouldn't be too major of a problem, seeing how Pikachu and Ivysaur both run on all fours.

If you're one of those who think Ridley is too dark and sinister to be in the same game as Jigglypuff or Yoshi, please think again. There is no rule that states a character cannot be included because they are too mature. What Sakurai did say, however, is that he cannot use guns or knives in order to obtain an 'E' rating world wide. A knife is not viewed the same way in Japan as it is in a country in Europe, so they have to be cut all together. Ridley though, doesn't use weapons.

As for being too serious or dark, if that is the case, than Sakurai can easily do what he did with Snake to Ridley: use a more subtle, less viscous design. Such as the Super Metroid look that was used for Ridley's trophy in Melee. Also, the only reason he looks so dark and evil when compared to the other characters in Smash is because he comes from the Metroid series, which is known for being one of few Nintendo franchises aimed specifically for a more mature audience. Games like Pokemon and Mario are intended for all ages, and so, their characters are much less intimidating, and take on a cartoony appearance.

To tell the truth, however, no character is out of place in Smash. The playable roster, which includes an electric rodent, a medieval swordsman, an elastic pink puffball, and a fireball shooting Italian plumber with stereotypical, obnoxious catch phrases, is so diverse, with such a variety of art styles, personalities, and occupations, that there really is no way that a specific character could stand out from all the others. Even if Doctor Seuss and Salvador Dali each took a hit of LSD and worked together, they could not make a character that would be out of place in Smash.

@foozle:
Marth is necessary as character for representing Fire Emblem, as he was the first Lord in all games ever made.

@lip-opposers:
Panel de Pon actually was quite famous, it was ported for the DS not too long ago and we got it as "Tetris Attack", even in PAL. Tho it included Mario characters instead of the even better fairies. Because else it wouldn't have sold, 'cause main characters were giiiiiirls! Oh noes!
Lip actually is one of the more requested characters (I would guess her into the Top 10), especially as she has a lot of things which she could use in Smash Bros. Making up a standard moveset is not that hard, seeing how they made that with Olimar or Fox, as well. Besides, as already said, her rod was already included in Melee and will return in Brawl.

@sights:
I didn't know K. Rool was Rare's property. So... yeah. Probably goes the same way Geno does, eh? <.<"
As for Bomberman... Well, I wouldn't say any other third party character could go in.
According Star Fox - I said selling, not quality. I kinda like Command, as well (although it doesn't have the quality of a Star Fox or Star Fox 64), but I meant the popularity and sellings of the game after Adventures... and those were kinda bad.

[Foozdude]

fay said:

@foozle:
Marth is necessary as character for representing Fire Emblem, as he was the first Lord in all games ever made.

That's true. T'was just the first thing that came to mind.

[Forci S.]

...I would like to ask you something, Fay: what would Ridley's moveset be? We both know his main attacks: tail strikes, claw strikes, energy/fire blasts from mouth (depending on game). Can you think of anything else? I certainly can't, and I've played & beaten everything from Super Metroid on (and then some).

Now look at Charizard. Tail strike, claw strike, fire breath. Its moveset seems to be just like what Ridley's would be. They would probably even go from the same basic model.

Also, as for the resizing...Sakurai has already set its comparative size through the boss battles, and looking at that...I'm not so sure anymore......

[Onishiba]

Moveset - Sure... they completely made up movesets for Fox, Captain Falcon, etc., so why shouldn't be someone able to make a moveset for Ridley?
As for the size - erm... yeah. Because he's a boss in Brawl it doesn't mean that he isn't able to get his size changed.
Do you remember Kraid? He was as big as Samus in Metroid. He was huge in Super Metroid. He was even larger in Smash Melee at the Brinstar Depths-stage. Also Ridley in the intro of Melee was nearly the same size as Samus was.

By the way, because it comes to my mind...
DivineAll:
Waluigi? Hrm. He sure is an interesting character, but seeing that Wario is in there outside of the Mario franchise (although the classic Wario is a possible costume for him), I wouldn't give my bets on Waluigi joining a possible SSB4.
At least he was included as an AT.

Also, noone knows what his relationship to Wario is - his brother, cousin or only a buddy? We don't know. He just was made up for Mario Tennis to give Luigi an evil counterpart. Also, he wasn't included in any of the other Mario franchise games but the multiplayer ones (Sports, Kart, Party, etc.).

@panel de Pon/Lip:
Panel de Pon actually is quite popular in Japan and one of the best and most original puzzle game series. Panel de Pon had actually about 4 or 5 games.