Super Smash Bros.

[Caldwin]

So Sora was released last night as the final addition to the roster.

I've tried playing the first Kingdom Hearts twice now and just couldn't keep with it. But Sora here is pretty fun to play. He's kinda floaty but still fun.

So now I'm wondering, what next? Sora has been said to be the final addition to the game, so I guess now we wait for the next new Smash Bros game?

Problem is, I really just can't see them putting in nearly as much content as this ended up with. I mean, even vanilla version had every single fighter and virtually every single stage to have ever been in a Smash game at that point. The number of characters added on after that could be a full roster for any other game. This game became truly gigantic over its lifetime.

So what dare we hope for in the next one? How can Nintendo possibly top this? I seriously doubt any starting roster could possibly be anything less than a disappointment after what this one became.

I'm sure they'll at least have thae core basic cast: Mario, Luigi, Link, Samus, Donkey Kong, Pikachu, Fox, Kirby, etc. But what would it take to make you buy a new Smash Bros instead of just keeping with this one?

 

[Exatron]

It is called SSB Ultimate. I really think this was a one-time thing, and Nintendo has no intention of trying to top it. I expect there will be a lot of disappointment from any people who do expect something even bigger whenever the next game comes around.

As to what that next game is, I really only see two good options. One, embrace that the next game will be a smaller game. Maybe even shake things up completely. Overhaul some of the mechanics possibly? Ditch some (or even all?) of the perfect attendance crew? Maybe entirely new movesets for returning characters? It would be a perfect opportunity to make substantial changes.

Two, go the Mario Kart 8 route, and have the next SSB game just be Ultimate Remastered. No idea if that would be at all feasible with all the licensed content, but it's the only viable way I see to avoid the letdown a lot of people would feel with option 1. The emphasis here would be on additional new fighters, and maybe new features.

It'll be interesting to see how they decide to approach it. I could easily see Ultimate being a series swan song, but I can't see Nintendo being willing to give up the franchise.

 

[ZakuConvoy]

Yeah, they really can't top this one. It's going to be interesting to see what they decide on for the next installment. It's too big for them to do nothing with it, it'd be like retiring Mario. And re-releasing a remastered version on the next console isn't impossible, but it would be difficult.

The best option I can come up with is probably to completely change the genre. Instead of a fighting game, turn Smash Bros into a beat-em-up game, like Streets of Rage. It's probably the coward's way out, but really it's the only way to not completely disappoint people with the next entry. It's probably going to have to be smaller, so changing the genre might change people's expectations. People would still be disappointed, but it will at least have defenders, saying that Nintendo's trying something new.

If they stick to fighting games, I don't really want them to change the mechanics. Part of the appeal of Smash is the easy to pick up, but difficult to master gameplay. Messing with that is just a recipe to screw up a working formula.

Now, maybe if they change the visuals a bit, it could be enough of a change. If they give us something that looks like 2D-3D style of something like Guilty Gear or Dragon Ball FighterZ, at least the next game could be a visual treat.

Or, if they bring back a story mode into the game, that might be enticing enough to bring people back.

Maybe they'll just make it a 3D arena fighter. They're kind of doing this for Kirby. I could see them at least being tempted to try out the idea. I don't think that'd be the best idea, but it would be different.

But, I think the most likely option is that they'll try to add some kind of gimmickry that they can advertise. Nintendo loves their gimmicks, and I can see them adding...something like that to mix up the gameplay.

Smash Bros Double Punch or something like that, where they focus more on "team" moves, maybe.

Super forms, maybe? Like everyone gets a Giga Bowser form? That way, maybe they can show off more destructible environments and kaiju-like battles?

Maybe more of a emphasis on weapons?

Maybe something with costumes? Since they've gone about as "wide" as they can possibly go, maybe for the next one they should go "deeper" with each individual character. Have a Mario from Gameboy Land 1 alongside SMB3 Mario and SMB World Marios, sprite-style and all alongside one from Galaxy. Have Pokemon based on their original sprites, the GBA sprites, and their 3D models. Super Smash Bros Generations.

Or maybe the stages, themselves, can change how the characters play. Like if Mario and Ness are on a Earthbound stage, Mario would be changed to look and play more like a character designed for Earthbound, with a move set slightly changed to fit.

Maybe they'll all be made of clay, so when you "smash" someone they'll twist and deform in ways that change the gameplay little by little? The more damage they take the more deformed and weird they get?

 

[Caldwin]

A tag team mechanic would be nice, especially if there are bonuses for having a team from the same games. Like teaming up Link/Zelda, Mario/Peach, Pit/Palutina, Samus/???.

There could also be special rival interactions: Link/Ganon, Mario/Bowser etc.

I think I do prefer trophies over spirits, but that's just me.

 

[LBD "Nytetrayn"]

Ditch some (or even all?) of the perfect attendance crew?

No chance in Hell, not for all.

Mario, Link, and Pikachu are locks. Probably Kirby, too, especially if Sakurai is doing it.

Samus is a strong contender to stay, coming off the success of Dread.

Donkey Kong is kind of in the middle. He could stay or go, but being the costar of Nintendo's first big hit favors him. Yoshi is in a similar position, minus that perk.

Captain Falcon and Ness are becoming more obscure with time, and would be the most likely of the squad to be cut. Fox is kind of riding the line.

Luigi and Jigglypuff are wild cards.

I forget who I saw say it, but I'd love to see the original dozen get reinvented by the standards of newer additions to the series.

 

[spikeriley]

It is called SSB Ultimate. I really think this was a one-time thing, and Nintendo has no intention of trying to top it. I expect there will be a lot of disappointment from any people who do expect something even bigger whenever the next game comes around.

As to what that next game is, I really only see two good options. One, embrace that the next game will be a smaller game. Maybe even shake things up completely. Overhaul some of the mechanics possibly? Ditch some (or even all?) of the perfect attendance crew? Maybe entirely new movesets for returning characters? It would be a perfect opportunity to make substantial changes.

Two, go the Mario Kart 8 route, and have the next SSB game just be Ultimate Remastered. No idea if that would be at all feasible with all the licensed content, but it's the only viable way I see to avoid the letdown a lot of people would feel with option 1. The emphasis here would be on additional new fighters, and maybe new features.

It'll be interesting to see how they decide to approach it. I could easily see Ultimate being a series swan song, but I can't see Nintendo being willing to give up the franchise.

I have to agree. Many of the new and DLC fighters are possibly going to be one-time appearances due to licensing (mainly Sora, Banjo and Kazooie, and the Minecraft fighters), plus clone characters like Pichu may not return. Also, I don't see Smash Bros. going away anytime soon. Seeing how Ultimate is selling, I doubt Nintendo will end the franchise anytime soon.

 

[Zephyr]

If they'd be interested in doing it, hand it off to Koei Tecmo to make a Super Smash Warriors. (I lead with that caveat since the difference of them being enthused or not is the difference in Hyrule Warriors and Fire Emblem Warriors.)

Either way, if we ever want anything like Subspace Emissary again, it's gonna have to go into someone's hands that's not Sakurai. He's done amazing work, and the series wouldn't exist without him, but him shutting out the idea of another story mode because of people uploading cutscenes to youtube is needlessly petty.

 

[Caldwin]

I'm not keen on a Warriors style game. I mean, if they were to do that as well as Smash Bros, that's one thing, but I just don't care for Warriors games personally.

For me, the main part I will always play will be the Smash parts. Things like Subspace Emissary are nice and all, especially as a way of quickly unlocking characters/trophies/spirits. But the meat of the game will always be actual Smash.

 

[Ultra Magnus13]

Honestly a new game with fewer characters would be dumb, and I imagine it would be hard to get people to jump ship. Port ultimate over with all current characters, and launch with maybe 6 new ones, and keep adding them. Or just continue to support Ultimate with more content.

 

[Caldwin]

Can't really agree. Smash Bros is too big of a franchise to do nothing with it. And to only do ports from here, well, how well is that working for Skrim.

Marvel vs. Capcom 2 also had an insanely huge cast, but they eventually had to move on to 3 with a smaller roster. It was kinda disappointing after having had a huge roster, but as far as I can tell, it sold well (let's just not talk about Infinite).

Maybe not too soon, but eventually, Nintendo will have to either move on from Ultimate or drop the franchise...and the franchise is too big to just drop.

But starting off the next game with a roster as big as this one grew into just isn't realistic. So it's really a matter of what can they realistically add to the game to make a smaller roster more palatable.

 

[Sjogre]

I'm hoping that the perfect attendance crew get remade by later standards. Admittedly, I mostly want a more Dread-inspired Samus.

After that... I'm hoping that the new roster will be weighted towards new challengers, retro and modern alike. I kinda hope for Officer Howard from Astral Chain and Mike from Star Tropics.

 

[Zephyr]

I was hoping against hope that Sakurai would sneak in a Dread facelift for Samus in the Sora update, but alas.

 

[Blot]

If they'd be interested in doing it, hand it off to Koei Tecmo to make a Super Smash Warriors. (I lead with that caveat since the difference of them being enthused or not is the difference in Hyrule Warriors and Fire Emblem Warriors.)

Either way, if we ever want anything like Subspace Emissary again, it's gonna have to go into someone's hands that's not Sakurai. He's done amazing work, and the series wouldn't exist without him, but him shutting out the idea of another story mode because of people uploading cutscenes to youtube is needlessly petty.

I'd say the with how night and day the two musou games ended up and the developer comments before and after for both, it feels a little disingenuous to refer to the only difference between them was how enthused the staff was.

 

[Zephyr]

I'd say the with how night and day the two musou games ended up and the developer comments before and after for both, it feels a little disingenuous to refer to the only difference between them was how enthused the staff was.

Admittedly I was going off hearsay - that the general idea was that they were pretty hyped up to do Hyrule Warriors and not so much over Femble since it came as Nintendo trying to get HW's big reaction to happen again with a series KT wasn't as revved up about. I'll be glad to admit if that's not the case, tho.

 

[Caldwin]

If I were to make a feasible Smash Bros game, here's what I'd do.

ROSTER
I'd say a feasible starting roster should be anywhere from 15-20 characters. With that in mind...

The absolute minimum characters, the ones who have always been there are as follows.

1. Mario
2. Yoshie
3. Donkey Kong
4. Link
5. Samus
6. Kirby
7. Fox
8. Pikachu
9. Luigi
10. Jigglypuff
11. Captain Falcon
12. Ness

These are the bass characters that have been around since the original. That still leaves room for a few recurring characters. My choices...

1. Zelda
2. Pit
3. Peach
4. Mew Two
5. Marth
6. Gannon
7. Falco
8. Bowser

These would be your vanilla starting roster.

STAGES
Each starter would need there own stage. Now we could bring back old stages from older games, but I think in the interest of giving players something to make up for the reduced roster, we need nee stages...the more interactive the better. Make them really shiney.

UNLOCKABLES:
I like statues but I'm sure there's other people who like spirits. Is it too much to ask for both? How about 3D rendered statues that have history story bits in the collection menu that also add stats to fighters?

Unlocked music also seems to be standard at this point (much to my delight).

MODES
Smash and classic modes are standard. Spirit Boards are okay, but I actually preferred when they had different mini-games to earn lots of statues/music at once.

I'm thinking bring back the homerun game, break the targets, but most importantly...character-centric pachinko machines. And make the franchise that you earn trophies for dependent on what pachinko machine you play.

DLC
Yes, the starting roster is small, but that's where DLC comes in. Everyone has their favorites. Mine include but aren't limited to:

Returning
Ridley, Simon Belmont, Inkling, King K Rool, Palutena, Lucario, Zero Suit Samus, Sonic

New:
Raven Beak (Metroid Dread)
Paya/Young Impa (Zelda)
Medusa (Kid Icarus)
Dracula (Castlevania)
Ryu Hyabusa (Ninja Gaiden)

 

[Videomaster21XX]

I really don't see us getting another Smash game for years. Like I'm talking the time between Metroid Fusion and Metroid Dread time, and a lot of it is just because. Where do you go from here?

Even the argument of it's too big a franchise to drop. I mean it's Nintendo. They have money. They can focus on any other property for a while and let this one sit and it won't really hurt them much.

However, if we did get another one, I think a neat idea might be to crossover with something else. Like imagine if they made a deal with Cartoon Network and we got Super Smash Brothers x Punch Time Explosion. At the very least I think it'd get people talking.

 

[Exatron]

Now there's an interesting idea. Smash Bros. has always been this giant celebration of gaming. Originally just Nintendo's stars, and then more and more inclusion of gaming in general.

It's already been said multiple times that Ultimate is the biggest gaming collaboration ever. So maybe the way to move on from Ultimate is to move beyond just gaming? Start bringing in other types of media franchises. Movies, TV, cartoons, anime, manga, etc.

It definitely wouldn't be scoped like Ultimate was. It's not like we could expect this next game to feature Darth Vader vs. Worf vs. Goku vs. Superman vs. etc. or anything. But if they could set up that idea as a possibility for the future, I think that would get people hyped for a new direction.

 

[Spin-Out]

late but i (who wanted sora more than any other character) was in a voice call with a friend (who also wanted sora more than any other character) on another server during the sora reveal, and we both started screaming and hollering and laughing when we saw that the fireball turned into a keyblade and sora flew out of the keyhole. i don't think any future smash game could possibly top sora being in ultimate, at least for me.

 

[Caldwin]

I never could get far in Kingdom Hearts, and I really did try. But I do have a friend who absolutely adores those games. So I'm happy for her. And actually, I kinda like how Sora control. He's like a really floaty Link.

 

[Confuzor]

I'm super over Jigglypuff being included by sheer tradition at this point.