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Nintendo Direct (November 12th): Roundtable

A few hours ago, the latest Nintendo Direct hit the Internet. This was the first since June, and the first with the spectre of Nintendo’s beloved former President Satoru Iwata hanging over it. With half a year since the last Direct, hype and excitement were reaching stratospheric levels. Rumors about Twilight Princess HD, the upcoming Zelda for Wii U, and the results of the long-awaited Smash Ballot were being banded about among fans. Now, the Direct has finally hit, and while packed with useful content and neat announcements (the aforementioned Twilight Princess HD, for instance), for the most part it wasn’t filled with dramatic surprises.

(REACTIONS AFTER THE JUMP)

The two big exceptions to that? Pokémon Red, Blue, and Yellow versions being brought to the Nintendo 3DS – something that seemed impossible due to the lack of a link cable – and even more exciting, the incredibly popular and divisive Cloud Strife from Final Fantasy VII jumping into Super Smash Bros. as the second DLC newcomer. The inclusion of the Square-Enix fighter (with alternate costumes from both the original game and its CGI sequel film Advent Children) is sure to bring a new wave of discussion over his validity, the purpose of Smash, or just how cool his trailer was. Speaking of which, that teased a final Smash Bros. video for December, which would presumably follow the one from E3 and reveal the results of the ballot. Was Cloud chosen by the fans? What kinds of new content does Sakurai have in store? At the very least, it confirms that DLC will continue over a calendar year since the games initially launched, a serious commitment matched by recent datamining.

Much of the other news was more logistical, providing release date information for the latest crop of Nintendo’s games. Release dates and additional footage were given out for Mario & Luigi: Paper Jam, Star Fox Zero, Pokkén Tournament, Final Fantasy Explorers, SteamWorld Heist, Mega Man Legacy Collection, and others. In addition, we also got new information about various amiibo, DLC for Splatoon, a website for Super Mario Maker, release specifics about Fire Emblem Fates, and confirmation for western releases for Dragon Quest VII and VIII.

But there was one question of concern for many fans (beyond the “what the hell is your problem. release the Smash Ballot results”): how would the Direct feel and play without Satoru Iwata? At least in the United States, Nintendo of America President Reggie Fils-Aime started the video with a short tribute to his colleague, and him and longtime NoA figure Bill Trinen leading the show couldn’t help inviting comparisons to Iwata (the European and Japanese counterparts starred NoE President Satoru Shibata and Nintendo Corporate Limited PR representative Mr. Morimoto, respectively). Reggie and Trinen are both very charismatic, but Iwata’s very specific sensibility – wearing Luigi caps with Shigeru Miyamoto, or playing with the “Non-Specific Action Figure” – was still greatly missed. It was also perhaps odd that new Nintendo President Tatsumi Kimishima was absent, as fans have been used to many of the company’s leaders using Directs to introduce themselves. Though the broadcast wasn’t quite as playful as Iwata’s most famous moments, the pace, and energy, and a rather goofy Yo-Kai Watch advertisement suggest that the format is still capable of working.

We also have some individual responses from some of Source Gaming’s staff!

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What a way to come back for the Directs. Of course, I don’t know if anything particularly special happened exclusively to Europe and Japans, so I’ll weigh in on good ol NA. Starting off with TP, I personally thought it was….ok. Being leaked didn’t help of course, but even disregarding that, it doesn’t exactly look all that much better as opposed to what happened with Wind Waker. The Wolf Link amiibo was the biggest thing I got out of that whole announcement. Mario Maker seemed like a cliff note here, but Splatoon I thought brought it in a big way, to keep hype flowing, and people looking to play the game for months to come. On a side note though, at this point I’m greatly doubting Octolings will ever actually officially happen, as I certainly don’t expect a Splatoon Direct again. Triforce Heroes DLC looked good, and it’s nice to have some free updates to look forward to for the games future. Pokemon had a lot of good news, especially finally being able to enjoy the original 1st generation games once again and seeing a solid date on Pokken Tournament, though I am somewhat disappointed we have yet to see Pokemon Z. Lot of strong trailers for indies, as well as Star Fox, XenoBlade X and Hyrule Warriors Legends, and on the note of the last one, I thought it was great to see Linkle be confirmed 100%. She had been teased before but seeing her in action is a strong reason to purchase the title. Of course I won’t cover everything since there was a lot more good things, that I admittedly didn’t have the most interest in (though special shout outs to my new hopefully favorite meme, Reggie screaming BILL).

Of course, no better way to end off then talking about how the direct ended, with Final Fantasy VII protagonist, RPG and Video Game Icon, Cloud Strife, being confirmed for Smash 4. Cloud was always a character I wanted to a degree, but he always felt like that lost cause, in the same realm as characters (in my opinion) Geno or Banjo, but I think this one reveal, since when Snake himself was revealed as our first third party character, shattered speculation and expectations all around the world. As PushDustIn mentions in this article here about it only being a courtesy to be on a Nintendo system, not a flat out requirement, I think we’re at the point where third party and even Smash Rosters themselves going into the future is less about Nintendo History (though of course, that’s still the primary focus) and more about Video Game History.

Sure, if you wanna be technical, Cloud checks off the box of being on Nintendo before, but unlike Snake who at least had major titles from his franchise on Nintendo, Cloud was a bit part in all those games, and ALL of the influence on his design come from Sony games and even movies. Cloud took everything you thought you knew about Smash Bros, and shattered it with his Buster Sword, in what can only be the most surprising and hype filled reveal since when Robin was revealed as no one leaked that. Cloud himself looks absolutely fantastic to play as, and just goes to further enforce the argument on anime swordsmen is worthless, and Midgar, while a banned stage clearly still looks really well designed, and hearing FF music in Smash will be great. Even if you don’t like Cloud, at least be able to appreciate what it could mean for future 3rd parties, once mere pipe dreams, now closer to reality than ever. Overall, I’d give this Direct a 9/10, only having some parts in the middle dragging it down.

Nantendo
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Did not expect Cloud. Just wow. Final Fantasy 7 is not my favourite Final Fantasy but I understand his inclusion. He is Mr. RPG just like how Ryu is Mr. Fighting game. I really hope he is not a ballot character although to me this is looking more like Nintendo is focusing on third party characters for this DLC as they are easier to market, hype up and then cut when Smash 5 rolls along. With the announcement of a December Smash Direct I am almost certain that we will have another two characters along side him. The question is are they third party or are they Nintendo owned? As for the rest of the direct it was OK. A lot of longed out parts that did not need it in the EU direct. But we got Dragon Quest 7 & 8 localization and a new Picross title (even if it was not the one i was hoping for).

2015-10-03
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Nintendo Directs are finally back! It was really great seeing Morimoto again, and he did a much better job hosting the direct this time around. The direct was really satisfying as a whole. The pace was much better than E3, and the announcements felt like they were on a row with one game not taking up too much of the spotlight. If the Twilight Princess HD wasn’t leaked earlier, than it probably would have hyped people.

First, let me talk about the Shovel Knight rumor, as that’s what a lot of people are going to ask about. Cloud’s announcement sadly has little impact on the Shovel Knight rumor. It doesn’t actually kill it. However, it seems that we do have a timeframe for when we will know 100%. The December broadcast of Smash will tell us if the Shovel Knight rumor is true or not. The Shovel Knight rumor was based on being one of the first characters available. Therefore unless Cloud is released before (potentially) Shovel Knight, than the rumor is still (unfortunately) alive. Personally, my likelihood for the rumor has taken a dive. If I had to give a percentage (as people seem to like that)I think it’s about 40% likely to be true as of writing.

As far as Cloud’s inclusion in Smash…I’m hyped! I recently made the argument that the future of Smash is the characters and Cloud feels like definitive proof of that belief. Before anyone says he wasn’t requested or “there’s no way he’s a ballot character”…then please check out the Perception of Smash DLC in Japan, Redux where he is clearly in the top 20 characters in the poll I did. Cloud is most likely a ballot character, and one of the last three characters. In addition, there has never been a rule to have a Nintendo appearance. Sakurai has said it might be a courtesy, it was never a requirementI feel like I’m going to repeat this statement for many years.

I feel that the broadcast in December will follow the same style that Lucas, Roy and Ryu were suppose to (before they got leaked). Announce one character, then the broadcast and announce + release all three characters shortly after. I can’t see Smash DLC continuing for a long time, and I believe we are closer to the end than many expect. It’s been a fun and wild ride, and I hope we can continue to contribute to the Smash and wider fanbase positively.

SmashChu

There wasn’t much to say about the Nintendo Direct as most of the content was simply games we knew about and updates to already released games. I will say I’m not happy about Cloud’s inclusion. Besides the fact Final Fantasy 7 has yet to be released on a Nintendo system, Sakurai has neglected Nintendo in a game about Nintendo. The only new characters added so far have been third party characters. If there were other Nintendo characters added, then Cloud’s inclusion may have been interesting as he is a huge gaming icon.

Yet, the fact remains that Nintendo characters are specifically being pushed to the side. While fans like these characters, this would be the equivalent of adding Batman and Jughead in Marvel vs Capcom over actual Marvel characters. There are more characters coming, but I have my doubts we won’t get something from another company. As I discussed in A Return to Form, there is a possibility of reaching negative utility where adding more third party characters would be a detriment to the game. I am seeing more and more fans upset by Cloud’s inclusion. Are we reaching negative utility now? It’s hard to really say. Right now, everyone is in a sort of honeymoon phase. It would be best to wait until the initial shock wears down. In the meantime, Nintendo did announce there would be a Smash Brothers presentation coming soon which will show off more about DLC. We’ll wait to see what they’ll show.

Soma

Cloud was a mind-blowing inclusion, and immediately set social media on fire. Any sort of positive attention for Nintendo is good, of course, but once the hype settles down, it doesn’t change the fact that Nintendo really doesn’t have a very strong lineup for the winter holiday (especially in the states), which is concerning. A bunch of launch dates confirmed for 2016, some smartphone ports for 2015, eShop games, free DLC, Amiibo updates. Ultra Smash looks disappointingly barebones (and is surprisingly small, clocking in at 888MB), Twilight Princess HD looked…not so hot? I don’t think anybody came in to this Direct thinking Nintendo would drop a bomb, but this upcoming lineup looks especially disappointing.

Focusing on Cloud, though, his reveal opens up an intriguing set of possibilities. Sakurai has said before that his goal is to make Smash the best character game there is, and not necessarily one about Nintendo characters (although naturally, he has worked for Nintendo, Smash began as only Nintendo characters…). If Sakurai truly wants to make an amazing “character game,” then I do believe he may turn to more third-party characters. The doors have been blown wide-open, and to the chagrin of many Nintendo diehards, there are many third party characters that are much more visible, prominent, and prevalent today than there are of characters left in Nintendo’s first party stable. Steve from Minecraft or Master Chief would be much sexier and popular selections than Isaac or Wolf (not that Master Chief doesn’t have his own set of problems, of course. He would be fairly jarring given the tone of the games, and Sakurai has alluded to higher ratings precluding inclusion of certain things before– I’m just using Master Chief as a hypothetical here).

Spazzy_D

Spazzy -1; Rest of SourceGaming -0. On a more serious note, this Direct was good, but not great.  I’m very excited for the Splatoon updates, Star Fox still looks fun (graphics seemed a bit sharper to me as well), and the Nindies section, as always, went on for way too long. Twilight Princess HD was expected… but man, I was not expecting a Wolf Link Amiibo.  That thing looks great!

As far as the Smash reveal goes…. it makes sense. Cloud was one of the only video game icons left, and Square-Enix was one of the only big Japanese companies to not have a hand in Smash.  Plus, his inclusion comes with an amazing looking stage and some fantastic music. I must say, though, that it’s somewhat hilarious that Sony was not able to procure the rights for Cloud to appear in Sony All Star Battle Royale considering what just happened today.

 

TheAnvil
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First of all, this was definitely the best direct in some time. Zelda fans like myself particularly have a lot to look forward to, with DLC content coming for Triforce Heroes (I’ll be all over that fancy Linebeck inspired costume!), a rather delicious looking Wolf Link Amiibo, a HD remake of Twilight Princess and a sliver of information about the next Zelda game on Wii U.

Some of the soon to be released games have really whetted my appetite, Xenoblade looks spectacular visually. I had actually decided against getting it on release but I may have to reconsider that now. Paper Jam is shaping up really nicely, and Star Fox looks like everything I’ve been wanting for far too long now. Even the bare bones looking Mario Tennis actually has me excited.

The big news for Smash fans was obviously Cloud Strife joining the fight. Something I cannot say I’m particularly pleased with, at least on a personal level. Despite my initial reaction upon seeing that text pop up on the screen was to use a few expletives, above all else I don’t think he looks like a particularly fun or engaging character to play as, which is more important than anything else. Now, I’m ridiculously unfamiliar with Cloud, and the Final Fantasy series so this is based purely on the reveal trailer. I recognise that he’s definitely ‘worthy’ in the sense that he’s left a lasting impact on the gaming world. I guess I’m just more interested in characters who have a history with Nintendo. At the very least, his addition has taught us that Sakurai doesn’t care about any rivalry with Sony or Microsoft. Both Cloud and Ryu have games coming out exclusively for the PS4, and while Ryu does have a rather sizeable history with Nintendo, Cloud doesn’t. This at least bodes well for the possible addition of my all time favorite gaming characters; Banjo-Kazooie. My lack of interest in Cloud actually leaves me hesitant to want to buy him. Fun fact: four of the five known DLC characters hail from RPG games.

December should be an interesting time, Cloud is sure to be released following the presentation, as well as at least one other character (we could see a repeat of events similar to that of E3). Smash DLC is definitely nearing its end, but I find it hard to pinpoint exactly how many characters are left and when it’s going to end. The timing of the Ballot’s end in October leaves me to believe that a final release in Q1 of 2016 is about as likely as any other scenario. We’re obviously due at least 2 more characters as per the slots in the code, and while the Shovel Knight rumour has taken a hit we can’t completely rule him out either. I fully expect most, if not all of the remaining DLC characters to be Third Party. Four more is my magic number (including Cloud).

Wolfman_J
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So PushDustIn wins, I guess. I’m far from a Cloud fan (I may have once briefly considered getting “FROGLIFE” knuckle tattoos, to give you an idea of where my Square loyalties lie), and his Nintendo appearances are certainly less “legitimate” than Snake’s were, but he’s a quintessential part of video game history. It helps that he looks rather fun, with retro effects for some attacks and a more outwardly cartoonish style than fans may have expected. We’ve often brought up the importance of truly iconic characters in “selling” Smash, but by this point there really are few in the industry who haven’t yet gotten in. Ridley and King K. Rool and Isaac have their fiefdoms in the Smash community, but in terms of worldwide recognition and popularity (not to mention commercial potential) Cloud towers above any “main” choice.

I am a little disappointed he was announced over a character from Nintendo (and that he doesn’t be bringing to have any pre-VII Final Fantasy content), but there is something to be said about DLC and the Smash Ballot creating the potential for combinations and crossovers none of us ever expected. I was prepared for almost any choice, and being blindsided by this was really satisfying. It makes me wonder how big Ryu’s reveal would have been without the leaks two months prior – and if Sakurai is using Cloud to tease a follow up to the “New Content Approaching” video, what else could he have up his sleeve?
Oh, and Twilight Princess Link’s left-handed again! Go southpaws!

12 comments
  1. i am getting sick and tired of people claiming non-video game shit like Goku (after how many times Sakurai said no and go play Mii fighters or Jump Super Stars instead) and characters without a single Nintendo appearance like Master Chief having a chance in Smash.

    Cloud has appeared in more than 5 Nintendo games, has originated as a video game character (and for video games) , and is basically the face of Final Fantasy and the historic pioneer icon of JRPGs.

    i just want someone to just put an end to this nonsense before Smash kids start discussing and bandwagon about adding Reggie. Batman, or Donald Trump in smash again.

    it’s getting stupid as people passing off Ryu as “ballot winner” due to rumors of Sakurai being an hack or saying there’s only 2-3 slots left due to changing datamine and site changes.

    VeryMad on November 13 |
  2. *historic characters without a single Nintendo appearance like Master Chief having a chance in Smash

    VeryMad on November 13 |
  3. Somehow I had a feeling Cloud’s inclusion would bring about mixed feelings. I kind of have them myself… I’m glad Square-Enix is getting a rep, but Cloud would not have been my first choice. Still, his icon status and potential selling power cannot be denied.

    I missed the part about Twilight Princess HD, but the Wolf Link amiibo looks incredible, and I kinda missed out on TP (owned it, but the slow start prevented me from really getting into it), so I’d probably get it when I eventually get a Wii U. The updates for Triforce Heroes is making me want to get it (particularly the Fierce Deity outfit), and I’m glad Linkle was finally revealed after being teased for Hyrule Warriors Legends. ^_^

    Also considering getting Final Fantasy Explorers… it looks pretty interesting and I never heard of it before the Direct, so I’m glad I watched it.

    To be perfectly honest, I haven’t watched a Direct for that one, so I probably came in with more neutral expectations than those who watched the ones with Iwata. *shrugs*

    Winturwulf (@winturwulf) on November 13 |
  4. when I saw Cloud’s reveal trailer I immediately thought of SmashChu’s article. I don’t mind the 3rd parties we had in the default roster of Smash 4, Sonic and Megaman both have had a long history with Nintendo, Pac Man and Ryu were kinda pushing it to me, but I didn’t mind them. I never liked Snake all that much, he really didn’t fit well, and Cloud is worse than that imo, it seems like he was added solely because he would drum up a lot of hype and attention that characters like Wolf, Issac, K Rool and even the inklings wouldn’t. And to me that cheapens not only his inclusions, but even the existing one’s (especially Ryu)

    As for the rest of the direct, I’m definitely going to get Hyrule Warriors Legends and the Megaman Legacey Collection bundle. Pokken tournament ad Star Fox Zero both look fun, and none of the rest reaaly intrestead me

    tmsforever1 on November 13 |
  5. What we learned yesterday is that Iconography is key. That’s what it comes down to above all else (thematically, at least). If you’re an iconic part of a series, a company, or gaming as a whole, you’re a candidate. If not, you’re probably screwed. The only consistent exception is those characters who are extensions of existing characters in some way (clones, Sheik, etc.).

    Igiulaw on November 13 |
  6. @Spazzy_D’s feedback: “I must say, though, that it’s somewhat hilarious that Sony was not able to procure the rights for Cloud to appear in Sony All Star Battle Royale considering what just happened today.”

    So it is true that Sony attempted to include Cloud in Playstation All Stars, but were unable to procure the rights? I’ve heard this before, and it sounds believable, but have been unable to locate an official source.

    JM on November 13 |
  7. I dont know about you guys but i feel me and push’s thoughts about sakurai focusing on 3rd party characters for DLC might be becoming a reality with cloud.I mean Cloud is one of the biggest gaming icons of all times.Seeing him in smash is just so awesome this is what i want.Like you cant tell me that if wolf was revealed he would of got that much hype and that much talk. Just wow i’m starting to believe that maybe and i mean just maybe Banjo and Shovel Knight are possible and tbh thats a great feeling

    Markeice Brown on November 13 |
  8. I was watching the Japanese Direct since I prefer myself to watch that instead. I couldn’t watch it live because I was working that time, but not until my friendly co-worker spoiled everything for me, that damn otaku boy. (lol) As I heard Cloud was gonna be in Smash, I thought he was lying because I’ve always thought Cloud, the Final Fantasy game only existed in the Playstation franchises, was 100% impossible to be in Smash, but his inclusion has ultimately proven me wrong. Don’t get me wrong; I love Cloud as I love FFVII too as it was my first FF game played when I was child, but didn’t believe he’ll be in Smash at all since FFVII wasn’t in Nintendo in the past, as not to mention but that game was the cause of Nintendo and Square’s relation break up by letting PS win the console war. Cameo appearances in KH:CoM and Theatrhythm, which both released in Nintendo, may be the point, but I didn’t even believe spinoffs would count either. But, as Snake has entered Brawl as having few of his games for Nintendo, including the crossover game with Takara Tomy/Hudson/Konami, then I think it makes sense that Cloud DID appear in few Nintendo released SquareEnix games. Plus, FFVII is the most popular game with a successful marketing among all other FF series with many sequels, prequels, and spinoffs and crossovers. So while Chocobo or Black Magician isn’t iconic to FF series anymore, bringing Cloud to that reason may make sense that he’s the main face of all FF series, as also being Mr. RPG. But either way, although Cloud wasn’t part of my prediction list, I’ll be glad that we’d finally see a single Square Enix character to be in Smash, and I’m definitely buying it. And also, I think this proves Nintendo and Square Enix’s relationship is recovering than before.

    But now, after Cloud’s inclusion, I’m kinda confused on who’ll be chosen to be in the next and final Smash DLC. As much we’ve seen Square Enix joined Smash for the first time, I could hardly think there would be any more third parties join Smash. I’m fully confident that the indie games would not have a chance since some games never released globally (except for Shantae). At the same time, I was hoping for Sega and Bandai Namco to bring the second character, but I think I should give up on that expectation since it may be impossible at this rate, which is disappointing and unfair IMO. I don’t think we’ll have Koei Tecmo and Level-5 character either, so I think we’ll be focusing on Nintendo characters this time. I wouldn’t think there would be returning veterans either, so we can focus mainly on new comers instead. We still have certain rosters who don’t have new reps, which are DK, Zelda, Kirby, and Star Fox. We can’t expect for Mario, Pokemon, and FE franchise because there’s too many, while F-Zero and Earthbound doesn’t seem as they’ll end up as clones. So maybe we’ll expect any new comers instead, like K.Rool ,Isacc, or maybe the most popular Inklings? Also for the most important part of the ballot, PLEASE I DEFINITELY DO NOT WANNA WISH TO SEE GOKU OR ANY OF THOSE ANIME/CARTOON CHARACTERS TO BE IN SMASH AS IT’LL RUIN EVERYTHING!!!! Although I can’t wait to see the Smash DLC this December, I’ll miss the whole hype of Smash DLC as it’ll be the final update. The hype train took us everywhere, but it must be stopped at its last terminal since this game was Sakurai’s hard work to accomplish.

    On the other side, I’m wasn’t very excited with Twilight Princess HD as everybody already knew it was coming due to the leak, but well excited to see Linkle to be in Hyrule Warriors Legends. I was surprised of her fighting style as she was like Dante or Bayonetta, but I’d be glad playing as her once I get the game, which is the most greatest stress relieving game for me. But too bad for Groose not being eligible in the end, which I was expecting him for being the third rep for Skyward Sword roster. Mario Tennis wasn’t something I really enjoyed seeing it as being giant and having an ultra smash didn’t impressed me much, as well I was disappointed they removed special moves that they used in GC Tennis. However, having the release date for both Star Fox Zero and Pokken, and maybe Zelda Wii U was something I’d be glad with; but somehow lacked further details as they might be keeping something secretly til the end. Golden Mega Man amiibo may be interesting, but although I’m a fan of Mega Man, I’d rather have the regular amiibo, which I’m still looking for it since its still missing. Splatoon’s stage update is impressive, but I think I should give up hopes on Octalings being playable since this is a “squids only” game. Pokemon 1st gen for 3DS virtual console is the interesting thing with full of nostalgia, but it’ll be a huge pain in a neck if you’re already used to the modern Pokemon games, such as TMs and item limitations. But since I haven’t played the Japanese Blue version, since that game was the limited edition which only can be obtained by ordering to Shogakukan back then, I think I’ll buy it and try playing for the first time. And since the Pikachu versions in there too, I wonder how we can play the Pikachu mini game while Pokemon Stadium no longer playable anymore…? Overall of this Direct, although there were few lacking details, it was great with full of hype and surprises, and I’m well satisfied by it.

    Finally, sorry for the long writings. ^^;

    zoniken on November 13 |
  9. I honestly hope Cloud is the last 3rd party character. 5 guest characters in Smash is enough. Almost all of the most influential video game fanchises are represented in Smash 4 and I don’t think there’s a single character left that can match Sonic, Pac-Man, Mega Man, Ryu, or Cloud. I hope the remaining DLC characters are all Nintendo characters. I’d love to see more Nintendo franchises explored and brought to the spotlight.

    JG on November 13 |
  10. Talk about a return to form. The Direct opened well, and the slowdown in the middle was counteracted with an impressive lineup of RPGs and a total shock at the end! Most of the Direct didn’t blow me away, but it was very solid. Overall, I’d give it a 7/10.

    No pun intended, I swear.

    Now…time to talk about something more relevant. I think Cloud was another special case, not a sign of things to come, and especially not a harbinger of characters who are no longer or who’ve never been associated with Nintendo.

    Third party guest fighters are a rare occurance in Smash Bros., even now. Cloud is only the fifth in Smash 4, on a roster of 56 and growing. For all the arguments being made about third party inclusions happening left and right, they’re still only 1/11 of the full roster as is. Even with them being present, Smash remains a collection of Nintendo’s all stars first and foremost, and although the guest fighters bring a lot of attention, they’re still only one small piece of the pie.

    We may have seen two of them from five DLC fighters so far, but five is a small number, and any statistician worth their word would say that small sample sizes cannot be trusted.

    Speaking of statistics, I’ve seen a lot of people already start to extrapolate on the data: taking the we know and trying to run way too far with it than what is really practical or smart in the long run. There’s been talk of icons from other companies, Master Chief, Steve, no-longer-entirely-joking mentions of Goku, and even some people acting as if Banjo & Kazooie are inevitable.

    I understand, guys. There’re fans of those characters out there. Cloud being revealed surprised all of us and sent our minds into overdrive (or beyond their Limits, haha) wondering just what Sakurai is up to. A Smash inclusion is a tremendous honor for a character and for fans of the character…but sometimes we get so caught up in hype that it blinds us to the surrounding context.

    Because even though Cloud has never had a major role on a Nintendo system, he’s still a massive gaming icon, he’s still showed up in the occasional cameo, his series still has significant, long standing ties with Nintendo, and his parent company is on good terms with them nowadays and was entirely willing to collaborate. Things have been pretty well off between the Big N and Square Enix, to the point where it was plausible all along for them to get a character into Smash. It was just off a lot of people’s radars since they didn’t have one who stood out in front of all the others, and when the likes of Snake, Rayman, Shovel Knight, and the bear and bird had bandwagons spring up, Final Fantasy became an afterthought.

    Crazy in hindsight, isn’t it? The most famous JRPG series of all time being an afterthought?

    The fact that a Square Enix character got in wasn’t the shock, though, it was who the character was. Almost no one thought Cloud had any chance because of the aforementioned lack of presence on Nintendo systems, but it seems he still had enough other factors.

    Just because one of them–even though it’s a big one–wasn’t a deal breaker, it doesn’t mean all of them no longer matter. Just because one thing happened that we didn’t expect, it doesn’t mean everything we know is wrong. Even though Snake got a lot of fans in Brawl, he’ll have trouble overcoming Konami’s rapid decline and snubbing of Nintendo in recent years. Even though Shovel Knight was a breakout success and his parent company is all for him getting into Smash, he’s still relatively new and untested compared to the major, long-standing third party icons that entirely comprise those who’ve made it in so far. Even though Banjo & Kazooie have a fond place in many of our childhood memories, they’re not merely from a neutral company and associated more with Nintendo’s competition the way Cloud is or Snake was, they’re outright owned by said competition.

    Cloud…didn’t actually do anything to make any of them more likely.

    And even though Cloud hasn’t done anything significant on a Nintendo system…he might be about to. If I remember right, some time ago Sony was close to losing their sole rights to some of their Final Fantasy games. Square Enix has shown they’re perfectly fine with multi-platform releases, and if Sony wasn’t able to hang onto those rights–and I’ve heard their gaming division isn’t looking very good financially–that opens up a very interesting scenario:

    Could Final Fantasy VII be coming to the Nintendo eshop? Could its massively hyped remake be coming to the NX?

    If that were to happen, Cloud wouldn’t be an anomaly at all! He’d only be another Greninja, a character off the fans’ collective radars solely because they didn’t realize he was even a viable option due to reasons they didn’t yet know about!

    But…we can’t very well count on that.

    There’s one more thing I’ve been seeing: the idea that there must be more third party characters coming just to keep people excited after Cloud. There’s this thought process that every character reveal has to one-up the previous one.

    Not only is that idea flawed, it didn’t even happen with the base game! Remember how the collective internet lost it when Mega Man was revealed? He was the second newcomer they showed…and we didn’t see another character reveal match that level of excitement until Robin and Lucina.

    Did interest fall apart in Smash 4 because of that? Not at all! Even though Rosalina and Little Mac and Greninja and the E3 trio didn’t blow people away the same way Mega Man did, they were still celebrated and still felt like compelling additions to the game that people wanted to play as. It’s even held true for DLC: we started with Mewtwo’s unveiling at the end of the 50-Fact Extravaganza, and we wouldn’t have seen anything to match it until Ryu had he not been leaked!

    Between that, the fact that Nintendo’s rather shallow holiday lineup and increasing doubt in the fans’ minds meant they needed their attention ASAP, and the very likely chance there’ll be other characters also available after next month’s Smash Direct, I think revealing Cloud now instead of saving him for December was deliberate.

    They fired their strongest gun now rather than later because now was when they needed it more. And so if we see a character or two revealed in the Smash Direct, they almost surely won’t be on the same level as Cloud…but they’ll still be worthy inclusions nonetheless.

    Who knows? If Sakurai really did care about everyone who’d been wanting Cloud as far back as Brawl, despite how nigh-impossible he was then, maybe other fan favorites who’d fallen out of the spotlight could be on the way.

    Maybe King K. Rool won’t need the Smash Ballot after all.

    I know what the hype feels like, guys. I was basically on a high for two days after Robin was revealed. It’s easy to take our first impressions and extrapolate from there, but it helps us more to use our heads here, and focus on what seems closest to the truth. Isn’t that what this site is all about?

    And besides…as we’ve just been shown, Sakurai can still find a way to blow our minds.

    Delzethin on November 15 |
  11. Frankly, all the Cloud hate is hilarious to me. I don’t even like FF7 or Cloud, but his trailer was insanely hype (partially since he wasn’t leaked) and he looks super fun. Sakurai is a master – he got me excited for a character I don’t even like. I’m really looking forward to the December presentation. I fully expect Banjo to be revealed during it.

    Trogdorbad on November 17 |
    • You may be setting yourself up for disappointment. At least with the third parties we have now, they all come from companies who are buddy-buddy with Nintendo. Banjo is outright owned by one of Nintendo’s direct competitors. And of course Microsoft is cool with it, it’s free advertising for them. The real issue would be with Nintendo not wanting to aid the enemy.

      Neoxon on November 17 |