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Filed under: Industry People, Masahiro Sakurai, Super Bros. Smash For 3DS, Super Smash Bros. Brawl, Super Smash Bros. for Wii U, Super Smash Bros. Melee, Super Smash Bros. Series

Settle it in Smash! Nintendo vs. Third Party Characters

2016-02-12

 

SmashChu and I squared off to see if Smash should embrace third party characters, or if it should return to form. This is a new series we are debuting in which we are debating a topic while playing Smash at the same time. It’s a lot harder then it looks! If you have a topic/ battle request, let us know in the comments below. Also, let us know who you thought won the argument (It’s obvious I lost the battle!). Enjoy!

 

PushDustIn
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SmashChu

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14 comments
  1. Why would there be cuts? If not for the 3DS’ hardware, there would have been even more than the initial number on the WII-U. Considering that they’re working with a developer that has developed Tekken & Naruto: Ninja Storm games, they know how to cram a lot of characters in.

    “Nintendo fans know who Tingle is, but people outside of Nintendo might not know who he is.”
    The same can be said for many of the characters, especially Corbin.

    PS: Scorpion.

    J. G. (@GeneralRayburn) on February 12 |
    • Snake

      Arthur 97 on February 12 |
  2. Unless we see Street Fighter V and FFVII remake on a Nintendo console, Push’s argument seems a bit weak. It is Nintendo All-Stars, as SmashChu pointed out, and that is how it should be.

    Arthur 97 on February 12 |
  3. Support for PushDustIn, his argument was sound on the idea that Third-Party support in Smash appeals to a much wider audience as well as giving Sakurai the tools he needs for a diverse and appealing Smash Bros roster. I don’t think SmashChu presented enough hard evidence to support his argument and the logic behind it seems faulty, since the amount of Nintendo characters outnumber third party characters 49:6

    anonymous SG fan on February 12 |
    • It may be that way for now, but if Push had it his way that could quickly change. Besides, Push himself said that he doesn’t think that Street Fighter V and the FF VII remake would make it to Nintendo console, thus rendering one of his biggest points invalid by his own admission.

      Arthur 97 on February 12 |
      • No one, especially Push, is arguing that Third part characters should outnumber Nintendo characters in Smash. Look up ‘slippery slope fallacy’ and you’ll see why this type of argument is not credible.

        Ryu and Cloud in smash was never about bringing their franchises to Nintendo; it was about bringing fans of SF and Final Fantasy to Smash. I think you are misattributing Push’s points and trying to change the goalposts for this discussion; I recommend reading some of his articles if you didn’t understand his argument.

        anonymous SG fan on February 13 |
  4. I loved how chill this debate was.

    Though I’ll have to say, I can’t really pick a side;
    Since I feel like both of you are correct.

    I feel like third-party characters should remain a thing, but I don’t want it to be over done, other wise I fear Smash will start to lose it’s Nintendo charm, atmosphere, and identity. I am going to heavily paraphrase one of my favorite arrangers: “It’s very easy for an orchestrated arrangement to sound muddy, it takes an careful selection the instruments, how they are played, and how many of them are playing, in order to make everything sound as clear as possible.”

    Third party characters like Sonic and Megaman I feel fit in really well with the Nintendo cast, not to mention they share a lot of history. Meanwhile I feel like characters like Snake, Ryu, Bayo, and Cloud really stick out, and while they work great as DLC fighters, (I mean Cloud is awesome! ^-^) I wouldn’t want them to be built-in the next game. (Kinda in the same I wouldn’t want the awesome Legend of Zelda and Animal Crossing racer DLC for Mario Kart 8 built-in the next Mario Kart.)

    If that all makes sense. XD

    Smasher44 on February 12 |
    • (By the way, when I say built-in, I mean the content being on the disc and unlockable through non-DLC means.)

      Smasher44 on February 13 |
    • Technically, Bayonetta is more Nintendo than Snake or Cloud. She’s co-owned by both Nintendo and Sega.

      the 101 on February 13 |
  5. You should have a written form of your arguments for those that hate watching/listening to these podcasts/debates such as myself.

    As for the argument over whether or not Third parties are a neccesity for Super Smash Bros., I’m gonna say: Find balance with representation.

    Bob on February 12 |
    • That really is the question isn’t it? Most people (myself included) don’t want to get rid of all of them, but people disagree on how many is too many.

      Arthur 97 on February 12 |
      • I just prefer to read them.

        Bob on February 13 |
  6. Gotta go with SmashChu on this one. I prefer Smash to stay Nintendo based with a maximum of three 3rd Party characters with heavy history with Nintendo. No 3rd Party should have more than one character, and only 3rd Parties with close ties to Nintendo. Sonic, Mega Man, and Pac-Man were fine. Ryu, Cloud, and Bayonetta ruined the roster for me.

    AlphaSSB on February 13 |
  7. I would say that there does need to be a balance between Nintendo-based content and 3rd-party guests. Yes, Nintendo fans will always buy the newest installment of Smash Bros., but people can feel “cheated”. I think the base game handles this situation beautifully. We saw a mix of highly anticipated Nintendo characters and gaming icons. However, within the context of DLC, I think there could’ve been a better balance between 3rd-party and Nintendo characters. I do think the people who love the game, who were all on board for DLC but anticipated someone a little more inherently “Nintendoy” feel cheated. The only Nintendo newcomer was Corrin, of a franchise who already has four representatives in the game and a separate character as DLC. While the first Fire Emblem title was released in 1990, it only saw an international release since 2003, so for many people it still feels fairly new in comparison to Mario, Zelda, or Metroid. So the fact that Fire Emblem has so many characters in the roster does not sit well for everyone. So, as the sole Nintendo newcomer of an already existing franchise, Corrin satisfies Smash’s more Nintendo-oriented instal base as well as Cloud Strife or Ryu. So, in a non-technical way, there was no newcomer that satisfied that demographic, I think that is a bit unfair. Sure, it’s easy to say “just don’t buy them”, but that doesn’t change how a demographic – arguably one of Smash Bros.’ biggest – can feel ignored and cheated.

    the 101 on February 13 |