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

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This article looks at comments made from the October 10th- October 17th (Japan time)!

Remember, don’t insult other posters. If you insult other posters, your post that you might have spent so much time on might not get approved, and thrown in the trash. Stay classy!

ZenythSmash

if Sakamoto can do a portrayal of an inaccurate Ridley (via size) in Miitomo, why can’t Sakurai in Super Smash Bros.?

unless you’re going to argue “spinoff!” or “that’s an accessory!”, i’ll remind you this quote from the horse’s mouth:
“…there are moments when I need to slightly remove characters from their original game’s world and rules. For this reason, the above treatment becomes necessary. And after all, the characters are really figurines.”

https://sourcegaming.info/2015/06/16/solid-snake-joins-the-brawl-translation/

seriously, would a Bowser/Giga Mac-sized “Ridley Fighter” be THAT awful for Smash’s case? he’s be still a large foe in front of Samus in the battlefield.

 

From: Is Ridley too Big for Smash!?

I don’t think people would be very pleased with a mini Ridley…he’d be too small 😛

Miitomo is a weak example to use, as it’s a clothing accessory in game. Not a playable character.

I think there’s a big difference between “some moments” and a design choice that impacts every single thing about a character. I still think a Bowser sized Ridley would look a little weird…especially with Samus in the game.

haruhisailormars

In the face of reality anything can happen. In this internet reality sometimes I do think people are just agreeing with Sakurai because Sakurai said or did it. I see people agreeing with Sakurai that Zero Suit Samus is the only other Metroid character that can work except for one interesting fact. Her human form being playable never occurred to me. There were only three I saw plausible as playable choices in Brawl and she wasn’t even on the “straw grasping for extras characters”.

I never would have thought of her but lo and behold people agree with Sakurai. Something tells me its because he thought of it.

 

From: Is Ridley too Big for Smash!?

I don’t always agree with things just because Sakurai said it. That being said (har har), he is an authority on the subject as he has designed all the characters for Smash so I’m more keen to submit to his thinking  As Sakurai famously said, “Have you ever made a game?”.  There’s always room for criticism. I think Sakurai could have an eureka moment with Ridley that will make him work (like he had with Villager and Pac-Man).

ZenythSmash

and what does animations frames has to do with “size portrayals” in Smash? Super/Poison Mushroom can resize any fighter in the battle, regardless of how much animation they have in their moveset data.

and like @haruhisailormars said, anything can happen in reality. we already saw Ridley shrunken down in Sakamoto’s Miitomo and polished Brawl mods like the newest Brawl Ridley PSA for PM.

the point of that quote was the fact Sakurai’s willing to add in Smash material to the characters regardless of the source material that character has from his/her origin series. Think of it as this:

Source material:
-Ridley is approx. 12 feet tall
-Wario’s iconic Shoulder Bash in Wario Land games
-Samus’s (Zero Suit) only weapon usage is the Emergency Pistol

Smash material:
~the Ridley fighter is around Giga Mac or Bowser’s height
-Shoulder Ram replaced with generic punch, because Sakurai wanted to make Wario “stronger”
-ZSS can do Plasma Whip attacks and gains the Jet Boots, because Sakarai “wanted to toughen her up” (see the April 2014 Direct)

and would you mind showing me a example of Ridley “in-action”, “as a fighter”, “on a 8-player oriented stage”, “in Smash 4”? cause sound like you yourself done and played as a Ridley fighter in Smash Bros before…

From: Is Ridley too Big for Smash!?

I’d have to agree with Peridot Gem on the Super/Poison Mushroom. That raises a good point: if Ridley is bigger than any of the other characters and gets a super mushroom, he’d be even BIGGER.

The mods that I’ve seen of Ridley doesn’t seem that practical. He’s either too big, or he’s normal size and looks weird. I don’t think it’s impossible, I just haven’t seen a version that really sells the idea to me.

Mettaur

Villager, Pac-Man, and Miis were also all deemed unfit for playable status at one point by Sakurai. Sakurai not seeing a way for Ridley to work currently doesn’t mean he’ll never be able to come up with something. I’m of the opinion that with enough creativity just about any character could work in smash, while staying true to the spirit of the character.

On the issue of size in particular, its worth noting that the distinctions between the sizes of characters is already more pronounced in Smash 4 than previous games. Who’s to say this contrast won’t be pushed even further by future titles? Things that are seen as problems now might not be so down the road.

Being skeptical of how Ridley could work on account of his hurdles is reasonable. Claiming he’s a downright impossibility just because you can’t see a way for him to work seems presumptuous.

From: Is Ridley too Big for Smash!?

I agree with you on this!

haruhisailormars

I remember the Splatoon thing. I didn’t believe it because all I saw was a few users on Twitter. Whichever guy made the comment about exploding the internet should work in Nintendo’s PR department. I kind of learned my lesson with Gematsu and Rayman. Its difficult to put stock in things as much anymore.

I’ll explain why I believe Liam about that Metroid pitch in detail but I don’t want you guys to think I am copying you here. You’ll be very aware I have been planning this for some time but doing it now interferes with my set up on YouTube. That is why I didn’t cover it yet.

I have foreshadowed everything I’m working on either in my videos or on my Twitter.

From: SourceCast #21 – On Rumour Reporting

Look forward to seeing your information about the Metroid pitch. I’ll be sure to forward whatever information you have to Liam.

MagcargoMan

And after all that procrastination I’ve finally started to continue reading and commenting on the rest of these articles. Continuing from where we left off:

DONKEY KONG series:
– King K. Rool is my most wanted Smash character of all-time. I’d be completely ecstatic if he made it in. I think he wouldn’t just be any ordinary heavyweight, with a lot of projectiles to use between his crown toss, cannonballs and gasses that effect you in different ways. I disagree with the notion that’d be slow in the air; the games depict him as unusually agile for someone so large and heavy, so I imagine he’d move in the air more like Wario does. That fact that he’d be fast and a good jumper would also make him stand out from the other heavyweights.
– Dixie Kong is definitely an important and deserving DK character, although if DK was only to get one newcomer I’d much prefer K. Rool be in over her, due to Dixie being a bit bland with not much to work with besides her hair.
– Cranky Kong would be pretty fun (I still love how they actually made him playable in Tropical Freeze) and you could do some neat things with the cane, but again, like Dixie I don’t think there’s too much to work with without being a little bland. While I’d probably prefer him to Dixie, I don’t think it’d be right if he got in over her or K. Rool.
– Lord Fredrik is cool (no pun intended) and you could definitely do some neat things with his horn and some ice powers utilised differently from how the Ice Climbers use their’s, but at the moment he is a one-off villain, so it’d wouldn’t be fair if he got in over the more recurring DK characters.
– Dixie & Kiddy is an idea I’ve thought about before. While I think it was really stupid that Diddy was originally planned to be a tag-team with Dixie (he’s a big enough character to stand on his own), pairing another character with Dixie would make a lot more sense since every DK platformer she is playable in has partners (Diddy could be on his own in 64). While I think Dixie is important enough to stand on her own as a character, I think pairing her with Kiddy would make up for how she hasn’t got much to work with. Plus Kiddy has never been on his own so it’d make sense if he was tagged with another character. If any characters should be used to represent the iconic DKC trilogy tag-team system it’s these two.

In order of who I think should get in first, it’d be: King K. Rool > Dixie & Kiddy > Dixie Kong > Cranky Kong > Lord Fredrik

So if I was in charge of choosing the Donkey Kong roster in Smash, I would choose Donkey Kong, Diddy Kong and King K. Rool. It may seem weird that I only have three and while I do think DK is big enough to warrant four characters, I think I’d only add one in the next game so there can be room for some other series to also get much needed characters. But if I had four characters I’d definitely have Dixie (with or without Kiddy). I think K. Rool should get in over Dixie because he has more demand, and is more unique visually and in moveset potential. I am a huge fan of the DKC games, so I’d love to see this series get the love it deserves. It really feels as if Sakurai doesn’t care about it (unlike Ridley I don’t think he’s even talked about K. Rool before).

Also it’d never happen, but since you had Lord Fredrik on there I just thought of what kind of ideas you could do for a hypothetical Tiki Tak Tribe character (most likely the Kalimba Tiki). Attacking with music notes and hypnotism?

And next is Kirby. I think the reason Kirby didn’t get a newcomer is because all the vital Kirby characters are present, so any characters afterwards are pretty superfluous. I think it’s okay that it didn’t get a newcomer in Smash 4, but it definitely should get one next time around.

KIRBY series:
– I’ve always found Bandana Waddle Dee to be a very boring choice. I felt he was thrown in Return to Dream Land because they desperate for a fourth character, like how New Super Mario Bros. Wii had random Blue and Yellow Toads as playable characters. I think his moveset would be pretty bland, but he is a recurring character at least.
– I know Galacta Knight would be very different from Meta Knight, but I kinda don’t like the idea of a thematically and similar-looking character being the next Kirby rep. Galacta Knight is meant to be a very powerful character (hence his bonus boss status in all his appearances), and I don’t think you’d be able to convey that if he was playable. He does have a lot of unique attacks though, like the energy pillars and energy swords that rebound off surfaces (not to mention he wields a lance with nobody else in Smash does), and would definitely be the most interesting newcomer out of the options on this list.
– Prince Fluff could do some neat things with the abilities present in Kirby’s Epic Yarn, but he is a one-off character. He’s definitely a better choice than Yarn Kirby (who I have seen people suggest) since he’d do the same thing but represent another character instead. If Epic Yarn was it’s own thing starring Prince Fluff like it was originally intended he’d probably have a bit more of a chance.
– Magolor I’ve always felt was one of those characters people only requested because he was recent (like Ghirahim). He’s a one-off (reformed) villain and I don’t think he even has any powers without transforming with the Master Crown, so really people are asking for his form with the crown.

So the order I’d place these guys in would be: Galacta Knight > Bandana Waddle Dee > Prince Fluff > Magolor

As for what I’d do with the Kirby roster? Well for a change the newcomer I’d choose wouldn’t be any of the characters provided by this list. My character choices would be Kirby, King Dedede, Meta Knight and… Dark Matter. Why Dark Matter? Because he is the most recurring Kirby villain after Dedede (who isn’t even a villain anymore) and represents the Dark Matter Trilogy (Dream Land 2, Dream Land 3 and Kirby 64). He stands out from the other Kirby characters and has a lot of moveset potential with his blade, lightning, dark energy, homing orbs, and even his ability to possess others, so he’d be a pretty unique addition. Nothing majorly changed about the original three except give Kirby his old Hammer special back and bring back Giant Hammer Swing for it’s mid-air version, and bring back Waddle Dee Toss (Gordo Throw can be a custom special) and Waddle Dee Army for King Dedede.

Also while she’d be another one-off villain (hence I’d prefer Dark Matter), I think Queen Sectonia has a lot to work with, using her rapiers, magic staffs, teleporting and metal rings. I wouldn’t really add her though for the whole recent one-off character thing that Prince Fluff and Magolor also have holding them back,

Really though, I don’t think we’ll see any of these characters since Sakurai doesn’t have an interest in Kirby games he didn’t make (I know Bandana Dee was in Super Star but he wasn’t used the same way as in later games).

From: Potential Characters for the Next Smash Roster [Part 2]

MagcargoMan, you should rework these comments into a guest post so more people will see it! Message me on Twitter if you are interested.

SmashChu

Hey, I’m glad you liked it,

When I write one of these sales articles, I kind of have this tier to sales sources, from best to worst,
1)Nintendo’s offical releases
2)Sales trackers (such as NPD)
3) VGChartz

VGchartz has a methodology to their analysis. I have asked them for more information on it and if it was ever validated/audited, but they have never responded. It’s not the best sources, but usually when we are looking at older games and ones that didn’t sell huge numbers, offical sources are harder to come by. I try to, when possible, validate their numbers to other sources. I did this for the Fire Emblem analysis.

I knew of Celine’s number before this. We have reached out to her (or him) to get the sources of the data, but they never provided it. Unfortunatly, I don’t have a NeoGAF account, so I’ve had to have other members try to get the information for me. I may reach out again in the future.

Since we don’t have support for their numbers, its hard to rely on them. I’m sure the numbers are right, but its hard to say they are correct without any support. So while the numbers are fine for you guys, it doesn’t work for us. This is why sometimes we have to rely on VGhartz more than we’d like to.

I didn’t use Japanese sales for this article (from Famitsu) because it wouldn’t support the anaysis. Outside of the first game, there wasn’t much need to include them. There was also a time issue as these take forever to right.

I hope that answered your concerns. Yeah, I’m with you that VGChartz isn’t the best. If we ever got more on their methodology or got some kind of validation, then I’d be much happier with their numbers.

From: Series Analysis: Metroid

Here’s SmashChu’s response to last week’s featured comments!

ze

oh, come on, he can obviously work, this video shuts every naysayer up:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y9H9se_xhR8

looks fine both as a smash fighter and as a portrayal of ridley to me (actually it feels much more like ridley than whatever that thing floating around in pyrosphere in smash 4 is).
it’s just that sakurai wouldn’t like something like this for ridley, or he thinks smash has other priorities. like more fire emblem characters. it’s legitimate, but he really should think about again and finally make the ridley/metroid fans happy. nobody cares about that half-assed stage hazard.

From: Is Ridley too Big for Smash!?

I need to agree with Etika on this (warning: language). The quality is up there, but the mod still makes Ridley look too big.

Peridot Gem

Good for you then, I’d rather stick to Sm4sh’s roster with legends like Cloud Strife. Thanks.

Yes it does relate to Ridley, Ice Climbers wouldn’t work and Sakurai’s not going to spend all development trying to make them work. Same case for Ridley, he’s a mess and he fails to be put together in a way that preserves everything about him. It’s a trash mod that fails to balance for Ridley and still work as an actual legit balanced Smash Bros character. I don’t want to hear any of your excuses. I’ll repeat it: Those mods fail to balance and set a terrible example. So they’re automatically terrible if you try to use them to support Ridley’s ground. That’s way too much of a juggle to:

1. Get him in a size that’s directly in the middle that keeps him threatening, and balanced but not too big or too small.
2. Not have him stick out like a sore thumb like pretty much all the mods failed to do.
3. Preserve everything and keep him Ridley and at his best.
4. Keep the proportion scale looking clean so it doesn’t contradict a lot of set up stuff.
5. Get that all done without taking too much time.

Yeaaaah I don’t think so.

I’m saying both he can’t and won’t so I’m not agreeing with you. But hey whatever floats your boat delusionist lmao.

His body portions are too awkward and it would take way too long for even a chance to get him working. Oh please, stop trying to take pathetic jabs at the swordsmen it makes you look even more pathetic like the others, they have nothing to do with your precious Ridley you fanbrat.

12-14 characters using swords out of a 58 character roster? What a joke. You will not get a badass space dragon if Sakurai sacrificed a lot more than you think. You would get nothing but a half-baked lizard JOKE. Sakurai is not going to contradict a lot of stuff just for Ridley. No matter how much you beg and cry.

From: Is Ridley too Big for Smash!?

It’d be difficult to balance all five of the points you listed. The PM mod gives Ridley way too much air mobility. In a game about knocking fighters off the stage, it makes Ridley OP, by default. Then if you don’t give him good air mobility, he suddenly looses what made him Ridley in the first place. I think it’s possible, but it’s just going to take way too much time to fine tune it to a point where he doesn’t stick out.

Spiral

Well, this certainly has been a trip, seeing this side of Wario in comparison to how he is in the west. So much talk about poop… even some questions that had nothing to do with poop were still brought back to poop!

From: Ask Wario: From Wario Land 4’s Japanese Website [Part 3]

Yeah, I was surprised too. “Really? You are going to bring poop up with THAT!?”

Spiral

I totally missed out the chance to participate in this game club, but I’ll sum up my experience with the games here:

Pikmin 1 was the game I started with, and I don’t remember having the most stellar of starts with it. My brother and I took turns playing it, but we only had something like 6 or 7 pieces of the ship by day 10, at which point my brother gave up on the game. I eventually gave it another shot on a fresh save and managed to do much better, eventually beating it. Unfortunately, I can’t remember too much of my experiences with the game.

Pikmin 2 followed, and I loved the heck out of that one too. The lack of a timer meant I had more freedom to explore and experiment with different kinds of Pikmin and go through the game at my own pace. Being able to control two captains was a great bonus, making multi-tasking a lot more feasible. Challenge Mode was also fun since I’m a fan of co-op, though I don’t remember the battle mode being very balanced. It did give me an idea for what a competitive RTS Pikmin game would look like, but that’s for another day. The caves were a great idea to add to the challenge and give more excuse to fight monsters, but I often remember being scared of them (I’m sorta nyctophobic, and they’re pretty dark before you get the Stellar Orb). Actually, I remember a lot of moments that scared me in this game, as a lot of enemies pop up out of nowhere (can anyone say Water Wraith?). A very memorable moment was when I went back to the Perplexing Pool late in the game and a Beady Long Legs showed up right outside the landing site. I actually screamed and threw my controller -_-

Pikmin 3 was a great sequel, and a game I’d play again in a heartbeat. I had the controller throughout the game this time around, but my brother still helped micro-manage the other captains through the tablet. The bosses were epic and Winged Pikmin were a nice change of pace, though Rock Pikmin felt like Purple Pikmin that could grab enemies. In general, I don’t have much to add on this one, it was just an overall solid game (I’ve yet to try out the multiplayer modes though).

From: Game Club #3 Roundup — Pikmin

And now for a Pikmin comment 🙂

chozoboy

Any chance that you would mind shanring a scan of the Samus card, PD?

From: Melee Merchandise in Japan

I just need to remember to scan it! It’ll be up someday! I don’t want the wonderful art to be lost to time.

Mettaur

This is an absolute beauty, the recent Smashified characters have really been fantastic.

Sadly I don’t think Vaati has much of a chance as things stand. He’s one of the few recurring villains in the Zelda series, but he hasn’t appeared in a game for a good while now and it is worth nothing that the games he did appear in were all either spin-offs or developed by Capcom. With both a lack of current relevance and a (seeming) lack of strong demand Vaati’s chances don’t look to bright at the moment.

On a personal note, I really feel recurring Zelda characters should be prioritized for playability over one-offs who are unlikely to have much future in the series. This would put Vaati higher up on my list than the likes of Midna or Ghirahim, however I’d still rather see characters with a bit more relevance to the series like Impa. and our lord and savior Tingle of course.

From: Vaati Has Been Smashified!

Vaati does look amazing, the Smashified team has done very well!

I agree with you. Vaati hasn’t had recent appearances. I thought he would have had a good shot in getting in the HWL DLC as it was focused on handheld Zeldas, but the team decided against him. If he was brought back, I could see him coming back in Smash, but until then I think his chances are unlikely. I also think Impa is unlikely as she has only very recently been really highlighted in the stories. Tingle needs more love!

ze

When have I ever said I want him to be removed? I don’t agree with all of his decisions, but he’s the father of Smash and he does a good job overall. Yeah we can’t predict him 100%, but take a look at my list: Ridley, K.Rool, Dixie Kong, Toad, Skull Kid, Porky, Paper Mario, Banjo-Kazooie, Bomberman. Some would have already been in for a long time if he wanted, some well are just impossible regardless of Sakurai. Like Banjo :'(
Man, you’re still taking this so damn seriously. Delusionist??? About fucking what, lol.

And yeah I know Ridley’s extremely unlikely. Do I have to change my opinion because of that?
About the mod, you’re basically saying “shut up I can’t hear you lalalalalala” without giving me actual reasons about why it is that it is so terrible. Is it because it contradicts the character somehow? Is it because the moveset is overpowered? Is it because of the long combos (that everyone in Project M can do?). What exactly does it do so wrong?
I mean, if you’re so dead set about your opinion at least explain yourself. Even if I may not agree, I’ll at least see your argument.

BTW, it’s not about fighting styles like swords vs fists, but more about “character styles”. like, take ness, bowser, mr. game & watch and jigglypuff, and then take marth, robin, shulk and corrin and tell me where there’s more visual variety. i don’t like having so many visually similar characters in a series where up until last entry everyone felt immediately super-dinstinct, even if they all have different movesets. just to clarify my stance.

From: Is Ridley too Big for Smash!?

Let me tackle the list one by one:

Ridley – size issues
Dixie Kong – Lacking a unique gimmick? Originally envisioned as a part of Diddy’s moveset
Toad – Lacking a moveset?
Skull Kid – As much as I love Majora’s Mask, I don’t see Skull Kid joining the roster as a fighter.
Porky – If Earthbound was making new games…sure.
Paper Mario – I think Paper Mario is likely, but people often are against him because of the “too many Mario” argument.
Banjo-Kazooie – copyright issues.
Bomberman – Konami issues?

Just because it works in Project M (which doesn’t align with Sakurai’s idea of ‘balancing’) doesn’t mean it’ll carry over in regular Smash.

Smash44

Congratulations!

From: Our 500th Post!

Thanks! We are almost at 1,000 now! This will be the 916th article.

MeToo

Are you aware that the orchestral CD was available in North America from Nintendo Power as “Smashing…Live!”?

From: Melee Merchandise in Japan

Will add that information to the post. Was just trying to detail the merchandise available in Japan!

p489

I wanna try and find the badges. The only one I could find on eBay was Link, and it was $35!!! Anyone mind helping me out?

From: Melee Merchandise in Japan

Good luck :(. Best advice for buying goods: be patient!

 

11 comments
  1. I coded a game of Hangman in Visual Basic and C#. Does that count?

    haruhisailormars on October 17 |
  2. Thanks for the mention.

    Peridot Gem on October 17 |
  3. I would contest the idea presented by MagcargoMan that Waddle Dee isn’t the most suitable Kirby rep to add at this point. You can certainly argue his inclusion in Return to Dreamland was just because they needed a fourth character, but its a lot harder to make that argument for his inclusion in the Kirby amiibo line. There was no quota they had to hit, Splatoon was perfectly fine only having three amiibo for its first wave, yet with Kirby they went the extra mile to include Waddle Dee. Clearly Nintendo sees value in the character.

    While the Bandanna wearing variant has only recently begun taking center stage in the games, Waddle Dees have been a pivotal part of the Kirby series since the start. Captain Toad has received considerable support despite his recentness as he works as a proxy for Toads in general. People gravitate towards Bandanna Dee for a similar reason, he’s a Waddle Dee that has been given its own identity and elevated in importance.

    In terms of moveset potential, yeah there isn’t that much there if you only look at his use of the Spear ability in Return to Dreamland (though a spear user would still be a first for smash), however if we look instead at the abilities displayed by Waddle Dees in general there’s a lot more to pull from. Waddle Dee’s have utilized parasols, ropes, bows, minecarts, axes, mechanical walkers, and several other tools and weapons in their many appearances. I see no reason Bandanna Dee couldn’t pull from those as well.

    I’d love to see Dark Matter and their recent cameos in games like Mass Attack and Planet Robobot even give them some current relevance, however I just don’t think they’re recognizable enough to be feasible. Kirby juggles its cast around too much for many characters outside of the main three to leave much of an impact, however Waddle Dee has absolutely proven to be iconic in his own right. His demand for smash outpacing every other potential Kirby rep by a considerable margin is proof of this.

    —————————————–

    Regarding PushDustIn’s thoughts in Impa, even if you only consider her SS appearance substantial, plot importance in one game and appearances in 4 more (not inducing spin-offs) still puts her ahead of the vast majority of the Zelda cast. I’d say her bigger problem is a lack of consistent identity. Imap’s depiction differs from game to game perhaps more so than any other recurring Zelda character, which could make it hard to nail down what exactly her character is about and how she should translate to Smash.

    Mettaur on October 17 |
    • I didn’t really say he wasn’t the most suitable, just that I feel he’d be rather bland. I do believe that when Kirby eventually gets a fourth rep, it will be him. I just don’t find him that exciting. It’s true that Waddle Dees are an important part of Kirby, given how much they are used in merchandise and promo material like the Kirby Cafe. I will point out though that they went with a generic Waddle Dee instead of Bandana Dee for the amiibo.

      As for Captain Toad, I’d have to say it’s not really the same. The Toad is a character (like how there’s Yoshi the character, and Yoshi the species), and he’s been around for 30 years with major roles in some of them like Super Mario Bros. 2 and Wario’s Woods. I don’t think it’s fair to cast him aside for Captain Toad, who doesn’t have that legacy.

      MagcargoMan on October 18 |
      • That’s the thing though, I think vanilla Waddle Dee and Bandanna Dee are basically interchangeable. Bandanna Dee is simply referred to as Waddle Dee in some games and he isn’t even the first instance of a singular Waddle Dee being elevated to a main character (Kirby 64). More than anything the Bandanna seems to be there just to differentiate the important Waddle Dee from the generic ones. Bandanna Dee isn’t so much a new character as an updated take on an old one.

        Captain Toad for all intents and purposes is likewise interchangeable with THE Toad and effectively servers the same role, being a Toad elevated in importance. The only real change is he’s now been given a title and an altered appearance to make him more distinct from normal Toads, whereas prior to this the character Toad tended to look identical to his generic counterpart. Toad is a bit weird though in that some games have multiple Toads named Toad filling main character roles (like 3D World). Still, you wouldn’t so much be casting aside the character Toad for Captain Toad as using the most recent iteration of the character Toad which happens to be Captain Toad.

        Mettaur on October 18 |
        • The Toad and Captain Toad are actually separate characters according to Treasure Tracker’s producer: https://miiverse.nintendo.net/replies/AYMHAAACAAADVHhqTRtYFw

          “By the way, Captain Toad is actually not the same Toad as the Toad who’s playable in games like Super Mario Bros. 2 and Wario’s Woods”.

          The whole Toad having the same name and look as others of his species is a bit annoying, but they do the same thing with Yoshi. There’s other Green Yoshis besides the main one.

          MagcargoMan on October 18 |
          • Well I guess I’ll have to concede that point. Still, if you were to ask me to list games where Toad is playable I think I’d absolutely include Treasure Trackers. Maybe that’s just because I don’t put much stock it what passes for lore in the Mario series. I guess it just seems weird to me to bother having a distinction between two characters who are incredibly similar in a franchise that has never had a major focus on story or continuity. I wouldn’t say Yoshi is exactly equivalent as I don’t believe there are any other Yoshi who have actually been named Yoshi, possibly baring the one in TTYD but that’s ultimately up to the player.

            Which isn’t to undermine your argument, you’re absolutely correct. Those are just my feelings on the matter.

            Mettaur on October 19 |
          • That’s okay. I find it annoying that they went and made another Toad character who’s pretty much just Toad too.

            As for Yoshi, and this is pretty debatable, maybe the green Yoshi from Yoshi’s Island is not The Yoshi. Because unless Yoshi’s actually in his 40s, that wouldn’t really make sense if it was the same Yoshi back then when Mario was a baby. There is one bit of solid evidence I have to this theory though; in Yoshi’s Island DS, at the end of the credits they talk about the seven star children, but only mention six, and ask who is the last one. It cuts to a Yoshi Egg hatching with a green Yoshi inside. I highly doubt they’d just make any random Yoshi that, since all the other star children are major Mario characters.

            MagcargoMan on October 20 |
  4. Ridley’s been getting a lot of talk lately. All the “too big” arguments have lately been making me think of a scene in Big Fish, one of my favorite movies.

    The protagonist, in one of his exaggerated retellings of an account of his own life, decides to meet with a giant man the other townsfolk are afraid of. The giant man feels sad that everyone thinks he’s too big, so the protagonist says to him:

    “Did you ever think that maybe you’re not too big, but maybe this town is just too small?”

    This gives the giant a positive outlook on himself, and he leaves the town in search of a better place where his hugeness is appreciated.

    As for how this is relevant to Ridley, aside from a very similar choice of words in the scene, I think that maybe if the stages were a little bigger and maybe the regular- and small-sized characters faster to compensate, then maybe Ridley wouldn’t look too out of place or something.

    But yeah, as others have pointed out, you just need to have the right imagination to get Ridley to work. Time will tell if Sakurai ever changes his mind about him.

    EdgeTheLucas on October 17 |
  5. Oh my, I didn’t realize how old the 500th post article was. :0
    Ah well, I will time it right with the 1000th post. ^-^

    Smash44 on October 17 |
  6. I didn’t expect my comment about poop to get featured D:
    For real though, those were really interesting articles. I know you referenced them before in the “Why does Wario Fart?” articles, so getting the chance to see the rest was a treat… a gross treat, but a treat nonetheless.

    Spiral on October 20 |