Smashmania: Third party characters... were a good idea? · 3:39pm Mar 23rd, 2018
Super Smash Bros. went from a footnote to a smash hit when Nintendo granted Masahiro Sakurai and Satoru Iwata the use Nintendo characters in the fighting game they were designing. The frantic fighter earned praise for its multiplayer-focused action and accessible controls, but its identity became rooted in the Nintendo mashup. Mario, Link, Donkey Kong, Samus, Pikachu, and more were all playable, with memorable items, stages and moves taken straight from their respective games. Super Smash Bros. Melee broadened the scope with franchises like the Japan favorite Fire Emblem and even Mr. Game & Watch from Nintendo’s first LCD handhelds.
Super Smash Bros. Brawl brought in characters like Kirby’s Meta Knight, Ike from Fire Emblem, and Pit from Kid Icarus, but everyone was thrown for a loop when Solid Snake sneaked into the fray under his trademark cardboard box. That earth-shattering “Showtime!” opened the floodgates for speculation on what other third-party characters could potentially appear in Brawl.
That speculation reached a fever pitch when Sega mascot Sonic the Hedgehog was announced. His appearance was confirmed in a tongue-in-cheek video that took shots at Mario. Sonic’s appearance was surreal for veterans of the 16-bit wars. All of Sonic’s trademark moves appeared in Brawl, from Spin Dashes to Spring Jumps to a Final Smash featuring Super Sonic. Sonic and Mario, together at last, could finally beat the crap out of each other.
Today, third-party characters are more common than ever. However, things are getting out of hands, to the point that I'm wondering if third party characters were a good idea to begin with. Let’s see...
To answer this question, let's start by defining what is a 3rd party character. For the smash Bros definition, 3rd Party Characters are non-Nintendo Characters, and the 7 guests we’ve had in the series have fulfill this criteria (Snake, Sonic, Mega man, Pac-man, Ryu, Cloud, Bayonetta).
Ever since Sonic and Snake appeared in Brawl, many people were expecting other third party characters. But..."I think I can say generally that there won't be a trend of adding a lot of third party characters. You can sort of think Mega Man as being the special case" ~Masahiro Sakurai
Q: Sakurai, why do you not add more 3rd party characters?
"...it's not my intent to arbitrarily increase the number of third-party representatives. To live up to the series standards, I can't do anything too extreme" ~Masahiro Sakurai
Is he referring to the Smash standards? Too many third parties would definitely be too extreme.
Having the creator's consent to alter the character is A MUST. Some characters simply don't translate directly into Smash. This is why Sakurai needs to have FULL CONTROL of the character but still receives consent from the original creator whenever possible.
Let's use Snake as an example. Snake would have to do things that in Smash that he normally couldn't do. In Metal Gear Solid, Snake can't Jump or do midair attacks. Moves would have to be created for him in Smash while keeping him true to his character. Both Nintendo and Konami and the approval of others are needed to make Snake in Brawl...happen. We also take into account who’s more iconic and who carries more history.
Now that you understand what is needed for a 3rd party character to appear in Smash, let me list some viewpoints against 3rd party characters inclusion in Smash.
1. Nintendo game first.
Super Smash Bros is designed to be a crossover of Nintendo fighters across their series. It is targeted for those who want a fun casual game (as much as the competitive scene wants to deny it). Besides, there are even several people stating Bayonetta, Snake, and Cloud don't belong in Smash because they don't fit in Smash Bros. And they're right to an extent. Compared to all the other characters, all the third party characters look like that outcast no one wants to be friends with. Yes, Wii Fit Trainer, Villager and the Duck Hunt Dog are odd as well but they look and feel Nintendo.
Can we say the same with the 3rd party fighters?
2. They are more difficult to develop due to 3rd party copyright and permission.
In other words, it's easier to just include a Nintendo character than a non-Nintendo one.
A lot of you may not know this, but getting 3rd party characters is difficult in Smash. Nintendo has to go through legal and copyright issues. You ever wonder why Snake did not return in Smash 4? Possibly because of 3rd party issues but in reality, no one knows the real reason.
3. They take up space that could have been used for other wanted Nintendo characters.
How many of you grumbled when Bayonetta or Ryu were announced when you wanted King K. Rool or Dixie Kong? They could have made it in if people weren't whining about adding third party characters.
Now, what do I think about this?
Well, if Soul Calibur 2 can include Link as a bonus, then I think it is fine to add 3rd party characters in Smash Bros. It adds diversity and expands on Nintendo being able to include fighters outside of its company. A more inclusive and inviting environment.
However, I do believe there needs to be a limit and a change on how YOU ALL view 3rd party characters. The breaking point for me was Cloud, because he broke the limits (no pun intended) of the chosen criteria to be in Smash. If a character who wasn't in a Nintendo console could make it, then that means everyone can.
And sadly, this is when most people are losing their minds. The majority of people want third parties in Smash, such as Shovel Knight, Shantae and Lloyd Irving. Some of them make sense, like Rayman and Bomberman, other won’t happen ever, like Sora, Geno or Banjo-Kazooie, and others are bullshit such as Goku and Shrek (I'll repeat what I said again: Do you really want to see that junk content again?)
It will help to think the 3rd party characters as "more of an exclusive perk for gaming fans, rather than a necessary facet game".
So the lot of you need to realize that 3rd party characters are like extra credit. EXTRA, not a necessity for smash bros.
If it happens, great. If the team decides to not include them anymore, don't cry over it because they are EXTRAS.
10% of the cast is already a lot of 3rd party and there are many Nintendo characters that have yet to get into Smash.
We finally reached the end of this LONG writing piece.
What are you thoughts on this? Should 3rd party characters be allowed in Smash Bros?
If so, how many should be allowed?
Huh. I never been a fan of the Brawl games but interesting .