The fifth day of tryouts begins!
In March of 2006, I began the process of evaluating Nintendo characters to see who would make the cut into the game that was then known as Super Smash Bros. Revolution. Since then, the Wii has been released and two trailers for the game has been shown. We have received a lot of information, but not a final roster list. While this information is rumoured to arrive before the fall “˜07 release, it is not fast enough for me.
The tryouts will involve the evaluation of Nintendo characters - old and new - for their compatibility with Super Smash Bros. Brawl. Old characters may be discarded; new ones may come out of unexpected places. It is time to resume the tryouts.
Step inside to see the evaluations of 10 new characters from some of Nintendo’s newest franchises.
Note: This post contains an absurd amount of images. Not recommended for people on dial-up.
The Tryouts “˜07
Day One - Day Two - Day Three - Day Four - Day Five - Final Roster
The Rejects
If you have not played Balloon Fighter against a friend, then you have never truly lived. The original NES game was bold, exciting, and crazy. As a Balloon Fighter, you would flap your stubby arms and fly around the screen trying to pop other balloon fighters (seemingly with beak masks).While the character may sound like a bland addition to the Super Smash Bros. lineup, you have acknowledge that there is some potential. Most of this potential is drawn from the Gameboy platforming adventure, Balloon Kid, as well as a few creative liberties involving balloons themselves.Now, strictly speaking, Balloon Fighter’s physical attacks will involve his fists. When you float around for hours at a time flapping your arms to move, you have to be completely beefed up. There is simply no way around it. The Balloon Fighter must look like Popeye when you see him up close.
For his special abilities, he would employ balloons in all the uses that you can imagine. Press and hold B and the Balloon Fighter pulls out a bazooka that fires water balloons at an opponent. Press B and a direction, and the Balloon Fighter will smash you in the face with some sort of “balloon” weapon. Press B and down to fill up a water balloon which can be thrown like one of Links bombs. Press B and down in the air to have the Balloon Fighter hover momentarily on a large balloon, before it pops. Press B and up to deploy the traditional two balloons of the Balloon Fighter, allowing him to fly freely for a moment (like Kirby).
Overall, the Balloon Fighter has the potential to have some unique and comical abilities. But, he is not nearly as well established as other characters, having been absent from the gaming scene since the eighties when Balloon Fighter debuted. He may be a quirky character, but I think the game designers would prefer something with a bit more substance.
Compatibility:
_
The Balloon Fighter could be formed into a solid Smash Bros. character, but it would take a lot of work to make him someone likeable._
Likelihood:
The Balloon Fighter is not the most famous character from Nintendo’s classic lineup. There is no doubt that there are people more deserving of the position than him.
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One of the Super Nintendo games that operated with the Super Scope light gun peripheral, Battle Clash was a game about Standing Tanks and their pilots competing to become the winner of the Battle Game. At the start of the game, a ruthless pilot named Anubis has taken over the world with his Standing Tank Thanatos. He killed many people along the way.
Mike Anderson is also a Standing Tank pilot, operating the ST Falcon. His father was killed in Anubis quest for power, and so Mike Anderson pilots the ST Falcon to participate in the Battle Game and avenge his father’s death.
Including Mike Anderson and the ST Falcon into Super Smash Bros. Brawl would be no easy task, considering the vehicle is fairly large in size. The option does exist to simply have Mike Anderson with moves inspired by the ST Falcon - in the same way that Fox and Captain Falcon have moves inspired by their vehicles - but it seems to me that it would be much more satisfying to actually pilot the Standing Tank in-game.
The only problem lies within the melee attacks. You can add in any type of ordinance that you wish to be fired out of the ST Falcon. Missiles, large rockets, heat seeking missiles, lasers, pellets, or children for all I care. But it is the hand-to-hand combat that would be most difficult to implement. The ST Falcon would be a slow, large character, like Bowser or Donkey Kong. But, he would excel in range attacks like Samus Aran. This creates a bit of a character inbalance that I have been unable to reconcile.
All of this is irrelevant though, since Mike Anderson and the ST Falcon faded into relative obscurity after the waning popularity of the Super Scope. The sequel to Battle Clash was not well-received, and Mike Anderson has not been seen nor heard from since.
Compatibility:
The ST Falcon would have a superb arsenal of range attacks, but would be lacking when the battle got up close and personal. Also, the slow speed of a large character would make dodging difficult, and speed is a key element of characters who focus on range attacks (Samus, Fox, etc).
Likelihood:
_The ST Falcon and Michael Anderson have never truly been that popular. And since there has been no attempt to revitalize the franchise, it seems things will stay that way. Besides this, there is better potential for a mech character who could be used in Super Smash Bros. Brawl.
_
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Another character from a different era, Bubbles is the female (apparently), crab…thing that you play as in the extremely difficult NES game Clu Clu Land. Or, at least I find it extremely difficult. The objective of Clu Clu Land is to unearth Gold Ingots. In each level, there is an image formed by Gold Ingots that are not visible in the stage, and you have to uncover the image to progress. But it is not that easy. Spinning around the stage are sea urchins who can pop Bubbles. And while she can blast them away with some sort of sonic wave, there is one factor that makes avoiding them difficult.
The control scheme. Bubbles does not walk. Instead, she grabs onto pegs that cover the level in a grid. After you indicate which of her hands she should reach out, Bubbles latches onto a peg and will spin around it until you let go. Through this method, you have to time your movements carefully. Release to early, and you may head the wrong way. Release to late, and you will have loop back around. Any major screw-ups can land you in a face-to-face confrontation with an urchin, which never ends well.
At first, I was not convinced that Bubbles could be a cool character in Super Smash Bros., but then I read a moveset developed by someone else that I found quite intriguing. It involves extrapolating on both the oceanic origins of the character, but also on the nature of her movements. By including the peg as a weapon of sorts, Bubbles can have a really fleshed out moveset. B would use her sonic wave. B and a direction could have her stick her pole into the ground and spin around (like Mario’s Tornado spin). B and up could be an interesting recovery jump/attack like Pikachu’s Quick Attack. If time correctly, Bubbles would do three acrobatic, Prince of Persia-esque poll jumps, allowing her to get back to the stage safely. Anyone nearby while she does this spins would get hit. Pressing Down and B would be a risky shield attack inspired by the whirlpool hole in Clu Clu Land. It would block energy projectiles, but not physical projectiles. Also, if anyone is caught in the limited range of the attack, it would sap health from them to transfer to Bubbles. Of course, this would be extremely risky, and you’d have to be quite good at it, like Ness’ similar attack.
Bubbles - however - is a character who has not appeared since her conception. Clu Clu Land, despite being incredibly fun and incredibly addictive, never really caught on enough to warrant a Super Nintendo iteration. However, Nintendo has not forgotten about Bubbles entirely. Not only was she featured as a trophy in Super Smash Bros. Melee, she was also an unlockable character in DK: King of Swing for the Game Boy Advance. With the highest stats available, she was one of the best playable characters. Her style of gameplay lives on in DK: King of Swing, and Nintendo has shown that they still remember her.
Is she worthy?
Compatibility:
Using Bubbles in Super Smash Bros. Brawl would provide a light-weight, acrobatic character whose moves function on swinging, spinning, and flipping with that pole (peg) of hers. The innovative playstyle would certainly make Bubbles worth including.
Likelihood:
Bubbles has had more exposure in recent years than many of these other NES classic characters. As a result of this exposure, she seems to have garnered a fair bit of popularity as well. Plus, she is a female character, and they seem to want to add more of those in to give female gamers more characters to play as.
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From the Custom Robo series, Ray 01 is one of the basic fighting machines, called Robos, which can be used in-game. Ray 01 was developed as a secret government project, until he was stolen and eventually wound up in the hands of a group of bounty hunters known as the ‘Steel Hearts’. Ray 01 joins forces with the Steel Hearts in an effort to stop the threat of the robot-demon fusion Rahu, who threatens society.
Custom Robo is a futuristic action game where players customize their own miniature robot fighters for combat in the Holosseum. While this immediately begins to sounds like one of those corny Battle B’Daman or Beyblade shows, it is quite different. Players can customize their battling robots with guns, bombs, and pods in order to gain and advantage against other combatants.
Ray 01 is the candidate who would be superior in a voting match against the ST Falcon. Since Ray 01 is completely customizable in his native game, they developers of Super Smash Bros. Brawl can choose to equip the Robo with any ordinance and armor that they can envision, as long as it fits within the realm of Custom Robo science fiction. The only downside is - again - with the physical attacks, although this is easier to work around with Ray 01 (a fast-moving robot fighter), than the ST Falcon (a giant walking tank).
More than that, Ray 01 is still a popular character, whereas Mike Anderson and the ST Falcon have fallen from grace since the death of the Super Nintendo system. Custom Robo lives on, with a new title recently released for the Nintendo DS.
Compatibility:
Ray 01 would have a wide range of attacks at his disposal, and since he is a smaller and more agile fighter than the ST Falcon, it would be easier to incorporate basic movement, jumps, and physical attacks into his arsenal.
Likelihood:
Ray 01 definitely appears to be a strong contender for character selection in Super Smash Bros. Brawl. His popularity fluctuates wildly, but he is still fairly well-known, and well-liked.
Images:
Mike Jones is visiting his uncle, Dr. Steve Jones, on C-Island for some quality family time when…his uncle is abducted by aliens and Mike - using an island yo-yo - must come to his aid. In the crazy adventure that follows, Mike travels in a submarine with the robot NAV-COM (who looks suspiciously like R.O.B.) on a journey across the tropics to uncover a sinister alien conspiracy. Throughout the game, Mike accumulates bizarre weapons ranging from baseball bats to laser guns. He also rescues a baby dolphin and returns it to its mother, and is forced to dress up as a female in order to infiltrate a town populated entirely by women. His adventures eventually lead him to a face off with Zoda, a sinister alien invader who resembles the xenomorph from the Aliens movies (read: a blatant rip-off of the xenomorph…).
As far as anyone in North America knew, Mike Jones was the original Ness. He fought with baseball bats, yo-yos, and other similar abilities. Although the game Mother was released in 1989, no game from that series got here until the Super Nintendo era.
Of course, the problem with Mike Jones being the original Ness-style character in North America is that Ness is the original Ness-style character in Super Smash Bros. If you tried to include Mike Jones in Super Smash Bros. Brawl, all you would have is a Ness character without the fancy psychic abilities. Not a very fun character. People still seem to think it is a good idea. As much as I like Mike Jones, I’m sorry man. That ship has sailed. Go fight Zoda again on a next-generation console, and we will talk.
Compatibility:
Mike Jones would make a mediocre character. He is Ness without the psychic powers, making him extremely boring.
Likelihood:
Since Ness already exists, it seems pointless to have a copy of Ness that is robbed of all of Ness’ cool powers. It would be a waste of space on the roster.
Images:
Little Mac is a rookie boxer who works his way through several boxing circuits in order to become the champion of the WVBA (World Video Boxing Association). With his coach Doc Louis, Little Mac would train and bring down even the mightiest of titans, match after match, until he came face to face with Mike Tyson (read: Mr. Dream) for a final showdown. His quick jabs, and his explosive uppercuts would eventually lead him to triumph against all odds, and claim the title of WVBA World Champion.
If there is any classic character suited for Super Smash Bros. Brawl, it has to be Little Mac. Although it is obvious that no Punch-Out!! game has been released in over a decade, Little Mac has retained his popularity. He has appeared in Electronic Art’s Fight Night: Round 2 as an unlockable fighter, several Punch-Out!! characters have appeared in Warioware games, Wii Boxing is just begging to have Punch-Out!! characters dropped into it, and - finally - Punch-Out!! has just been re-released on the Nintendo Virtual Console. A sign of things to come? Perhaps.
If Little Mac was a playable character, he would have no projectile attacks (like Marth and Roy) which would force him to rely on his quick jabs, hooks and uppercuts to keep him in the game. Developers could take some creative liberties with his dodging abilities, and perhaps give him a one-two punch that allows him to hit an opponent, “dash” to the opposite side for another one-two punch. Since Little Mac is a boxing character, all of his fighting would have to be done with his fists. Even his third jump would have to involve some sort of punch (likely, his uppercut). While the lack of projectiles would make it difficult for Little Mac to compete with fighters like Link and Samus, it seems likely that changes could be made to the characters overall design to compensate for these shortcomings.
Compatibility:
Little Mac could easily fit into a game like Super Smash Bros. Brawl, although a host of creative changes would have to be made to his character to ensure he has a diverse move set.
Likelihood:
Little Mac has always remained a popular Nintendo character, despite the fact that he has not been in a Nintendo game since 1994. The development of boxing mechanics for the Wii, as well as the recent re-release of Punch-Out!! on the Virtual Console makes me suspect that we will see Little Mac as a playable character in the fall.
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Many evenings of my childhood were spent hunting ducks with my brother, with our trusty hunting dog, Dog. However, while Dog was an efficient retriever, and incredibly stealthy, he was a bit of a douchebag. For example, if I took out my gun and happened to miss one of the ducks, that cocky little bastard would pop out of his hiding place and laugh at me. Oh, how many times did I wish I could unleash the power of the Zapper and smite that smug little bastard. But, alas, Nintendo is a family-friendly company.
Even though the Dog has never been a playable character, many people think that he should be incorporated into Super Smash Bros. Brawl. And I wont lie to you. The idea is intriguing. While his moveset would have to be made up from scratch, they could incorporate a lot of features from Duck Hunt into the mix. Dog could hurl clay discus at enemies, or even pull out the Zapper on them. And his taunt. Well, that one is a bit of a given. The most interesting thing I can think of for Dog would be for his Super Smash Attack (those elaborate attacks we’ve all seen in the trailers). I was thinking that, when he uses it, a patch of grass grows behind him and he leaps into it (a la Duck Hunt). Then, the Wiimote of the player using Dog turns into a pointer on screen, allowing you to shoot at your enemies Duck Hunt-style for extra damage. I can also see his third jump somehow flying back to safety on a gigantic mallard.
Compatibility:
The concept for the character is interesting. He could certainly be Brawl’s gimmick character, like Mr. Game and Watch was to Melee. The only question is, will it happen?
Likelihood:
I like to think that Nintendo recognizes a beloved icon when they see one. Although, Dog has lived in relative obscurity for some time now, and we have no idea when we might see another Duck Hunt title released.
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Japan-Only Candidates:
The following four candidates are all characters that have not seen a game released outside of Japan. Since the number of Japanese candidates will be limited, I skipped a lot of the boring, completely ineligible characters and bring you the best four of the whole bunch. Now you do not have to read about Japanese school girls, lame alleyway faux-samurais, and other such nonsense.
Tamagon’s game, Devil World, was never released on the NES in North America because we are shackled to a bunch of religious idiots. That is right. Devil World stars the dragon, Tamagon, who ends up in a maze surrounded by demons. At the top of the screen is the head honcho himself, who is dancing. The game is essentially Pac-Man, with one interesting difference. Well, two. The first difference is that the walls around the gameplay area move. The entire maze is much bigger than what is visible, but the walls are constantly being moved in the direction the Devil is pointing. So, if you are not careful, you can die by the hands of demons, or you can get crushed between a wall and a hard place. It is your choice.
The second difference in these games is that the fruit from Pac-Man has been substituted with religious symbols. And it was this difference that caused the game to go unreleased in North America. Crosses and Bibles provide Tamagon with the power to breath fire, and allow him to more easily defeat the demons. (As an aside, the Bible from this game was recycled as the Book of Magic for The Legend of Zelda, in the same way that Gold Ingots from Clu Clu Land became Rupees).
Should Tamagon be in Super Smash Bros. Brawl? A lot of people remember him fondly, and think that the ban on his game was uncalled for. So, is there any better way to return to form than showing up in a fighting game and breathing fire all over those who saw North America’s sweet, sweet shores? Probably not. Is it likely to happen? Also probably not. And this has nothing to do with Tamagon’s popularity. As far as fame goes, he would be a definite candidate. The problem is that the position of fire-breathing dragon has already been filled by Bowser, and possibly Baby Bowser if we are lucky. In Super Smash Bros. Brawl, there is simply not enough room for a character as uninspired as Tamagon. Furthermore, it seems that they are still reluctant to even mention him in North America. He had a trophy in Super Smash Bros. Melee that was hastily removed from the commercial release in North America because of the title of the game. No. It doesn’t look like Tamagon is destined for greater things. We will just have to be content with him appearing in Tetris DS Marathon mode for a few seconds in the background.
Compatibility:
The nature of the character would force his attacks to merely rip off Bowser. Plus, it would probably be kind of difficult to control a tiny dragon who does not even have arms. How would he throw an item? Pick it up in his mouth? Ridiculous.
Likelihood:
Even though Tamagon was designed by Shigeru Miyamoto, he does not seem like a likely participant in Super Smash Bros. Brawl. He has fans that wish him well, but he is ultimately a rip-off of Pac-Man, except he breaths fire and worships Yahweh instead of eating fruit and killing ghosts.
Images:
This character has appeared in a game called Sutte Hakkun, which was released for the Super Famicom in 1998. He resembles a cross between a blue peanut and a drinking bird, and so many people just refer to him as some sort of hummingbird. He goes around and sucks up colours through his straw-like beak, and then spits these substances into other objects to change their properties.
One interesting suggestion that I saw for this involved Hakkun sucking up other characters, but instead of spewing out their colours to change the properties of other objects, he would change colour and his body would change its properties. So, he sucks up Link. His body turns green, and the little guy grows to be the size and weight of Link. In this way, he would become similar to Kirby, except his mimicry operates in a different fashion, changing weight, speed and float as opposed to special abilities. By doing this, a player could fight as a small and light Hakkun until they take substantial damage, then suck up someone like DK to become heavier and more difficult to knock off the stage. It would certainly create an interesting element of strategy.
Despite all of this, his attacks would still be incredibly limited. Not only that, but this character has never been especially popular, having the unfortunate luck of being released at the dawn of the Nintendo 64.
Compatibility:
Has some interesting potential for attacks, but not enough to make a full-fledged character.
Likelihood:
_
He is not popular. And there has been little interest in continuing his franchise shown by Nintendo._
Images:
Demille (or Demiru) is one of the two Japanese characters that I believe should absolutely have a position in Super Smash Bros. Brawl. Demiru featured in a game called Tomato Adventure for the Game Boy Advance. The game was developed by Alpha Dream, a name you may recognize as the developers of the insanely famous Mario and Luigi RPG series for Nintendo’s portable systems.
Tomato Adventure stars Demille, an 8-year-old rabbit who hates tomatoes, who lives in the Ketchup Kingdom. Demille begins the game watching a television report that says that King Abira, ruler of the Ketchup Kingdom, has developed a device that will turn people into toys for his own amusement. But, the device needs power. It runs off of Heart Energy, and the most potent source of this energy in the Ketchup Kingdom is - apparently - Demille’s girlfriend. So, he embarks on a quest to rescue her and prevent the tyrannical tomato dictator from turning everyone and everything into toys.
This is the RPG that inspired Mario and Luigi’s gameplay style, so I have immediately fallen in love with it. I desperately wish I could read Japanese. And I also desperately wish that Lik-Sang had not been crushed underfoot by the Sony corporate machine. But this is all in the past. Tomato Adventure is a fabulous game, and the main character - Demille - would be a perfect addition to Super Smash Bros. Brawl. For his attacks, he does not harness the power of weapons or magic, but gimmicks. These peculiar devices range from a spiked yo-yo, to a giant ball with a happy-face on it. By incorporating all of these gimmicks, Demille can get an extremely balanced move set. And as far as popularity goes, while Tomato Adventure 2 does not exist, we should all keep our fingers crossed that we receive a sequel AND receive both games here in North America.
Compatibility:
_
Demille’s various gimmicks would make for an absolutely perfect move set, and the diversity and zaniness of these tactics would make him a thrill to play._
Likelihood:
Demille is pretty popular. His game is relatively new, and it resulted in the creation of Mario and Luigi: Superstar Saga. With any luck, Nintendo will realize that this is an excellent game with a quirky concept, and deserves both representation and localization here in North America.
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Stafy is a star: not just in the sense that his four marine platformer games are immensely popular, but he is quite literally a star. Stafy and his family live in the clouds, but in each Densetsu no Stafy (The Legend of Stafy) game, the young star prince falls from the sky and lands in the ocean. In the first game, he is mistaken for a starfish, and throughout the series he befriends marine animals to help him on his quest. By accident, Stafy and friends release the evil Ogura, who becomes the central antagonist for the series.
Stafy may seem to be a somewhat bland character aesthetically, and he may even remind you heavily of the Starmen from Super Mario Bros. But he is such a unique and clever character, that he stands above the rest. Well, most of the rest. Stafy, as explained earlier, is a star who fell from the sky and landed in the ocean. As a result, his powers are not entirely aquatic in theme, but related to his shape and “flight”. Stafy can hover, and most of his attacking is done by spinning to form a drill or “throwing star” type attack. The best conceivable mapping of attacks is found here.
Overall, he will make quite an impressive character. I have included a video of some gameplay here, so that you can truly appreciate the character.
Compatibility:
Stafy will quite possibly be one of the best new additions to the Super Smash Bros. Brawl line-up, as he provides a unique method of play and an entirely unique attack style. If there is any character on this retro/japanese list that makes the cut, I pray to every God conceivable that it be Stafy.
Likelihood:
The character is clever, unique, and lovable. His popularity continues to grow. He has been featured in cameos in Mario and Luigi: Superstar Saga, as well as Super Princess Peach. Also, Wario has made an appearance in one of his games (not in a cameo, as a character that you interact with for a significant period of time). If Nintendo is willing to place one of their top-tier characters in line with Stafy, I’d say he is amongst the V.I.P. characters at Nintendo. Not only that, but I REALLY want his games to be released here.
In addition, a simple change in costume can make him into his sister (a pink star) in order to make the character more appealing to girl gamers.
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There you have it. I have covered the classic NES characters and the Japanese only characters as well. The next post will cap it all off with all of the characters from 3rd party developers, and the post following that is going to break down my roster picks for Super Smash Bros. Brawl. If anyone has some suggestions that I have overlooked, please feel free to suggest them.
And don’t forget to check out the other days of the tryouts.
The Tryouts “˜07 Day One - Day Two - Day Three - Day Four - Day Five - Final Roster The Rejects