Fair warning: This post is LONG. Topic: Secret characters. And Ness.
You guys, have you all completely forgot about the concept of secret characters? Just because a character isn't specifically profiled on the Dojo doesn't mean that they are excluded from the game. Including Zero Suit Samus (yes she is a new, playable character), we've already seen 24 characters. That's intense. Melee had 25 in comparison. Think of all the characters who were in Melee that have NO REASON AT ALL to be removed that we haven't heard a WORD of yet:
- Luigi
- Captain Falcon
- Jigglypuff
- Mewtwo
And let's not forget about the fact that some characters have already had their moves tweaked (Mario's down special move from Mario Tornado to F.L.U.D.D.), so what's stopping them from changing characters like Falco, who has a HUGE fanbase, or Ganondorf, who not only has NO REASON to be excluded, also conveniently didn't play with a GIANT SWORD in Melee? Can you say sword-based moveset? I can.
And while I'm on the subject of changing character movesets, has anyone else noticed we haven't heard ONE WORD about Zelda since her confirmation? No special moves, no Final Smash... nothing.
Here's another thing. In the chat room last night, me, Doc, and a couple others were discussing the possibility of Ness's inclusion. Doc says that Ness has a small chance, and I say Doc, are you nuts? Lucas stole all his moves, what can Ness do?
And so Doc explains to me that it's entirely possible they're making Ness closer to his EarthBound self. EarthBound's a pretty obscure game (WHY ISN'T IT OUT ON VIRTUAL CONSOLE YET, ARGH), so it's understandable if people don't know who he is, I mean I had NO CLUE who Ness was until I played SSB. Of course, I'd bet my last nickel that everyone in this thread has played SSB, or at least Melee, so I'm sure you're all familiar with Ness's attacks. But guess what?
He had almost NONE of his moves from Earthbound, in SSB. PK Fire? Paula got that, not Ness. PK Thunder? Also Paula. Guess who learns PSI Magnet in EarthBound? Here's a hint - it's not Ness.
The only move that Ness had from EarthBound is PK Flash, and the Flash from EarthBound is NOTHING like it is in Melee. In EarthBound, PK Flash randomly inflicts random status effects on one or all enemies, depending on the strength of the spell. Sound like the giant green murder shot you know from Melee? Nope. PK Flash doesn't even hurt.
In fact, the only magic that Ness can use to hurt something is PSI Rockin, his special move.
In the interest of fairness, though, it is noteworthy that Lucas did a little bit of theiving of his own, as he can't learn ANY of the moves he uses in Brawl.
So it is entirely possible that Ness is getting reworked to become a little closer to his EB self. I wouldn't count on it though, the fact that Lucas's moves are already too similar to Ness's and Sakurai's own words really really hints that Ness has officially gotten the axe.
But it's an interesting thought to ponder, right?
Anyway, about secret characters.
Ike's inclusion doesn't necessarily mean that Marth and/or Roy are out. The Mario series currently has 5 representatives confirmed. Luigi will make it 6. Pokemon has one, two, or four characters confirmed, depending on how you count Pokemon Trainer. Jigglypuff, +1. Mewtwo, +1. Lucario's got a strong chance of being included, but that's more speculation than anything so I won't count him for now. There's no law saying Fire Emblem can't have 3 (or more?) reps. I've never played Fire Emblem, so I don't really know who, if any, of Marth and Roy is the more important. I'd like to see them both in.
Actually, I'd like to see all the characters from Melee return, but it's already been stated that some characters will not make the cut.
Dr. Mario, I can't really see him coming back. I think he's more novelty than anything, but man am I king when using him. I got nothing but love for him, but I don't see any reason to include him.
Young Link is another one I can't see coming back. I don't think there's anything they can do to Young Link to make him so different from his adult self that would warrant his inclusion. Bombs, boomerang, grapple, arrows? How many Zelda games AREN'T those items in? Like none? Yeah, he's out.
I also don't think Game & Watch stands a shot. He was a great surprise character, and I'm also thinking we'll have someone like him in Brawl, but I don't think it'll be G&W. I'm good with him, too. Man, why all my characters gotta be gettin' the axe? >:[
It has been said that Jigglypuff won't be in because he's too similar to Kirby, which is entirely laughable. They've never been even close to the same. The only things they have in common are their color, and they inflate when you press Up.
For one, Jigglypuff has MUCH better horizontal recovery than Kirby. Kirby can only DREAM of having Jiggly's recovery abilities.
Oh, yeah, and there's the fact that almost NONE OF THEIR MOVES ARE THE SAME. Their forward smash looks similar. But that's it.
Stop nitpicking. Let's see, who else... oh yeah, Mewtwo. Here's a few good reasons why he needs to stay:
- He's not a clone, of anyone. This alone warrants his inclusion.
- He's as close to a villain of Pokemon you're going to get. Villains are often good candidates (Bowser, Ganondorf, Wario, Meta Knight, King DeDeDe, and to a much, much lesser extent, DK)
- Huge fanbase. The bigger the better. There's a reason Sonic's in Brawl.
And since you guys apparently think Luigi's out too, here's some more excellent reasons other than "because I think he will be":
- He's part of the original 12. Being present in both games pretty much cements him a spot. Ness is the exception, not the rule. And we still haven't heard "Ness will not be present in Brawl." Even this is just speculation.
- He's extremely important to the Mario franchise. If we were on Family Feud and the question was, "Name a major character in the Mario series other than Mario," the number one answer would, hands down, be "Luigi." He's the vice president.
- How many Mario series games has he been in? What's that? Almost all of them? And he has two games of his own? You don't say.
- Huge fanbase. If Luigi was excluded, there would be RIOTS. Riots I say!
- Because I think he will be.
"Wow, your logic is bulletproof, PMJ, I have no choice but to believe you're right about everything you say. But with the release date so close, why haven't we heard about any of these characters on the Dojo?"
Well, duh, because they're SECRET CHARACTERS. How many of Melee's 11 secret characters have been confirmed on the Dojo?
Not a single one.
Coincidence? Course not, don't be silly. If they had done for Melee what they're doing for Brawl, would you believe it if, a month before the release date and they only showed you, say, 12 of the 14 base characters, I had said there would be 11 more you'd have to find and unlock? You'd probably call me a loon. Or worse (perish the thought). This is the same case.
With Captain Olimar's confirmation, we now have 24 characters that we KNOW we're gonna get. It's likely that these will all be starting characters, and it's possible we might even get one or two more before Brawl's release.
SSB had 12 total characters. Melee started with 14. That means something. Use your heads, guys. I would not be surprised if this game had 40 characters to choose from. My guess is between 30 and 40.
If you disagree with anything I say, that's your business and I have no choice but to deal with it. But know this - if you post about it, then it becomes my business, and you'd better be good and ready to back up your claims with logic and sense or you will die. All the talk about "he's not in cause I say he's not" or "he sucks, why would he ever get in" or "he's in because he's my fave" is gonna end. I don't wanna see any more character bashing or useless posts. If you think a character's going to be in, give us good reasons to convince us, to make us say "Yeah, that random kid's got a point, I could totally see blank as a playable character."
I'm done. If you've read this entire thing, I applaud your patience. If you skipped around, I hope you fall down some stairs. If you skipped around, saw my wish of hurt upon you, and went back and read the whole thing, I no longer hope you fall down some stairs.
Have fun.
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