#the bro was REALLY into super smash bros so he had the dlc for him at the time

[quinsixtridrupled-k]

Disney TVA Platform Fighter

Last December, I thought it'd be neat to have a Disney-focused platform fighter especially since Nick had some success with Nickelodeon All-Star Brawl 2. So I figured... why not a Disney one? For those who don't know, platform fighters are a sub-genre of fighting/party games - the most famous and primarily example being Super Smash Bros.

And so, with that idea, I asked a friend to assist me in aiding with creating a graphic for this hypothetical game's roster, lo and behold:

Pretty neat, eh? Now you might be asking... why Disney TVA specifically? For one, focusing on the animated tv production side might be more feasible compared to the whole Disney library, that, and it allows some spotlight on very interesting and varied roster choices.

And for another... I just like the animated series side of Disney better. Now, the most important thing to remember is that this encompasses strictly the Disney TV Animation production label only, so any animated series not created under that studio will not be included (more so to keep consistency). I've also elected to choose some more unconventional picks (Yzma, Genie, Bonkers, for example) just to give some variety.

And what's a fighting game without DLC characters, eh? So here are the three waves of it:

(Wave 1, featuring Stitch, Wasabi, Kick Buttowski and Shego)

I'll admit that Shego's placement as DLC over base roster in favor of Drakken is purely thinking from a marketing standpoint, but it does make sense on the long run. In Stitch's case... I mostly forgot Lilo & Stitch had an animated series while making the base roster lmao.

Wasabi was left out of base roster because of limitations, and I felt Hiro, Go Go, and Fred offer a more balanced variety of size and playstyles but I still didn't want to leave him out, so I figured DLC is his best bet.

(Wave 2, featuring Mike Wazowski, Marcy Wu, Spinelli and Zurg)

Color me surprised that Monsters At Work is a Disney TVA production - Mike was chosen over Sulley or Tyler as the main rep for that series because he feels like he'd have a lot more interesting potential and material to work off of with his general slapstick and comedy routines.

Figured I'd complete the Calamity Trio with Marcy as DLC - just like Wasabi, she was left out of base roster because of limitations.

I figured people would want a Recess fighter, so I chose Spinelli since she's one of the more popular character and she'd serve as an analog to Helga in the first Nick All-Star Brawl.

Zurg was originally meant to be a boss character only, but I opted to put him as DLC because well... it is Zurg. I feel like you could incorporate a lot of Dr. Doom's MvC moveset on to him and they wouldn't feel out of place lmao.

And finally, they're here for you - they're the third wave of the DLC crew!

(Wave 3, featuring Oscar Proud, Simba, Moon Girl & Devil Dinosaur and Oswald)

This is... definitely the most experimental of the DLC waves. I think I've exhausted a lot of the picks I wanted at the time so I figured we could do with a more different direction.

Oscar is definitely there to ride on the coattails of Hugh Neutron in Nickelodeon All-Star Brawl 1 as a funny joke pick. I haven't actually watched The Proud Family so I don't think I would know if there are better picks, but still... I enjoy the wacky picks, they make a fighting game a fighting game.

Simba was gonna be in as far back as Wave 1, but I held off because... I'm not really sure why, but I forgot about him until I was making the third wave, so there he is now!

Moon Girl & Devil Dinosaur are definitely there for being the main Marvel series under the Disney TVA label (alongside Big Hero 6, by technicality), and would definitely make an interesting choice considering Devil's size - you'd probably have to shrink him down to a point where he still manages to be big, but not... gargantuan big, which may seem like a disservice to a character who is a large T-Rex but I think you can still make it work (it worked for Ridley in Smash, and Iron Giant in MultiVersus).

Oswald is included by a mere technicality, due to having a small cameo or two in the Paul Rudish Mickey Mouse shorts, and I figured he has a big enough fanbase to warrant an inclusion, so yeah there he is.

And just for fun, we also have a bonus character:

Powerline! From A Goofy Movie!

Powerline seems like a very out there choice, but I figured you could make a moveset for him entirely out of his theming of electricity! And if you think he'd overlap with Megavolt... then, yeah I guess you are right on that part. But I figure you can differentiate them with how they play (Megavolt being a zoner, Powerline being a rushdown). Note, this doesn't mean he's only available through pre-order, but you'd get him free with it - otherwise you'd have to pay, but he's separate from the DLC characters.

So yeah that covers the playable roster. I understand that there are still a lot of series I didn't rep mostly because of limitations, or I forgot to put them in (Fish Hooks, for one) but I'm only human in how I make these, mistakes do happen so please understand...

I do hope that Disney takes a dabble on this someday, although I'm not sure how keen they are on their characters fighting each other in a silly fighting game. Still, it'd be an interesting thoight, what do you think?

[martinsaenz96us]

R.I.P. LittleBigPlanet

It's been a really sad year for "LittleBigPlanet". First the servers for LBP3 PS4 just shut down (servers for previous entries are also shut down), and not only the digital copy of LBP3 PS4 (digital copies of previous entries have already been delisted), but all the DLCs that's ever been released from LBP1 to LBP3 are being delisted from the PSN store. It really sucks that this once beloved franchise is being butchered to death in favor of bland realistic graphics cinematic games, live service games and catering to the so-called "Modern Audience" (*cough*cough "Concord" *cough*cough*). It's just not right how this franchise has been treated lately. The last game in the franchise "LittleBigPlanet 3" has been released about 10 years ago at this point. All the franchise has going for it now is just a spin-off named "Sackboy: A Big Adventure" released back in 2020, which is nothing like LBP (it's basically "Super Mario 3D World" but LBP themed). Sackboy, a worthy mascot for the "Playstation" brand in the PS3 Era is now gonna be known as Sackboy from "Sackboy: A Big Adventure" (a spin-off mind you) instead of Sackboy from "LittleBigPlanet" (where he's originated from). Sackboy has always been in a special place in my heart growing up, I even used to draw him (besides Sonic) in my journal a lot during high school. Back in junior high I was in special needs because of my autism (I even rode the bus and took field trips with special needs kids). I played a lot of video games and I was also a bad boy (I used to get in trouble a lot by giggling and misbehaving during class). My homeroom teacher had a Wii with "Wii Sports Resort" (great game) and even my all time favorite "Super Smash Bros. Brawl" (better than Melee, change my mind). He would let us play when we were done with our assignments (we even got to stay after school to play and eat pizza in homeroom if we had good behavior). I never knew about LBP at the time and if you've been following me through the years, you know that I've been a big fan of "Sonic the Hedgehog" ever since kindergarten. So when I first heard LBP featured Sonic the Hedgehog costumes as DLC, I immediately wanted to buy the game for that sole reason (the same way I first got into Smash starting with Brawl). I was also into games that would let you create your own character or levels, that factor also drew me closer to wanting LBP and even "ModNation Racers" (rest in peace) too at the time. But I had a PSP instead, I got both LBP both and ModNation on it and I was a bit disappointed. LBP on PSP was my least favorite version, it felt so limited customizing Sackboy (not being able to place stickers on him too was a drawback for me), or customizing in general (ModNation on PSP is in the same bane too). Once I beat it 100% I wanted to start creating a level, and oh boy it all went downhill from there. The options were limited, the game kept crashing at any given time while creating. So needless to say I did not like LBP on PSP at all, and all it did is made me want a PS3 even more that I kept begging my mom to buy one for me. Around maybe my 8th grade year, I finally got a PS3 (I think it was a birthday gift, I can't remember). I became so happy that I immediately bought LBP at "GameStop" (I also bought both LBP2 and ModNation Racers at the same time). Upon booting LBP for the first time I immediately got so hooked. I wanted to beat it 100% but the only drawback was that I only had 1 controller, and there's sections in the game that require 2 to 4 players to get the prize bubbles. I felt kinda let down since I wasn't able to obtain those prize bubbles without multiple controllers, but I some how managed to get through a handful of 2 player sections using only 1 controller (like the "Construction Site"), which took dedication and dying a lot. I was so proud of myself for accomplishing sections that were only meant to be played with 2 people. The other 2 player sections however I wasn't so lucky, so I begged my mom to buy me more controllers, I didn't tell her why thinking she wouldn't agree with me. Then after beating LBP 100% I became obsessed with making costumes for Sackboy and showing them off while playing online, even in LBP2 I did the same thing. LBP2 is easily the best in the whole franchise. During the release of LBP2, the franchise hit it's all-time peak (I got a PS3 soon after the release of LBP2). LBP2 has also the best story mode. They were difficult at times (mostly ACEING all the levels, even in LBP1 it was difficult), but I still had a blast playing through it all. I also 100% the story mode and went on to complete all the level kit DLCs (which I did eventually). Fun Fact: At the time of LBP2's peak, "My Little Pony: Friendship Is Magic" was also at it's all time peak (on the internet of all places). So while playing LBP2 I saw a bunch of levels related to MLP I got so annoyed by it. I played one of the levels I came across just for the sake of it, then I became intrigued and wanted to see what the whole fuss was about at the time. So one day I turned my TV to "The Hub" (R.I.P.) and the first episode I've ever watched was "Party of One" (you know, the one that featured Pinkamena who spawned a bunch of creepypastas). After watching the episode, I instantly fell in love with the show. The characters, the art style, everything about the show was so appealing to me. I've always been really really shy IRL, but then "Fluttershy" caught my eye since she's the one I can relate to, so she became my all time favorite pony to this day. I loved MLP so much I even drew ponies in my journals during my freshman year in high school (I was the quiet kid). And that is how I became a Brony. So back on-topic. I made so many memories with this game in particular that I will cherish forever. The community levels was a big step up from it's predecessor. Even when playing community levels online with random people made it so worth while (back when online play was FREE). All in all, LBP2 has become one of my most favorite games of all time. I loved the enjoyment of coming home from school to hop on straight into LBP2 (and also ModNation Racers) to play online with other people. Even one of my cousins enjoyed playing it, and would play together every time he'd come over. During my freshman year in high school, I heard about the PS VITA and I instantly wanted to buy it because LBP was on it. So eventually I got it with LBP (and because I love handheld gaming minus mobile gaming). I played it non stop, even between switching classes I would walk while playing. LBP on PS VITA was also great (not as good as LBP2, but way better than LBP PSP). I really liked it, and with the use of the touch screen and the back trackpad. The story mode was good, I liked how it had a slightly darker tone to it, compared to the previous entries. The characters were wacky and interesting (and some ugly tbh). And just like the previous entries, I 100% it all the way through. Online play was pretty cool too (but very laggy at times) and community levels were kinda good but a bit disappointing (not LBP2 good but it's passable). I also had fun making costumes everywhere I went (I even uploaded some on my DA page). LBP Karting however was OK (not up to LBP2 standards). I played through the story mode and 100% it too. The community levels were actually pretty interesting, there were even remakes of "Mario Kart" tracks that were spot on (but no custom music like LBP2). My biggest complaint however was the inability of customizing costumes like the previous entries (just changing outfits and placing stickers on doesn't cut it either), even the kart creation was barebones. Overall, the game just feels like a blatant rip-off of "ModNation Racers" (despite being made by the same developer "United Front Games" R.I.P.), which had better character and kart customization and you can even download custom made ones by other people and upload your own. LBP Karting does have better track customization however, but that's not saying much. And adding insult to injury, the fact that a full blown "ModNation Racers Sequel" got canceled in favor of LBP Karting is just a big punch in the face from Sony. A ModNation Racers sequel would've been miles better (pun intended) than LBP Karting in my honest opinion. Around probably Junior year, I got a PS4 with "LittleBigPlanet 3". From what I heard however it's been called the worst in the franchise, since the game was rushed to meet sales for Black Friday. So as a result, the game released with many bugs and glitches turning alot of people off from the game altogether (So I guess it's the "Sonic 06" of the LBP franchise). I bought it around maybe a month or 2 after it's release, and from what I played I really haven't experienced any bugs or glitches. In fact I really liked it, it felt more fleshed out and about as good as LBP2. Basically it's LBP2 but more expanded with new playable characters and creative additions such as expanded layers, new gadgets etc. I also liked how you had the ability to play every community levels ever made in both LBP1 & 2. I actually did play LBP3 on my PS3 first, but I then gave away my PS3 to my cousin to buy a PS4 (which I regret doing). What turned me off however wasn't the game itself, it was the fact Sony was charging for online pay (which killed online play for me) despite the fact it used to be free. At the time it costed $60 just for one year of online play, I could buy a full price game from retail then play & keep it for as long as I want. Paying for playing online is just a scam altogether. I did pay for one year just to play LBP3 online, then never payed again because what was the point. I did however registered my cousin's account to my PS4 to play online, so I played LBP3 online again then lost interest since the damage has already been done. Now I can't play it online anymore if I ever wanted to since the online servers recently got shutdown, and yet they still expect us to pay monthly/yearly for this (I did recently hear that Sony not only increased the price but added 3 tiers to pay for. The most expensive tier however is $120 a year, if that doesn't sound like a scam then I don't know what does). And recently I got myself a "Steam Deck" as a personal birthday gift about 2 years ago. Best decision I have ever made, and I would go as far as saying it's way better than the "PS5" (millions of games to play, it's a handheld, it's fully backwards compatible with everything via emulation, and best of all free online play). Lately I've been replaying LBP1 (and ModNation Racers) on a PS3 emulator and immediately fell in love with LBP all over again (although it's not perfect running on the Steam Deck with minor graphical issues and crashing every now and then). I've enjoyed every minute of it just like how I was when I first started played it back then, and now with a custom server is giving me the ability re-live those moments playing community levels and playing online without spending a single penny. Thank you "Media Molecule" for giving us a gem that will forever be in our hearts. Your love and passion that you created has brought joy to all of us around the world and will forever cherish the moments we spent playing your game. And lastly, thank you for giving us the power of playing, creating, and sharing our creations with the world. Rest in peace "LittleBigPlanet", you maybe gone now but will not be forgotten. Here's hoping for "LittleBigPlanet 4" in the near future (if Sony is willing to, and getting their act together) .

Posted using PostyBirb

[turquoisetuber]

Super Smash Bros. Ultimate: What DLCs Would Survive Galeem??

I always found it a little backwards that only Kirby survived. Even if he was the only one with the ability to live, he would've helped someone else (like Meta Knight or King Dedede), but I just bought it. But with the additions of the DLC Fighters, there's never an explanation as to how they got there or if they were a part of Galeem's army. So that's where I come in. I'm going to decide what DLCs would survive and who wouldn't!!

NOTICE: I am by NO means experienced in all of these games!! A lot of my knowledge is from Smash and Smash only, so if I get facts wrong, feel free to correct me!! I'd love to hear all of your guys' ideas as well!!

So of course, there are rules and limits. If there weren't, almost everyone would live.

Nobody can latch a ride with Kirby/any other potential survivor. As I said earlier, if they were able to do that, Meta Knight and Dedede would be alive.

As said earlier, most of my knowledge is based off of what they can do in SMASH. But that doesn't limit it. I researched several characters' abilities to make sure my claims were as accurate as someone with no idea can.

With that, let's get into it!!

Joker: Not a Survivor

Joker is pretty much a normal teenager, and Arsène doesn't have anything that would help Joker escape?? I'm pretty sure that there are a few things in P5 that might have allowed him to survive? But as far as I know, no, he wouldn't.

Hero: Not Sure?? Leaning: No

I know nothing about Dragon Quest, but I feel like Hero would be in the same boat as characters like Link and Cloud, where they can try but ultimately they're gonna get captured. The only reasons I'm not sure is because of Hero's reveal where they save Link from Marth and Meta Knight, implying they were alive? But I don't think they actually survived and that that was just a way to advertise them.

Banjo & Kazooie: Not Survivors

Banjo & Kazooie would be in the same boat as Duck Hunt. They don't seem to have anything outstandingly useful to win with, so unfortunately they probably wouldn't live.

Terry Bogard: Not a Survivor

Terry is the most human out of the bunch for DLC pack one (aside from Joker, but even then, Joker has Arsène). He really doesn't have anything to fight against Galeem with and almost no means of escape. Terry unfortunately wouldn't live.

Byleth: Not Sure?? Leaning: Yes

Byleth, unlike the other Fire Emblem cast, has Sothis, who I think has been seen helping Byleth escape one place to get to another. Of course, I'm guessing based on the reveal trailer, and have no prior context to what that cutscene actually was. I still think Byleth could survive.

Min Min: Not a Survivor

Similarly to Terry, Min Min is just a stretchy human. She doesn't have anything all that special other than her arms. Min Min probably wouldn't survive.

Steve/Alex: Survivors!!

Our first definite survivors of the bunch, and they're the minecraft reps. Any shock? Anyways, this one is situational. But I'm gonna count it since the Star Fox gang AND Captain Falcon conveniently had their ships. So, how would they do it? Nether portals. If Steve and Alex build a Nether portal and go through it, Galleem probably couldn't get them, since I think the light would just break the portal on contact since it acts more like a weapon than an entity. So congrats, Steve and Alex, to be the first of three definite survivors!!

Sephiroth: Take a guess. (Survivor!)

Listen, Sephiroth can slice Galeem in half. Considering that, I think he could avoid Galeem's attacks. Under the assumption that he doesn't kill Galeem so that World of Light can actually happen.

Pyra + Mythra: Not Survivors

As far as I'm aware, neither of them have any abilities that could help them escape, since they seem human or equivalent? So they wouldn't make it, most likely.

Kazuya: Not Sure?? Leaning: No

Kazuya was weird to me. I'm not a huge fighting game person other than SSB, so I knew nothing about Tekken. After some google searches, I leaned to the side he wouldn't survive. He's mostly human, but even with his Devil's Gene, more powerful characters (like Ganondorf) also lost, so he wouldn't survive. I think.

Sora: Survivor!!

My main!!! Even though I love Sora, I'm not biased! I haven't played Kingdom Hearts. But based off of a few searches, and his Final Smash, I believe he can open portals with his Keyblade. Unlike Steve and Alex, he can open portals under less circumstances. So the place of our third and final survivor goes to no other than Sora!

To finish it off, the DLC packs brought some very powerful characters that could survive World of Light. I wish we had gotten some explanation as to what happened to the DLCs, but I get it. Cutscenes are hard to make. Again, these are all my ideas, and I might not be right! If you have something to add, feel free! I'd be glad to hear from you! If you got this far, thanks for reading, and I hope you enjoyed!!

[theproloser34]

Aight, so with Spider-Man 2 coming out on PS5 soonish, I’m gonna rant about a discourse that’s been happening on twitter (and maybe tumblr, haven’t seen it yet) about black hair in video games. This all comes from the new hairstyle they gave Miles Morales in the game

Now, it ain’t a bad hairstyle. I think it fits him quite well. But people online quickly noticed that this haircut is part of a trend currently with black video game characters. It seems to be the go-to hairstyle for some

Now, it’s easy to see why this hairstyle because super popular lately. It’s because of one dude, Micheal B Jordan in Blank Panther. Like dude rocked it and looked so hot doing so. Damn near almost had me getting that hairstyle too.

But I wanna defend the big use of this hairstyle for two main reasons. First, it works well from a character design perspective. Since it is such a newer, trendy haircut, you can get a sense of the character being more fashionable, more trendy, you can tell they care how they look and how they carry themselves. It also works for younger characters to give a difference on how the culture has changed with hairstyles (if there happens to be another black character that has an older hairstyle)

Now for Miles specifically, it works because it is digging into the old trope of “character grows out hair as they grow into themselves.” Miles in the first game rocked the Super Smash Bros Afro, which I mean… nerdy kid, a little insecure, doesn’t really know how/even want to clean up himself. Like I get it, been there myself

In Spider-Man Morales, he actually cleans up a little. Gets a nice fade going to signify his new responsibility. So now a year later, starting to grow the baby dreads just makes sense

Now the other more selfish reason why I’m defending this hairstyle trend is… JUST LET GAME DESIGNERS LEARN HOW TO ADD ONE MORE HAIRSTYLE TO THE THEY CURRENTLY GIVE BLACK MEN. Like this discourse forgets that for as long as I’ve been alive, most games got 2-4 of the same hairstyles for black people. A fade, cornrows, Rasta dreads, and then Afro which sometimes if’s just at a stupid length. So, imma let them add one more and overuse it, because I just need something new.

Plus I haven’t seen this cut yet in a character creator. Most character creators only got like 2. The Sims 4 got like 6 with all the dlc. Baldur’s Gate 3, even with how great it is, only had like 3-4 black men styles. In Japanese games, I might be lucky to get two. Monster Hunter Rise practically only has the stupidly large Afro. Like, that’s just not ok. Video games still have a long way to go for black character customization. So I’m happy if we at least start getting a new trendy one in games more often. Cause at least it’s still a start.

To end this rant, I’ll leave y’all with an RdcWorld clip that just contains my feelings

[desultory-novice]

Multi-colored Kirby asks!

Do you have any head canons for the different color Kirbys?

Do you think the four Kirbys from the Amazing Mirror ever refused together? They were never shown too

Do you think Yellow Kirby and Keeby are the same person?

Do you think the Kirbys from Kirby Fighters, Dream Buffet, etc. are all Kirby(s) or do you think they are just the same species of Kirby?

Fun Fact: Green Kirby from Super Smash Bros. is canonically names Kusamochi!

Time to recover some of those really old, really good asks that I let slip under the radar for wayyy too long...!

Multi-colored Kirbys! Hooray!

I do enjoy the different shades of Kirby! Anecdote but when I got big into fabric arts, I bought a shoe-rack thingy you could stick on a door to organize my steadily growing collection of yarns by color! I loved it so much I... eventually let the yarn go unused because I was so happy with my pretty room decoration I wanted to look at it, not use it. (Poor Dess's many neglected hobbies...)

AHEM! What this mostly makes me think back to is, oh, I wonder if I can find it... It was a quote by Sakurai (?) answering "Why does Kirby split into 3 in Kirby's Dream Land to dance?" And Sakurai's answer, to everyone's amazement, was not something that explained Kirby's powers or Kirby as a species. He said it was "...because it's fun."

Kirby seems to be able to split themselves because "it's more fun that way!" Amazing! And this got me thinking... the DL1 Kirbys were in black-and-white but...would they still be that way now? Maybe THAT was the true origin/original appearance of the multi-colored Kirbys - we just couldn't see it at the time!

I've always held that Keeby was another Kirby that Kirby made/summoned up (like the dancing Kirbys) because golf (...or Kirby's version of golf - ...because Dream Course is we~ird) would be more fun with two players! So bam! Instant friend Keeby!

As for Amazing Mirror... I have a certain very serious headcanons about Dark Meta Knight making four Kirbys of equal strength because...DMK was NOT a loyal agent of Dark Mind! (Gasp!) He was a mole trying to sabotage his "master" by luring Kirby in there and quadrupling his strength, all under the guise of fulfilling Mind's goals.

(Then he got kinda into it because, well, he's a blood knight. But it makes his shattering all the more tragic if he did it knowing that he had "trained" these four Kirbys enough to stand a chance against Dark Mind... COUGH I have lots of Dark Meta Knight feels okay?!? Such a slept on character! Look at this good "bad orb!")

AHEM! (Pt2...)

As to what happens to the Kirbys, they could have quietly fused back together off-screen? (Or maybe Meta Knight used some ability of HIS to reunite them? Light splits, Darkness reunites??) or maybe before reaching home, they took off on their individual warp stars and each headed off to different planets/dimenions?

Maybe they're still around in Dream Land though?! Because you can play as "them"(ish) in Return to Dream Land! Or maybe those Kirbys are simply Kirby remembering his experiences with Dark Meta Knight and realizing, "Why split myself into 3 for a dance or 2 for golf when I can split myself into 4 again and go on another adventure!"

But your question about the spinoff Kirbys has me wondering, less about Fighters or Dream Buffet, but about Clash - now that Kirby Clash is canon!! (Or at least "canon-in-law" thanks to the existence of Magolor's Epilogue. Good news for Galacta Knight...!)

Because Team Kirby, right? You only ever control the main, pink Kirby in town, buying supplies, weapons, armor and also paying the DLC gods tribute to keep the Master Tree Crown from eating Magolor's Soul again and allowing him go home someday...

Is "Team Kirby" just one Kirby that, upon finding a baddie they want to beat, splits into four and goes for it, then comes back home because feeding four hungry Kirbys would put Kirby next on the wanted board?! Or are the four actually a real adventuring party?!

I mean, gosh, if you want to go really out there, maybe the Amazing Mirror Kirbys somehow found their way to the Clash dimension and formed Team Kirby WITH that dimension's unique Kirby!

Although there's no red Kirby in Clash so it couldn't be... Unless (!!!) the Kirbys can also switch their colors as they please?! Maybe Red Kirby got ahold of a spray can from Squeak Squad and decided to become Blue Kirby?! At this point, why not?!

In fact, big question... Can a Kirby who has been summoned by Kirby ("because it's fun") summon their OWN Kirbys?! 

Sad Poyo's Parade?!? 

(Only my sister will get that joke, probably... XD)

But THAT could be what the 1-up Kirbys you collect stand for. It's like Mario with the Double Cherries, maybe? When Kirby gets beat, they go down for a nap and spawn another Kirby to take over the fight. But...what happens to the Kirbys who all gave up...?

...Some questions were not meant to be answered.

To summarize, my thoughts on the different colored Kirbys are that they should be treated with as much levity as Kirby's creator treats them! If you want to assign personality traits and backstories to them, that sounds like fun! But, I wouldn't want anyone to worry too much about what is and isn't canonical about them, as Kirby themself probably wouldn't want anyone to trouble themselves over something as light-hearted as, oh, duplicating themselves!

...

...

...The real disturbing question about Dream Buffet is ARE THOSE THE REAL RIBBON, GOOEY, CHUCHU, and ELFILIN ON KIRBY'S HEAD AND HOW DO THEY FEEL ABOUT BEING SMOOSHED INTO CAKE ALL THE TIME?! (Gooey probably loves it, tbh.)

[canonical-transformation]

Prologue & Chapter 1 — Mystery of the Emblem [FE17 let's play]

(spoiler: the Emblem was Marth)

Meet my OC! Her name is A'lear. The apostrophe isn't abbreviating anything, it's just really important to put lots of apostrophes and uncommon letters in an original character's name. She is a dragon, like Corrin from Fates!

Also A'lear's mother is Queen Lumera, the universally loved Divine Dragon Queen! And that means she is a princess, just like Corrin from Fates. A dragon princess, wow!

(the Fates comparisons end here. A'lear is better than Corrin because Corrin had that "reconciling two conflicting heritages" angst where she had to fight her own siblings for drama. My OC A'lear will not have any of that "nature vs nurture" angst, because this will be a story about FOUND FAMILY.)

A'lear's hair is red and blue as a homage to the two most important characters in Fire Emblem history: Enemy Phase and Player Phase.

This is my second playthrough of FE17. I'm picking Maddening this time around, and the game insists I pick fixed unit growths for my own sanity. (That means no random dice rolls on level-up, but instead slowly ticking counters that give stat points out at steady intervals.)

We have Switch Online (for my wife's foray into Splatoon) so I will absolutely be making use of the online features — the shiny yellow and purple tiles which give free loot and XP, and more importantly, earlier and more convenient access to the Tower of Trials, which will let me grind for A supports and silver ingots and Ancient Well loot more easily when I'm feeling stuck.

I don't have the DLC but will consider it after this run.

-----------------------

Our story begins with a semi-prophetic dream sequence, in which Robin and a mysterious blue-haired stranger defeat an evil Fell Dragon sorcerer together and profess their undying, eternal, totally platonic love for one another. Then she wakes up from a deep slumber, with amnesia.

But who was the stranger? (It was Marth, protagonist of the original Fire Emblem. This is not a spoiler. He's on the box art and all the trailers. He was also a playable character in 2017's Fire Emblem Warriors, and one of twenty-four non-Fox characters in 2001's Super Smash Bros Melee. Also we'll get his name halfway through chapter 1.) Who could it be?

Functionally, the Prologue is a tutorial for the basic controls. On turn 1, you learn how to move A'lear-and-Marth. On turn 2, you attack the Fell Dragon Sombron with a sword, and he attacks you back with horrifying dark magic. Then he does it again, and A'lear is down to 10/50HP versus Sombron's 36/60HP. The situation is dire!

But hope is not lost! Each time A'lear and Sombron took a swing at one another, A'lear's Engage Meter went up by 1. Now it's full, which means... they can do the fusion dance and...

(Emblem...)

... Engage!

Wow, very Cool(TM). Take that, 13th century Italian city state aesthetic, what have you got for drip? Eyepatches?

With their powers combined, A'lear and Marth unleash a devastating ultimate attack, stabbing Sombron nine times at stunning speed for exactly 36 damage. He dies, and Marth tells A'lear that he'll always be by her side, so long as she remembers him.

Anyway, did I mention the amnesia? A'lear awakes with amnesia and is greeted by her fan club, the twins Framme and Clanne (*). Shortly afterwards, we meet Vander, 32nd Steward of the Dragon, who has pretty good facial hair, and takes his job a lot more seriously than his successors.

(* I do literally mean fan club. Their support chain is about the Divine Dragon Fan Club, of which they're both founders and presidents.)

In Chapter 1, A'lear and her three guardians are on their way to meet the Queen of Elyos when they encounter some of the Corrupted, who are zombies I guess. A'lear and Vander must fight them. (The twins tried to play hero and now need rescuing.)

Vander is what some call a "Jagen": a grizzled old warrior (often a paladin) who starts with way better stats than the rest of the team, but who gets next to no EXP from kills for half the game. Functionally, this means that every time Vander defeats an enemy—which they're pretty good at—he's wasted EXP other characters could have been using to level up.

This results in a totally immersive gameplay experience:

A'lear: "Vander, hand me your vulnerary."

Vander: "Of course, Divine One. It is my sworn duty to protect your life. With my own, if necessary."

A'lear: "Oh. That won't be necessary. Now, take position in the trees. No, those trees."

Vander: "Those trees? In the distance? Nowhere near the enemy?"

Alear: "Yes."

But reinforcements keep coming, and by the end of turn 2 Framme and Clanne are about to be torn to shreds. In a cutscene A'lear suddenly remembers the voice from her dreams, and then she utters the invocation to summon Marth, Emblem of Beginnings.

A'lear and Marth then proceed to fight a single Corrupted axe fighter together, with such perfect synchronisation that they're basically mirror images of one another. Because of this, the monster is able to simultaneously block their every attack together. I kind of feel embarrassed for them. (Supposedly Alear gets Dex+1 from fighting alongside Marth? This is what Dex+1 looks like.)

Alear and Marth demolish the remaining monsters, levelling up their Bond a bit in the process. This requires having Vander lure some of the remaining monsters from the south.

Vander: "As you commanded, Divine One, I holstered my axe and let them all stab me a little bit as I rejoined you."

A'lear: "Thank you."

Vander: "Dare I ask where you learned such battlefield tactics?"

A'lear: "I don't know, I have amnesia."

A'lear takes down the last enemy with another ninefold nonuple stab combo. But then a dragon shows up out of nowhere! Oh no! Is it a potential ally? Or... a NEW STORM!?!?!?!?

[game-boy-pocket]

Who and What would you want for the next Super Smash Bros?

Who:

idk man I got K. Rool Ridley and Banjo, it's hard for me to say there's anything left that I want super badly at this point. There's several I wouldn't mind having but won't be bummed if they got in. If I had to make a list of characters I'd like to see...

Toad

Dixie Kong

Impa ( at this point she could be a replacement or echo of Shiek )

Tingle

Geno ( yes I'm one of those, the Mario RPGs should be represented in some way besides another form of Mario. )

Krystal

Porky

Raven Beak

Samurai Goroh

Black Shadow ( My idea here is just give him Ganondorf's old moveset so it actually make sense, and give Ganondorf a moveset that actually, you know, represents how he behaves in the Legend of Zelda series )

Mike Jones

Starfy

Shadow the Hedgehog ( Absolutely bonkers he wasn't a Sonic Echo Figher )

Dr. Eggman

Doom Slayer

Crash Bandicoot

Spyro the Dragon

And lastly, this is going to be my biggest wish that nobody is going to support... Agumon.

Or maybe more accurately, the whole Digimon version 1 line. Because my vision for this character would pay homage to the original LCD screen virtual pet, you start off as an Agumon in the fight. Your HUD has a hunger meter, and the down B will feed Agumon a piece of meat. If you take good care of Agumon, he will become Greymon, and if Greymon performs well in battle, he can become Metal Greymon.

Neglect to feed Agumon and he will evolve into the weak and sluggish Numamon. But even Numamon can have the potential to evolve into a powerful fighter in the form of Monzemon.

I suppose this complicates the final Smash a little bit, but we could borrow from the anime and have them warp evolve into Omnimon or something to perform a powerful mega hit. The actual rules of evolving with Digimon seem to vary depending on the virtual pet, the game, or the anime. I don't see why Smash Bros couldn't also bend the rules a bit.

I worry that the next one is just going to be another parade of third party characters, most of whom I probably won't care much about. ( Yes I know my next "big pick" is third party, i'm operating under the assumption that things aren't changing ) I feel like they made a huge mistake when they shifted their focus to mostly third party characters after the Smash Wii U DLC, now this is all anyone ever talks about and insults the shit out of people who ask for Nintendo characters, but who knows, we can only wait and see. I just hope that, if there are any cuts ( which seems inevitable ) I hope they keep most, if not all of the first party characters that they own the rights to. I'm not saying purge all guests but like, maybe not so many, and maybe only the ones with a strong history with Nintendo please?

As for What...

A real Adventure mode, I know Sakurai doesn't like people uploading the cutscenes, but I feel like axing it out of the game completely was very petty and punishes everyone, not just the people who uploaded/watched the cutscenes online, besides, I wouldn't mind if they scaled it back to melee style platforming levels with a few enemies here and there. Personally I would prefer that to a Subspace Emmissary 2, with a bunch of baddies that aren't from any specific games.

I'd want more alternative costumes, they did a lot better with this in Smash 4 and Smash Ultimate but it still didn't go far enough in my opinion. Why was the fusion suit for Samus STILL just a recolor? I'd also like more character alts like Alph and the Koopalings, sometimes you just don't need to become a whole ass echo.

I don't know if there's really all that much more I'd want out of Smash from a gameplay standpoint. It's essentially perfect for me.

[dascarecrow]

Build The Roster - The Next Super Smash Bros.

Hello everyone and welcome to something new! Inspired by the fantastic work of Thorgi's Arcade on Youtube, I have decided to do my own take on creating a hypothetical roster for a fighting game.

The first one up of course will be my own take on a roster for a Smash Bros. game

First up will be determining the size of the base roster with DLC coming in later.

Now it's doubtful we'll see a base roster as big as Ultimate's was, given the whole "Everyone Is Here" mantra that game embraced, but I do believe it will be bigger than Smash 4's base roster was so let's find a happy median between the two.

So let's do some math. Smash 4 had 51 fighters in the base roster and Smash Ultimate had 74 fighters so we'll do some simple subtraction to get a difference of 23. Then we'll divide that in half, giving us 11.5 which we'll round up to a nice even 12. Add the 12 to 51 and that would be a starting roster of 63 fighters.

Now that we've done the math to figure out how many fighters we'll have let's figure out just who those fighters will be. First up we'll be going over the current roster as of Ultimate and picking who will return for another round and who will be sitting it out for the next bout.

To start with we'll be cutting all Echo Fighters. They were a fun little idea but there was so little variation between the Echo Fighters and their base inspirations in terms of gameplay that they really feel just like a way to fill out the roster rather than full fledged fighters in their own rights. So no Daisy, no Dark Samus, no Ken, and so on and so on.

So onto to the actual roster selections.

Mario-He's a definite keep, being the face of the company and all that.

Donkey Kong-He's a keep too.

Link-Keep

Samus-Keep

Yoshi-Keep

Kirby-A definite keep

Fox-Keep

Pikachu-A for certain keep

Luigi-Keep him

Ness-Keep

Captain Falcon-A for sure keep

Jigglypuff-Now we arrive at our first cut character. They've been there since the beginning and are a mainstay of the series but I feel they've had their time in the sun. After all Jigglypuff's inclusion in the first Smash game was almost certainly because of it's role in the anime at the time and it hasn't been remotely as relevant for years now. So goodbye Jigglypuff.

Peach-She's a keep

Bowser-Gotta have Nintendo's most recognizable villain

Ice Climbers-I will say a very tentative keep

Sheik-They're a cut. Sheik has appeared in Hyrule Warriors but otherwise hasn't really been especially relevant in the Zelda franchise since Ocarina so they got to go.

Zelda-A Keep

Dr. Mario-He is a cut. Plays too closely to Mario and I'm hoping to get more originality for fighters so bye bye.

Pichu-Cut. Only came back in Ultimate because of the "Everyone Is Here" philosophy.

Falco-This one might hurt just a bit but cut. Trying to cut back moveset copies and Falco doesn't have much that Fox doesn't have so good day to you.

Marth-We'll keep him as the OG Fire Emblem character.

Young Link-Big cut. We're not having a different version of the same exact character.

Ganondorf-Big keep

Mewtwo-A keep seeing as he's a playable Legendary Pokémon and has managed to remain relevant throughout the years.

Roy-Probably not going to make people happy with this one but he's a cut. Most of the Fire Emblem characters won't be staying around for this one so brace yourselves.

Mr. Game & Watch-He's a keep

Meta Knight-Keep

Pit-A definite keep

Zero Suit Samus-This was a near thing but we'll make her a keep given how she plays much differently from her standard version and it helps give some more representation for Metroid.

Wario-Keep

Snake-Now I know this one is going to make people unhappy but Snake is a cut. Metal Gear is a massively popular series, Snake is a massively popular character, I get it. But given how Konami has been fumbling the ball with Metal Gear after Kojima left I wouldn't give him good odds for another return. After all he was included in Brawl in the first place because Kojima specifically asked that he be included and got to return in Ultimate because of, again, the "Everyone Is Here" motto.

Ike-He's a cut

Pokémon Trainer-Them we will keep because they are a definitely unique fighter.

Diddy Kong-Keep because Donkey Kong needs as much love as it can get

Lucas-He is a cut due to playing too much like Ness

Sonic-Well of course he's a keep

King Dedede-For sure a keep

Olimar-He's a keep given how popular Pikmin still is with people

Lucario-Another tough one to figure out but I decided to go with a keep given that Lucario is a fan favorite and also has stayed relevant throughout the years since his debut.

R.O.B.-Keep

Toon Link-Cut for the same reason as Young Link

Wolf-Cut for the same reason as Falco

Villager-We'll keep them for some Animal Crossing representation

Mega Man-He's a keep given how little attention the Blue Bomber gets from his own creators.

Wii Fit Trainer-This was another close one but I ultimately went with a cut for them. They are certainly unique but the days of Wii Fit are long gone so it feels like there isn't much sense in keeping a character that represents that game.

Rosalina-This one hurt me to do but she's a cut. Look I like Rosalina, I think her star powers are cool but despite continuing to make appearances in Mario games she hasn't really been a major part of anything since Galaxy 2 and I feel it's time for some other Mario characters to get a chance in Smash.

Little Mac-We'll keep him

Greninja-They are a cut. Popular as they are they feel like they were meant to represent the most recent Pokémon generation at the time so now that that ship has sailed we can quietly retire them from Smash.

Palutena-We'll keep her. After all Sakurai worked on both Smash and Kid Icarus games so why not keep the Goddess of Light.

Pac-Man-We'll keep him for Namco representation

Robin-Now them we'll be keeping because they don't fall into the same issues most of the other Fire Emblem characters do. They aren't primarily a swordfighter but rather a mage and they weren't included to coincide with the latest Fire Emblem game as was the case in 4 and Ultimate.

Shulk-They are regrettably cut. Don't worry if you're a Xenoblade fan as there will be representation but Shulk has had his day.

Bowser Jr.-He is a cut. His gimmick was fun but he's been played out so now it's time for him to go.

Duck Hunt-Them we will keep

Ryu-He's basically synonymous with fighting games we're keeping him

Cloud-He is a definite keep given the Remake trilogy's success and being the most recognizable Final Fantasy character

Corrin-Only got in because of when their game released so a cut

Bayonetta-Another hard one to figure out but after careful consideration I've decided to keep her. Her franchise is essentially Nintendo exclusive as is so there would probably be fewer issues getting her back in.

Inkling-A definite keep considering how popular Splatoon is

Ridley-He's a keep

Simon-He is a cut. However we will be slightly breaking out rule about eliminating all Echo Fighters by having Richter replace him as the main Castlevania rep. Why? I like Richter better is all and this still gives Konami some good representation.

King K.Rool- He is a keep because you can never have enough villains

Isabelle-She will sadly be a cut due to playing very similarly to Villager

Incineroar-They're a cut due to the fact that I don't even know why they were chosen as a Pokémon rep in the first place.

Piranha Plant-They are a cut. They were fun little goofy inclusion but I do not see a return in the future.

Joker-I know Persona is popular with people but I just don't see them getting a re-invite so this one's a cut.

Hero-Gonna make this one a cut. I know Dragon Quest is massively popular in Japan and is gaining a sizeable following in the West but this one felt like a one and done.

Banjo & Kazooie-This one will be a keep. Banjo and Kazooie are Nintendo characters in all but name, their return to a Nintendo console was long overdue and it would help represent Rare again.

Terry-He will be a cut. I know that getting an SNK fighter was a big deal but it also felt like Terry was there solely for there to be a SNK fighter so I don't see this character repeating.

Byleth-Cut for the same reasons as Corrin

Min Min-She will be cut. ARMs didn't take off quite the way that Nintendo clearly hoped it would despite an intriguing premise and it feels like she got in due to her game being a Switch launch title

Steve-They are a cut. There was a lot of technical work put into getting Steve to function in the game and it's unlikely the development team would be up for doing that a second time.

Sephiroth-He's a cut. He's a great villain character don't get me wrong but we already have Cloud for Final Fantasy and I don't foresee Sephiroth making a comeback.

Pyra/Mythra-They're getting cut for much the same reason Shulk is. Time to make way for the new kid on the block.

Kazuya-He's a cut. Tekken characters are considered difficult to put into Smash as fighters according to Sakurai and while I believe there are ones that could work rather well in Smash the fact is I don't see Kazuya getting another invite.

Sora-Now this one was a tough one to be certain but I'll be optimistic and make Sora a keep. If Nintendo was able to get Disney's approval once then they could do it again and with Kingdom Hearts IV in the pipeline some cross-promotion just might be possible depending on when we get either Kingdom Hearts IV or the next Smash Bros.

Mii Fighters-Those will stay forever so keep.

Now let's total up our inclusions and removals.

For the prior Smash Bros. fighters that will be cut we will have, minus the Echo Fighters already, 31 fighters removed from the roster.

As for the returning fighters who will all make up the base roster we will have 49 veterans.

So with 49 fighters already locked in that will leave us 14 newcomers to the base roster.

Now we can go on to the fun stuff.

So 1st up is...

Waluigi!

That's right Luigi's lean and mean but not so green evil copy is up for this personal edition of a Smash Bros. roster. If Daisy could get in as an Echo Fighter then this purple menace can easily graduate from Assist Trophy to a full fighter.

Next...

It's Tails! Decided to fill out some of the third party guest franchises with new characters because that feels like a natural progression for the Smash Bros. series and Tails is Sonic's sidekick so he feels like a natural fit for another Sonic rep in Smash.

And next...

Chun-Li! If we're expanding on third party franchises here then we have to include the First Lady of Gaming. After all after Ryu she's likely the most recognizable Street Fighter character in the world and as such more than deserves an invite to join Smash.

Up next...

Meowscarada! There should be a new Pokémon rep for each Smash game and Meowscarada not only gives us that but also provides an independent Grass type starter to complement prior inclusions Greninja and Incineroar.

Up next is...

Crash Bandicoot! There should at least be a few new third party characters for a new Smash Bros. game and Crash would be one of the biggest additions to ever happen for the series. Besides the guy deserves some fighting game love after not getting into Playstation All Stars.

Then there's...

EMMI! Metroid has a decent grab bag of characters who might be worthy inclusions for Smash Bros. but we felt this relentless mechanical menace would be the most fitting addition.

And then...

Impa! The Zelda series is long overdue for a new fighter that isn't just some version of Link and Impa perfectly fits the bill. Given her frequent depiction as a Sheikah warrior she could also as a similar yet distinct replacement for Sheik.

And then there's...

Bandana Waddle Dee! If the Zelda series is overdue for a new fighter then the Kirby series is in even more dire need of a new one and this unique Waddle Dee who has taken off in popularity and prominence over the years is a perfect fit.

Next up is...

It's a Smash Bros. tradition to include a retro character as a new addition to the roster and this bike riding hero is as good as any if not better.

Now it's...

Krystal! She's about the only Star Fox character who realistically would play completely different from Fox and the series needs all the representation it can get.

And now...

Rayman! Another big mascot type character who deserves a place in Smash Bros and would give Ubisoft some representation as well.

And now it's...

Andy! Advance Wars is a Nintendo property and while I'm not sure how they would put in a fighter from that franchise I know it could be done and would be something unexpected.

And now there's...

Jin Kazama! I think it would be fun to have a Tekken character as part of the base roster along with Street Fighter characters and I honestly think Jin would make more sense than Kazuya returning or Heihachi replacing Kazuya, especially with the release of Tekken 8.

And finally...

Master Chief! In all honesty I do see Master Chief one day joining Smash Bros. but most likely as a DLC character instead of on the base roster. That said I do think there would be one completely unexpected "never in a million years" longshot that the creators would put in just for the razzle dazzle factor alone and who better than the face of the Xbox itself to fill that slot.

Okay then we now have our base roster all set up but the fun doesn't stop there. Now we need to figure out the DLC. Ultimate had a grand total of 11 DLC fighters so we're going to bump that up just a bit to a nice odd 15. So now let's figure out who our lucky participants are going to be.

First up is...

Geno! This Mario character has been a longtime request for Smash and if Nintendo could get Disney to lend them Sora then getting Geno another game may not be impossible.

Second up...

Noah! We've got to have a Xenoblade character in Smash and with Xenoblade 3 being the most recent release it only makes sense to have the main character as a rep for that series.

Third up...

Isaac! Golden Sun is a cult classic and people want to see Isaac stop being an Assist Trophy and his earth elemental abilities would be unique for gameplay.

Fourth up...

Bomberman! He fits like a glove in the world of Smash Bros. and he would be a way to get more Konami representation in the game.

Fifth up...

Shovel Knight! Indie games need a rep in Smash Bros. and you'd be hard pressed to find a more fitting choice than Shovel Knight.

Sixth up...

Scorpion! We got more fighting game inclusions in the DLC for Ultimate so why not keep the trend going with the next game. And yeah I know there's the problem of censorship but Scorpion has appeared outside of Mortal Kombat before so it's not impossible.

Seventh up...

Lloyd Irving! The Tales Of series deserves to have a playable rep in my opinion and Lloyd is best choice for that role.

Eight up...

Spyro! If we're going to have Crash Bandicoot then we have to have Spyro in there somewhere so why not as DLC? He would definitely be a different type of fighter, being a quadruped and all.

Ninth up...

Sol Badguy! Another fighting game guest character and honestly it's surprising we haven't gotten anyone from the highly animated games of Arc System Works.

Tenth up...

Sans! To call Undertale a success is to say the sky is blue. As such it's all too fitting to have one of the most popular characters from the game as a fighter in Smash Bros.

Eleventh up...

Zagreus! We needed at least one off-kilter pick for DLC and the star of a successful roguelike perfectly fits the bill.

Twelfth up...

Dante! Wanted to put some more Capcom representation in Smash and Dante more than fit the bill for what I was looking for.

Thirteenth up...

2B! Wanted another out there pick and 2B has appeared in other fighting games before so I figured why not?

Fourteenth up...

Cuphead! I just like his cartoony aesthetic and his different finger bullet abilities, which would translate wonderfully into a moveset for Smash Bros.

And finally...

Kratos! To finish off we need a big name and one of Sony's most prominent and popular characters fits the bill perfectly. Not to mention he has a phenomenal moveset waiting to be implemented into Super Smash Bros.

And with that we have successfully created our own roster for the next Super Smash Bros. Feel free to go over this list and let me know if you agree with all of our choices or if you feel I should have made some different picks.

[sluxe]

Smash Bros Future Cast Part 3

Ultimate Base Inkling ****** / * Ridley ***** / ** Simon *** / * King K Rool ** / * Isabelle ***** / *** Incineroar ** / **

Inkling is the guarantee this round. Splatoon is huge and it's going to get more reps, not less. Isabelle is in the same boat, but theoretically she could be replaced.

Ridley is the sole non-Samus rep for Metroid, and hugely requested for years. With Dread's success and Prime 4 upcoming, he's unlikely to be cut and there's few possible replacements unless Prime 4 provides new characters. There's an outside chance of him being replaced by Raven Beak but… it's tiny.

K Rool on the other hand is likely to be cut. But if they go cut heavy enough, he's likely to be replaced by Dixie instead, and maybe come back as DLC?

Simon is the sole new third party rep in base, and Konami is… unpredictable. No clue what's up there.

Ultimate First Party DLC Piranha Plant ** / * Byleth **** / ** Min Min **** / * Pyra / Mythra *** / **

Piranha Plant seems high on the chopping block of random reps. The only saving grace is the Mario IP attached. Byleth is quite unique, and Three Houses is the best received Switch FE, so they're likely to return. Min Min will be back so long as an ARMS 2 is in development, which seems likely. If the IP was actually abandoned, then maybe not.

Pyra and Mythra are still quite relevant, but are two characters in one two make, plus we might get other Xeno reps instead.

Ultimate Third Party DLC Joker * / * Hero ** / ** Banjo & Kazooie *** / * Terry ** / * Steve / Alex *** / * Sephiroth * / * Kazuya *** / * Sora * / * Most of the third party DLC characters are likely to stay as DLC if they ever come back in future titles. Steve / Alex might be base thanks to Microsoft's current 'play nice' policy if they really want to promote the movie, and B-K might be cheap enough because of the same policy. Hero is the only Squeenix character that really stands a chance if he's promting DQ XII this time, but they're a mess to work with. Kazuya might happen if Bandai-Namco is developing, but he might just be held back for early DLC instead.

Possible New Characters

Ring Fit Trainee / Dragaux - Discussed above as a Wii Fit Trainer replacement

Howard - Astral Chain is the only other major new IP with notable characters (though a Labo character is possible), and with it being Platinum's best selling title an Astral Chain 2 is likely in the works. Since they own the IP, this is an easy fit.

Oatchi - Pikmin can finally get a second rep, with a character that's cute enough to appeal to non-Pikmin fans. Pikmin 4 sold super well, having already well outsold any other single release, so a second rep seems likely.

Squid Sisters - A two-in-one character, maybe inspired by Ice Climbers if they don't return. Splatoon is huge, so I can't see it not getting a second rep. There's a ton of popular characters, but Marie and Callie literally had real life concerts.

Tom Nook - Animal Crossing is huge, and Tom Nook seems a likely choice for a third rep. Not super confident it'll be him, but he does seem the most likely.

Riju - Zelda is huge, so a BotW / TotK rep seems almost guaranteed. Riju seems to meet the requirements the best, being relevant in both games. It does mean another swords(wo)man, but ah well. She's still fun, even if I'd prefer Revali, Sidon, or Tulin.

Rillaboom - Assuming we don't have Gen 10 by the time we start development, Rillaboom is the most likely Gen 9 rep from Pokemon. Still, it could be anyone.

Rayman / Rabbid Peach - Ubisoft has been working heavy with Nintendo all gen, the groundwork is there for them to get a rep. Rabbid Peach is partially a Nintendo IP already, while Rayman is more of a longshot.

[thesongoftheirlove]

the way i was rewatchin the super smash bros trailer when they added joker to the game and i was just squealin the whole time-

[gracelessx97]

Random Our Life: Beginning & Always Headcanons

Our Life: Beginnings & Always is my current hyperfixation, so I am arising from the dead to bring you guys a few random personal OL1 headcanons while we wait for Derek’s DLC to be released.

~Derek & Baxter under the cut.~

Cove:

-        Only knows how to cook a few dishes from scratch, but the ones he can are really good. Like, Michelin star restaurant good (not really, but maybe we’re biased).

-        Doesn’t play many video games but got really into Pokémon after high school. It started with Pokémon Go out of boredom (probably during quarantine) & then escalated into a full-blown obsession. Picked up the card game too but card packs got too expensive to keep collecting them :’(

-        Also plays Stardew Valley but only on co-op with his friends. He likes exploring the mines the most.

-        If you have long-haired Cove, I like to think that he donates his hair every few years. He’ll grow it out & wear it long for a while, then cut it to the second shortest length for Step 4, & wear it like that for a year or so before he grows it out to donate again.

-        I also think he’s probably gotten an undercut with his long hair at some point. California is hot & sticky, & it made it just a little more bearable. Probably got Jamie/MC or Cliff to do it.

-        Got a lip piercing at one point but took it out not long afterwards because he didn’t like the feeling of it.

-        Is surprisingly really good with kids who take surfing lessons from him. He was nervous about it the first few times he had some sign up, but something about his awkwardness is endearing & they absolutely adore him.

-        Can not play Cards Against Humanity. He gets way too flustered for it.

Derek:

-        Took up guitar some time in his senior year of high school but never really stuck with it. He can still play a few songs from muscle memory but has mostly forgotten what he learned.

-        Probably took a couple of elective ballet or other dance classes in college to help with his footwork for soccer (also partially just for fun). He also probably convinced a few of the guys on his team to do it with him.

-        Wants tattoos but is nervous about regretting it later in life. If he did, it would be something that has a deeper meaning for him, probably something family related.

-        Also doesn’t really play video games but was always at every Super Smash Bros or Mario Kart competition on campus, even if he didn’t participate.

-        Is a great cook. At first, he just looked up a few recipes so he could make more than ramen & bacon during college, & eventually, he got really good at mixing flavors, pairing ingredients, & making his own dishes. The guys on his dorm hall started to look forward to when he would make dinner in the community kitchen (and yes, he always tried to make enough for everyone).

-        I feel like Derek is a type of guy who likes to learn about all different kinds of things, & probably took at least one elective outside of his major every semester, even if his advisor always told him he didn’t need to.

-        Not super into anime but has a few he likes, mostly classic shounen like Naruto, One Piece, Bleach, FMA, etc. Also really likes Fruits Basket, & he relates to Tohru (I will die on this hill).

-        Played intramural disc golf in college & got really into it & continued to play in a community group after he graduated.

Baxter:

-        I know he said in the Wedding DLC that he doesn’t really dance anymore, mostly just to give couples lessons, but I like to think that he took up hip-hop dancing as a hobby in & after college.

-        Like Cove, he probably got some ear piercings at some point but took them out soon after because he didn’t like not being able to lay on his side to sleep without them being sore.

-        Wears blue light glasses when he’s working sometimes, especially while he was working remotely during quarantine.

-        The first time he dyed his hair was awful. He did it in the bathroom on his own after his parents told him no. It was splotchy & uneven, his neck & face were stained, & he had a competition later that week. After that, his parents gave him the money to go to the salon & get it done professionally.

-        Likes lavender. A lot. He likes lavender lattes, ice cream, candles & soaps. If he has a diffuser in his office, it probably has lavender in it. It’s lightly sweet & not overbearing & idk, I just think it’s one of his favorites (this is probably just me self-projecting here but oh well).

-        Did a little theater in high school & enjoyed it but couldn’t continue because it conflicted with his dancing.

-        Isn’t into any fandoms or fandom culture but really appreciates cosplay. Working with costumes & makeup for so many years, it impresses him what self-taught cosplayers can do from their own homes.

-        Also can not play Cards Against Humanity, but unlike Cove, it’s because he makes everyone else flustered with how effortlessly he always reads the cards. It does not matter how raunchy it is, this man will read them with the most silky-smooth voice & straight face ever, & no one can handle it.

Thank you for coming to my TEDTalk.

[weirdmarioenemies]

Name: Nabbit

Debut: New Super Mario Bros. U

Nabbit! You all know him, you love him, you asked for him! By which I mean we got an Ask asking to cover Nabbit, and I had previously no intention of doing so but it made me think, hey, I WOULD like to talk about Nabbit! Thanks @oddity-txt! 

Nabbit! Like. Nab it. Cause he’s a rab-a thief, he’s a rabbit thief you get it yeah. This guy is a real piece of work, let me tell you! He steals items from Toad Houses and runs off with them! Those are for Mario! Can you believe not everyone in this economy agrees with hoarding power-ups to give them away to Mario in wacky chance-based minigames? So its up to you to chase him down. And chase him down you do! 

But why does Nabbit want these items? Does he just enjoy the thrill of the chase? Or is he just trying to provide for his family? Can he sell them on the item black market? Why would there be an item black market when you can find this stuff anywhere on the street? Mario doesn’t care. Mario wants to attack the symptom of the problem rather than addressing the systemic cause.  

Still, I feel like we need to have a good talk about what Nabbit is... other than a hooligan, obviously! Earlier I called him a rabbit but taking a look at him, it’s fairly clear he’s wearing some kind of rubbery rabbit suit, with only the black arms and feets sticking out... So of course we need to speculate all the possibilities! Possibility A is that he is a human or some other known character in disguise, which isn’t fun. Next! Possibility B is that he’s an actual rabbit wearing a rabbit-shaped bodysuit, which I quite like because it is absurd. Possibility 3 is none of the above and he is some mystery creature, which I’ll leave up to YOU to imagine because I’m not entirely sure what that would be. 

Point number 2 about Nabbit’s ambiguous identity: the bandanna! It has a similar (but not identical) design to Bowser Jr.’s bandanna, and even though he does not work for Bowser, it just feels like a strangely specific design choice! I can get why Junior wants to look ferocious, but Nabbit is more of the stealthy type right? Because of this I’ve always envisioned Nabbit as having actual fangs under the bandanna, like the Impostor from Amongus, which you can’t disprove because he’s never been seen without it.

Or maybe it’s just fashion. It’s probably just fashionable. 

This isn’t the last we’ll see of Nabbit of course! The developers of New Super Mario Bros. U had precisely three (3) new ideas, and damn if they weren’t gonna milk them for all they’re worth! I could get upset that characters from the New Super series get this treatment when other more beloved characters from spin-offs don’t, but also, come on... look at the guy! I can’t stay mad at him! He’s purple!

So in Nabbit’s next ever appearance, New Super Luigi U... he became playable! Wow, that was quick! With Mario gone, they scrambled around the office for anyone they could find to fill his place, and they settled on Nabbit! They’re not paying Nabbit extra though, so he kind of had to phone it in.

In this game, Nabbit is totally invincible! Why? Maybe he is like Wario and simply does not care enough to get hit. He can’t use power-ups because they didn’t have the budget to design new costumes for him and he can’t pick up items or ride Yoshis. The game frames this as an “easy mode”, but what kind of easy mode forces one player to always use it? Let’s be honest, it’s because they didn’t want to make a brand new character. The Year of Luigi was a tough time for Nintendo! 

So rather then collect power-ups he just puts them in his bag, and they get converted into 1-Ups at the end of the level. Is THIS what he was stealing those items for? Is Nabbit’s ultimate goal to reach immortality through illegally trading 1-Up mushrooms? Maybe something like that probably. It’s kinda fun that he’s a ‘bad guy’ but Luigi and friends don’t really mind keeping him around. 

Nabbit also appears in spin-offs of course. Enough spin-offs that he feels like a proper modern Mario character, but sparsely enough that you think “wow, they put Nabbit in this game?” when they put Nabbit in the game. Here he is in the Rio Olympics, and you could make a very easy joke about him being a thief in Rio de Janeiro, which I won’t. Instead I will ask: why the heck is he carrying his sack in a marathon! Just let go dude! Don’t they have changing room lockers in the Olympics?

Here he is in Golf! As DLC, for all the six people out there who loved Mario Golf World Tour so much they simply had to get new characters for it. This picture labels him as an Eagle but I’m pretty sure he isn’t one, though I might be wrong. 

Here is Nabbit, well known thief, outlaw, and general ne'er-do-well as a doctor! I mean, I know the healthcare system is a scam but this is a little on the nose don’t you think? He just put a pill sticker on his thief sack and called it a day! Can we even be sure there are pills in there? What if he is prescribing patients with stolen Super Acorns from Acorn Plains 5 - Rise of the Piranha Plants? Oh no! 

Nabbit Mario Kart? It is more likely than you think! Of course only in the mobile game with a gacha. They could’ve done it in Mario Kart 8 but they know people will pay good money for Nabbit! Well jokes on them because I got him in the gacha for free. Nyeeh. 

Nabbit is also in Mario & Luigi: Paper Jam! Did you know this? I didn’t play Paper Jam, so I didn’t. I’m sorry. You need to catch him in order to get Bros. Attack items. At one later point, you even fight him! Or rather, fight enemies he kept in his bag, while he naps in the background. Is that legal? He can also pop out behind you and steal your hammers to whack you with. Yeouch! 

However, he also fights ALONGSIDE you for some fights against Bowser’s minions, acting basically like a fourth party member, except you can’t control him or anything. He gives the Bros. healing items from his bag or will occasionally bonk an enemy himself. Hooray for morally ambiguous characters! I guess he’s cool with anything as long as he gets what he wants. 

Finally, I would like to talk about Nabbit in Super Smash Bros.! As one of the few original things to NSMBU, he of course appears in the Mushroom Kingdom U, alongside equally iconic characters like Beanstalk and Water Geyser! In this game he’ll grab people and stuff them in his bag, and then proceed to just... fly away, so they are killed. Wait a minute. A thief who kidnaps characters only to kill them and himself...? That sounds familiar! 

I knew it! This wasn’t really Nabbit at all, but rather Tac from Kirby Super Star sneakily disguised as Nabbit! Sakurai thought he could sneak you into this stage to satiate his never-ending lust for Kirby Super Star references in Smash... He wasn’t even content just having you in Smash Run and Smash Tour! 

Well, mystery solved everyone! I think we can go ahead and end this post while we arrest Tac for his crimes of identity theft, and not regular theft, which isn’t really an actual crime after all. 

[guynamedultimax]

What if Kirby had a traditional fighting game?

Listen, I know I should’ve done more “FNF fighting game characters” but i doubt anyone cared for that, and even then I lost a bit of interest, so if you actually cared sorry about that, you can still come up with whatever you want for the characters I didn’t talk about!

That being said, I think all Kirby fans here know Kirby Fighters 2. Personally speaking most of it was just the same as Kirby Fighters Deluxe BUT there were five playable Dream Friends. FIVE. Priority to the Copy Abilities a bit too high, isn’t it HAL? Sometimes it feels a bit barebones if you ask me. So I’m here to discuss what would a non-platform Kirby fighting game be.

THE GAMEPLAY

It’s the same as any basic fighting game, there isn’t really that much that the Kirby franchise can offer to make the genre a bit more varied, and that’s mostly due to the fact that Kirby makes friends wherever he goes and combat is pretty much straightforward in these platforming games, the crazy stuff comes from learning specific moves with each copy ability/character in the games and that’s also true for this game.

THE PLOT

I have quite a few ideas for how this can go:

-It’s a “what if” re-telling of Kirby Star Allies where Hyness’ ritual (somehow) also causes space-time rifts across the entire universe to be generated, pulling in Kirby villains from previous games but also allies, which would ALSO explain Dream Friends in the game’s canon a bit more properly.

-It happens in an AU. Plot would basically be Kirby Battle Royale’s but instead of shooting a loadshit of Kirbies onto Kirby, Dedede would just call upon all of their friends to fight for that cake before things escalate and Dedede loses control of the tournament to greater evils, forcing him to work with Kirby to stop the threat, be it old or new.

-Another AU idea but this time it’s original/based on Milky Way Wishes. Galactic NOVA appears every thousand years above Pop Star’s skies, and everyone tries to fight for the right to get the wish. Villain wouldn’t necessarily be ONLY Marx though, most of the Kirby villains could easily win against him if they get to NOVA and get their wish granted. Which means yes, all plots happen at once and Kirby has to deal with everyone at once.

-The least interesting idea: it’s Kirby Fighters 2′s plot but without tag team duos and with all Kirbies replaced with the roster.

THE ROSTER

Now we’re about to have some fun.

RETURNING CHARACTERS: The Dream Friends (and Kirby, of course)

-First up, all Dream Friends are coming back. You don’t even need to change their movesets that much, just add/tweak things, but just for funsies (and for a specific reason too) we’ll also give them specific copy abilities or more than one to categorize them.

-Kirby is the specific reason. He has the same moveset as his Smash Bros incarnation, although he incorporates more copy abilities (and also super powerful stuff like the Star Rod that he usually uses in endgame fights) in it now due to being a traditional fighting game. And yes, he still has his inhale. Using it will have the inhale be replaced by another move in-game, the closest one to a “neutral special” in the opponent’s arsenal. His copy ability is therefore, Smash Bros. And since the game has multiple super moves, we can make his gimmicks from the Kumazaki games the super moves: his level 1 would be a random Super Copy Ability from Return to Dreamland (cutscene is random everytime but damage is always the same), his level 2 would be using the Robobot Armor to stomp foes around, ending with a giant ground pound/fist to the ground and his level 3 is Hypernova Kirby due to the inhale being one of his most unique properties.

-Meta Knight and Dedede will also have heavy Smash influences but they’ll also use techniques from most of their boss fights, such as Meta Knight splitting himself in four clones temporarily for an attack or Dedede actually pulling out an axe instead of his hammer for some attacks based on his Triple Deluxe incarnation. Their copy abilities would formally be Sword and Hammer but with heavy Smash Bros inspiration. Meta can also call in for the Meta Knights to help him in one of his unique super moves. They’d all be there except for Sailor Dee and Captain Vul (one’s an alternate costume and the other is never seen outside of dialogue text).

-Bandana Waddle Dee’s moveset incorporates both Spear and Parasol, but due to the Spear being his most used tool he’ll be categorized with that.

-Marx is the first character with Unique as its own copy ability due to his arsenal being entirely based on his boss fight. Inhaling Unique characters doesn’t always allow Kirby to get copy abilities but when it happens he usually has their most basic move replacing the inhale. Gooey is in the same situation, but i have no idea what would Kirby get from him as an ability since he’s technically player 2 in the Dark Matter trilogy’s first 2 games. Rick, Kine and Coo would technically be categorized as Unique only because they have Fire, Water and Wind in their moveset. You could say they’d be stance characters while Marx is a zoner and Gooey a rushdown character.

-Dark Meta Knight is categorized as Mirror, and Adeleine (with Ribbon as an assist of course) is Artist. Daroach would be Animal, which is missing since its debut in Squeak Squad, as far as I can remember, but he naturally still retains his moveset of calling the Squeaks to help him.

-It’s pretty easy to categorize Magolor as ESP, and Taranza as Spider, while I have no idea what would Susie’s ability be even. Spark? She is mostly around in the Robobot Armor to be fair. The Three Mage-Sisters would be treated equally to the Animal Friends

THE NEWCOMERS

-NAGO, CHUCHU & PITCH: The other set of Animal Friends. I theorize a moveset revolving around the Cleaning ability like in Star Allies would be easy to make, although it can also incorporate moves from other abilities that have been in Dream Land 3.

-CHEF KAWASAKI: I think it’s safe to say this one is pretty easy to do just like the returning Dream Friends. He has a unique moveset in comparison to Chef Kirby that also has him use Kirby’s Final Smash from Super Smash Bros. Brawl.

-LOLOLO & LALALA: Aside from pushing boxes and Gordos they can be the Ice Climbers of the game, and most importantly one of their super moves could have them fuse into their original form in the anime to reference that further.

-SHADOW KIRBY: A clone (in terms of moveset) for Kirby that lacks the inhale ability and has more attacks based on his appearances in Amazing Mirror (and also on Kirby’s unique ability to split in four in these games) and the Kirby Fighters spinoffs. Simple as it is.

-THE MIDBOSSES: They all play the same as their fights too, so doing a paragraph for each of them would be a bit redundant. I chose to add minibosses in because most of them are pretty iconic among Kirby enemies and some of them are also technically friends of Kirby’s. I picked Bonkers (whose coconut throwing and some special moves could make him different enough from Dedede if you ask me), Mr. Frosty (also because we don’t have an Ice-based character in the game), Buggzy (which I can see being the ultimate grappler), King Doo (because we don’t actually have a Waddle Doo in the roster and he’s technically not only their king but also the most unique of them) and Grand Wheelie (look, I like Wheel as an ability ok? it’s like playing as Sonic in a Kirby game)

-KNUCKLE JOE: Taking stuff from both his Star Allies moveset and his Assist Trophy from Ultimate PLUS a few references to the anime and you have the ultimate Shoto character in the Kirby franchise. Ryu mains, this is the character for you.

-GIM: Look, my three favorite abilities are Yo-Yo, Wheel and ESP, in no particular order, so I HAD to include him and the Grand Wheelie. Magolor covers for ESP enough. This lil fella looks more unique than most of the generic Kirby enemies and even among the copy ability ones he’s always been a bit of an oddball due to being a robot. The trickshots you can do with this copy ability make Gim perfect to camp, so he’d be a pretty good zoner as well.

-TAC: He’s been a Helper in Super Star where he also has an unique moveset. Expanding on it and on Tac being generally a copy ability thief could mean more copy abilities can be implemented in a moveset, probably even more than what Kirby can do. Also his design just screams potential to me.

DLC FIGHTERS

WAVE 1: Spinoff Dream Friends

Cuz these guys have been done dirty by Star Allies’ devs. Elline would be the other Artist character in the game and call for Claycia’s assistance in specific attacks. Prince Fluff would play mostly just like Kirby himself did in Kirby’s Epic Yarn and implement specific transformations in some attacks, ending with the tank one from the end of that game. Then we have Gryll. If you know how to make a Tetris/Puyo Puyo based character in a fighting game then good for you, I absolutely don’t know how. What I KNOW however is that she has a float like Peach’s in Smash Bros and I-No’s in Guilty Gear.

WAVE 2: Dream Villains

These guys would all play exactly like their boss fights. Hyness and Sectonia would remain mostly unchanged while Haltmann in terms of moveset is the same as Susie, just without every non-Robobot move that she has.

WAVE 3: Clash of Blades

THAT’S RIGHT, IT’S ALL ANIME SWORDFIGHTERS. They all pull from their boss fights, but Morpho Knight is gonna be a bit more unique compared to Galacta, Dark Meta and Meta Knight, having in the swordfighter equivalent of Akuma’s Raging Demon. Meanwhile, Dark Matter Swordsman and Galacta Knight are completely faithful to the source material, but they’d probably be a bit nerfed due to Galacta’s universe-breaking powers. (you can bet that if we get the remaining legendary heroes who sealed Void Termina in future games they’d be their own separate Wave 5 DLC pack)

WAVE 4: Revival of Old Faces

Nightmare and Drawcia are back and they’re here to stay! Their movesets don’t really need that much changes. Void however is an entirely different beast. He’d be a mix of Kirby, both Zero incarnations and Dark Matter. His design wouldn’t just be giant orb that switches between Kirby and Dark Matter faces, he’d be Kirby-sized and with legs and stubby lil arms like the pink puffball. And you can bet your ass he’d be broken as fuck.

SKINS

If a character’s appearance changed across the series’ history (like Marx Soul, Girl Blob Gooey, Shoppe Magolor, Mecha Knight, Dark Taranza/Taranza in the Super Kirby Clash games, Masked/Shadow Dedede, Anime!Knuckle Joe, Parallel/Pres. Parallel Susie, EX versions and so on) they’d just be an alternate skin/palette swap for the specific character. Multiple characters of the same species with little changes (like a normal Waddle Dee or Sailor Dee, or literally all Kirby colors including Keeby) are the same. I’m also debating on how Dark Mind would be a skin for Nightmare or if there’d be a skin inspired by him for the Dark Matter Swordsman. Zero and Zero Two would probably be turned into palette swaps/outfits for Void (imagine a white Kirby cosplaying as Zero Two that’d be so cute lol).

ATTACKING ASSIST CHARACTERS

Characters who appear in other characters’ attacks. Like the aforementioned Squeaks, Meta Knights and Claycia. Normal Dark Matter would appear in DM Swordsman’s attacks in some capacity outside of the eye laser and the Gordo Throw would return from Dedede’s previous Smash incarnations alongside the Waddle Dee Throw from Brawl. And naturally Magolor can call in the Lor Starcutter for one of his super moves. I am actually considering giving Tac the ability to throw random items/enemies at opponents, with the Bomber being one of these. It’d be a very RNG attack with the Bomber being the best outcome, blowing on the opponent’s face.

HELPERS

All characters in the game can be called on for an Helper attack, that can help you in some form against the opponent by either damaging or tampering with the opponent or by having you get healed or with some buff. Outside from the playable roster enemies that give you copy abilities would also be Helpers, but the specific ones I’m not so sure on.

BOSSES

Characters you can fight in Arcade mode, in Story mode or in a specific Boss mode. There’d also be a Ganon’s Fury (Hyrule Warriors) inspired mode where you’d play as the bosses pitting them against each other. I specifically picked Dyna Blade, Whispy Woods, Landia, Star Dream, Kracko, Great Edge, Pyribbit, Ice Dragon, Fire Lion, Masher, Grand Mam, Metal General, Kibble Blade and Pon & Con.

STAGES

There’d be quite a lot of stages, but I haven’t thought out specific ones except for Green Greens, Butter Building, a Ripple Star stage, one for Dedede’s castle with stage cameos by Tiff, Tuff and Escargoon from the anime and every final boss’s fighting arena.

THE MUSIC

Super Smash Bros. Ultimate is gonna be nothing compared to this one. We’re getting all the important music from all pre-Kumazaki games, all music from Kumazaki games and spinoffs, and online arrangements with focus on orchestral (Desolo Zantas), metal (GaMetal, of course) and EDM (Acid Notation, Qumu and various others), including stuff like Itoki Hana’s vocal arrangements. We’re going all out on this one.

Aaaaand that’s it. Thanks for coming to my TED talk. Stay hydrated.

[nukenai]

i try to do “exposure therapy” to myself and it’s like. idk it’s so weird to talk about bc it almost sounds like i’m joking or making light of shit.

but a lot of my ‘exposure therapy’ to try to slowly (over the course of a decade even tho i really only recently started actively doing it) lessen my Trauma over Baddest Things is listening to the Mother 3 soundtrack. What’s awful is that like, The Trauma(tm) has even leaked into giving me some bad feels about Earthbound which has DONE NOTHING WRONG.

idk if I’ve ever really explained this but like. Mother 3 is a severe trauma trigger for me now despite being one of my favorite games of all time. Here’s a list of things that are legitimately true: I had a mom who really, really loved sunflowers. They were here favorite flower and she always decorated all our houses with them. I’m a younger sibling of 2, and I grew up being the much shyer one compared to my much more outgoing older sibling. In 2011 my mom died of a brain tumor at age 47, which is uh, arguably young. She was sick for a little over a year and I basically had to watch her deteriorate and I didn’t actually get to spend tons of time with her while she was in the hospital for the last 4 months of her life. I am very haunted by guilt for this.

Ever since Dead Mom O’Clock I really like, cannot discuss Mother 3 and it’s extremely difficult to see any content from it. Obviously some days I’m more sensitive than others. It feels so STUPID to be so ~sensitive~ about a video game but I can’t even begin to describe how important the Mother series was to me, and how it was often the only thing I had while we were dealing with domestic violence and homelessness.

Anyways I was in a really horrible place when i Only had Mother back then and then I found SMRPG which became my New Big Thing and felt very symbolic of moving past that point of my life. So this shit is Significant(tm) to me so that’s why I was upset over the whole Geno shit it wasn’t just “i like a character but he didn’t get into smash boo”. Idk. I feel like a fucking dork for trying to explain “it’s deeper than that” when I’ve had my friends bullying me over it for 10 years because they think it’s funny and that I’m shallow and a weirdo for caring so much

I felt like I was struck dead when they cut Lucas from Smash 4 but like, one of my last memories of Satoru Iwata was him presenting Lucas as DLC and it’s just a whole bittersweet pile of Me, Crying.

uhhhhh so I guess I have an update, I bought a shirt from Yetee of Lucas and Boney sleeping in sunflowers that I like, felt agony about all day and I felt sick looking at it. And I was like “man, I don’t wear yellow!” but I bought it anyways like an hour before the sale ended because I don’t know. Maybe I need to try just a little harder to work against this.

I CAN say I’m much happier since I took a huuuuuuuuuuge step away from Super Smash Bros and have not even played it in over a fucking year. I’m still very angry at the disrespect p much literally everyone in my life gave me over my legitimate feelings and it’s taken me a long while to come to terms with the fact that no, I was the correct one, I’m allowed to feel how I’m feeling even if people are “annoyed” by it or think I’m weird. I’ll probably never confront the specific people about it because it won’t be worth it and they’ll just dredge up times I was Rude Once or whatever idk.

I’ll die mad about some shit but I’m definitely a lot better and even if no one on earth has acknowledged it, I’m proud of myself.

“nuke your mom died 11 years ago get over it” i’m working on it bitch, call me when YOUR mom fucking dies when you’re 20 years old and grew up extremely sheltered and dependent on her for literally everything

nobody has said that to me before but damn if I don’t feel it lol. I have very few friends with dead parents who can remotely understand but I appreciate those who are like “damn, fuck, I feel what you’re going through and i Get It” y’know. Sometimes you just need to have someone who Gets It.

I’m going shopping tomorrow I’ll be ok, just a long emotionally taxing week.

wanna hear a fun fact, i have a copy of mother 3 in english and i tried playing it and got like 10 minutes into chapter 2 and had an extremely severe panic attack and haven’t played it since whoops. i’m just trying to play a fucking video game. come on.

[allykakamatsu]

Hypothetical P5A

Okay, gonna make this clear right up front, I wanted to make this post for a while but the main reason I decided to do it now is because the Atlus announcement thing is almost here, and also cause I saw a video on this topic by Thorgi’s Arcade (go watch it btw it’s good) and while I agree with a lot of what he said, there’s also some things I’d change, not just cause I disagree, but also cause I think it would be fun. Anyway enough beating around the bush, let’s do this

Gameplay

I’m a firm believer in the phrase, if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it, and the Arena games are already really good so not much to change. That being said, I still wanna change some things. First off though, we are keeping this 1 vs 1, no tag team matches. The arena games already have a lot of Mechanics going on and trying to keep everything as well as some new stuff WHILE adding a tag team button, yeah no let’s not outside of maybe a bonus mode.

This means I can’t add Batton Pass in as a new mechanic to represent P5, but I have a solution, that being Technicals. Status ailments already exist in this game, so how about when you inflict one and do a specific combo you do more damage, also providing risk vs reward as the player with the status will have a better idea of what the opponent will do making them more predictable. Also as for Persona’s, mostly everyone’s will be fully evolved, minus Yu cause him getting a final boss persona normally is a tad to OP, meanwhile the P5 characters will have their starting Persona’s, but they will evolve for big moves, like awakened mode supers and instant kills

I’m also borrowing Thorgi’s Arcade idea of having supports giving a slight buff in battle, like if you pick Fuuka your meter can build faster for a bit, meanwhile if you pick Futaba you’ll get an attack and defence buff. It’s the fairest way to include them without having to make them playable. I know Rise is already playable but this roster is going to have to be small as it is, and being a support doesn’t mean you can’t be DLC later.

Also, we’re not bringing back the Shadow Characters, just, we are not dealing with the likes of Shadow Naoto again.

:readmore:

Story

I am about to cop out a bit here, but Thorgi’s Arcade video had a really good idea for the story so I’ll just link it here https://youtu.be/yyB5rEM9UVU

To summarise for people who don’t want to watch, Nyarlathotep, the main villain from the Persona 2 games, has been gaining strength from all the suffering humanity has gone through due to 3, 4 and 5, and has gained enough strength to create a new Joker to try finish what he started and destroy the world. Mitsuru might think the Phantom Thieves are behind it cause this is clearly persona related and the fact that the leader of the PT’s is also named Joker is public knowledge, Naoto gets largely the same idea, Katsuya and Maya decide to have their own investigation, meanwhile the Phantom Thieves are trying to prove their innocence and help save the world. Nice excuse to bring everyone together, but who will the everyone be?

Base Roster

Okay, I know the dream is getting everyone from Ultimax back plus the new P5 characters, but given Arc System’s standard for small base rosters, I’m not holding my breath. The ideal would be everyone plus who I’m about to say for P2 and P5, but I’m keeping it… somewhat realistic. Anyway onto the actual size, 16 seems fair enough. One more than the most recent Guilty Gear game for a series that had pretty big success so that sound fair enough. Let’s get the obvious out of the way though, all the base 8 Phantom Thieves besides Futaba are making the cut

Okay so that’s obvious but how will they play? Starting off with Ren/Joker, Smash Bros already laid a great foundation with him being very fast on the ground and in the air plus being great at combos, so I see no reason to change that. Also no need for him to be a Jack of all trades either cause spoilers, Yu is coming back and he already fills that role.

As for the others, Ryuji I can see being a slugger charge hybrid. Basically starting out he hits pretty hard but is a bit on the slow side to compensate, but just like any good athlete, give him a chance to warm up, ie do a charge input, and he becomes a lot faster and has better combo potential. Or we could make him a toned down version of Little Mac where he’s great on the ground but he’s in trouble the second aerial combat is involved. Then there’s Morgana who with his ability to turn into cars and the fact he introduces thief tools like smoke bombs, I can see him being a faster but frailer successor to Teddie.

Then there’s Ann who, no doubt, she’s a Zoner, and with her fire she’ll be Yukiko’s sort of successor. However instead of healing, I’d implement the fact that she learns concentrate and have it so the more she charges it up, the stronger her attacks get, but the Meter will gradually go down over the match. Yusuke, as tempting as it is to cop out and say ‘have him play like Vergil in Marvel vs Capcom’, I have a different idea. Namely, take advantage of the fact that Yusuke can learn counter by having him be the defensive specialist, set up ice traps to freeze the opponent, and if they get close, he can either counter or go for some combos.

Then there’s Makoto who would definitely be a grappler. I mean, she practices Aikido and is really strong, she can 100% pull it off. Finally Haru…… TANK! I mean come on, Haru wields an axe, has a grenade launcher, and Melady is literally a dancing tank in a pink dress, it just makes too much sense. I’d also give her a bit of armor cause if she’s slow she at least needs a chance to get her attacks in.

Okay so that’s 7 out of our 16 slots down, and given that one slot will have to be saved for the Evil Joker who would be the villain, we’re halfway done with 3 games to go, lord help me.

Okay, starting this off with P4, I’m gonna give them more than the others purely because they were the focus of the originals and there’s less realistic cuts I can make compared to 2 and 3. To make things simple, every returning character would play the same, and as for the ones I’d bring back for the base roster, we’ve got Yu, Yosuke, Chie and Naoto. Why them specifically? Well Yu is the main character, Naoto being a detective would basically mean she’d be the one getting everyone involved in the first place, Chie is currently training to be a cop as confirmed in P5 so her getting called in makes sense, and Yosuke is the best investigator after Yu and Naoto, he’s always up for a mystery and the second he learns Yu is involved he’s joining in. I just couldn’t cut him.

Now before the really painful cuts, Persona 2 is really easy. Out of Innocent Sin party members, by the end of the series Maya is the only one left with a Persona, and Katsuya is not only older brother of Innocent Sin’s protag Tatsuya, but he’s also pretty important and a detective so he’s definetly the one Maya’s dragging into this. As for how they play, they both use guns like Naoto, but how I’d mix them up is with Katsuya, I’d let him attack while moving (unlike Naoto who has so stay still to fire) at the cost of less combo potential, meanwhile Maya dual wields her guns so she’ll probably play like Noel Vermillion from BlazBlue where she’d more or less just use the guns to get longer reach melee attacks instead of shooting.

Now, for the hard part. There’s only 2 slots left, one of them basically has to go to Mitsuru (not that I’m complaining I’d probably add her anyway) meaning now I have to choose between the rest of the Shadow Operatives/SEES for the last slot. I narrowed it down to the 3 that were in the original Arena cause they’re the most plot relevant, but that still meant I had to choose between Akihiko and Aigis. I ended up deciding on Aigis though cause A, with Labrys not making the base roster someone has to represent the robots of the series, and B, with Akihiko currently pulling a Ryu by travelling to get stronger, it makes more sense that Aigis would be closer and easier for Mitsuru to call up. Honestly I was tempted to bump the roster up to 17 so I could have both of them on the base roster, but this is ArcSystems, 16 is already kinda pushing it.

DLC

Given that this is a modern fighting game, DLC is inevitable. However since this DLC will likely be like Ultimax where the story acts to wrap up loose ends and have a new story, it’s going yo be big, especially since there’s going to be a fight with Nyaraloptep, so go big or go home in this case. Okay so first order of business, anyone who was in the previous arena games who wasn’t in the base roster is getting added back in, it’s only fair. That out of the way, the new faces I’d add are Futaba actually being playable now and the big 4 P5 characters I skipped, Akechi, Yoshizawa, and Sophie. Before anyone asks though, Sophie was added into a Dragalia Lost collab with Koei Techmo not being credited so she’s likely Atlus’s copyright so she's safe to add.

With that out of the way, how would they play? Starting with Futaba, I’d think she’d be the resident puppet fighter, sitting on top of Necinomicon and only occasionally adding in some of her own attacks like a projectile. Also she'd also probably act as a bit of a grappler cause her Persona has tentacles (no hentai jokes please) which have long reach so that'll be perfect for it. Next up is Akechi who I can see as semi being two characters in one. My basic idea is that at first Akechi will be fighting with Robin Hood and he'll be a solid jack of all trades with a slight focus on rush down. However once he goes into his awakened mode he'll gain Loki, which will increase his speed and attack strength, at the cost of his defence, turning him into a glass cannon.

Next is Yoshizawa, or 'Sumi as I like to call her, and her thing will be she's the mobility focused fighter, namely constantly moving around the stage and poking at her opponent while doing it, at the cost of being frail. Finally there’s Sophie who would be a combo focused zoner, as in her standard projectiles (the yo-yo’s) wouldn’t hurt that much on their own, but she can string them together into the fancy yo-yo tricks to potentially do big damage. As for how much this DLC would cost, it’s going to be very big, so €25 to €30 sounds fair

I think that more or less covers my thoughts. I could keep going on about this for a while, but I think this is a good place to stop. Hope you like my idea!

[slade-neko]

Saw this video game tag thing pop up on my dash a few days ago. Wanted to do it.

1. First game you played obsessively? Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time, I believe I was 5yo. Still waiting on that FF7 Remake treatment.

2. A game that has influenced you creatively? Writing, drawing, etc. Well if I play a game and like it, then I'll create sims of it. Does that count?

3. Who did you play with as a kid? My brother from the day I was born.

4. Who do you play with now? My brother FROM THE DAY I WAS BORN.

5. Ever use cheat codes? I wasn't lying when I made this post. {link}

6. Ever buy strategy guides? Yes! Mainly to look at the artwork though. (Don't need no guide!)

7. Any games you have multiple copies of? Lots of games, most being Left 4 Dead with 6 copies (3 Xbox 360, 1 PC case, 2 PC digitally.) What can I say, its a GOOD GAME!

8. Rarest/Most expensive game in your collection? Gold cartridge Legend of Zelda Ocarina of Time (maybe that's rare?)

9. Most regrettable purchase? I don't regret my purchases, but I have received games I have never played like Cubix (PS2) no clue where that game came from, but I have it somehow. Madagascar (Xbox 360) came with my Xbox 360, never opened it from its case. And Monsters Inc. Scream Arena (Gamecube) or something... it was a gift.

10. Ever go to a midnight game release or stand in line for hours? No, because then I'd have to interact with people.

11. Have you ever made new friends from playing video games? I'm only friends with people BECAUSE of video games, so yes.

12. Ever get picked on for liking games? No, that'd be ridiculous.

13. A game you’ve never played that everyone else has? Probably a lot, I'd say Call of Duty, but I technically played CoD 1, 2, and 4. The campaign mode was alright, but I don't really care for CoD games at ALL.

14. Favorite game music? Koji Kondo and Grant Kirkhope are two BIG ones.

15. If it was a requirement to get a game related tattoo, what would you pick? Triforce is the most basic option, but I'd rather not get a tattoo.

16. Favorite game to play with your friends IRL? Super Smash Bros. Brawl with hacks, but that was over a decade ago.

17. Ever lose a friend over a game? No, that'd be ridiculous.

18. Would you date someone that hates gaming? No, that'd be RIDICULOUS.

19. Favorite handheld console? PSP. 3DS is great, but PSP Monster Hunter has ALL of my portable gaming memories. Like playing in school after End of Grade tests with my friend.

20. Game that you know like the back of your hand? Sims 4 I like to think I know everything about Left 4 Dead. Quite a bit about Monster Hunter, more so of a series though than a specific game.

21. Game that you didn’t like or understand as a kid but love now? I'd say Star Wars Knights of the Old Republic. I loved it as a kid, but had a lot of complex pen & paper RPG mechanics that I never understood. I understand a lot more of it now, but its still complex as all heck. I just know you hit things, they die.

22. Do you wear game related clothing/accessories? That's the only thing I wear.

23. The game that you’ve logged the most hours into? Not sure so I'll list a few. Sims 4, Smash Bros. Brawl, Monster Hunter (its a series though), or Left 4 Dead

24. First Pokemon game? Leaf Green

25. Were you ever an arcade game player? No, don't like paying to play.

26. Ever form any gaming rivalries? No.

27. Game that makes you rage? I don't get mad at games, but I had a custom modded Hard Eight mutation in Left 4 Dead that is absolute bullsh*t!

28. Ever play in a tournament? No, because then I'd have to interact with people.

29. What is your gaming set up? A giant wall of video game consoles spanning from NES to Switch, 4 TVs, but I sit at a desk with a PC.

30. How many consoles do you own? "I own every console that's ever existed." - I Don't Play Games When I Play Games (My STRENTH) original song by Smooth McGroove BUT no seriously I own 32 consoles including handhelds.

31. Does the 3DS and/or Virtual Boy hurt your eyes or give you headaches? Yes. 3DS gave me headaches though I only really played with the 3D feature in Ocarina of Time 3D. I think my eyes broke because I couldn't get my 3D to work very well after.

32. Did you ever play a game based on your favorite show/cartoon/movie/comic? Sure I play games based on a lot of things. Literally any anime game. If I had to pick Dragon Ball Xenoverse is kinda like a dream Dragon Ball game. Oh, Attack on Titan 2 is pretty neat too!

33. Did you ever have any bootleg games or plug-n-play games? Some SEGA plug-n-play thing once. Played it like once and now its lost to time (or my closet.)

34. Do either of your parents play video games? Yes. Mom and Dad played NES Super Mario Bros. My Dad went HARD at that game until he saved the Princess. Then he quit forever.

35. Ever work in a game store? Or do you have a favorite game shop? "Hi. Welcome to Gamestop!"I never want to hear that again, but it was my main store until I went full digital/ online orders.

36. Have you ever shed actual blood, sweat or tears over a game? No, I don't tend to get upset or emotional, but Bill dying in Left 4 Dead made me pretty pissed.

37. Have you played E.T. for the Atari 2600? Do you think that’s the worst game ever, or do you have another nomination? Never played it. I don't really play "bad" games, but maybe Sims 4.

38. A game you’re ashamed to admit that you like? The Sims 4

39. A sequel that you would die for them to make? Dragon's Dogma 2 WHICH I think is actually in development, so I'd have to say Fallout New Vegas 2. C'mon Bethesda you cowards, hand the keys back over to Obsidian so they can make another good Fallout game!

40. What to you think of virtual reality headsets or motion controls? Two part question, two answers. VR Headset to immerse in world, yes. Motion Controls, no.

41. A genre that you just can’t get into? MOBAs and MMOs. I don't like paying to keep playing.

42. Maybe it wasn’t your first game, but what was the game that started you on your path to nerdiness? Nintendo 64 opened me up to what video games could be as a kid. Sad to say my parents' NES didn't really do that for me. And years later Fallout 3 was a big game changer for me too.

43. Ever play games when you really should have been concentrating on something else? Every day of my LIFE.

44. Arcade machine that has consumed the most of your quarters? None. I'd rather emulate.

45. How are you at Mario Kart? Pretty dang good. 3-STARS MARIO KART WII, BABY!

46. Do you like relaxing games like Animal Crossing or Harvest Moon? Yes, both of those. I preferred when Animal Crossing had more character to it. New Horizons looks so pretty, but feels so bland compared to classic AC.

47. Do you like competitive games? No. Not really. Usually amongst friends or if I can get competitive against AI Bots. I love my machine bot friends cause they don't cry like 10 year olds when they lose.

48. How long does it take your to customize your player character? Too long. I've seriously restarted games because I wasn't happy with my character's appearance.

49. In games where you can pick your class, do you always tend to go for the same type of character? Yes, I am always the magic man, my brother is always brute warrior, and my friend is the ranger.

50. If you were a game designer, what masterpiece would you create? I don't really know. Honestly, I'd rather mod already good games to make them better than create something completely new.

51. Have you ever played a game for so long that you forgot to eat or sleep? No, that'd be ridiculous. But I've had a friend fall asleep playing games at my house 3 different times and currently dozes off during our Minecraft sessions. So, maybe that's not a completely ridiculous thing after all.

52. A game that you begged your parents for as a kid? Kirby 64 apparently. My brother tells me we had to count out pennies to buy it. I must've been too young with no recollection, but I believe it.

53. What’s your opinion on DLC these days? It's good if its not in the game's files from the beginning and is actually developed AFTER launch... and pre-order bonuses should be standard DLC a month or two later. Some games have content lost to time because of that pre-order bullsh*t.

54. Do you give in to Steam sales? Of course. If you want a game and its on sale then why not? I typically wait just for Steam sales to get games.

55. Did you ever make someone you hated in the Sims and did mean stuff to them? No? I typically make people and characters I like in Sims. I've made villains like Dio, but he's an anime villain and I don't really HATE him despite the horrible things he's done.

56. Did you ever play Roller Coaster Tycoon and kill off your guests? No. Never played that game.

57. Did you ever play a game to 100% or get all of the achievements? I try to for all the games I really like.

58. If you can only play 3 games for the rest of your life, which ones do you pick? The Sims 4, Skyrim, & Fallout: New Vegas. Mods make them live forever. Left 4 Dead and Monster Hunter are good choices too.

59. Do you play any cell phone games? Those aren't games.

60. Do you know the Konami Code? No? But I'll take a guess. Is it make an IP and forget it exists?

61. Do you trade in your games or keep them forever? Keep forever... even the bad ones.

62. Ever buy a console specifically to play one game? PS4 Pro for Monster Hunter World. It was basically for early access since the PC version was being developed and releasing after PS4, but I don't like waiting.

63. Ever go to a gaming convention or tournament? Sort of. Been to anime cons and walked into the gaming tournament rooms only to walk out less than 10 minutes later.

64. Ever make a TV or monitor purchase based on what would be best for gaming? No, but I'm going to be doing that soon, hopefully.

65. Ever have a Game Genie, Game Shark or Action Replay? Did it ever mess up your game’s save file? GameShark for N64, PS2, Gameboy, and Action Replay for Gamecube, DS, 3DS. And no not really, I would cheat responsibly... but there was this one time at school my friend and I borrowed another friend's Gameboy game, loaded it up with my Gameshark, tried playing, it crashed, loaded it back up, save file corrupted... we just stared at each other jaws dropped, "Here's your game back, dude. Make sure you don't play it til you get back home!"

66. Did you ever have have an old Nokia with Snake on it? No, but I remember seeing them on billboards in the game DRIV3R on PS2.

67. Do you have a happy gaming-related childhood memory you want to share? Every game I play is filled with happy memories (mostly.)

68. Ever save up a ton of tickets in an arcade to get something cool? These tiger plushes. My brother got white and I got orange. They were the coolest. Got a butt load of tickets from some jackpot spinning light game thing as I was good at the timing with repeated jackpot hits.

69. In your opinion, best game ever made? I've played quite a few masterpiece games, but to pick one, I'd say Fallout: New Vegas

70. Very first game you ever beat? Super Mario 64. I was a mere child on a Sunday morning and ate celebratory pancakes made by my Dad.

Wow, that was long... I get the feeling this was supposed to be a "send me ask with numbers" thing, but answering all at once is more fun.