Spire

So between the Square franchises, you seriously think Smash would see a Chrono Trigger or Legend of Mana character before Final Fantasy? I can understand Dragon Warrior, but Final Fantasy is kind of a big deal. It's not as big as it used to be—FF could move consoles—but it's still got fire and historical relevance. Also: Battle Toads, Crystalis, Ghosts n' Goblins, and Contra have 0% chance. Castlevania has a small chance considering Snake's appearance and its general Nintendo relevance, while Ninja Gaiden has a low (and probably equal) chance considering the friendship between Nintendo and Team Ninja. I wouldn't anticipate Ryu Hayabusa anytime soon though. I do want to note: I recall a year or so ago Sakurai posting on his twitter that he was studying Ken's moveset and animations. Looking at Street Fighter for inspiration, hmm?

Not gonna happen. Sakurai said in an interview posted at Kotaku that there will be tight limits on 3rd party representation. Furthermore, he has said in the past that only characters that originate and are known mostly for being in video games have a chance of being in Smash Bros. http://kotaku.com/dont-expect-a-lot-of-third-party-characters-in-the-nex-513203533

NO MORE TRIPPING! http://kotaku.com/no-more-tripping-in-the-new-smash-bros-513187770

On the contrary, I think Ghirahim is badass because of his dark flamboyancy and Demise, kinda too generic and thus not-badass. Wasn't very fond of his design. Badass is subjective. Skull Kid and Vaati have extremely low chances of getting in. Their time came and passed. Each appeared in three games, the last of which appeared in 2006. Demise has a very low chance of getting in, less than Ghirahim due to popularity and the existence of Ganondorf. They won't replace Ganondorf and they won't add Demise alongside him. @ Faceless — yeah, Final Fantasy has a low chance of being represented; too low. It's not gonna happen. As far as Zelda representation, I want the following: Link — "Vibrant TP" style. Zelda — "Vibrant TP" style. Ganondorf — WW style with "Vibrant TP" textures. Toon Link — WW style with "Vibrant TP" textures a la Brawl (not that much different, just updated textures). Impa — SS style with "Vibrant TP" textures. Note: replaces Sheik as a standalone character. Ghirahim — SS style with "Vibrant TP" textures.

Because Mega Man is also in Super Smash Flash 2 and therefore we can expect to see Goku, Ichigo, Naruto, and Sora. Though... Lloyd Irving actually has a chance of being in Smash 4 considering he belongs to Namco-Bandai. However, if he gets in over Pac-Man I will puke.

While that argument is valid, nothing from the Crystal Chronicles subseries represents Final Fantasy as a whole, save the crystal element. Crystal Chronicles is so much a spin-off that I'd wager it'd get separate representation from Final Fantasy altogether, like how Yoshi and Wario are separate from the Super Mario series. You gotta pick something that's instantly recognizable as Final Fantasy. A Chocobo would honestly be the best bet because it'd the most well-known Final Fantasy mascot there is. A Moogle would also be a very good choice, however, Chocobos and Moogles are traditionally support characters, and neither existed in the original Final Fantasy. If the series were to get representation, I'd wager they'd look towards the very first game for inspiration. Sakurai stated it was imperative that Mega Man resembled his original appearance with moves largely pooled from Mega Man 2; the only noted contemporary aspect being an uppercut taken from Marvel vs. Capcom. The difference between Mega Man and Final Fantasy lies in continuity. Every Final Fantasy game shows not only a different story, but a different world and cast of characters altogether. As such, you have to look for the elements that carry over between each game: crystals, magic, chocobos, moogles, cactuar, summons: Bahamuts, Shivas, Ifrits, Odins, Gilgamesh, recognizable swords, Cids, black mages, white mages, behemoths, bombs, iron giants, etc, etc. This is why I believe that not a single proper-named character (one that fits into a specific narrative) should be given representation. Wii Fit Trainer and Villager prove that even "generic" characters can find a place in Smash Bros. Black Mage is a generic Final Fantasy archetype that exists in some form or another in almost every title, with a likeness much more recognizable than most other subjects in the series. Chocobo and Moogle could be playable, sure... but again, they have more often than not been assists, whereas Black Mage was a selectable Hero of Light in FFI and since then, has been either a job of your choosing (FFI, FFIII, FFV, FFXI, FFXIV, FF Tactics), or a focused class of a narrative character, the likes of: Rydia and Palom (FFIV), Lulu (FFX), and in Vivi's case in FFIX, a member of an entire race of Black Mages. Shantotto, the heroine of FFXI was a Black Mage. Even the Cetra, the "Ancients" from FF7 resembled Black Mages. Their role and likeness have appeared in nearly every Final Fantasy game. Interestingly enough, FFVI—the last Nintendo-based core title—did not represent them at all. Want to talk about Crystal Chronicles? Yukes were Black Mages. While White Mage gets nearly as much representation, Black Mage is arguably more popular and in terms of appearance, more recognizable. I think it comes down to those humble characteristics: the Jawa face, the wizard hat, the robes, the striped pants, and sometimes the curly boots. Crystal Chronicles hasn't done too well since it dropped off with Crystal Bearers, a dud. Black Mage for SSB4!

Nomura's best work was for FFVII, VIII, and X. I'm really not a fan of his work as a whole though. Kingdom Hearts was the beginning of zipper hell. Sazh Katzroy was the best part of FFXIII, but he wouldn't have existed had Barret not existed because XIII was largely a spiritual successor to VII, at least as far as concepts go. XV is the most accurate representation of Nomura's imagination. Clean, sleek, boring perfect-haired young guys in a modern world. Gameplay looks fun, but the character designs are atrocious and wholly uninteresting. I don't think any single proper character from a Final Fantasy game would be fair for Smash representation. There is no dominant protagonist in the series, though Cloud Strife is honestly the most recognized. If Final Fantasy were to get Smash representation, they'd need to pick an archetype that most would recognize for its inclusion across the series. As such, I'd say the very best FF rep that could appear in Smash would be Black Mage: He debuted in the original Final Fantasy on the NES. Of all the playable characters from that game, he has become the most consistent staple throughout the franchise. Alongside White Mage, Ninja, Moogle, and Cactuar, Black Mage appeared in two Mario sports games created by Square-Enix (Mario Hoops 3-on-3 and Mario Sports Remix); having already appeared alongside Mario characters does give you some credential. Final Fantasy helped move the NES and its sequels helped the SNES. Despite Final Fantasy's main series departure with FF7, Square-Enix and Nintendo have had a healthy relationship since. Square no longer purports Sony exclusivity with XIII and XV appearing on Xbox and Playstation. I want Black Mage in more than any other 3rd party character, but for the sake of color diversity, I feel he'd bring too much blue to the Mega Man and Sonic party—given of course the latter returns. Black Mage has so much potential, and with his varied magic, could easily show Final Fantasy's worth. His Final Smash could summon a Chocobo to ride on! Or Ultima or Meteor, which are less interesting... Black Mage for SSB4!

Aye, didn't realize you were speaking about movesets. In that case, I want to see every character changed. I mean, that's a given—no character will play identically to their Brawl incarnation. Easily-observable changes are in the actual moves, like if they replaced Link's boomerang with a hammer, or the beetle. Speaking of, we haven't seen any boomerang action yet, have we? I wonder if they've got a new side special to unveil at a later point in time. Sakurai deliberately avoided showcasing Link in that 8 minute video, while he elaborated on Samus' and Pit's appearances and capabilities. I bet they've got something special in store for him. The beetle? The hammer? The whip? Wuddit be Sakuraaaaaai!

Samus's appearance has changed a lot, adopting her Other: M armor. Link is still inspired by his Twilight Princess outing, while the rest appear to be very similar to their Brawl appearances. Beyond that, the cast has collectively adopted a brighter color scheme, more vibrant, less brown. There was an antiquity to Brawl's character designs; consider Mario for instance. His denim looked worn and faded; a little too realistic for such a character. They have amended this by retaining the physical designs, albeit upgraded (Link looks fantastic), and applying more exuberant textures. I dig it. Kinda wished they had gone with original character designs unique to the Smash universe (why Skyward Sword Link was abandoned is quite the curiosity), but it's all good. There may be room for extra costumes, who knows? It'd be neat if there were both alternate costumes and colors thereof. You could choose between OoT, TP, and SS Link, all of which would have access to green, red, blue, purple, gold, and black outfits.

In the 30 minutes since her unveil, I've actually grown fond of her inclusion. She represents risk-taking, not safe-playing. Of course people are going to be split over her inclusion, but I think she represents that this team is willing to do things no one expects. With that, I'm even more excited about the future now—and her debut trailer is genuinely humorous, what with the other Smash characters trying to hold a tree pose and this presumably friendly trainer bringing combat to the table. I think she represents that Wii Fit is as much a Nintendo video game series as our beloved franchises, and by that leaf, that Smash is a celebration of all-things Nintendo, even the aspects we don't want to like. She reminds me of Barbie's inclusion in Toy Story 3. Maybe you don't want it, but it makes perfect sense. She even carries a similar demeanor.

Raiden was not a trophy, Grey Fox was. Raiden is in Playstation All-Stars Battle Royale; I severely doubt there will be crossover between the two. I sure hope Snake returns though. I'd say he has a 50/50 chance. I'm past the shock of Wii Fit Trainer. If I were designing SM4SH, I would never have chosen her but maybe that's what she has in favor—total, unbridled surprise. She's bizarre and kind of emotionless, BUT SHE'S FEMALE! Smash needs more females.

Furthermore, Namco could easily add Pac-Man. Mario v. Pac-Man v. Sonic v. Mega Man. An all-star match of the mascots of four major Japanese video game companies. That's history! The reality of this being extremely likely is really exciting. Wii Fit Trainer is the biggest WTF addition the series has ever seen. It's ridiculous on so many levels that I'm kind of speechless and would rather ignore it altogether.

I'd say Nintendo and Sony both win; I'm equally happy with the both of 'em. Nintendo wins for its games, Sony wins for everything awesome about the PS4. Like so: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kWSIFh8ICaA Microsoft, go home. Let the companies that care about games make games without stepping in and trying to steal their thunder. You actually lost it this time, assholes. Super Smash Bros. 4ever.

It's official. Talk about it here. The OP will be updated once nintendo.com comes back online with info. Oh, and in case you didn't see: MEGA MAN IS IN. MEGA MAN. And Villager from Animal Crossing. Shit's forreal.

Just be true to yourself. If you try to be more than yourself, you'll either: a.) attract no one, or b.) attract the wrong person. It may take time, but usually romance works like gravity. Just gotta wander around being you and being happy about that; whoever she is, she'll notice.

No one is insulting you or your interests. There is nothing wrong with liking the PS Vita and absolutely nothing in this thread suggests anyone believes that. You are overreacting. And if what you write makes you feel like an idiot, maybe you should take some time to reflect on that. As far as the topic goes and what you wanted out of it, well, you can't always expect to be pleased and praised with the internet. Maybe you're just not in the right place for Vita discussion, or maybe other Vita owners have yet to check the thread. As it shows, people don't dislike the Vita, nor do they dislike you for liking it—most just aren't terribly interested in it. Truth be told, the Vita has had relatively poor marketing. I rarely hear anything about it, so I guess I kinda wrote it off as somewhat of a failure, whereas I hear plenty of news regarding the 3DS, Wii, Wii U, 360, PS3, PS4, PC, and Xbox One. Hell, I only choose to pay attention to Nintendo products, but I still have a well-rounded game radar for the other consoles... but not the Vita. I nearly forgot it existed. I hope you don't take that personally because you enjoy the Vita, and I hope you realize that no one is criticizing you for your interests. Furthermore, I did not equate Branden to Zeth or Nazis. I simply used those two extremes to describe the radical nature of conversation control in a public forum, suggesting that if he continued his reluctance to opposition, he might end up expressing similarities to these very undesirable archetypes. You start a thread, you let it unravel. Isn't that why they're called 'threads' in the first place? ... Though I will digress. Branden, while it is apparent your avatar choice was made based on the absurdity of the image (proof of your sarcastic nature), your bickering has transformed my perception of you into an accurate portrayal of that guy; as if you're deliberately pushing buttons so you can BE him. I noticed more collectedness when you sported the Ruto avatar. Now, I don't want to get into the psychology of masks, but I believe avatar choice is indicative of how one views their inner self, and furthermore, what part of that they want to display in public. Peace.

Don't read if you're here about the Vita. This is directed towards Branden, Shadow Fire, and Kusai primarily. I mean no harm and am simply trying to understand something that is confusing me. Thank you.

Branden, you should not try to control what is said in a topic. If so, you're no different than Zeth. Let us express our opinions on a matter you've brought up. Maybe you can prove to others that the Vita is worth it, contrary to our opinions. Maybe we come to this thread expressing our disinterest in the Vita because we're kinda sorta challenging you to convince us of its worth? If you love it so much, try to do that instead of asking us not to talk with you. If you selectively choose your conversationists you're going to live a very narrow life. No nazism.

Nothing looks interesting about the Vita or its library.

Do-vah-link! Do-vah-LINK! Dragon-born of Hy-RULE!

Thanks folks! Haven't been working on anything recently—been really busy. Woke up with inspiration though, so who knows what could manifest soon?

Holy mackerel, I remember this game!

It's Prelude to Another from Ura.