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6 Super Smash Bros. Fighter Hopefuls We're Disappointed Didn't Make The Cut
Since the beginning of 2012, we've written three different features about who we want to see in Super Smash Bros. on 3DS and Wii U. Some of our hopes found fruition – most did not. These are the characters we wanted to see that we're most disappointed don't appear in the game.
Shortly after the reveal of Namco Bandai as the Super Smash Bros. developer, I put together a list of Namco Bandai characters I wanted to see in the game. Of that list, Pac-Man was the only prediction that made it into the game, but these are two (four technically) I am particularly disappointed didn't make the final cut.
The Prince and/or The King of Cosmos
The King of Cosmos probably wouldn't work as a fighter, if his size was to be accurate, but he could have made an awesome stage or an assist trophy. The Prince's size would have also been a concern, but he could have at least rolled around an appropriately sized Katamari to attack fighters with. I'm disappointed the duo doesn't make some kind of cameo in the game.
Monkey and/or Trip
Enslaved: Odyssey to the West has reached a sort of cult status, and I count myself as part of that cult. Monkey probably would have been the better choice between the two options as Tripp is more the brains of the operation. I doubt we'll ever see Dragon Ball Z's Goku appear in a Super Smash Bros., but Monkey could have served as a similar stand-in using his cloud as a third jump and his staff to knock people out of the park.
In July, Ben Reeves put together a list of basically impossible Super Smash Bros. inclusions. None of the characters on that list appear in Super Smash Bros., but we had no realistic expectation they would for most of them. A few though, however, we had some hope for.
Simon Belmont
With Solid Snake's on loan from Konami for Brawl, as well as guest characters like Sonic the Hedgehog from Sega and Mega Man from Capcom, a Castlevania cameo seemed very likely. Simon Belmontis the obvious choice considering his NES roots, and his whip would be perfect for Smash Bros. combat. Unfortunately, he, or any other Castlevania protagonist for that matter, has made the cut yet.
Rayman
Rayman seems to have a very amicable relationship with Nintendo. Rayman Raving Rabbids was a huge hit on the Wii, and Rayman Legends was in development exclusively for Wii U for a period of time. Mario clothing can also be used in Rayman Legends on Wii U, which also seemed to imply some grander relationship. Unfortunately, Rayman is nowhere to be seen.
In January 2012, Ben Reeves, Jeff Cork, Ben Hanson, Tim Turi, and former editor Dan Ryckert put together a large feature detailing fighters, stages, items, and other inclusions we'd like to see. Here we predicted the inclusion of Miis, Bowser Jr., Mega Man, and almost predicted Mac (we wanted Doc). We also asked for a Mega Man 2 stage, a Find Mii stage, a Tanooki Suit power-up, and the gust bellows item, all which appear in the game. Many of the hopes and predictions on that list didn't make it though, and these are some we're most disappointed about.
Waluigi
We, optimistically gave Waluigi an 89% chance of appearing as a fighter in Super Smash Bros., so you can imagine our disappointment when it was revealed he would only be an assist trophy, and not a true fighter. He really seems like a shoe-in, but he keeps getting pushed aside. Mario and Luigi can both don Waluigi's colors (see above), but it's just not the same.
Quote
Quote of Cave Story fame does not belong to Nintendo, but he gained a lot of notoriety when his game was released for the Wii. Whether he appeared in pixelated form a bit like Mr. Game & Watch, a closer to his concept art, like the image above, he would have made a good shooter character, and he could have used his jetpack as a third jump.
All hope is not lost of course, as the Wii U version of Super Smash Bros. is still on the way at some point (we still don't know the release date). Smash Bros. director Masuhiro Sakurai has heavily implied that the roster will not change between the two games, but who knows! There could be some surprises in the Wii U's final release.
For our review of Super Smash Bros. 3DS, head here. You can also watch a documentary, Smashed: The Guinness Marathon Documentary, about Game Informer's record-setting Guinness marathon where editors played Super Smash Bros. Brawl for 27 hours below.
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