I'm incredibly excited for the latest Super Smash Bros games arriving on the 3DS and Wii U this year. Every weeknight I've been following the Super Smash Bros Pic of the Day and the discussions about it across the internet. Now that the 3DS game is coming out in America I'm really excited to look towards the future and start imagining the DLC for the two games. Nintendo has been aggressive about putting DLC in its biggest franchises and it appears Smash Bros 4 will be no different. Already there is a day one patch for the 3DS version in Japan that adds Conquest mode to the game.
New DLC characters are by far the most exciting prospects for the future of Smash 4. There is already an incredible roster of roughly 50 characters shared across the 3DS and Wii U versions of the game, but I absolutely want to see more added over time so the games can continue to evolve.
I'd like to share some of the characters I hope to see as DLC in the future. Some of these characters are certainly more likely to appear than others, but I feel each would add something substantial to Smash Bros.
Lucas from Mother 3 (and the other cut veterans)
As was the case from Melee to Brawl, Super Smash Bros 4 is cutting several characters from previous games. I never like to see characters get cut in a fighting game especially since it usually always means we lose both unique movesets and personalities. The one character that I'm especially disappointed was cut from Brawl is Lucas from Mother 3. Lucas was my main in Brawl because I really enjoyed his entirely unique A-moves and how his B-moves were the inverses of Ness's. Lucas's moves had large hit boxes and often had other odd properties that made him both highly effective and a little unpredictable. I think it's reasonable to believe that Veterans have a good chance of reappearing as DLC in Smash 4, so I'm optimistic Lucas will one day return to Smash Bros.
Andy from Advance Wars
Advance Wars has had incredible games on both the Game Boy Advance and the DS and has roots that stretch back to the Famicom with Famicom Wars. Outside of an Assist Trophy, Advance Wars remains unrepresented in Smash Bros and that is a shame. There are many characters to choose from in the Advance Wars series as the games feature a multitude of commanding officers that each exude unique personalities. Out of all the characters, I think Andy from the first Advance Wars is probably the most iconic and has a lot to offer in terms of moveset.
Andy is described as a mechanical wizard in his games, hence why he carries two wrenches in his official art. Obviously his A moves could revolve around swinging his wrenches (or maybe one longer wrench) at his opponents. His B-Moves are where I feel he has the most potential. Perhaps Andy could assemble traps and vehicles on the field to help him in battle. For example one of his moves could be to construct an artillery unit to lob shots across the battlefield. Another example would be to have him build a motorcycle like the ones from Days of Ruin to travel long distances quickly. I could also easily see him planting mines in the field like Snake did in Brawl. Perhaps for his Final Smash he could ride in his own tank which ideally would be smaller and more maneuverable than the Landmaster Final Smashes of the Star Fox crew.
Dixie Kong from Donkey Kong Country
Dixie Kong needs to be in the game as DLC in order to truly complete the Donkey Kong franchise in Smash Bros. She was my favorite character in the Super Nintendo Donkey Kong Country trilogy because of her unique mobility. Dixie uses her long pony tail to hover across long distances and also to pick up barrels to throw at enemies. Not only then would she fight with her hands and feet in Smash Bros, her powerful hair would be central to her most devastating attacks. Dixie Kong is also unique in that she knows how to play the guitar. Unlike Donkey Kong who only uses his Bongo Drums in his Final Smash, Dixie could incorporate her guitar into her special moves as well as her taunts. Someone in Smash Bros needs to shred on a guitar for one of their taunts, and Dixie could be the perfect character to fill that void.
Saki Amamiya from Sin and Punishment
Ever since I played through Sin and Punishment on the Nintendo 64 import section of the Wii Virtual Console, I wanted Saki in Smash Bros. Sin and Punishment and its sequel are two of the greatest shooters of all time especially because of their desire to constantly evolve into new gameplay styles and their ludicrously epic escalation of conflicts. I was disappointed when Saki was confirmed as an assist trophy in Brawl (though he was a really darn cool one) and once again when he was confirmed as an assist trophy in Smash 4.
True to his game, Saki in Smash Bros wields a weapon that can work as both a gun and a sword and he looks incredibly cool switching between the two modes. If he were promoted to being a full playable character, I'd like some other aspects of his character come into play such as his homing attack stance and the reflective property of his sword. Also his Final Smash would have to revolve around his ability to transform into a giant Godzilla-like monster. The finale of his game sees him fighting the Earth itself from outer space and I'd love to see that referenced in his Final Smash just because it would be so entirely crazy and fitting of the Sin and Punishment series Saki represents.
Square Enix Representative
Konami, Sega, Capcom and Namco Bandai have all had one of their characters be featured in Super Smash Bros. Tecmo Koei and Square Enix are two of the last big Japanese publishers to not have a character featured in Nintendo's mascot brawler. Of the two I think Square Enix by far has the most interesting characters to offer, but honestly I'm divided on who exactly I want to see in the game. Square Enix has a history with Nintendo with some of their biggest franchises like Dragon Quest and Final Fantasy debuting on Nintendo's Famicom. I thought I'd most like to see someone from Final Fantasy so my first thought was Cloud from Final Fantasy VII.
Cloud is kind of a strange pick though. He may arguably be the single most iconic Final Fantasy hero, but he really has no history with Nintendo (I don't think Kingdom Hearts cameos and the Theatrhythm games on Nintendo's handhelds really count). I thought about heroes from older Final Fantasy games, mainly IV and VI, but neither really has a singular hero on the same level of popularity as Cloud. Still it would be really cool to see him make it in and have him clash swords with Link and the Fire Emblem crew.
Ruling a Final Fantasy hero out, my next thought was Crono from Chrono Trigger.
I really like Crono as a iconic character. He's been my avatar picture for my entire time on gameinformer.com and on other sites. He may be a silent protagonist, but he still exudes a ton of personality and style. Thanks to the dream team behind Chrono Trigger, Crono had one of the most epic adventures during the Super Nintendo era. He journeyed throughout history and teamed up with multiple heroes across the ages to prevent an apocalypse in the future. His sword skills and lightning attacks would translate perfectly into Smash Bros and the music, stage and soundtrack his inclusion would necessitate would be incredible.
I think Crono would be a good pick for Smash Bros but he isn't the only Super Nintendo RPG hero that should be in Smash Bros.
Geno from Super Mario RPG is another really great candidate for Smash Bros. Geno is a sentient doll that accompanied Mario on his journey to repair Star Road and defeat the Smithy Gang. Geno sports a wide variety of explosive weaponry (rockets, cannons, etc.) and incredibly flashy special attacks that would easily feel at home in a fighting game. The Mario RPGs in general haven't really been represented yet in Smash Bros (though that situation is improving in Smash 4 with the new Paper Mario stage) and Geno represents where it all began. Despite how much I love Geno as a character, I'm not sure if he would have been my pick to represent the Mario RPGs if it wasn't for the fact that he actually almost appeared in Brawl as a playable character. Remenants of his model reside on the Super Smash Bros Brawl disc, but for whatever reason he wasn't included in the final game. I'm hopeful since he was more than considered before he has a good shot to make it as DLC for Smash 4.
...
I really enjoy that in the modern era of fighting games, the games themselves are no longer static and instead are able to evolve over time. I hope Smash Bros will be supported for a long time to come because I can't wait to see how the game will improve over time.
Thanks for reading my blog! I hope you enjoyed reading it. I'm curious who you think needs to be added into Smash 4 as DLC. Be sure to share your thoughts in the comments below!