Round Table: Smash Bros. Direct Predictions

What do the staff think we’ll see in today’s broadcast?

By Nintendojo Staff. Posted 04/08/2014 09:00 Comment on this     ShareThis

Later today, Nintendo will be airing a special Nintendo Direct dedicated to the upcoming Super Smash Bros. games for Wii U and 3DS. The broadcast isn’t scheduled to begin for a couple more hours, so in the meantime, the staff have gathered together to discuss their hopes and expectations for presentation. What reveals do we think we’ll see during the broadcast? Read on to find out!


Anthony Vigna

If I had to wager a guess about what today’s Nintendo Direct will be about, I’d say that it would primarily be about the various game modes that the new Super Smash Bros. games feature. So far, we’ve only gotten character reveals, but we’ve heard nothing about single player, online play, or different battle modes. Sure, we all know that four stock, eight minutes, no items, Fox only, and final destination is the only way to play Super Smash Bros., but it would be awesome to see what else the game has to offer! I would also like a release date, but I have a feeling that Nintendo might wait until E3 to reveal that information.

As for character reveals? I’d really, really like to see Issac or Matthew from Golden Sun make an appearance. The last game in the series, Dark Dawn, ended on a massive cliff hanger, so I’d love to have another entry in the series. Having one of those two characters join the brawl would help spread awareness of the series, and make a sequel more likely to come to fruition. Thankfully, we’re getting Golden Sun on Wii U Virtual Console, so maybe it’s a sign that my dream will come true! Or maybe I’m just setting myself up for inevitable disappointment. Bah, it’s probably the latter.


Jake Shapiro

It’s safe to say we’ll get a November 2014 release date announcement, and we’ll learn the actual title of the games so we can stop calling them “Super Smash Bros. for 3DS and Wii U.” We’ll learn more about the differences and interactions between the two versions of the game… and maybe even a “get both versions of the game for the price of one” deal?!

As far as fighters go, we’ll finally get the announcement that Ness is making a return, and if we’re lucky, Snake is coming back too. As far as new fighters go, I’m hoping for Paper Mario, Pac-Man, and Simon Belmont.


Mel Turnquist

As a disclaimer, please disregard about 90 percent of what I say since I’m always comically wrong about things. But I’ll try to guess anyway for the sake of fun.

I’m predicting they’ll probably reveal about a dozen or so characters (not all because you gotta keep ’em guessing), probably 3-4 more fighting arenas, and new gameplay modes that they’ve come up with. I’m not sure if they’ll give a certain release date, but I’d wager something along the lines of autumn. I would say summertime, but I think they want to have it out during that sweet spot just before the Christmas rush but after Labor Day or so. Maybe it’s not as much of a sweet spot as I think, but let me have my dreams!

Now for the million dollar question– what characters will be confirmed? Well, I think Yoshi is a given. I’d also wager on Chrom from Fire Emblem Awakening. I’m also thinking Pokémon Trainer, except with the three starters from this current era, and the color swaps will be of the male and female of this current generation or even including some past generations. Who knows? I could see them adding Ridley, too, who could have an interesting moveset. And maybe Ness and Lucas…maybe. I also really hope that Falco makes a return since he’s one of my mains when I do fight. And I wouldn’t mind seeing the return of the Ice Climbers. I think I may be one of the only people who actually likes playing with them.


Robert Marrujo

This Nintendo Direct dedicated to Super Smash Bros. has me all pumped up, for some reason. While Sakurai has been dumping info about the games on a regular basis, I still feel like there’s so much about this latest installment that I don’t know. Besides the roster, I guess the biggest question mark remains what modes will be added, returning, or removed. There’s no question, though, that Nintendo has to get the online right for at least the Wii U version of the game. That’s not to say the 3DS game can suck, but ultimately Wii U needs to have Mario Kart 8 and Smash Bros. firing on all cylinders in order to draw in more players. Mario Kart I’m not as worried about, because Mario Kart Wii got it just right, but Brawl was rough, at best; Nintendo can’t afford a repeat of that.

The other question that’s funner to think about is, “who’s gonna show up next on the roster?” I’m hoping to hear which Namco character(s) will be included, which I expect to either be Pac-Man, Klonoa, or a Tekken or Soul Caliber fighter. I’m also holding out hope that Snake might make his way back. I know Kojima announced he’d be open to Snake’s return rather late into development, but I can see Nintendo making a quick turnaround on updating his assets from Brawl and fitting him in time for Smash’s release. From the Nintendo camp, I’d love to see Lolo and Lala make a tag team debut like the Ice Climbers, and Chrom! Even if we don’t see a lot more character reveals, I do hope that Nintendo ups the fan service with a ton of different character skins and color choices. Dr. Mario/Luigi, all of Samus’s armors, Daisy, Shadow, Silver, Knuckles, and Proto Man would just have me grinning from ear to ear.


Jon Stevens

I have a suspicion that, like Anthony says, they will save a specific release date for E3. I do think that they will give a vague estimate though (“Fall 2014”).

As good as the daily screenshots are, they haven’t been able to give us a large amount of information all at once, so I think that this will be the time to talk about certain parts– like the single player– that can’t be described in a single image. If they talk about single player, they might as well discuss the online part of the game, so some more details on that would be nice. One of the screenshots released in the last week also hinted at the stage builder, so I think that they may shed some more light on that briefly.


An improved stage builder would certainly be a welcome feature.

As for character reveals, I really couldn’t guess on that front. One character that I know who won’t be revealed yet is Captain Falcon. They’ll be saving that for the grand unveiling of F-Zero Wii U at E3!


Kyle England

Can I get a real release date please? Nintendo is probably coy to give us a solid date. You all remember what happened to Brawl, don’t you? It was delayed twice! But we can’t afford any delays this time.

I’m really happy to get any of the information I can get about the new Smash games at this point. In the last development cycle, Sakurai shared a new aspect of the game every weekday, like an item, a piece of music, a stage, or a character. Now, we’re relegated to waiting until Nintendo Direct videos to find out new characters, which is making the wait horrendous. Speaking of horrendous, if the final titles of the games really do end up being Super Smash Bros. for 3DS and Super Smash Bros. for Wii U, I’ll be sorely disappointed. Least creative naming EVER. Sakurai must be so crunched with his schedule that he can’t even form a proper naming task force.

As far as characters go, I’m excited to hear about totally new players. Sure, there are still a few returning guys that haven’t been shown off, but you know they will be there. At the very least, the original 12 are coming back. How about a revamped Ganondorf who has his own moveset and isn’t a wannabe Captain Falcon? I also can’t wait to see if Nintendo has another wacky character like in past games. Has Wii Fit Trainer already filled this requirement, though?

But I think what we’re all looking forward to is the reveal of Reggie. He should be a trophy at least.


Marc Deschamps

Like Robert, I’m also hoping to see who Namco brings to the table. We all know at least one of their characters will show up, so I’d prefer to see Nintendo make the announcement sooner, rather than later. Pac-Man seems like the most obvious choice, but I’m holding out hope for Lloyd Irving. While he might be a little more obscure than most choices, one could easily make the same argument about a lot of other fighters that have appeared in the franchise. Besides, Lloyd has been in two cult-favorite RPGs, and he’ll be co-starring in a new 3DS title. That’s a much better resume than the Ice Climbers!

Tales of Symphonia: Dawn of the New World Screenshot

Sadly, I think Solid Snake’s odds are pretty dismal. He’ll certainly be missed, but I can see why his odds of making it this round are pretty slim. Why should Nintendo promote a series that has had very few releases on their systems?


What do you hope we’ll see during Nintendo’s Smash Bros. Direct? Share your theories with us in the comments, and be sure to check back later for our coverage of the broadcast!

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