Lord_Brand

Pokemon Dance Dance Evolution You play as a Pokemon Dancer who dances with their Pokemon and engage other trainers in dance battles. Naturally, there's a villain team who are trying to harness the power of dance to control Pokemon and take over the world.

I don't have a problem with paid DLC if it's content that couldn't have been added at the original release (say, if it's a character from another game that came out after) or if it's sizeable enough to constitute an expansion to the base game. Extra content requires extra work after all, and that work deserves to be paid. Now, something sleazy like charging someone $1 every time they want to change their character's hair (looking at you, DOA)? That is ridiculous. I also don't buy coins, energy, or extra powerups in mobile phone games, as such games are designed to leech money off you by encouraging you to pay for that stuff if you want to keep playing, make progress, earn top ranks on stages, etc. It's deceitful and exploitative game design. With one-time single payment expansion DLC, at least you know what you're getting. SSBU is an excellent example: The DLC fighters, stages, and Mii Costumes are the result of more hours and energy being poured into SSBU than what was needed to complete the base game, so I don't have a problem paying a little extra for extra content.

Dialogue can be fun to write! Speaking of, now I kinda want Gilgamesh to join the roster in the future, simply because of the comedy gold his Palutena's Guidance could offer. My take: Not to mention, Gilgamesh could have secret taunts for fighters who use swords.

Garland

All this talk about stalking and obsession reminds me of why Garland is my favorite Final Fantasy villain. No complex corporate conspiracies, no aliens, no psychological manipulation, no leather coat or fallen angel fetishes...just a badass knight in a full suit of armor with a baritone voice, a transforming greatsword, and elemental powers who kidnapped a princess (granted, he was obsessed with her, but they didn't spend the whole story focusing on that), tried to knock the Warriors of Light down, and created the Four Fiends. I know Sephiroth is the FF villain everyone expects, but Garland is the one I want. To me, he is the Bowser, the Ganon, of FF. He is the Final Fantasy villain. And my FF itch won't truly be scratched until he and the Warriors of Light are added to Smash as playable fighters (I won't complain if Princess Sarah is as well, though I realize she's more likely to just get a Spirit with Zelda or Palutena as her fighter). But in the meantime, I'll have fun giving Sephiroth a go, pitting him against Cloud, Ganondorf, Link, etc. And of course I gotta kick his arse with everyone in the trailer at least once to vindicate them! Especially my boy Link.

Dr. Wily & Robot Masters

My projections: Spirits Aerith Gainsborough Tifa Lockhart Barret Wallace Red XIII Cait Sith Cid Highwind Yuffie Kisaragi Vincent Valentine Zack Fair Professor Hojo Mii Costumes Swordfighter - Warrior of Light Brawler - Tifa Gunner - Barret, Geno, Quote (Cave Story)

Thank you, but it wasn't really a prediction per se, just my proposed choice for Final Fantasy's villain rep since Cloud was, until now, the only FF fighter in the game. Unless they added a different FF hero first, it pretty much had to be Sephiroth. But hey, we can always use this as a list to cross names off of as they add new villains to Smash over time!

You know, it is kind of a pity they didn't bring back that montage they did at the start of Ridley and K. Rool's trailers. Teasing a new antagonist joining the roster is by itself good at building up excitement. Options would flash through the mind: King Boo? Malos? Eggman? Wily?...FREAKING SEPHIROTH!? Given Seph's popularity, it makes sense that he's the first 3P villain to join the roster. And if we were going to add a FF villain, it only makes sense to add the one opposed to the FF hero in Smash, right? It's not like other villains and FF characters won't ever get a chance. If they do a third pass, they might dedicate that one to adding more bad guys to Smash, like Eggman, Wily & Robot Masters, M. Bison, or Cortex. Shoot, for all we know there might be one or two more coming this pass! But I'm still holding out hope for Crash and Shantae myself. Once they're in Smash, then they can start adding more villains.

As of today, Sephiroth has been confirmed to be the very first third-party villain added to Smash's roster of playable fighters, so I'll just go strike his name off the list in the OP.

Warrior, I'll admit could work well as a Swordfighter, but I absolutely do not want more mages being relegated to Swordfighter costumes. Black Mage especially deserves better, seeing as he's the most iconic class of the entire series and at one point was the face of the franchise. (At the very least, introduce a Mii Spellcaster fighter so mages have a proper option.) And I think having four Warriors as a team would be cool and adorable. I was picturing Red Mage and Monk as costumes, as a Swordfighter and Brawler respectively. And hey, Garland's gotta have his chance to "knock you all down!" He is the original Final Fantasy bad guy, and a badass in his own right what with the transforming weapon, elemental attacks, and ability to transform into Chaos. He'd be like Ganondorf, Meta Knight, Robin, and Byleth all mixed into one baritone package with a side of memetic ham. I mean, just freaking look at him! As for a 3rd Pass, I imagine now a good portion of fans will expect another Microsoft and Square fighter in that one too, since they each got one in both Pass 1 and 2. And of course for that exact reason other fans will want them to not get any fighters in Pass 3. But it could be fun to speculate how they'd keep to the pattern! Either Joanna Dark or Lara Croft could work well, leaning towards Croft as she has a little more significance than Joanna. Fulgore from Killer Instinct would also be a good choice, repping not only a Rare series from the Nintendo days but also a still-popular fighting game series, one with a radically different tone to the likes of Street Fighter and Fatal Fury. Speaking of radical, Rash of the Battletoads would be a good option too as he and his buddies were doing the whole "platform brawling" thing long before Smash made it cool. Heck, their signature attacks are even called "smash hits"! Anyway, while Sephiroth wasn't my top pick, I am pleased by the fact his addition means the door is officially open to other third-party villains as well. Now it's only a matter of time before Eggman, Wily, and Cortex join the roster as well. If not SSBU, there's always SSB6!

I want the Warriors of Light (Warrior, Thief, Black Mage, White Mage) and Garland. You gotta have the original, iconic FF heroes and villain.

Got my fingers crossed for Crash or Shantae.

I imagine Pokemon themselves would be the player characters and enemy units, while the Trainers speak from the sidelines. That said, this would be a prime opportunity to bring back a lot of the series' protagonists, Gym Leaders, Elite Four, and Champions. Each one could have a signature Pokemon or a handful of Pokemon you can choose as your "warrior". As for plot, how about a new generation of Cipher emerges in Orre, hiring Team Rocket to steal Pokemon from other regions to create a new army of Shadow Pokemon? Oh, but the plan doesn't stop there: They also seek to harness the Mega Stones of Kalos and the Dynamax phenomenon of Galar, combining all three to create giant Mega-evolved SHADOW POKEMON. And the Pokemon they most want to use for the experiment? MEWTWO. Of course, other Teams and Legendaries get involved in the plot, as well. The majority of bosses would be the big Legendaries of each generation: Mewtwo, Ho-oh, Lugia, Groudon, Kyogre, Rayquaza, Dialga, Palkia, Giratina, Reshiram, Zekrom, Kyurem, Xerneas, Yveltal, Zygarde, Solgaleo, Lunala, Necrozma, Zacian, and Zamazenta.

If Power was focused on combat and Wisdom puzzles, then what would Courage have focused on, I wonder? Exploration, I suppose? Yeah, that sounds right. Exploration, combat, and puzzles are pretty much the core trinity of gameplay in the Zelda series. You explore the overworld and dungeons, battle monsters, and solve puzzles to progress and/or find treasures. So, how would they have worked exploration into Courage's dungeons? Maybe more bombable walls, digging in the ground, running into objects, swimming, climbing, etc.? In that case, weather effects definitely could lend themselves well to exploration, giving you the ability to, say, freeze a lake or blow away leaves. Since the harp of Ages had three Tunes and the Rod of Seasons had four Seasons, perhaps this third installment would have either two or five different modes to play with. Five is the more interesting number here, of course. Wind, Rain, Cold, Heat, and Lightning could be the five elements of weather we get to play around with. Wind can blow in different directions and be calmed or intensified, even conjured into whirlwinds. Rain allows you to douse fires, water plants, and flood dry river or lake beds. Cold allows you to freeze water into ice, and when combined with Rain, create snow, which in turn can be combined with Wind to create snowstorms. Heat conversely allows you to melt ice, create steam, and dry up ponds. Lightning allows you to zap and electrify objects. Presumably, the game would hand these five Weather Elements to you one at a time between dungeons, giving you time to get used to each new element. You might clear Dungeon 1 first, then gain access to Wind, then move on to Dungeon 2, then gain access to Rain, and so on. By Dungeon 6, you should have all five Weather Elements.

Back when the Oracles were remakes of the first two games plus a new third title, they were going to be themed on Time, Seasons, and Colors. Nayru was going to be a painter and the Oracle of Colors, while Farore was going to be the Oracle of Time. When they determined that a trilogy was too complex for the linking system, they combined Time and Colors together, making Nayru the Oracle of Ages and adding in color-based puzzles. Incidentally, this is also why Oracle of Seasons bears considerable resemblance to the original LOZ; it was going to be a remake of that game, thus six of the bosses are returning creatures from that game: Aquamentus, Dodongo, Manhandla, Gohma, Digdogger, and Gleeok. Incidentally, Eyesoar's Japanese name is Patara, or Patra, the name of a similar flying eyeball monster in TLOZ, which suggests the two are in fact the same kind of creature, making that a throwback boss as well.

An expanded Oracle trilogy could be a good way to sell the remake. Not only do you get remakes with HD graphics, animated cutscenes, even more Magic Rings, and a dungeon builder, but also a new region starring Farore as the Oracle, with a new villain to compliment Onox and Veran. Of course, I could see Farore being the new Dungeon Designer mascot, but it'd be neat to see Dampe return in that capacity. This makes me wonder: Would they revisit the old idea of colors as the third theme? Would Farore become the Oracle of Colors since Nayru has been established as the Oracle of Ages? Or could we see a new theme, such as weather or times of day?

Hoping we see a Mega Man 12 soon. I don't want Mega Man going on another ten-year hiatus. Something like my Robot Master Collection idea would be nice, too (basically, MM1-11, I-V, and MM&B with graphics on MM1's level and unlockable playable Robot Masters with dialogue a la MMPU). Also hoping for a remake of the Oracle Zeldas in a fashion similar to LA. It's the series' 35th Anniversary next year, they should do something. Same for Metroid. Pokemon will be celebrating its 25th, and Donkey Kong and Mario will be celebrating their 40th. Assuming politics don't mess up releases like they did this year, next year should be big for Nintendo.

I remember reading that Pokemon Conquest was originally going to be a Pokemon/Fire Emblem crossover, until they decided to swap Fire Emblem for Nobunaga's Ambition. That makes me think: What would a Pokemon/Fire Emblem Crossover be like? Would the various FE units function as Pokemon Trainers, commanding Pokemon in battle? Could Trainers gain experience alongside their Pokemon? Perhaps Trainer units have skills like those seen in the Fire Emblem series, which allows them to enhance their Pokemon in different ways? I picture an AU where lands like Archanea or Tellius function as Pokemon regions. Instead of equipping your units with weapons, they carry Pokemon with them to do battle. Furthermore, it could be interesting to see Pokemon mixed with Fire Emblem material, like a Zamazenta that wields the Falchion, which logically is super-effective against Dragon-Types. There could be new Pokemon or regional variants of Pokemon that fill FE niches, like Flying-type Pokemon based on pegasi, or Dragon-types filling in for Wyverns. Perhaps some Trainers ride their Pokemon, giving them increased mobility Manaketes, Laguz, and the like could also be interpreted in an interesting way here. Do they transform into Pokemon themselves? Conversely, what if the Pokemon themselves are the units, living in a world like that of Mystery Dungeon? Could they have different classes, like a Lucario Fighter or a Gallade Cavalier? Could there be Support convos between different Pokemon? Maybe even...mating (as in, becoming life partners a la marriage, not doing the naughty on-screen)? Could mated Pokemon produce Eggs which hatch into second-gen units? The Types would obviously play a role, perhaps akin to the Weapon Triangles of FE fame. Fire> Grass > Water > Fire could work in a similar manner to Swords > Axes > Lances > Swords. Perhaps Moves replace Weapons, with PP filling in for weapon durability. Where Fire Emblem has Fire, Elfire, and Arcfire, Pokemon Emblem could have Ember, Flamethrower, and Fire Blast. Support moves could likewise function in a capacity similar to Staves. Perma-death would obviously be replaced with fainting, and Revives could be used to restore fainted units in battle. Thoughts?

Dragon is another type the necessity of which I debate. Like, I know Dragon-type just sounds cool and all, but most Dragon-Types could reasonably slot into another type, and most Dragon-Type moves could easily map to another Type. Twister? Flying. Dragonbreath? Fire. Dragon Claw? Heck, that'd probably be Beast under my system. I'm just not sure why Dragon has to be its own type. It's the coolest type bar none, sure, but is it really necessary? I mean, are we going to have Elf-Type or Goblin-Type next? What about Sphinx-Type? Or Angel-Type? (Actually, that one wouldn't be a bad substitute for a Light-Type, since when most people ask to add a Light-Type to the game, they really mean Holy-Type). I'm just saying, were Normal changed over to Beast, Body Slam would probably work better as a Fighting-Type move than as Beast-Type. When I think of Body Slam in Pokemon, I think of a Snorlax leaping into the air to squash opponents flat. Which, yes, isn't really martial artsy enough to be Fighting per se, but isn't animalistic enough to be Beast-Type either. See, that's my main hang-up, here: Beast feels like the perfect compliment to Fighting in so far as fighting like an animal versus fighting like a human. With Normal, it just feels like a mish-mash of animal and abstract. Regarding Normal/Flying-Types, it's always possible they could be Flying/Beast-Types, but then again they could also be pure Flying-Types, and probably should, seeing as the rest of the types had no problem justifying Pokemon purely of that type. Like, what makes Pidgey or Spearow "Normal" compared to Tornadus or Rookidee?

That's one of the Normal-type moves I'd change over to Fighting because, y'know, pro wrestling and all.

No, it's more like this: Water Gun deals 21 damage to a Rock/Water-type. Rock doubles that to 42, then Water halves it back down to 21. Water Gun deals 21 damage to a Water/Rock-type. Water halves that down to 10.5, which is floored to 10, then Rock doubles it to 20. Thus, Water Gun's damage against a Rock/Water-Type is unchanged, but against a Water/Rock type, it deals 1 less damage due to the halved number resulting in a decimal which is floored (i.e., reduced to the next lowest integer) before being doubled. If the attack would deal an even amount of damage anyway, the difference is moot, but in the case of odd numbers, there is a very slight, usually negligible difference.

So, the Normal-Type. Basically the closest thing Pokemon has to a "neutral" type, except not really as it's weak to Fighting, resisted by Rock and Steel, immune to Ghost, and doesn't effect Ghost either. So, not a neutral type, just a sucky one with no Type advantages. Then there's the types of moves Normal uses. Mostly it's bodily attacks such as biting and scratching, with the odd punch, kick, energy beam of death, or suicidal explosion in there (wait, what?). The vast majority of Normal-Types are either mammalian animals like mice, rabbits, cats, and dogs, or bizarre freaks that are anything but Normal (like Lickitung, Porygon, Smeargle, etc). Here's the thing: There exist types that quite handily cover punches, kicks, energy beams, and explosions. Fighting is the type of martial arts, where the majority of punches and kicks occur (not to mention the odd ki-flavored energy attack). Grass, Fire, Electric, Psychic, and Steel all sport energy beams as well (heck, it's easier to name the types that don't use some kind of energy beam). And explosions - well, that's basically Fire. So why the heck are moves like Mega Punch, Mega Kick, Hyper Beam, and Explosion considered Normal-Type? What's Normal about 'em? I also find it curious how there are types for Bugs, Ghosts, Dragons, and Fairies, but not Cats or Dogs. I mean, mammals have established tropes just like those other creatures, right? And Flying was going to be Bird-type until they realized "crap, there are bats and flying Bugs in here too" and so changed it to something more species-neutral in hopes of not offending bats, Bugs, and other non-fliers. If you ask me, any attack that involves humanoid combat techniques - like punching or kicking - belongs in Fighting as martial arts are what Fighting is all about. Energy-based attacks like Hyper Beam belong in types like Grass, Fire, Electric, or Steel. And any move that makes your Pokemon freaking explode should probably be Fire-type. That leaves animalistic attacks with teeth, claws, horns, and tails for my proposed Beast-type. Yes, that means transferring Bite and Crunch out of Dark into Beast, because honestly there isn't anything outright "dark" or "dirty" about biting your opponent versus punching them in the face. Sneak attacks and cheap shots are Dark, yes, but claws and teeth are just natural weapons. Growling, howling, and other such noises also belong in Beast, though moves based on intimidation like Leer and Glare could be justified in Ghost or Dark. As for Beast's type relations? Well, since Beast covers ungulates as well as carnivores, it would make sense if Beast was effective against Grass. Beast could also be effective against Bug, as many beasts are insectivores. If Rock can be super-effective against Flying, Beast should too. And since beasts are pretty effective at killing each other (see: wolves hunting deer, or stags fighting over does), Beast can also be super-effective against itself. Rock and Steel resisting Beast makes sense, as does Ghost being immune to it. Conversely, Beast itself could be weak to Fire, Electric, Poison, and Steel, as fire burns animals, electricity can electrocute them, poison makes them sick, and steel weapons like guns are effective at killing them. So, that's my "could have been, should have been" rant about what is, in my opinion, the most useless and confusing Type in all of Pokemon. Feel free to discuss, and have a nice day!

It would have helped if Cut was at least as good as, say, Slash, as opposed to being barely better than Tackle. A 70-power high crit would actually be serviceable for most of the game. Same for Strength; it's basically Slam but with 10 less PP, 25% more accuracy, and you need it to push boulders. I mean, sakes, if we're gonna be forced to use those things to progress, at least make them moves we'll want to use anyway, like Surf and Fly. But then here's the thing: Making TMs reusable and replacing HMs with TMs ensures you have the abilities needed to proceed while also giving you the flexibility to replace those moves if you don't need them at the moment. No Move Deleter needed, you just teach your Blastoise how to Surf while you're swimming, then put Hydro Pump or Ice Beam back on it once you're done.

Most HM moves are easily outclassed in battle (with the possible exceptions of Fly and Surf), they require to you use a Move Deleter to remove them (despite the fact they're, y'know, reusable and thus could be relearned at any time), and they force you to have Pokemon in your party who can use them (hence the development of "HM Slaves" like Bibarel to minimize the number of Pokemon with necessary HM moves in your party). HMs were clunky, annoying, and borderline useless. The only reason they were necessary is because of obstacles placed to justify them in the first place. Like, okay, so maybe swimming, flying, and pushing big boulders are cool things your Pokemon can do...but why sacrifice a move slot for it? Why can't my Machamp always push big, heavy boulders? Why can't my Lapras always take me for a cruise? Why can't my Pidgeot always fly me to any town I've already been to? And why the flying Farfetch'd do I need a Move Deleter to make my Pokemon forget a move that was taught to it by an HM that's reusable anyway!? Pokemon interacting with the world around you is a neat idea, but HMs were a terrible execution of it, and the series only benefitted from removing them and making TMs reusable to begin with.