thesilverbrick

I am, like many others, playing Super Mario 3D World + Bowser’s Fury. And even though I beat the original to 100% on Wii U, I find myself drawn to it again as opposed to Bowser’s Fury. Aside from that, I’ve got the final boss in the original Paper Mario on N64 to finish off this weekend.

The inability to fight wild Pokémon in Let’s Go made for a miserably simplistic experience. If the Gen 4 remakes incorporate anything like that again, count me out.

I will forever be baffled by anyone who thinks Mario 3 is better than Mario World.

Metroid needs more exposure and merchandising. This certainly won’t take off, given Nintendo’s draconian oversight of its IP, but I snap up every licensed Metroid t-shirt and piece of memorabilia I happen upon.

I know it’s an unpopular opinion, but I desperately want Retro to do another DKC after they finish Prime 4.

At least physical versions of these games are out there. This is annoying, but possible to circumvent. It’s so much worse when digital-only titles are canned.

@Clyde_Radcliffe Yeah, but DK’s recovery is hot garbage. It all balances out.

Nintendo does a great job of protecting online players by making their online services practically non-functional. Quite effective.

@clvr I wouldn’t count on Doomslayer. Last November or December, Bethesda said they would be open to the idea of including him in the game, but they hadn’t yet been approached about it. By that point, Sakurai had already said the final characters had been decided.

I honestly didn’t see that coming. And it appears that Cloud interacts with him differently than he does with other characters. His sword was different at the end of the trailer and apparently his Omnislash gets an upgrade, too. This is also pretty huge in that it’s the first time a second non-echo character from a third-party series has been included in the roster.

@BowtieShyGuy Thanks for the clarity. That was actually super informative. I appreciate it!

I never understood this. Why was Kadabra banned from the cards and anime but not the games? And how is Alakazam any less of a reference?

@NathanTheAsian I was more so being rhetorical, because if you actually do the research, data mining a video game isn’t at all illegal. Sure, it does often reveal spoilers, but if the developers wanted to avoid that, they wouldn’t leave partial data in the code. Smash Bros is a prime example of a game that (for the most part) doesn’t leave revealing data to be mined before DLC releases, and if all developers were as vigilant about cleaning up code, there’d be no opportunity for spoilers.

And NintendoLife did their due diligence by not revealing anything in the thumbnail or title of the article, so what’s the harm? If someone didn’t want to know what was mined, they don’t have to click on the article.

This site is about news, and this most certainly falls into that category. I get people complaining about articles related to piracy and emulators, but this is absolutely not the same thing. Nothing illegal was done here, and nobody was harmed.

@Hervine What’s wrong with data mining?

I don’t take issue with people time traveling, but I loathe seeing YouTube thumbnails of holiday events weeks before they actually happen. The game might be a solitary experience, but irresponsible time travelers ruin surprises for those who want to play the game the way it was intended to be enjoyed. I for one am so glad for this change.

@sanderev Uploading recorded footage of video games (modded or not) is absolutely not illegal. YouTube is loaded with Let’s Plays and mod showcases, none of which are struck with copyright claims by the publishers. Posting footage of a video game is not the same thing at all as posting an entire film. Games are an interactive medium that require input from the player, unlike a movie, which is a static, unchanging and purely narrative experience.

I’ve sunk a dozen or so hours into this already and I’ve ruined my sleep schedule by playing until 3AM multiple times over the past few days. I’m obsessed.

I myself am not offended or triggered by this ad, but then again, I’ve never been the victim of sexual harassment or sexual assault, either. Making light of something like that is just in poor taste, if you ask me. And while I’m not personally offended, I’m not in a position to tell anyone else they don’t have a right to find this offensive, especially if they have personally been victimized. And to the people trying to draw parallels between this and violence in video games, remember that all content in games is walled in behind ESRB ratings and content descriptions, giving everyone a choice as to whether or not to see or participate. This is an advertisement, and is indiscriminately shown to people without any kind of choice or warning. Public advertising should be under more scrutiny than rated content.

Hestu! Here’s hoping his moveset incorporates his “gifts.”

@TheFrenchiestFry I agree with what you’re saying about the quality of the collection Nintendo is selling (or lack thereof). I’m just saying that while theft and piracy definitely do make things cheaper, they’re not exactly a viable alternative.

@Saladin786 I’ll agree that Mario 3D All Stars is barebones and a lazy effort by Nintendo and could’ve been more reasonably priced, but saying “I can easily illegally pirate these games on my phone instead” isn’t exactly a compelling argument. It would be like saying a new car is too expensive because I could just steal one instead.

I only play handheld when my Switch leaves the house. When I’m home it’s always docked. I’d much rather look at a TV than a tiny screen, plus craning your neck to look down at a handheld like that for long periods of time is bad for one’s posture.

These limited time digital releases make zero sense. Nevertheless, I’m excited to finally play a localization of the original game. I already played the remake on DS, but this will be neat to check out for historical and comparison purposes. Here’s hoping some of the other Japan exclusive Fire Emblem games get the same treatment, minus the senseless artificial scarcity.

Games like Mortal Kombat have no appeal to me, but I’m glad to see the Switch get a far larger quantity and variety of games than Nintendo consoles typically receive.

@Divinebovine His weird movement clashes? The same can be said about Mr. Game & Watch.

@TheFrenchiestFry @JR150 Calling ARMS “unpopular” isn’t accurate. The game sold over 2 million copies, which is quite impressive, given that it was a brand new IP and a fighting game (a genre that doesn’t historically sell in huge numbers) and it released on a console with a relatively small install base at the time. That’s a quarter of a million more than the original Kid Icarus and nearly double what Kid Icarus Uprising sold (and that game got three representatives in Smash). The only F-Zero game that outsold ARMS was the SNES original and none of the later entries managed to get close to 2 million. Heck, Earthbound barely managed to sell 140,000 copies. What seems to be the problem here is you personally didn’t like ARMS, but if we’re going based on sales success (i.e. “popularity”), Min Min deserves a spot here more more than Pit, Ness and several others in the roster. But that’s not how it works. This is a crossover game about Nintendo‘s legacy (with selected guest characters) and not a popularity contest.

Who’s the sociopath that thought Ness needed to be buffed?

Im kind of in a rut. I’ve got a ton of games I need to finish but I’m stuck in endless loops of breeding Pokémon in Pokémon Shield and matches of Super Smash Bros. Ultimate with my cousin (plus I’m trimming all my replays in preparation for update 9.0). I’ve finished 64 and Sunshine to 100% on Super Mario 3D All-Stars, and I’m 70 stars into Galaxy, though I’m feeling a bit of 3D Mario fatigue at this point. I really need to go back and finish Hollow Knight and Astral Chain, though, and I’m hoping to find inspiration to pick those up again soon.

@Donkey-Kong-Fan Yeah, and Donkey Kong and Mario debuted in the same game and are part of the same canonical universe. I would like to see other Nintendo IPs represented outside of the Mario universe, like Zelda, Kirby and Metroid.

@FullMetalWesker And as for the differences between Villager and Steve, I'll quote you so I don't miss anything:

"As for the comparison between Steve and Villager (and the other character examples you mentioned) the main difference is that Villager, due to being from Animal Crossing which has more expressive and visually interesting characters by default, is more distinct (the others you mentioned even moreso)."

You call Villager "more visually interesting." That's subjective. It could be argued that if you showed the cast to a first-time player and asked for their impressions, I'd argue that Steve stands out more than Villager does stylistically and is far more memorable. He leaves a more lasting impression because of his very, very different visual style. You also call Villager "more expressive," which is true, but again, there are plenty of stoic characters in Smash who are completely devoid of emotion (Mr. Game & Watch, ROB, Samus). In terms of the their value to the overall narrative of their respective games, Steve and Villager are equally generic. And my point is that being generic or stoic has never been a disqualifying factor when it comes to inclusion in Smash's roster.

Steve isn't the most generic character in Smash. He's not the least expressive. He's not the first one that uses a distinct visual style. He represents a video game with historical merit and ties to Nintendo and his in-game functionality translates aptly into a playable moveset. In that way, he's exactly like every fighter before him.

@FullMetalWesker For starters, I'd like to apologize and clarify that I don't intend to come across as belligerent or combative about any of this. I admit that I do very much enjoy intelligent discussions and debates about trivial things, and unlike many of the other posts I encounter on this site, you're well-spoken and intelligent, and I found myself kind of getting sucked into and possibly too invested in this discussion.

That said, I also want to apologize if I've given you the impression that I'm ignoring your points. I didn't intend to do that, and so I've gone back and reread all your comments to make sure I haven't missed anything.

The two points you revisited in your last comment were about representing Minecraft in Smash with something other than a playable character and that in your opinion, Steve is a less distinct character than the Animal Crossing villager. I'd like to revisit those two things, if that's OK, so that none of your points get ignored.

Firstly, I asked how exactly the game could go about representing Minecraft gameplay in a satisfying way without a playable Minecraft character. Your suggestions included a stage or item that allow for gathering materials, crafting and building in some manner, citing that this would be truer to the Minecraft experience. I'd argue that very, very few of the characters in Smash play in any way like they do in their original titles. Controlling the Wii FIt Trainer with motion controls would be far more authentic to the original game's experience. It would make sense for the Animal Crossing characters in the game not to attack at all, given that their source game is devoid of violence. And if we're trying to be perfectly authentic, Fox and Falco should be in vehicles the entire time during fights. One could argue that playing as Steve, collecting resources, crafting tools and building blocks in real time is far more authentic to the character's source material than the movesets of characters like Captain Falcon, Fox, Villager, Wii Fit Trainer, Duck Hunt, ROB, any of the Pokemon or Fire Emblem characters, and really anyone from a turn-based RPG. Additionally, removing Steve as a playable character and replacing him with items and modes removes the potential for competitive players to use anything from Minecraft, as stage hazards and items are almost always turned off. What you're arguing for is not only vague and undefined, but it's also without any kind of precedent. Nothing like what you're suggesting has ever been added to a Smash game and seems like an indistinct and inelegant solution. Even you yourself only propose the vague notion that “something” could be included yet you don't have any concrete ideas, just vague suggestions.

(continued below)

@pranavszn Good to know. Thanks for checking.

@FullMetalWesker Every point you keep making about Steve and Minecraft can be applied to other existing characters and games already represented in Smash. Absolutely, Minecraft isn’t about the characters in any way. It is purely about collecting materials, crafting and building. But there needs to be a vehicle by which to do this, and the avatar (Steve) is how that’s done. Animal Crossing is no different. The game isn’t about your playable character as a person. It’s about interacting with the island’s residents, collecting furniture and tools and that has to be accomplished with a generic Villager avatar, who has also been included in Smash, despite not being a distinct personality or even having a name.

The problem here is nothing objective. You just plain don’t like Steve, and that’s ok. There’s nothing that makes him any different than Villager in terms of being a generic avatar. His art style is simple, but it’s arguable he’s more complicated than Mr. Game & Watch in terms of design.

You say you’d feel better if he wasn’t called Steve and was simply called “Minecraft avatar.” You do realize the term “Steve” essentially means a generic male Minecraft avatar, right? Steve has two other alts, as does Alex, and they all look nothing alike. They are from various countries, and some of them are even different races, yet they are all named Steve or Alex. To try to argue that they are all the same person would be silly. Any generic male avatar from Minecraft is a “Steve,” much like an avatar from Animal Crossing is a “Villager.” The name doesn’t carry any inherent characterization.

You keep fixating on his name, somehow indicating that this makes him “bad.” “Bad” is a subjective term, and your personal feelings don’t negate the fact that Minecraft is massive in terms of popularity and influence and it also doesn’t change the fact that there are already plenty of nameless, generic characters playable in Smash. Being generic as a character has never stopped fighters from being included as playable, and suddenly trying to use that as a qualifier looks a bit silly when I already see a playable 2D flat silhouette, a nameless fitness trainer, a generic child from a social simulator and a plastic robot accessory from a 35 year old console on the character select screen. Your argument that Steve “isn’t worth including as a character” is not only just your subjective opinion, but it could absolutely apply to any of those examples I just listed. I’ll say it again: Smash’s roster isn’t simply about compelling characters. It’s about representing games. And some games don’t feature compelling playable characters. Minecraft is one of them. But so are Animal Crossing, Wii Fit and the Game & Watch games.

What this boils down to is the fact that you don’t like Steve and don’t want him in the game. I can’t argue with your feelings or your opinions. But to try to translate those opinions into some kind of logical argument as to why he’s “too generic” is silly, given some of the characters we already have.

The Bomberman costume looks incredible. I would have loved him to be playable with his own unique moveset, but this is absolutely the next best thing. These premium Mii costumes definitely help make it feel like more characters are available to play. And I’m glad we finally got one that’s not a gunner.

It blows my mind that they can try to say that it hasn’t caused anyone any inconvenience. It not only has been an obvious source of grief for gamers but it causes Nintendo inconvenience, for crying out loud. How many thousands of JoyCon have they had to repair over the years?

They’re not admitting it because it makes them liable to fix it. They’re staying the course and hoping the problem goes away. But it won’t.

@FullMetalWesker You haven’t adequately explained how adding an item to the game would allow for Steve’s incredibly complex moveset to work in Smash with the existing characters. There is no kind of item in Smash’s history that overhauls every character’s moveset in the way you’re proposing. Steve appears to be able to mine items, upgrade his equipment and build structures (all the key features of Minecraft gameplay). What kind of item could simply and easily allow the 80+ other characters to do all of that in a way that’s as thorough and satisfying as Steve’s moveset (and could you imagine the programming required to retool every single character to use an item that most people will just turn off)? And that aside, DLC has never added items to the game, so your suggestion goes way beyond anything that has ever happened in Smash DLC history.

You may not want Steve in the game, but plenty of others do, and reducing his moveset to an item (which I still don’t see being possible) would be like saying that you could’ve just put Kazooie in as a gun-type item instead of including Banjo as a fighter. You think that would have satisfied the fans of that series? Arguably Minecraft is a far more recognizable and relevant property than Banjo-Kazooie. And again, Sakurai doesn’t add items via DLC, so your suggestion is irrelevant anyway.

You don’t think Steve’s moveset and abilities are unique? No other fighter has been able to gather materials, upgrade their equipment and build structures during a fight. If you don’t think that’s unique and new, then what other character comes even close? The fact that he has a generic name and blocky appearance doesn’t change that this fighter stands to bring a moveset and play style to the game unlike any other.

You keep getting hung up on his name as if it somehow makes him an invalid choice. Like I’ve said, “Steve” is really just Minecraft’s term for a generic male avatar. How is “Steve from Minecraft” any more generic than “the villager from Animal Crossing” or “the trainer from Wii Fit”?

If anything, the fact that he’s so blocky and stiff makes his inclusion even more unique. No character moves and animates like Steve. I’ve heard a lot of complaints about him being included, but I can all but guarantee you’re the only one who doesn’t think he’s new or unique in any way.

Like it or not, video games encompass all kinds of playable characters and avatars. Some of them come from games with rich narratives and back stories and have deep artistic designs. Others are from games that focus on open-ended gameplay and feature simple avatars without personality, because the experiences are driven by gameplay, not story. Smash has been about celebrating all kinds of games, so you wind up with characters like Cloud, Samus and Bayonetta on one end of the spectrum, but you’ve also got ones like generic avatar Villagers, a nameless fitness trainer, and a flat LCD man who lacks a dimension and moves with limited frames of animation. None of the latter class are “characters” in the purest sense of the word, but they allow for important games to be represented as fighters in Smash. Minecraft is a massively important part of gaming’s history and including a playable fighter from that game makes all the sense in the world, given Smash is a celebration of Nintendo and gaming’s history.

I’d pay good money for a large printed version of this mural when it’s complete. It’d look so sick on a wall.

@FullMetalWesker How exactly are you supposed to bring in what Steve can do without adding Steve himself? No Mii costume or stage is going to allow players to forge tools and make structures during a fight. At best, you could slap a square head on a Mii Swordfighter and have him swing a pickaxe. And as far as a stage goes, you’d get a blocky island with destructible assets. And stage modification before a fight doesn’t allow players to engage in Minecraft mechanics during a fight, and fighting is really the core part of what makes Smash fun. What they’ve done with Steve is far more compelling and represents Minecraft so well.

So many other IPs already included offer nothing in the character department, but they’ve been included because the games they represent are important. Wii Fit, Animal Crossing, the Game & Watch series, Gyromite, Duck Hunt, Pac-Man and others do not have compelling or deep characters representing their series in the roster, but Smash has never been fueled or themed around deep characters. It’s about gaming, and these characters are vehicles by which their games are represented in playable form. Steve is absolutely not the first fighter that is devoid of personality. Why does everyone keep treating him like that’s the case?

But to answer your original question, I honestly think Steve stands to be one of the most unique and interesting additions to the roster, from a purely gameplay perspective (his lack of personality is entirely irrelevant). What they’re doing with him has shaken up the game in such a deep and fundamental way that every single one of the over 100 stages in the game had to be modified to pave the way for him. If you don’t think that’s a signal that he’s bringing something interesting to the table, then I don’t know what else to say.

@FullMetalWesker (That’s a first; I was told my comment was too long, haha, so I’m continuing it here)

And as far as your comment about Fortnite, I wouldn’t necessarily rule it out. Granted, I don’t see it happening because not only is Epic a litigious nightmare (as seen by their recent battle with Apple), but also Fortnite is a relatively new thing and its popularity is already fading, unlike Minecraft, which has endured for nearly a decade. But I wouldn’t rule it out entirely. I’m certainly not a huge fan of it, but it is certainly arguable that Fortnite has made a big contribution to gaming history in general. How we personally feel about it doesn’t change the reality.

If you don’t like Steve, that can’t be helped. But to try to argue that his inclusion is somehow unprecedented in any way just plain doesn’t make sense.

@FullMetalWesker I think you’re underestimating Minecraft’s relevance to gaming and its popularity. You do realize it is the highest selling single video game of all time, right? The game came out in 2011, and despite never receiving a proper sequel, continues to be updated and expanded to this day and retains massive popularity. We’re not talking about some flash in the pan fad game like Fortnite, which certainly won’t be around 10 years from now and thriving. Like it or not, Minecraft has become an indelible part of gaming history. To say it’s huge would be a massive understatement.

My point about the Mii costume or stage is that Minecraft is not only too large a phenomenon to be reduced to side elements in the game, but there is way too much potential for a very unique and very functional moveset here, a fact that is made entirely obvious by the trailer. The things you’re able to do with this character would be completely lost if it were just a costume or a stage, and Minecraft, being a nearly decade long phenomenon with strong ties to Nintendo, certainly has earned its place in a game celebrating Nintendo and gaming in general. I’d argue Minecraft’s legacy and contribution to gaming makes it far more deserving of representation in Smash than a series like Persona, but that’s a conversation for another day.

You and others seem to keep capitalizing on the fact that Steve has no expressions. You try to make the point that Villager has varied facial expressions, as if that somehow qualifies them more as a playable fighter. I have no idea where that’s coming from, because there are a variety of characters whose facial expressions change very little, if at all, during gameplay. ROB, Mega Man, Mr. Game & Watch, Samus and others emote very little (if at all) and you’re not complaining. The reason being, is it’s true to their canon game appearances that we don’t see expressions from them. The same goes for Steve. Not only is Minecraft a very stoic game by deliberate design choice, you play most of the game from a first person perspective, so emotion from the avatar has never been part of the experience. Minecraft has never been a game about characters or character development. It’s about collecting, crafting and building, and it appears that Steve’s moveset perfectly replicates that experience on the battlefield. The character himself is bland, but that’s kind of the point. Just like in his original appearance, he’s just a vehicle by which you can explore elements of the game.

Steve isn’t simply a “meme pick.” Sure, the Internet has liked to joke about him being included, because he seemed kind of unlikely, but this isn’t the first time an off-the-wall video game character has been included in Smash. Nobody could’ve anticipated the inclusions of Mr. Game & Watch in Melee, Wii Fit Trainer and Duck Hunt in Smash 4 or even Piranha Plant in Ultimate. Sakurai has always been about shaking up who and what gets included in Smash, and this is no different. And all those examples resulted in some of the most unique playable experiences in the roster. They all just plain work despite expectations, being fun to play while adding representation from their origin series to Smash, and I know Steve will be no different.

@FullMetalWesker A Mii costume could in no way have replicated what they’re doing with Steve’s moveset here. They’re thinking far outside the box with this character in a way they likely never have before (every single stage had to be reprogrammed for this moveset, for crying out loud). Minecraft has far too much attached to it to just slap a square head on a Mii Swordfighter.

And Steve is just a name given to the default avatar in Minecraft. You’re free to customize your character however you like, with far more depth than you can with your villager in Animal Crossing, mind you. The only difference between Steve and the generic default Villager with the red shirt is that Steve actually has a name. And the name “Steve” really just means a male Minecraft avatar, as evidenced by the fact that there are three very different looking alts for Steve and Alex and they all share the same names. For crying out loud, Duck Hunt, Hero and Wii Fit Trainer are nameless. If the default Minecraft avatar didn’t have a name, he’d be identical in function to Villager. He’s no less generic. Having a sophisticated design or distinct personality has never, ever been a prerequisite for Smash characters. Mr Game & Watch, Pac-Man and ROB (among many others) are obvious examples of very simplistic characters in terms of both basic physical design and lack of character depth. Steve is not superlative or new in any category. Nobody is excited about Steve as a character or a distinct personality. They’re excited about what Steve represents and will be able to do.

He’s a character that represents a massively important and successful video game franchise that has strong ties to Nintendo and a clear basis for a unique and functional moveset. In that regard, he’s a perfect fit and is just like every other Smash character before him. Comparing him to Shrek and Goku is silly and you know it. They’re not even video game characters, which is the sole unifying theme in Smash’s roster.

@fafonio Fair enough. But I think you’ve missed the point of Steve. He is clearly not meant to be a “character” with a distinct personality or traits, much like the Pokémon Trainer or the Villager. He’s an avatar, the agent by which the player interacts with the world. Games like Minecraft and Animal Crossing are not story driven experiences, and so the player characters are little more than vehicles to experience the world. Steve’s inclusion in Smash isn’t about him as a character, per se, it’s about representing Minecraft in Smash, and Steve (the avatar) is the agent by which that can be feasibly done. Nobody is particularly interested in him as a personality (he has none), much like nobody loves the Animal Crossing villager for his/her distinctive traits (again, because they are nonexistent). Characters like Villager and Steve are how elements of Animal Crossing and Minecraft can be worked into a Smash moveset, and they make perfect sense in that regard. So for whatever it’s worth, nobody likes Steve as a character. People are happy that there is a character in Smash through which they can bring elements of Minecraft to a fight, and Steve unfortunately is the only way to accomplish that.

@fafonio I’m not a big fan of Minecraft. I’ve dabbled over the years but I’m definitely not a super fan. Steve was nowhere near the top of my list of characters I wanted (I would’ve loved Rayman). This is absolutely not about my opinion of Steve. This is about his relevance to gaming and Nintendo and his moveset potential, which are the only real consistent qualifiers for a Smash character. Steve excels in both those categories. Your only argument revolves around how you personally don’t like his character design and that somehow means he should not be in Smash. You’re not simply saying you wish he weren’t included; you’re saying he should not be in the game, and I’m saying that your personal opinion of a character has never been a qualifier for a character’s inclusion, and it makes zero logical sense to try to argue that.

You’re absolutely entitled to your opinion of Steve, but all I’m saying is your personal opinion doesn’t make him irrelevant. Clearly not, because he’s already on his way.

And I say bring on Missingno.

@fafonio You chose to ignore the rest of his post (in which he makes a very compelling series of points) and just capitalize on a witty quip about Pokémon Trainer. The fact of the matter is, trying to argue that Steve shouldn’t be in Smash because his design is unappealing to you personally doesn’t make logical sense. If you’re simply trying to say you don’t like him and his design and wish he weren’t included, nobody could argue with that. But you’re trying to transpose your personal opinion of him into some kind of logic-based argument as to why a character isn’t qualified to be in Smash. Makes zero sense.

@fafonio But why does his simple design disqualify him? Mr. Game & Watch is arguably simpler in design and far less recognizable. You say he’s “not a character” but neither is Villager. Many would argue that a block from Tetris would make a welcome addition to Smash, due to its relevance to gaming and Nintendo, but the problem comes in the moveset, a problem that Steve clearly doesn’t have. The same would apply to the other examples you mentioned, except none of them have the recognizablility or relevance that Steve and Minecraft do. The only real qualification for a Smash fighter is relevance to gaming and Nintendo (which Steve absolutely has) and moveset potential (again, not a problem here). Your arguments about his design ultimately boil down to your personal tastes and you’re entitled to those, but to try to objectively translate your tastes into a logical argument as to why he doesn’t belong here is just silly, especially since it’s already happening in a way that clearly works and makes sense.

This man deserves a parade and a vacation.

@fafonio You somehow equate a complicated or detailed design as the single qualification to make something a “character.” Kirby’s design is arguably as simple as Steve’s, and Mr. Game & Watch is so simplistic that he lacks a dimension altogether (as well as a proper name), and uses very limited frames of animation. What seems to be the problem here is that you don’t like Steve, which is entirely fair, but to try to say his simplistic design renders him an invalid choice is just nonsense. Far simpler, less recognizable and nameless characters from much less popular IPs are already included in Smash’s absolutely massive roster. Minecraft is a worldwide phenomenon in gaming, has strong ties to Nintendo hardware and has already crossed over with Mario. And as we’ve already seen, potential for a unique and innovative moveset that draws from the source material is abundant. Including elements from Minecraft in a game commemorating Nintendo and gaming history makes incredible sense. I’m sorry you hate this fighter so much and I certainly can’t and won’t argue with your feelings, but your personal disdain for Steve doesn’t invalidate his relevance.

@fafonio I wouldn’t exactly call Mr. Game & Watch, Villager or ROB “characters” either. At least Steve has a name, haha. Hero, Duck Hunt, Wii Fit Trainer and Villager can’t even say that much.

Im more interested in what Kirby’s Steve transformation will look like.

I’m endlessly curious how the building mechanic works. This looks to be one of the most insanely unique characters in the game. I’m mega excited to see Sakurai make sense of it all.