What’s your most anticipated game of 2018, and why is it Super Smash Bros. for the Switch? Though details have remained scarce about what to expect from Nintendo’s fan favourite brawler, the debut trailer was enough to send the world into a collective frenzy. Naturally, everyone has been speculating wildly on what characters will form the roster, with videogamedunkey offering the best analysis. Nothing can top that.
Still, we’re not exactly above jumping aboard a bandwagon for some sweet traffic, and this is no exception. In fact, we’re doing it one better. Literally one better. WhatCulture did a list of 10 characters the other day but fuck them. We’ll do 11.
Super Smash Bros. for the Wii U proved that literally anybody could turn up in the series, allowing for the likes of Cloud to fight Ryu and Bayonetta, so with that in mind, we’re going to rattle of our pick for characters we’d like to see in the new game.
Before we get started, the qualifiers for this list are twofold: the character or characters have to have appeared on a Nintendo console before, otherwise this list would have turned into some frothing at the mouth lunacy, and they have to have never appeared in a Smash Bros. game before. No Ice Climbers in this list, sorry.
Super Mario Odyssey’s Mario/Cappy
“But Mario has obviously been in Smash Bros. before.” Yeah, of course. But between the last Smash game and this one, Super Mario Odyssey appeared and took the collective breath away of gamers around the world. The game introduced us to Cappy, who gave Mario new hat throwing abilities, along with the ability to mind control animals but let’s not get into that.
Smash Bros. has been known to update characters based on what they could do in their respective games. In Brawl and the Wii U version of the game, Mario came equipped with F.L.U.D.D from Super Mario Sunshine, so we’ve got our fingers crossed that Mario will be flinging Cappy in Smash for the Switch.
Spring Man & Ribbon Girl
A no-brainer this one, Arms is one of the Nintendo Switch’s breakout exclusive IP’s, combining boxing with Stretch Armstrong. Shockingly, it was a marriage made in heaven, receiving plenty of support from Nintendo post launch. The two poster children for Arms, Spring Man and Ribbon Girl, would make a great addition to the world of Super Smash Bros., giving Little Mac a run for his money when it comes to pugilism. At the very least, those stretchy arms will make for a better recovery tool.
Shovel Knight
The best medieval warrior to use a gardening tool as a weapon, Shovel Knight is just the best. A Mega Man clone better than the actual Mega Man clone (Mighty No.9), Shovel Knight has been charming the pants off players for a few years now. Though the game has appeared on a variety of consoles, it’s had the most impact on the Switch, and the Shovel Knight character was the first non-Nintendo character (outside of Smash characters like Pac-Man) to get an Amiibo. Combine that with his diverse arsenal, and Shovel Knight deserves a place on the roster.
Banjo-Kazooie
We’re fully aware that this is just pure ambition, but stick with it. We have our reasons. In any discussion about the history of Nintendo, and the legacy of the N64, you can’t exclude Banjo-Kazooie. Despite the fact that Rare is now tied to Xbox, Banjo-Kazooie and Nintendo are irrevocably linked.
The relationship between Nintendo and Xbox has improved recently, with a few games like Rocket League supporting cross-play between both consoles. It’s not completely outside the realms of possibility for the bear and bird duo to appear in Super Smash Bros. Failing that, Playtonic probably wouldn’t mind letting Yooka-Laylee in on the fun. They’re basically the same anyway.
Rayman
Ubisoft’s platforming mascot went through a successful reboot a few years back, with Rayman Origins and Rayman Legends breathing new life into the long-running franchise. And where do iconic video game mascots go? They go to Super Smash Bros. Though it’d be more likely that the Rabbids would be given the nod, considering their involvement in the recent Mario + Rabbids Kingdom Battle, Rayman would be a more natural fit for the world of Smash. If anything, we just want to see him knock the smeg out of Mario. Enough said.
Captain Toad
It’s hard to believe, but no version of Toad has appeared as a playable character in Smash Bros. The poor, dejected working class of the Mushroom Kingdom, Toad’s only appearance is when Peach needs a human shield. Frankly, this is unacceptable. Super Mario Bros 2 proved that Toads can hold their own in the world, but none embody this more than Captain Toad.
The leader of the Toad Brigade, Captain Toad made his debut in Super Mario Galaxy, but he finally got his own spin-off game Captain Toad: Treasure Tracker in 2014. The time is right for the Toad race to breakout on their own in Smash Bros., and no one is better suited for that than Captain Toad.
Billy Hatcher
Okay, hands up who remembers Billy Hatcher and the Giant Egg? It was “eggs-cellent”, said some unnamed talentless hack who writes for Cultured Vultures. What an absolute moron. Hope he gets sacked one day. Anyway, Billy Hatcher was a 3D platformer/adventure game made by SEGA that saw you roll large eggs around and smack enemies with them. It was a weird little Gamecube game, and one that sold poorly, but including him would make for a genius leftfield pick no one could have predicted. Except me. Basically, I want to be right for once.
Crash Bandicoot
The next entry on this list needs no introduction, but he’s getting on anyway. We have to up that word count, after all. Another gaming icon, Crash Bandicoot has entered a career resurgence of sorts, after the success of Crash Bandicoot N. Sane Trilogy on the PS4 last year. Now, the trilogy is making its way to the Nintendo Switch, and now seems like the perfect time to give the mutant marsupial his place on the Smash Bros. stage. Just imagine seeing Mario vs Crash vs Mega Man vs Pac-Man vs Sonic. It’s what dreams are made of.
Solaire of astora
PRAISE THE SUN and all that. Regardless of whether or not you’re a fan of Dark Souls, you’ve encountered the teachings of Solaire before. It’s hard to be a gaming fan and not see those immortal three words plastered somewhere on the internet. The announcement that the original Sun-Bro would be getting his own Amiibo to coincide with the release of Dark Souls: Remastered on the Switch can mean only thing: #Solaire4Smash.
Travis Touchdown
File this one under “decisions that just make sense”, Travis Touchdown is the star of the No More Heroes series, which has been exclusive to Nintendo since its inception on the Wii back in 2007 (2008 in the West). With the third game in the series, Travis Strikes Again: No More Heroes, due to be released on the Switch at some point this year, it looks like the stars are aligning for everyone’s favourite nerdy assassin to make his Smash Bros. debut. Just imagine him using a Tiger Driver ‘98 on Bowser. I’m getting hyped just thinking about it.
Viewtiful Joe
Alright, this one isn’t even a proper suggestion. This is just a plea to Capcom to do something with Viewtiful Joe. His moves and abilities would make him a fantastic addition to the Smash Bros. roster, and his flamboyant style wouldn’t look out of place amidst the insanity of the game. Viewtiful Joe made its debut on the Nintendo GameCube, so it’d be fitting to see things come full circle and have the character make a comeback on the Switch. Come on Capcom, say it with us now: Henshin-A-Go-Go, baby!
And that’s the list. Any we’ve left off? Sound off in the comments below, and if you say Daisy, we’ll kill you.
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