Wii Fit Trainer's inclusion proves how clever Sakurai really is

[The Real Gamer]

And I'm not kidding. 3 Smash Bros games later Sakurai is still able to throw out **** from left field that literally nobody saw coming.

And not only was it a character nobody saw coming, it was a RELEVANT character that nobody saw coming.

I keep reading comments regarding her as a "wasted character slot" because she's not a major name along the lines of Ridley, Palutena, Little Mac, etc. Well the last time I checked she is the star of a top 10 selling Wii game of all time. The only other discussed newcomer that could match that popularity are Mii's themselves, but unlike WFT, Mii's are somewhat expected (though unwanted) characters and just couldn't fit the niche that WFT does. So to be politically correct she and her Wii Fit games are arguably more relevant than a good majority of the "wanted" newcomers.

I'll repeat Sakurai is much smarter than I gave him credit for.

For the haters:

 

[Speculator]

I like her. I don't care that she's from Wii Fit, she looks like she's going to be a really unique character. How many exercise-based movesets are there in SSB?

I also like that Sakurai went out of his way to choose a character nobody was expecting. This is the best thing about Smash Bros, it can take virtually any character and bring a whole new take on them.

 

[LaniusShrike]

It is super clever. I don't like her, but it is pretty clever.
I have trouble saying that she's the "star" of Wii Fit, though. It wasn't really a game in the traditional sense, and she's not a character, she's a tutorial mannequin. Mind you, ROB wasn't a character either... so, I guess it's up to Smash to make her one.

In any case, yeah. Nobody saw her coming, and she's from a popular franchise and represents an important part of Nintendo's market. I don't think it's really going to make Wii Fit users clamor to purchase Smash Bros, though, since they aren't part of a gaming community.

 

[The Real Gamer]

In any case, yeah. Nobody saw her coming, and she's from a popular franchise and represents an important part of Nintendo's market. I don't think it's really going to make Wii Fit users clamor to purchase Smash Bros, though, since they aren't part of a gaming community.

Well to be fair I don't think anyone saw Mr. G&W/ROB and thought "wow I have to get Melee/Brawl now."

I don't think Sakurai was trying to cater to a specific demographic per say. Instead I think he wanted to show everyone that he's still thinking outside of the box with this new roster, so expect the unexpected.

 

[LaniusShrike]

Well to be fair I don't think anyone saw Mr. G&W/ROB and thought "wow I have to get Melee/Brawl now."

I don't think Sakurai was trying to cater to a specific demographic per say. Instead I think he wanted to show everyone that he's still thinking outside of the box with this new roster, so expect the unexpected.

Good points, except... G&W and ROB were among the last characters revealed. They were explicitly not used to advertise the game and create hype, while WFT was shown on the very first day, essentially as part of the reveal. I don't really know what he was thinking in his timing, honestly... she would've been much better suited for a late reveal.

So, smart character choice... poor presentation choice.

 

[Starcutter]

Good points, except... G&W and ROB were among the last characters revealed. They were explicitly not used to advertise the game and create hype, while WFT was shown on the very first day, essentially as part of the reveal. I don't really know what he was thinking in his timing, honestly... she would've been much better suited for a late reveal.

So, smart character choice... poor presentation choice.

I think that sakuri is holding back the big guns until he needs them. or being surprise characters at the game's release.

I for one really like the wii fit trainer, and it hyped me up, almost as much as megaman. and it's all because it was unexpected, interesting, and the trailer was funny. I still would have bought the game anyways, but this character brought a smile and some laughs with it.

 

[Zzuxon]

I agree completely. Ima post this here, because it's great and explains exactly why WFT is a great pick.

Allow me to try to make you even happier.

I wanted the WTF/Nintendo History character to be Duck Hunt Dog. Now, that dream is most likely broken. But that's okay. That's okay because I thought Duck Hunt Dog epitomized those two characteristics, rivaled only by Sheriff. They would both have been weird choices, and also representative of Nintendo's hardware history. But Wii Fit Trainer fulfills both of those criteria, and so much better. People had support for Duck Hunt Dog. People had support for Sheriff. Nobody in their right minds had support for WFT. You'd be hard pressed to pick a more random, in-a-way less deserving character to get the Smash spotlight. And yet she also represents Nintendo's hardware in a way that people wouldn't have thought of at first. She represents Nintendo's present, rather than its past. In a game stooped in nostalgia (just look at everything about MegaMan), having a hardware character representing a piece of modern hardware? It's a breath of fresh air, it's unexpected, and, most importantly of all... it's got great moveset potential. This isn't a fighting polygon. Sure, the character is without personality... but wasn't ROB? At least WFT has plenty of material from which to make a moveset. Yoga positions aside, she could use any and all objects from Wii Fit (I think I saw her making a soccer ball as one of her attacks, but that could have just been an item.)

tl:dr, she's the very very best choice for the series' token wtf/history character, bar none.

But I do wish she wasn't revealed in a trailer. An unlockable surprise would have been nice. But eh.

 

[psyniac_123]

In the last 24 hours I went from "are you serious?" very quickly to "yeah, okay. It doesn't affect the game as a whole or my enjoyment" slowly to "she definitely already feels like a part of the game/series now" to "she is a fantastic inclusion and I really like that she's in the game" and this thread has absolutely concrete'd that.

 

[Mario & Sonic Guy]

Wii Fit Trainer: Wario's worst enemy.

 

[Big-Cat]

Wii Fit Trainer: Wario's worst enemy.

She appears to be Bowser's new best friend in the "I'm not shaping you up because I like you or anything. B-baka." way.

 

[RhymesWithEmpty]

If I had a time machine right now, I think I would legitimately use it to go back in time, make a character thread for Wii Fit Trainer and watch myself get laughed off the boards just so I could come back and have the biggest in your face/I told you so moment... pretty much of all time.

The fact that, after years of speculating over hundreds of potential character, they still managed to find one that absolutely nobody expected, yet is still perfectly relevant, is sort of mind blowing. Good job, Sakurai.

I don't know what they were thinking waiting until after Mega Man to reveal her, though. Really, her video was amusing, but save the big guns for last!

 

[The Real Gamer]

I don't know what they were thinking waiting until after Mega Man to reveal her, though. Really, her video was amusing, but save the big guns for last!

Perhaps this is just the tip of the iceberg and Sakurai has some even bigger guns in store for us?

 

[Pyra]

Perhaps this is just the tip of the iceberg and Sakurai has some even bigger guns in store for us?

I'm almost positive that's the case.
I'm sure after revealing somebody that he knew nobody asked for, he's going to reveal at least some that many people have asked for.

 

[RhymesWithEmpty]

Well, I meant for the E3 reveals, specifically. Obviously there will be more, big reveals in the future. Bigger than Mega Man, well, that's debatable... more WTF than Wii Fit Trainer? Possibly, but I'm not holding my breath. But certainly more reveals, yes.

 

[Gamingboy]

I think it proves that Sakurai remains the Nintendo creator who is most clearly on hallucinogens. I mean that in a good way.

 

[Schwaumlaut]

I could not stop laughing at the WTF reveal movie. I intend to main her if Marf isn't an option.

 

[Jonn]

I think the inclusion of WFT makes the chances of a playable Mii less likely.

 

[Sinn]

If I had a time machine right now, I think I would legitimately use it to go back in time, make a character thread for Wii Fit Trainer and watch myself get laughed off the boards just so I could come back and have the biggest in your face/I told you so moment... pretty much of all time.

It kinda reminds me of what happened on the thread for Pokemon Trainer when he got confirmed. Man, that was wild.

I think the inclusion of WFT makes the chances of a playable Mii less likely.

I really hope so. For as generic as some people claim that WFT is, a Mii would be so much more generic. I'm hoping they're not in...

 

[GalaxyWaffles]

It kinda reminds me of what happened on the thread for Pokemon Trainer when he got confirmed. Man, that was wild.


I really hope so. For as generic as some people claim that WFT is, a Mii would be so much more generic. I'm hoping they're not in...

Who cares if they're in? It doesn't really change anything other than having a new character added to the roster and potentially a new stage. You don't even have to use them. Also they could make the character unique. Look at Mega Man, Villager & WFT. The more the merrier!

Tired of people acting as if Sakurai is going to force people to use their Mii ugh.

 

[Arcadenik]

Well to be fair I don't think anyone saw Mr. G&W/ROB and thought "wow I have to get Melee/Brawl now."

I don't think Sakurai was trying to cater to a specific demographic per say. Instead I think he wanted to show everyone that he's still thinking outside of the box with this new roster, so expect the unexpected.

The ironic thing about expecting the unexpected was that we all were so busy trying to come up with all possible WTF characters like Duck Hunt Dog, Sheriff, Diskun, etc. and yet no one suggested Wii Fit Trainer.

 

[Sinn]

Who cares if they're in? It doesn't really change anything other than having a new character added to the roster and potentially a new stage. You don't even have to use them. Also they could make the character unique. Look at Mega Man, Villager & WFT. The more the merrier!

Tired of people acting as if Sakurai is going to force people to use their Mii ugh.

I can list at least one reason it matters: At times I like putting my token on random just for the variety instead of using the same three characters over and over. I like most of the characters in Brawl, but there are a few that frustrate me to use. Miis could become another one of those characters.

But I think, on a conceptual level, what really bothers me about adding Miis is the fact that I assume all Mii characters would have a shared moveset. Miis are designed to reflect a particular individual, and making them all have the same moves doesn't seem quite right. Unless they made Miis something of a Ditto Fighter (specifically if it's the third variety), which would actually be pretty cool, and I would get behind immediately.

 

[MatthewSwain9]

I think it proves that Sakurai remains the Nintendo creator who is most clearly on hallucinogens. I mean that in a good way.

Yeah he's probably tripping on Pokeballs in Japan

 

[LiteralGrill]

I can list at least one reason it matters: At times I like putting my token on random just for the variety instead of using the same three characters over and over. I like most of the characters in Brawl, but there are a few that frustrate me to use. Miis could become another one of those characters.

But I think, on a conceptual level, what really bothers me about adding Miis is the fact that I assume all Mii characters would have a shared moveset. Miis are designed to reflect a particular individual, and making them all have the same moves doesn't seem quite right. Unless they made Miis something of a Ditto Fighter (specifically if it's the third variety), which would actually be pretty cool, and I would get behind immediately.

A Ditto Fighter... Actually for Miis that would kinda be cool, but a lot of work would need to be done to make it possible...

 

[greenluigiman2]

Ditto fighter Miis would be fun.

 

[Sinn]

A Ditto Fighter... Actually for Miis that would kinda be cool, but a lot of work would need to be done to make it possible...

After re-reading the TV Tropes page, I noticed that it said Namco seems to like putting these guys into their fighting games. Could this be a good sign? =D

 

[LiteralGrill]

After re-reading the TV Tropes page, I noticed that it said Namco seems to like putting these guys into their fighting games. Could this be a good sign? =D

That's true...

But I mean, how would you do it? It'd be hard to morph Miis to look like all the characters, and adjusting all the moves would also be VERY difficult. It's not impossible to do, but I have a funny feeling with them wanting to make things a bit easier so the 3DS version can handle stuff, this kind of character would be a no go sadly...

 

[Sinn]

That's true...

But I mean, how would you do it? It'd be hard to morph Miis to look like all the characters, and adjusting all the moves would also be VERY difficult. It's not impossible to do, but I have a funny feeling with them wanting to make things a bit easier so the 3DS version can handle stuff, this kind of character would be a no go sadly...

Stupid 3DS version...ruining everything...

/ignoring the fact that I've wanted a handheld version of Smash for years

Actually, I've wanted a Ditto fighter of SOME kind in Smash since Brawl. I was originally hoping Poo from Earthbound would make it in with his Mirror ability. For someone like him, it'd be (theoretically) easy to pull off by just swapping out his character for the character he used it on, similar to a Zelda/Sheik situation. I'm sure there are other Nintendo characters who could fill that kind of role, and hopefully still be workable within 3DS's framework...but I guess we'll see.

 

[LiteralGrill]

Stupid 3DS version...ruining everything...

/ignoring the fact that I've wanted a handheld version of Smash for years

Actually, I've wanted a Ditto fighter of SOME kind in Smash since Brawl. I was originally hoping Poo from Earthbound would make it in with his Mirror ability. For someone like him, it'd be (theoretically) easy to pull off by just swapping out his character for the character he used it on, similar to a Zelda/Sheik situation. I'm sure there are other Nintendo characters who could fill that kind of role, and hopefully still be workable within 3DS's framework...but I guess we'll see.

I've always wanted a character like this myself too, so who knows? Maybe it'll somehow happen if we're lucky. It could be easier to do then I think too, I'm not a strong enough programmer to truly know...

 

[LaniusShrike]

I'd think the Mimic character would be something like "Polygon" or "Wire Frame". I would love to have a character that changed who I was every time I died... I'd probably play that against my friends more than anyone else.

I don't think it'd be hard to program, but it'd be hard to make one that looks good. They could easily put in something that just shows the bare-bones skeletal frame that the animations are based off of... might be a bit of an issue in terms of loading suitable projectiles and other side effects, though.

 

[Sinn]

I've always wanted a character like this myself too, so who knows? Maybe it'll somehow happen if we're lucky. It could be easier to do then I think too, I'm not a strong enough programmer to truly know...

I haven't programmed for a while, and I've NEVER done anything even remotely as complicated as a console game, but if they way I'm thinking about it is accurate, then it might not be too hard.

I read somewhere that the time it takes Zelda to transform into Sheik is dependent on how fast the console loads her. I'm not sure if this is the same as for Pokemon Trainer's swap outs, but I imagine it probably is. From a data standpoint, the ditto character would need to load which characters it would be able to morph into for that particular fight (based on its opponents). Going on just the Brawl roster, the most complicated set up would be a fight with Zelda, Pokemon Trainer, and Samus, since that would give the ditto a total of seven different characters to change into at any point during the fight. Yet, from the perspective of RAM, those characters' data would already be active in the match, so I don't THINK it would use much more in terms of system resources. All it would do is swap one character out for another. In fact, loading it might actually be FASTER since the character the ditto is changing into would have to already be loaded and onscreen when it changes.

Anyway, that's just a theory. I could be completely mistaken on how the mechanics work. But I'm pretty sure that, compared to having a ditto fighter that just keeps the same character model the whole time, it would still be a LOT easier to make.

 

[LiteralGrill]

I haven't programmed for a while, and I've NEVER done anything even remotely as complicated as a console game, but if they way I'm thinking about it is accurate, then it might not be too hard.

I read somewhere that the time it takes Zelda to transform into Sheik is dependent on how fast the console loads her. I'm not sure if this is the same as for Pokemon Trainer's swap outs, but I imagine it probably is. From a data standpoint, the ditto character would need to load which characters it would be able to morph into for that particular fight (based on its opponents). Going on just the Brawl roster, the most complicated set up would be a fight with Zelda, Pokemon Trainer, and Samus, since that would give the ditto a total of seven different characters to change into at any point during the fight. Yet, from the perspective of RAM, those characters' data would already be active in the match, so I don't THINK it would use much more in terms of system resources. All it would do is swap one character out for another. In fact, loading it might actually be FASTER since the character the ditto is changing into would have to already be loaded and onscreen when it changes.

Anyway, that's just a theory. I could be completely mistaken on how the mechanics work. But I'm pretty sure that, compared to having a ditto fighter that just keeps the same character model the whole time, it would still be a LOT easier to make.

That wouldn't be too bad to program, it's almost a random button... Hmm... maybe it's doable...

Even cooler if they changed who they were every stock, but I get how crazy that would be...

 

[O'kaz A1]

Well, I meant for the E3 reveals, specifically. Obviously there will be more, big reveals in the future. Bigger than Mega Man, well, that's debatable... more WTF than Wii Fit Trainer? Possibly, but I'm not holding my breath. But certainly more reveals, yes.

True story... I completely agree with you.

 

[HarryTheChin]

WFT = WTF character of SSB4.

Just switching the "F" and the "T".

YOLO

 

[Xigger]

What's that? Masahiro Sakurai is clever, MORE clever than us forum hobbyists?

What humble words to come from Internet forums.

 

[Gam3rALO]

I like her inclusion. However this does make it less Likely for Miis. Miis are also in if the leak is true. he move sets would be COMPLETELY difference so in sum I do not think this will not make the Miis in.

 

[Shun_one]

I was pretty pleasantly surprised with Wii Fit Trainer the moment I saw her. Talk about the unexpected...

I kind of find it funny how people are saying she was revealed at an inopportune time. I'm pretty sure that, no matter when she was revealed, those who didn't like her would have had the same reaction they did this time. I'm rather glad she was shown early, so now people can move past their seething rage at her getting in over *insert character here* and settle for a much more reasonable "I dislike this person"

 

[UberMadman]

I was pretty pleasantly surprised with Wii Fit Trainer the moment I saw her. Talk about the unexpected...

I kind of find it funny how people are saying she was revealed at an inopportune time. I'm pretty sure that, no matter when she was revealed, those who didn't like her would have had the same reaction they did this time. I'm rather glad she was shown early, so now people can move past their seething rage at her getting in over *insert character here* and settle for a much more reasonable "I dislike this person"

I think she was revealed at the best possible time, actually - right after Mega Man. The negative response she got was actually quite low when you go back and look at it.

 

[Claire Diviner]

I couldn't help but laugh at her inclusion, and I mean that in a good way. If this proves one thing, it's that just about any character can be viable, though I can see how she can be seen as very relevant given the Wii Fit series of games. Suffice it to say that if she doesn't become my main, she'll most certainly be a secondary.

 

[ryuu seika]

On the subject of the "Ditto Fighter", I think we could get a nice halfway house between preset and fully random by having it load 3-5 characters at random at the start of the battle and go through them each death in a pattern similar to your average music player's shuffle function (IE pseudo-random, with nothing chosen twice until all options have been used). We know from Pokémon Trainer that 3 is possible but 5 would be preferable so as to not have duplicates under reasonable stock settings (high stock settings and extreme timed matches would be asking too much).

 

[WCForay]

I think it'll be interesting to try her out. I can't help but think of how weird it would be for her to be a top tier character, but I can see Sakurai making her really good for the purpose of getting her screen time at tournaments and such. I thought her moves looked strange, especially given their origins from exercise but who knows, it could be fun, right?