Alright we got Sora, which is like fine or whatever, but I feel like we had a big missed opportunity in Smash Ultimate. With the final roster all set in stone years ago; there isn't much to add or complain about. After all, it's unlikely a new Smash game is coming out any time soon and even if it does it likely won't have every character. Ultimate was the last hurrah, and the last time we experienced Sakurai time; the endless speculation and fan arguing. Smash was a once in a life time event, and it was fun while it lasted, but it's sadly time to move on.
But something I've thought about over the last few years? The final Smash Fighter really should have been Tony Hawk. No I'm not kidding. Really think about it for a minute.
Now of course, it's important to remember this is all pie in the sky stuff. Anyone can wish for any fighter for Smash, since it's a crossover game. But Smash fighters tend to have a few restrictions or areas of impact. So typically the game has to be at least somewhat famous, representative of a genre or series, or add to unique and interesting gameplay.
While being primarily based on Nintendo IPs, Smash is kind of meant to be a museum of gaming as a whole, at least in the time when it was created. You have the entire indie and PC gaming scene represented with Minecraft Steve, you have JRPGs like Square's FF and Dragonquest representation, you have casual gamers represented, and then you have crowd pleasers and fan favorites like Banjo and K Rool. But you know what Smash really doesn't have representation for? Sports Games. Sports games represent an absolutely massive portion of the gaming market. But just making a generic "football man" or something doesn't work, it needs to be a real person, even if it's one of Smash's rules not to include those. Besides; what of the gameplay implications? With Steve Smash proved they can take even the most boring and basic characters and give them a fun and interesting moveset; but how would you do that for a Sports character? Wii-Fit is kind of the closest, but I view that as a different genre, more of the casual gamer or "game as application" type then a Sports game.
Tony Hawk straddles this line between Sports but also arcadey and action-oriented the best. You can instantly see his moveset potential. Using different tricks to slide around the stage, grinding on edges and hitting opponents with sick kickflips and the Superman. You could even see him having a unique mechanic like a combo meter that builds up and multiplies his damage the longer he goes without falling down or getting hit, stringing together multiple hits and good movement for insane damage potential.
Of course, practical concerns make this less likely. Activision apparently put Tony's name into insane licensing hell, hence the 'Tony Hawk's existential nightmare" meme. But if we're handwaving that concern, then what about the music? The Tony Hawk games are some of the most iconic music of the era, alt-rock, punk, grunge, and various other genres that make up that comfy 90s and 00s rebellious nostalgia. Just imagine beating people up in Smash Bros to Superman or Bus Driver's Imaginary Places. It doesn't really fit other music tracks in the game, which are strictly video gamey or more orchestral.
As for the Stage? It's gotta be New Jersey. You've got stage hazards with toxic dumps, halfpipes in drained swimming pools, and more. Maybe it could be a transforming map, with you switching between the New Jersey slums, to the inside of the Warehouse, to a professional skate park with lights and everything to fit the narrative of Tony Hawk's Underground, which is more what this representation is based on, though the entire series is rife with alt-colors and costumes for Tony Hawk as a character.
We could see the other skaters from around that time and the various stars of Jackass, another massive well of nostalgia for Smash fans, as alt-colors. Or just outfits inspired by them, similar to how other Smash Fighters have alts meant to show off other characters even if they can't have them in the game directly.
Finally; I want to talk about the WTF factor. Yeah, Tony would be a WTF pick, and I think one of Smash's rules is "no real world people" in the first place, but I think if we ignored that for this concept it would be the perfect capstone for Smash. Representing Sports games, bridging the gap to the real world, and finally being UNEXPECTED. One of my favorite Fighters that came with Smash ultimate was Piranha Plant, because nobody expected it. It's clear that things you don't expect are a huge part of Smash hype and the culture that came with the game, even if those days are long since passed. It's just a fantasy, but I love the idea. Maybe just because I hate Kingdom Hearts beyond belief. Anyway, Merry Christmas.
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