[Freeform] Sakurai-san, Can This Game Succeed? (alternate history real world, origin of Super Smash Bros.)

[5elementsage]

The year is 1991, late in the month of June.

The great successor to Nintendo's home console is set for a North American release in just two weeks, promising to reshape home gaming. Major competitor Sega just released their flagship rival to the Super Mario games: Sonic the Hedgehog. The hero is fast, he's stylish, he's got an attitude. Already, children are raving over how much more fun and challenging his game is than a game about a plumber that came out six years ago.

Nintendo has reached out to a little developer founded in 1980: HAL Laboratory. They've reached out to you, Masahiro Sakurai. You joined the company a couple of years ago, and you have some big ideas.

Before you, the company had Heiankyo Alien for the PC-8001. Clones of Space Invaders, Pac-Man, and Rally-X, developed for the VIC-20 and the Commodore 64. Bowling, Boxing, Billiards, Super Snake. HAL Laboratory had worked with Nintendo before your time; they put out Mach Rider and Balloon Fight on the NES. Joust, a couple years later. Your company collaborated with Nintendo and Ape Inc. to bring Mother to the world. It released as you were graduating, not long before you got this job.

Nintendo has met with Ikeda-sama and the other founders, discussing a major gambit that could give them the edge against this fast blue needle-mouse. With the release of Street Fighter II this March, gamers across the world are clamoring for a great fighting game. Famous for pioneering the platformer, Nintendo dreams of making a name for themselves in both scenes, with a game similar to Street Fighter II that makes strong use of platforming. The founding members have put you in charge of this project. You are to head up development for a game on the Super Nintendo, showing off the revolutionary technology that can truly compete with the Genesis.

Street Fighter has always been about bringing in different fighters from around the world. Karatekas, Sumo wrestlers, American boxers. But you have a vision: a game that reaches not for the four corners of Earth, but for the many worlds that gamers have traveled to, with Nintendo consoles serving as their spaceship. The tech guys say they could reasonably make a roster work with 8 characters, each with their own style of fighting. They could do 10, but there would have to be limits on the moves: a few basic punches or kicks per character, a special move, and a special jump to work in the platform aspect.

Personally, you think that's elegant. This could work.

But who would be in the roster? You scrape your brain for ideas, and put in some phone calls to learn all you can about Nintendo's major hits of the last 10 years.
- Donkey Kong (back in the Jumpman days, this big ape made an impact climbing buildings and throwing barrels)
- Game & Watch (Nintendo experimented with a wearable game that would let you play a sort of everyman in a bunch of different jobs; maybe you could collapse them all into one guy)
- Duck Hunt (It's an odd choice, but everyone finds the dog so frustrating they try to shoot at him; perhaps if you let them punch him?)
- Punch-Out!! (there's a lot of fun boxers in this game, but who would be more iconic than the player character from the 1987 version, Little Mac?)
- Ice Climber (Popo, the P1 from the climbing game, would be fun; he could hit people with a mallet, maybe kick tiny icebergs at his enemies; and you could put a special feature where if a second person tries to play him, it would be a pink coat instead to show it's Nana instead)
- Super Mario Bros. (you'd probably get fired if you didn't put Mario in this game; hey...if Popo could switch with Nana for P2, why can't Luigi be in here the same way?)
- The Legend of Zelda (playing Link would be cool; he has a sword and shield, and he could have bombs like Bomberman, too!)
- Murasame Castle (speaking of swordsmen, why not put Takamaru in the running?)
- Castlevania (Simon Belmont the Vampire Hunter would impress a lot of people, with his chain whip and hunting tools)

You considered Tamagon from Devil World, the flying man from Balloon Fight, Samus Aran from Metroid, or Pit from Kid Icarus, but they really only shoot. This isn't a shooting game. There's also some controversial choices from last year, like Yoshi from Super Mario World (that would be a second Mario character, third if you count Luigi), Captain Falcon (he's a cool bounty hunter and race car driver from F-ZERO, but he's never been seen out of his car), or Marth from the fantasy strategy game Fire Emblem (not much from a tactics game to put in this kind of fighting game).

There's other options, too. Cecil from Final Fantasy IV is really big right now. Mega Man is well-loved. But you might have to talk to legal.

CHOOSE YOUR FIGHTERS!
[] Donkey Kong, Game & Watch, Duck Hunt, and Little Mac start the game...
-[] ...and Popo, Link, Takamaru, and Simon will be unlocked.
-[] ...and Popo, Mario, Simon and Tamagon will be unlocked.
-[] ...and Mario, Link, Samus, and Captain Falcon will be unlocked.
[] Donkey Kong, Game & Watch, Little Mac, and Mario start the game...
-[] ...and Popo, Link, Takamaru, and Simon will be unlocked.
-[] ...and Popo, Takamaru, Pit, and Cecil will be unlocked.
-[] ...and Link, Marth, Pit, and Mega Man will be unlocked.
[] Little Mac, Mario, Popo, and Link start the game...
-[] ...and Donkey Kong, Takamaru, Simon, and Tamagon will be unlocked.
-[] ...and Marth, Simon, Captain Falcon, and Mega Man will be unlocked.
-[] ...and Duck Hunt, Captain Falcon, Cecil, and Mega Man will be unlocked.
[] Write in six characters that you want to start the game (moves limited)...
-[] ...and then write in four characters that you want unlocked.

 

[Raku]

[x] Donkey Kong, Mario, Fox, Pikachu, Samus, Kirby. (to Start)
[x] Link, Luigi, Yoshi, Simon Belmont (Unlock)