Top 10 characters we want to see in Super Smash Bros for 3DS
Fight!
Super Smash Bros - the frantic fighting epic that pits Nintendo's heroes against one another - is coming to the 3DS.
Lead developer Masahiro Sakurai said he wouldn't start work on the fourth Smash Bros game until Kid Icarus: Uprising was finished. But, with Pit's adventure now over, the designer can turn his attention to Smash.
To help Sakurai get started, we've put together some suggestions for new characters - picked from the world of portables - that we want to lead into battle.
Mega Man (Mega Man, NES)This robot hero can hold his own with his cheeky little blaster, but you'll do much better in one of his transformations.
Trouble is, you'll have to memorise hundreds of different button combinations to give Mega Man his back catalogue of stolen weapons, or to turn him into Mega Man X or .EXE.
Jill Valentine (Resident Evil, PS1)It's probably a bit unfair for a trained special agent with a lockbox of weapons to go toe-to-toe with plumbers and giant apes. But, if Solid Snake got invited, Jill should, too.
She would come with a number of alternative outfits: her trashy tank top, her STARS uniform, and that rubber wetsuit from Revelations that squeaked whenever she walked.
Raphael (Rhythm Thief and the Emperor's Treasure, 3DS)Rhythm Thief's teenage hero Ralph wouldn't be much of a fighter. But, keep your defence up and hold out until the sun sets, and you'll transform into the mysterious Phantom R.
This stylish, musical bandit is now a force to be reckoned with, and would deal out damage in sync with the stage's soundtrack.
Professor Layton (Professor Layton and the Curious Village, DS)Professor Layton's special power would be to hand his opponents tricky riddles - featuring matchsticks, digital clocks, and low-level algebra - which would stop them in their tracks while they try to answer.
This would give the cryptologist ample time to unleash a few blows. Or he might bring in support fighters Luke and Emmy to do the dirty work - a gentleman doesn't get involved in such petty scraps.
Nikki (Letter Box, 3DS)Nikki is the bespectacled young lass from the Letter Box app on 3DS. She teaches you how to send letters, she sells you stationery, and - don't get jealous now - she sent me a Valentine's Day card.
In the Smash Bros arena, her artistic skills would come in handy. She'd be able to magically sketch out weapons and obstacles, turning a doodle of a hammer into a real-life mallet.
Shantae (Shantae, Game Boy Color)Belly-dancing genie Shantae is one tough chick. Her purple ponytail is a deadly weapon when WayForward's hero goes all Willow Smith, and whips her hair back and forth.
But, she has some other secret abilities, too. Bust out some dance moves on the battlefield and Shantae would turn into a nimble little monkey, or a clumsy elephant wrecking ball.
Miles Edgeworth (Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney, DS)We would pick superstar lawyer bloke Phoenix Wright, but he's already had enough extracurricular excitement after starring in Vita brawler Ultimate Marvel vs. Capcom 3.
Instead, we'll go for Phoenix's on-off rival Miles Edgeworth, a prosecutor with a lust for logic and stylish neckwear. Edgeworth would win, simply by convincing the court that he's the best through inarguable logic and some fabricated evidence.
Mii (Nintendo 3DS)Smash Bros has never had a character creation menu. But, if Nintendo made your 3DS Mii into a fighter, it would let you play as Adolf Hitler, Barack Obama, and the alien in Star Wars who says, "It's a trap!".
Or you could just be yourself. Either way, your special ability would be to call on the Miis in your StreetPass plaza to flock into the arena and act as backup.
Sissel (Ghost Trick: Phantom Detective, DS)Ghost Trick's amnesic hero Sissel has a dapper red suit and an ice cream haircut. Oh, and he's also a poltergeist, after taking a shotgun to the chops in the first cutscene.
In the game, he uses his spirit world powers to influence objects, using televisions and fridge doors to mess with his murderer. In Smash Bros, he could do the same: taking over bits of scenery to aid in his fight.
Mallo (Pullblox, 3DS)Mallo is a podgy red blob who sports a sumo wrestler's nappy and a permanent chirpy expression.
He might not look like much of a fighter, but after tugging, sliding, pushing, and pulling blocks across 200-odd levels in this eShop hit, he's become quite buff. As such, his special power would be lifting Nintendo's heroes up, and tossing them into the abyss.