The ergo decedo argument doesn't really hold up given Nintendo are using a predatory seasons' pass system.
How is it predatory?
The only way I can perceive this is that you have the option to buy ahead of time, without knowing the characters.
Considering Smash reveals are a huge part of what Smash is, I don't think there is a possibility that newcomers could all be announced ahead of time- it is logistically a failed move.
If you don't know if you want to buy it, then hold off buying it until all are revealed.
Overall I think all of the choices were warranted to some degree-even the ones I loathe. Min Min comes from a new fighting game first party IP, Byleth from the most successful game in the FE series, and Pythra giving a second (and third) rep to a series that deserves it. Thing is that each of these reveals were ruined for me and many others, for one reason or another. (Min Min because it was already spoiled like months in advance by Nintendo not to mention she's the most hated character in the game due to her playstyle, Byleth because of the sheer amount of FE reps including ones that really aren't so necessary, and Pythra for the terrible reveal trailer). The other characters were all great inclusions though.
I love that Fire Emblem's top selling game needs a character, because it is Fire Emblem. No other series seems to be treated this way. Even Three Houses, the best selling game, was under 3million physical copies by March 2020. I don't see how this warrants it's character. Pokemon, Donkey Kong...
Sakurai's comments about the fighters passes were in passing and only in that one direct - the warning was likely given less screen time than even Wii Fit's eyes and would be easy to forget or get drowned out by hype for a sugar-rushed Nintendo fan who just saw "5 newcomers!". If Nintendo (not Sakurai, Nintendo) didn't intend the fighters' passes as a way of pushing new IPs and tricking people into buying more than they want, the warning would've been much more major in the marketing. FP2's eShop description does not have a disclaimer for example.
I'm still confused... you see that there are five characters. There is no way to know, when purchasing, what you are getting. They are literal question marks. How could anyone believe they know exactly what they are getting?
Not only referring to third party tho. In my opinion, Crash or Sora would absolutely redeem Ultimate's Fighter pass, no debate. I'd be excited for Waluigi depending on the moveset. Rayman especially and Dragonborn feel absent, now that Steve is in.
I do agree, that the two things I would like most in the pass-
1- More cartoonish characters; this was something for which Nintendo was known, for such a long time. The only ones we have thus far gotten are Piranha and Banjo/Kazooie. I'd really appreciate getting at least one more- Crash, Rayman, Spyro, Red Bird (Angry Birds), Bomberman (sadness)...FROGGER.
2- Bigger series. I can understand when we get a character if they are from one of the highest selling franchises of all time, even if I don't like them, personally. Sora, Master Chief, Lara Croft, C.J, even Dr. Kawashima...
You don't get to have moral high ground when talking about capitalism if you're giving into it anyway. You made the choice to buy the fighters pass, and now you're complaining because it doesn't cater to your very specific tastes.
THIS. It's a pretty ridiculous, impossible, claim.
AHHHH I enjoy this phrase.
I never even implied I actually brought the passes, though I did do so, so your argument is valid in this case - however, I was 16 when the first fighters' pass rolled out, I've matured since then. This was pre-3D All-Stars and pre-Doug Bowser so Nintendo were way better at hiding their capitalistic evil and were much more trusted. Also, as I said, Sakurai said his comments about trusting that you'll like everyone in passing. There was 16 seconds of screentime given to the warning, immediately after the reveal of 5 new fighters (you know, something that will result in Smash fans or the streamers they watch screaming in banshees) and the wording has very vague - "Only those who are confident in its value" could mean anything - price, quality, so on.
This is the exact thing I'm trying to preach. I was an idiot 16 year old at the time and got scammed into a bad deal - publishers are taking advantage of said pubsecent idiocy to get people to buy content they don't want. You can't write off criticisms of corporations with "just use common sense", because a lot of people don't have common sense, especially in the audience for a megapopular, flashy and action-heavy E10+ rated video game that uses hype as a marketing tactic.
How is it at all a scheme? Seriously... I don't understand what it is you think they could do differently.
If you buy 5 characters blindly... you know you are buying them blindly.
Unless you are stating that
A- The characters should all be announced at once (which would be a bad move on Nintendo's part, given that they receive such publicity...and also, is not how newcomers have been announced as far back as Brawl, which I believe is the first time we ever knew the characters ahead of time)
B- The characters should be catered to you... as if your opinion matters more than others, or Sakurai would even know who you wanted.
C- You felt everyone wanted the same characters, and that you were somehow guaranteed specific characters. If this is the case... I don't see how you came to this conclusion, either.
...then I have no idea what you are attempting to communicate.
Yes, we get it, Capitalism bad, tell us something we don't know already.
Like, lowkey, we all know this, but complaining on it to a forum of like 50~people who all know this already isn't going to change anything, especially when said forum is more or less dedicated to the topic being discussed and has an obsession over it.
To be fair, s/he was just staying on topic, and has been quoted several times since.
Now, I really don't understand what they were trying to communicate, as seen in my multiple quotes above, but they were on topic, and didn't seem to be trying to lecture on capitalism.
I bought both passes simply for the sake of more fighters. I wasn't enthralled by every choice, but not a single one genuinely disappointed me so far.
Only character that would is a base game Assist Trophy.
Curious- why would an assist trophy character disappoint you?
None of the DLC characters did anything for me.
Knuckles has been #1 on my wish list since Brawl!
Other characters I would be happy with:
1. A Digimon Rep
2. Meowth
3. Crash
4. Spyro
5. Lara Croft
6. Rayman
7. Gex
8. Chargin Chuck
9. General Scales
10. Andy (Heart of Darkness)
11. Akuji the Heartless
12. Soul Reaves
13. Practically anyone from Threads of Fate
14. Altered Beast
15. Yoshimitsu (Maybe)
16. Thunder (Turok)
17. Riptor
18. Sub Zero (Maybe)
19. Kristal (Maybe)
20. Big Bertha (Super Mario Bros. Movie)
21. Manic the Hedgehog
22. Shadow the Hedgehog
23. Gondo (Skyward Sword)
24. The Avatar from Skate or Die
25. Aya Brea
26. Mitochondria Eve
27. Luis Sera
28. Albert Wesker
29. Jack Krauser
30. Tomball
31. Spike (Ape Escape)
32. Marina (infernium)
33. Blasto
34. Wex (Wild 9)
Just give me one from this list, Nintendo and I'm satisfied
I read your first six characters and thought you were in my mind (minus Knuckles- whom I'm incapable of perceiving as more sensible than Tails, the number 2 character, where Knuckles is 3...or Eggman).
Then you listed 30 more characters of which I've just about never heard.