Guessing September + Predictions #7

As we come to the end of the week, and also the end of the month, an idea sprung. Predicting an entire week is old hat now. Why not go one step further, and try to imagine what the entire month will bring us? Sounds neat, let’s do it.

Whereas July was Veteran month, August seemed to be Newcomer month. Apparently, the team felt that over a year from the original announcement was ripe enough time to start showing off all the brand new characters they made since the original 5. And it was a good decision, as after more or less introducing more standard or expected features the month previous, this really got the fans talking once more.

Another thing that got everyone talking in August was The Subspace Emissary, the new and improved single player experience. Teasing it in late July, it was fully unveiled the same week Newcomer month was officially started. Since then, we’ve slowly walked through the early moments of the game, and some of the major concepts have been detailed.

Strangely, while Characters and Game Modes were going through a renaissance, Stages took a back seat. Only two stages were introduced all month. Was this section the victim of spotlight shifting, or are they merely stalling to make sure all the normal stages are spread out before the game’s release?

So, with so much happening in August, what could September possibly bring to the table? Something tells me, comparatively, this month will seem much quieter. But this quiet season will go out quickly, as there are only 20 update days and no fifth week shenanigans.

One particular area of concern is the release of character profiles. Presumably, there are only 4 left to be shown. Will all 4 be revealed this month, or will they go biweekly to make sure it lasts? This system could very well work, as it would take care of September and October, leaving November to finally divulge some hidden characters right before the game comes out (Snake I am really betting on being shown before release, and I wouldn’t be much surprised if Luigi also got shown beforehand). But, they’ve surprised me before. They could very well show most or all of the remaining starting line-up, and leave October for other things. Maybe being deprived of character profiles for a month won’t be so bad?

But character-related updates will definitely not slow down. They seem to show new Final Smashes every two weeks, with a few odd ones out. So, at least two Final Smashes are definitely coming our way, with one or two extras. As long as there are Newcomers, we’ll see some Special Move updates (Diddy will get one for sure, and maybe they’ll decide to break the Zero Suit Samus silence by now), and we might even see some Veteran move sets divulged (Yoshi seems the likely candidate, with the article explaining how his Up Special now gives him extra jump height). And who knows? Maybe they’ll introduce a fourth sector to each character page.

Speaking of the unexpected, it seems like they have a major new feature showcased every month. In June, it was the controller thing. In July, the Assist Trophies. And in August, it was the Adventure Mode. It also seems like they always make the first post about said feature early in the month. Although I did say September would be quiet, I’d say the trend is likely to continue. What could possibly be shown? I think the most exciting part is the mystery of it all.

But I’m thinking last month’s feature, the Adventure Mode, still has plenty of juice left. As I said in a previous post, I’m thinking the structure of those updates will go through each section of the game slowly while introducing us to new concepts. Once they reach a certain point in the updates, they’ll bring another boss. My expectation? Two or three new Adventure Mode concepts will be shown, and one more boss. Not too much, not too little.

Remember when I said that August saw a stage drought? Of course you do, it was only a few paragraphs ago. September should see the regular flow of stage updates restored. I expect the Metroid, Pokemon, and Kirby (not Halberd) stages to show up.

Other than that, everything will chug on as normal. Now that we have that finished, let’s get prepared to see how ‘right’ I am!

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Oh yeah, next week’s predictions, huh? Alright:

Captain Falcon
Diddy Kong’s Special Moves
Peach’s Final Smash
Pokemon Stadium
A brand new, never-before-seen feature.