Minecraft Steve has just been revealed as the new character for Smash Ultimate Fighters Superpass * 2. This new fighter from Super Smash Bros. Ultimate also opens the door to more Xbox characters coming in the future and finally make the dreams many fans hoped for.
Smash Ultimate features mostly Nintendo characters, but a handful of heroes from other publishers have snuck into the game. Sega, Rare, Konami and other companies have added someone to the roster and a whole new world of possibilities has just opened with the addition of Minecraft Steve in Challenger Pack 7.
Why Minecraft Steve coming to Smash Ultimate is huge
Why is adding Minecraft Steve to Smash Ultimate so important? For starters, Minecraft is the best-selling game in the world - chances are many new players will learn about Nintendo's fighting game just from the hype of Minecraft.
What's more interesting, however, is that Minecraft is owned by Microsoft and Minecraft Steve isn't the first Microsoft character to join the game. Microsoft also owns several other studios such as Rare, the company that created Banjo & Kazooie which were added to the game last year.
Four of the five characters revealed in Smash Ultimate Fighter Superpass * 1 were third-party characters. So far, Fighter Superpass * 2 has a Nintendo character and a third-party character - and there are four more fighters on the way that might be filled with some interesting choices.
Doom Eternal's Doom Slayer
The Doom Slayer is a legendary figure in the games. His ancestor helped catapult the first-person shooter genre into the mainstream and faced legions of vile demons - he'd be sure to make a great addition to Smash Ultimate. Microsoft's purchase of Bethesda Softworks means it now owns Doom and the characters it contains, along with all the great content planned for this year. This year has also contributed greatly to bringing Doom Eternal to Xbox Game Superpass * Ultimate.
There may be a concern about the extreme violence surrounding this character, but Smash Ultimate already has some fighters using guns and other deadly weapons in the game. Nintendo can make Doom Slayer work in Smash Ultimate, especially if it uses its healthy friendship with Isabelle from Animal Crossing as an example.
Master Chief of Halo Infinite
Minecraft Steve coming to Smash Ultimate means Microsoft now has two characters in the game and it would be hard to argue against Master Chief as the next fighter. Fans have been wanting to see Halo represented in Smash Ultimate for a long time and there has never been a better time to bring it into play.
As with Doom Slayer, Master Chief uses a fair amount of violence to fight Earth's enemies, but Nintendo has proven they can make a character like this work in its family game. With Halo Infinite postponed until 2021, this could be the best opportunity for fans to have a new experience with the Master Chief.
Vault Boy in Fallout
Vault Boy is the mascot of the Fallout franchise. While Fallout games can get pretty gory in their own right, Vault Boy is a fun character that makes use of cartoon violence. Vault Boy's crazy costumes and antics make him a perfect addition to Smash Ultimate.
There will likely be a long wait for the next Fallout game; Bethesda is likely focusing on The Elder Scrolls 6 and the Fallout 76 expansion as it recently did with the massive “One Wasteland” update. That said, Vault Boy is still immensely popular in the gaming world and would make a great addition to the roster.
The Dragonborn of Skyrim
The Elder Scrolls 6 is still many years away, so characters from the new game are unlikely to appear in Smash Ultimate. That said, Todd Howard managed to get Skyrim to work on everything but a smart refrigerator, making The Dragonborn one of the most popular characters in the franchise's history.
The Blood of the Dragon can be a particularly interesting addition to Smash Ultimate. Just like Minecraft Steve, his unique Shout abilities could prove to be a serious game changer. A relationship already exists between Nintendo and Bethesda as it is: Super Mario voice actor Charles Martinet was also the voice of Skyrim's iconic dragon mentor, Paarthunax.
The hero of Fable
One of the most surprising revelations of 2020 was that a new Fable game is in development. Fable has a dedicated fan base that extends all the way to the original Xbox console, and there's a lot of hype behind Fable 4 (or whatever you can call it).
It is unlikely that we would have brought the hero of Fable 4 into Smash Ultimate, but there are still the protagonists of the original games. Nintendo has no problem introducing older characters - just look at the Dragon Quest characters Nintendo added last year - and the debut of Fable's heroes in Smash Ultimate could be a perfect way to create hype for the franchise's new game. .
Marcus Fenix in Gears 5
As with Doom and Halo, Marcus Fenix isn't a guy who doesn't mind using a lot of firepower to solve his problems. Microsoft has pushed the Gears of War franchise to the max, announcing spin-offs like the Xbox Series X launch game Gears Tactics and the adorably weird Gears Pop in recent years.
If Nintendo can get Solid Snake to work in Smash Ultimate, it can bring this Microsoft hero with many great games to his credit. As a bonus, his teammates in the games all wear similar armor and could easily be added as alternate costumes.
Raz di Psychonauts 2
Minecraft Steve's announcement could easily make people forget that Microsoft also owns a number of smaller developers, one of which is Double Fine Productions. This company is known for making wonderfully weird games like Psychonauts and Raz would be a perfect addition to Smash Ultimate.
Raz has unique powers that could add a new level of technical play to Smash Ultimate, and his friends in the game could easily be used as alternate costumes. With Psychonauts 2 looking good enough already, this means Double Fine's most famous hero is an excellent choice for Fighter Superpass * 2.
