“You do not understand, reader. Cloud is Final Fantasy 7, yes? Final Fantasy 7 is EXCLUSIVE to Sony platforms (yeah, there is a PC port and maybe some other ports). In addition, Final Fantasy 7 is being REMADE which will be on non-Nintendo systems. We all know Smash characters serve as a form of advertisement for the game. Marth advertises Fire Emblem. Lucas advertises Earthbound. So why the FUCK would Nintendo be advertising a hardware selling game that is available for their competitors and not Nintendo? WHY!?”

You took the words right out of my mouth. I immediately thought the same thing.

When people talk about the third party exodus during the N64 era, Final Fantasy VII is always mentioned as the epitome of that. It single-handedly represents third parties giving Nintendo the finger (a now long-standing tradition). So why in the hell is Nintendo allowing Square to put Cloud in Smash Bros.? The game was never released on a Nintendo platform, and Square has NEVER put a main Final Fantasy on a Nintendo home console ever since the N64 was released. It’s like Nintendo shaking hands with the devil on stage (EA) just to get betrayed again. Is Nintendo that desperate for these dumbass third parties to like them?

I liked it better back in the day when they were referred to as Nintendo “licensees” and had to compete with Nintendo’s high quality games.

This does not match Nintendo’s business interest. There has to be something else going on here. My guess is ‘Japanese Pride Parade’. It could be something else.