This is basically my current opinion on how SSB4 is shaping up, and why it should be a good game. If you see anyone pre-complaining about SSB4 being bad, link them here.
Basically, it boils down to being the third game in a series. I know what you're thinking, "it has 4 right in the name ya doofus". But it's effectively the third game if you look at SSB64 as a prototype, which it was in many ways. Melee and Brawl also fit the pattern of being the first and second games of a series:
- The first game is good, and the fans gravitate towards it for both legit and dumb reasons.
- The second game takes what the first game did and changes it up, trying new things, seeing what sticks and what doesn't. Public opinion is split.
- The third game takes the best of both games and puts them together with new stuff. It's the best of the three.
- Examples of other series with this pattern: Super Mario Bros 1-2-3, Zelda/Zelda II/A Link to the Past, Metroid/Metroid II/Super Metroid.
Yes, I'm comparing SSB4 to Mario 3 and Super Metroid. Do you somehow disagree?