"newcomer lineup" means jack against Ultimate -- Ultimate has it all and much more. It's no reason to "prefer" 4 as a game. Like if you're given a choice between the two games games, the fact that Villager & Co were "newcomers" in 4 is completely meaningless.
This is something I find really interesting when it comes to evaluating games and picking favorites. I get what you're saying, and from an objective standpoint, you are 100% correct. More > less, right?
In (subjective) practice, things can be trickier when someone is a fan of a game series over time, and is going from sequel to sequel as they release. Things like diminishing returns and the impact of new content come into play.
To paraphrase a point in my first post - if someone just wants a Smash game, and money/console isn't an issue, they should get Ultimate. No question. But when it comes to my subjective favorites, I flat-out enjoyed Melee and 4 far more than Ultimate, with the godly new content/characters being a major factor for my enjoyment of the latter. So putting Ultimate above them on my list just feels wrong.
So you're basically moreso doing a ranking of feels instead of an actual ranking of the games?
Not saying there's anything wrong with that. Just trying to get it right. ---
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