Super Smash Brothers is a Nintendo Fan's Dream
Back in 1999 did you ever dream that you could take control of Mario and fight Pickachu? Did you ever dream that star fox could fight Link? Did you ever dream that multiple Nintendo characters from various franchises could all come together and fight, fight, FIGHT?! Well, the first Super Smash Bros game (N64) made that all possible. It allowed you to take control of your favorite Nintendo character and have them beat the holy hell out of each other. It makes me wonder if a Biblical game could ever be made with the same concept in mind. Could there ever be a game where Moses and King David fight each other to the death! Well, maybe not... but I can dream, can't I? Regardless, Super Smash Bros was a huge hit for Nintendo. Many copies were sold and it helped solidify the N64 as a great multiplayer console. However, it wasn't until the next entrant in the series when Super Smash Bros became a legendary franchise.
Super Smash Bros Melee was the Nintendo Gamecube's killer app! Microsoft and Xbox had Halo. Sony and PlayStation had GTA and Metal Gear Solid. Nintendo had all of their legendary franchise names beating the snot out of each other. This particular entrant in the series added many new characters, and it helped introduce some obscure Nintendo characters to the North American and European audience. Ness and Earthbound, for example, wasn't well known in North America before he was a character in Melee. The trophies that were collectable in the game had a plethora of information on so many of the characters. Keep in mind that this was before everybody has easily accessible high-speed internet. Each trophy was like its own Wikipedia page! Melee also introduced challenges. There were many unique challenges and scenarios that a player could partake in. It was this feature that gave the game so much replay value. I myself spent hours trying to beat every challenge. When I finally finished all the challenges I had a huge smile on my face and I was truly proud of myself. When I unlocked Mewtwo I was truly amazed. There were so many great unlockable characters that kept the player coming back for more. Granted, many of these characters were clones of the initial set of characters (Luigi was a clone of Mario, for example), but it was still awesome to see all of them in all their glory.
The wait for Super Smash Bros Brawl was epic. Rumors swirled early on that Sonic was going to be in it. I nearly shit my pants when I heard Sonic the Hedgehog was going to join the fight. There were also rumors that non-Nintendo characters, such as Solid Snake, were going to be included. At first I didn't like this idea. I initially felt that Super Smash Bros should just be for Nintendo characters. But then I realized that this gave me the chance to use Nintendo characters to beat the hell out of characters from other companies. I changed my mind very quickly. It turns out it was an excellent idea after all. Nintendo delivered on all their promises, as far as the characters included, but the Wi-Fi multiplayer internet gameplay wasn't very polished. Finding people to play against was extremely slow and it wasn't much fun. This wasn't a huge problem because Smash Bros has always been a party game where the multiplayer gameplay was best when everybody was playing together in the same room. Online gameplay, even if it had been implemented well, isn't really true to what Smash Bros is.
I'm pleased to say that Super Smash Bros 4 continues the great tradition. It's a worthy entrant in the Smash Bros franchise. I love this game! In fact, a good argument could be made that it's one of the greatest games of all time!
Super Smash Bros Melee was the Nintendo Gamecube's killer app! Microsoft and Xbox had Halo. Sony and PlayStation had GTA and Metal Gear Solid. Nintendo had all of their legendary franchise names beating the snot out of each other. This particular entrant in the series added many new characters, and it helped introduce some obscure Nintendo characters to the North American and European audience. Ness and Earthbound, for example, wasn't well known in North America before he was a character in Melee. The trophies that were collectable in the game had a plethora of information on so many of the characters. Keep in mind that this was before everybody has easily accessible high-speed internet. Each trophy was like its own Wikipedia page! Melee also introduced challenges. There were many unique challenges and scenarios that a player could partake in. It was this feature that gave the game so much replay value. I myself spent hours trying to beat every challenge. When I finally finished all the challenges I had a huge smile on my face and I was truly proud of myself. When I unlocked Mewtwo I was truly amazed. There were so many great unlockable characters that kept the player coming back for more. Granted, many of these characters were clones of the initial set of characters (Luigi was a clone of Mario, for example), but it was still awesome to see all of them in all their glory.
The wait for Super Smash Bros Brawl was epic. Rumors swirled early on that Sonic was going to be in it. I nearly shit my pants when I heard Sonic the Hedgehog was going to join the fight. There were also rumors that non-Nintendo characters, such as Solid Snake, were going to be included. At first I didn't like this idea. I initially felt that Super Smash Bros should just be for Nintendo characters. But then I realized that this gave me the chance to use Nintendo characters to beat the hell out of characters from other companies. I changed my mind very quickly. It turns out it was an excellent idea after all. Nintendo delivered on all their promises, as far as the characters included, but the Wi-Fi multiplayer internet gameplay wasn't very polished. Finding people to play against was extremely slow and it wasn't much fun. This wasn't a huge problem because Smash Bros has always been a party game where the multiplayer gameplay was best when everybody was playing together in the same room. Online gameplay, even if it had been implemented well, isn't really true to what Smash Bros is.
I'm pleased to say that Super Smash Bros 4 continues the great tradition. It's a worthy entrant in the Smash Bros franchise. I love this game! In fact, a good argument could be made that it's one of the greatest games of all time!
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