Games I Beat: Super Smash Bros.

Super Smash Bros.
Party Fighting
1-4 Players
System: Nintendo 64
Developer: Hal Labs
Year of Release: 1998
Beat: October 14th, 2014

Super Smash Bros. Super Fucking Smash Bros. Am I even ending these sentences? What can be said about this game at this point? I mean really.

There was no introduction more appropriate than that.

When Smash Bros for 3DS came out I didn't have the money to pick it up right away and I was kind of feeling left out. I did feel apprehensive about the game for a number of reasons, but maybe I'll talk about that another time. *wink* Thinking back I realized on my current copy of the original Smash Bros I had never gotten around to unlocking the final character Ness. So I hooked up my N64 to my trusty old CRT and booted it up. Immediately I was taken back to my childhood.

This was a really fucking clever idea Nintendo had, I know it blew my mind and the minds of many others in idea and execution. Aside from this explosion of Nintendo-y goodness I guess it was inevitable it introduced me to a slew of series I never even knew existed. Samus? Captain Falcon? What the hell is a Ness, and does it play light gun games? Sure, eventually I would have gotten into all of these series on my own just given my natural curiosity of all things that matter little but THIS was an awesome way to showcase some of Nintendo's heavy hitters.

It still holds up fairly well, I mean when we get down to it the N64 doesn't have the best controller (I actually like it, but I find it fits oddly in my now adult hands) but the control scheme is simple although it still offers a decent amount of versatility. All the characters have movesets that feel right, either pulled straight from their games, or are at the very least are appropriate to them. The single player mode is well thought out, seeing you fight through the roster of combatants, a couple mini games, and a few specialty fights even. Multiplayer is pure joy with a group of people around the same skill level, though playing with someone far above or below you will prove frustrating or boring, can't fault the game for that though really. I don't know why I bothered describing the game to you. You know what it is, even if you don't enjoy it much. And if you really don't know what Smash is, go fucking try it! Any of the versions will get you caught up to speed, Hal Labs has maintained the simple control scheme that works perfectly for this.

Honestly my favorite part about this game is the style used both in the promotional materials and in game. Something about the box art just works for me. I think it's Hal's standard Kirby look but applied to all of these characters has this awesome cartoon-y feel that Melee lost when it went for a more "realistic" look. Well as realistic as a fat man and an electric rodent and fox people can be at least. Hands down though the concept that the fighters are dolls and the final boss being the "Master Hand" of the child playing with them is just awesome. I'm really sad they've downplayed that aspect more and more as the series went along. After winning and seeing the doll fall limp down on the desk... I don't know how to describe it. This might have actually been the first instance of meta-fiction that really stood out to me. I'm a big fan of that sort of thing now, this aspect of the game no doubt influenced that, but maybe I'm just weird and focus on minor details like that.

When I went to unlock Ness I actually managed it on my first try. I looked it up and found there was a secret stage I hadn't unlocked either. I messed up getting it for stupid reasons and ended up playing a couple hours longer than I had anticipated. I was playing by myself so towards the end it got a little annoying, but I was having a blast revisiting the game and I don't regret those hours in the slightest.

Of course nowadays the newer Smash games make this all but irrelevant outside of it being the roots of a magnificent series. Still, it's worth checking it out if you haven't, and if you have why not give a revisit if you've got your N64 handy? There's no shame in an adult busting out his old childhood toys and having a bit of a trip down nostalgia lane.