| [Edit]
This article refers to the Nintendo 64 game. For the article on the series, see Super Smash Bros. series.
is a fighting game, released for the Nintendo 64 in , and contains many of Nintendo's flagship characters. Players are able to choose from up to twelve characters, of whom four are "secret", from various games in Nintendo's history, such as Mario, Donkey Kong, Link, and Pikachu. It achieved wide popularity, in part due to a low number of unique fighting games on the N64, as well as its frantic multiplayer game.
Super Smash Bros. is the first game in the ''Super Smash Bros.'' series. It is followed by the massively successful Super Smash Bros. Melee for the Nintendo GameCube and the upcoming Super Smash Bros. Brawl for the Nintendo Wii.
top
Gameplay
Super Smash Bros. is different from most traditional fighting games in several ways. Beyond the vague storyline, Super Smash Bros. is also unique in that simply inflicting damage does not guarantee victory. In normal play, winning requires that the opponent be flung out of the stage's boundaries, similar to a ring out. Attacks both damage the enemy and knock him or her back a certain distance; inflicted damage increases that distance, and so sufficient damage must be accumulated before attempting a KO, or the opposing player may be able to jump back onto the stage and resume fighting. When certain boundaries on the edges of the screen are reached, the player is automatically KO'ed, along with a colorful explosion.
The controls for Super Smash Bros. are easy to learn, as almost every move in the game can be accessed with one button press and a joystick tilt. Super Smash Bros. takes advantage of the N64's analog joystick by varying attacks based on whether the stick is slightly tilted or quickly tapped to one side. This contrasts with most other fighting games, such as Mortal Kombat, which require the player to memorize long input sequences.
Items randomly appear around the arena. They may be grabbed and used by anyone. The item selection originates from a number of Nintendo games, including: the Star Rod from the Kirby series, which allows the player to fire stars at the opponent; the Heart Container from The Legend of Zelda series, which removes all damage from the player's meter; Poké Balls, which release a variety of Pokémon that attack one's opponents; and even the Motion Sensor Bomb, clearly derivative of the Proximity Mines from GoldenEye 007, which sticks to surfaces it is thrown onto and explodes when approached.
SSB is known for its frantic and entertaining gameplay, especially during multiplayer sessions in which up to four characters (which may be computer-controlled) can duke it out on a variety of stages. The game is easy to learn, but can be quite difficult to master, and contains nuances that, because they are not covered in the manual, can go totally unnoticed.
top
Story
Super Smash Bros. (and its sequel, Super Smash Bros. Melee) does not have any "story" to explain the situation in the game, although the premise of the first game is explained in the rather twee introductory cutscene.
A disembodied, white-gloved hand is flying around a child's bedroom, reaching into the box and pulling out a lifeless toy before dropping it onto the table (the toy is a random playable character from the game), then quickly sets about moving items on the table in a frenzied manner with some care and attention. After this is done, the hand starts a countdown before clicking its fingers, and suddenly the scene flashes to life, transforming into a stage similar to the Mario-themed level in the game. The toy also leaps up with new energy and is poised, ready for action.
It is clear from the intro that the game is a make-believe scenario, possibly seen from a child's viewpoint, where they imagine their favorite (Nintendo-owned) videogame characters in a battle to see who is truly the best (this is essentially a parallel of the entire game itself, which many consider to be a great form of fanservice to Nintendo fans throughout the years.) The playroom setting is emphasised further on the "Game Over/Continue" screen, where the player's character is dropped onto the floor before the screen in much the same way as in the intro, cold and lifeless. Selecting "continue" snaps them back into action again.
The hand that appears in the introduction, incidentally, is the game's final boss Master Hand. When the player finally defeats this opponent they break the illusion created by the player and the game ends.
While the sequel has no introduction story like the N64 version does, the setting is more than likely repeated, as various references throughout the game hint at this (including any character's ending, where after the defeat of returning end boss Master Hand they fall from the sky and transform into a trophy figurine that lands on the table.)
top
Characters
|
There are 12 playable characters in Super Smash Bros., all drawn from Nintendo's most notable games. Eight characters are available at the beginning of the game. Four bonus ones can be unlocked with the achievement of certain goals. Additionally, several Pokémon make cameos throughout the game.
|
top
Characters available from the start of the game
Mario (from the Mario series) - Mario is a well-rounded character with no particular strengths or weaknesses. Resembling the power he has with a Fire Flower, he can release fireballs. His symbol is a Super Mushroom.
Donkey Kong (from the Donkey Kong and Donkey Kong Country series) - Donkey Kong is a heavyweight: slow, but with powerful physical attacks. He is the only character that can walk at normal speed while carrying a character, crate or a barrel. His symbol is the "DK" insignia.
Link (from The Legend of Zelda series) - Link uses some of his common weapons throughout The Legend of Zelda series, primarily a sword but also a boomerang, hookshot, and bombs. His symbol is the Triforce.
Samus Aran (from the Metroid series) - Samus, in her only N64 appearance, is suited toward aerial fighting. She uses most of her weapons from the series, some of which include Bombs, Screw Attack, the Grapple Beam and the Charge Beam. Her symbol is the Screw Attack insignia.
Yoshi (from the Mario and Yoshi series') - Yoshi has many egg-themed attacks: in his shield, he turns into an egg, throws explosive eggs and he can also swallow characters and turn them into eggs. Most of these attacks do not cause much damage. However, Yoshi's hip drop is particularly effective. He has no third jump, but can flutter going a huge distance. His symbol is a yoshi egg (with spots).
Kirby (from the Kirby series) - Kirby is a lightweight that can float like a balloon for a short time. He can turn into a rock, use a final cutter attack from his previous game series and suck up opponents to absorb their powers. His symbol is a Warpstar.
Fox McCloud (from the Star Fox series) - Fox's physical attacks are centered in kicks. His special attacks include a blaster, reflector (deflects projectile attacks) and Fire Fox (a "rocket jump"). Despite having speed that acts like a lightweight's, he falls as if he was extremely heavy. His symbol is the Star Fox insignia.
Pikachu (from the Pokémon series) - Pikachu is small, so it can walk under big enemies such as Donkey Kong. Pikachu is very agile and has 3 kinds of electric attacks. It also can use "Quick Attack", which allows it to do an aerial dash to multiple points (2 or 3) when executed properly. Its lightning attack has various visual effects on different characters, showing a skeleton for most, bulged eyes for Kirby and Jigglypuff, and just in a bikini for Samus. Its symbol is a Pokéball.
top
Secret characters
Once the goal for a secret character is met, the player is challenged by that character in a one-on-one battle, in which the player uses whichever character he used last. If the challenge is won, the secret character will be available in all modes, if not, the player will be challenged again the next time the goal is met.
Luigi (from the Mario series) - Luigi has abilities similar to those of his brother Mario, only being lighter and faster. Luigi is the only character whose taunt can actually hurt an opponent, although it only damages the opponent about 1%. His Jump Attack, while similar to Mario's, has a chance of doing much more damage and sending someone into the sky. His symbol is a Super Mushroom.
Captain Falcon (from the F-Zero series) - Captain Falcon is the fastest runner in the game. He has no ranged moves, but packs a punch with his devastating melee attacks, such as his Falcon Punch, and also has a Falcon Kick attack. His symbol is the Falcon insignia.
Ness (from EarthBound/Mother 2) - Ness uses yo-yos and a baseball bat along with many psychokinetic powers, such as a healing shield (PSI Magnet), floating and two attacks that he really doesn't own in EarthBound: PK Fire and PK Thunder (used by Paula and Poo). His symbol is the Earth as in the Mother logo.
Jigglypuff (from the Pokémon series) - Jigglypuff is light and floats, just like Kirby, and has a Sing attack that puts enemies to sleep. One limitation unique to Jigglypuff is when its shield breaks, it gets blasted into the sky and loses a life, unless there is a wall blocking the way. However, it has an attack that has zero range (and thus must be performed touching the opponent) and puts it to sleep for several seconds, but in return is a nearly guaranteed KO: Rest. Jigglypuff, (besides Yoshi who makes up for no third jump with his very high and swift second jump), is the only character without a third jump. Jigglypuff can, however, propel itself horizontally multiple times with its "over+B" attack. Its symbol is a Pokéball.
top
Mini Bosses & Bosses
Yoshi Team (Mini-Boss): A herd of eighteen Yoshis that you battle in the second stage. They fall from the sky and have unusually high damage ratios, making them easy to send away. Like the playable Yoshi, each of them has an egg as their symbol.
Giant Donkey Kong: A larger and stronger version of DK, he is the sixth-stage opponent of single-player mode. In this stage, the player allies with two randomly selected computer players to defeat Giant Donkey Kong. In Super Smash Bros. Melee, the Super Mushroom item will make a character Giant, similar to Giant DK, although not quite as large. This will also make the character heavier.
Kirby Team (Mini-Boss): After facing Giant Donkey Kong and completing the Board the Platforms challenge, players are confronted in the seventh stage by the Kirby Team, which operates similarly to the Yoshi team. Though easy to knock away, the Kirbys still have a fair amount of attack power and may take two or three hits to pick off. The first seven have morphs of the other seven initial characters (Mario, DK, Link, Samus, Yoshi, Fox, and Pikachu) and the eighth has either a morph of the one of the four secret characters or is an unmorphed Kirby. Also, if using Kirby as your character, you can gain the power of the Kirby you sucked up (so if you sucked up a Kirby with the DK ability you will gain the DK ability).
Metal Mario (from Super Mario 64): A metallic version of Mario, he is the ninth-stage opponent of single-player mode. His attacks are identical to Mario's, but he is much heavier, has higher defense, and lacks a voice. Knocking him off the platform generally requires damage well above 300%, instead of the usual 50%-100%. In Super Smash Bros. Melee, the Metal Box item will make a character metallic, heavier, and harder to knock off, as well as remove any vocals (except Mr. Game & Watch). His symbol is a Super Mushroom with a metallic gleam. There was a rumor that Metal Mario can be unlocked by beating Very Hard with three or fewer lives and no continues, but this is untrue even when beating Very Hard with only one life and no continues.
Fighting Polygons (Mini-Boss): 3D purple polygonal characters that resemble and mimic the 12 playable characters, obviously because the polygons are the bases for all the characters. They have no special attacks or voices, and appear in the second-to-last stage of single player mode and the third bonus stage. The Fighting Polygon Team only use the moves accessed with the A button, but they deal far more damage. The offset of this is that it takes very little to send them flying. Analogous to the Fighting Wire Frames in SSBM. Their symbol is the Super Smash Bros. insignia.
Master Hand: A giant floating glove from the Kirby games, he is the final boss of the single-player mode. He is also seen in the introductory movie. Unlike all other characters, he has hit points instead of a damage counter. He cannot be thrown off; instead the player must erode all his health. His symbol is the Super Smash Bros. insignia.
top
Poké Ball Characters
Pokémon released from Poké balls will not hurt the player that released them.
One of these Pokémon will appear when a Poké Ball is thrown:
Beedrill – uses Take Down and several swarm across the screen, damaging any character they hit. In the next game, they are replaced by Unown.
Chansey – scatters eggs containing items or acting as bombs with Softboiled
Charizard – damages nearby characters with Flamethrower
Clefairy – arbitrarily mimics the attack of another pokémon with Metronome
Goldeen – uses Splash, flops desperately since there is no water in the game (where Goldeen is effective) dealing no damage
Hitmonlee – attempts to obliterate a single nearby character with Jump Kick. For an unknown reason, Hitmonlee says the name of Primeape instead of his own.
Koffing – damages nearby characters with Smog
Meowth – damages nearby characters with Pay Day
Mew – appears very rarely and uses Fly to escape offscreen, but is harmless and awards a point bonus in single player mode.
Onix – after flying to top of screen (potentially taking an enemy with him), it uses Rock Throw. Boulders fall from the sky, which damage any character they hit
Snorlax – eclipses screen with heavily damaging Body Slam
Starmie – blasts enemies with Swift
top
Pokémon of Saffron City
Additionally, several Pokémon appear in the Saffron City stage:
Chansey -- Throws one egg. Also recovers 5% when touched.
Charmander -- Knocks characters back a little, and uses his Flamethrower move.
Electrode -- Uses Explosion or Self-Destruct, hurting anyone who got caught in the blast.
Porygon -- Knocks back any character that got in the way by Tackle.
Venusaur -- Knocks back any character that gets in the way, and may use his Razor Leaf move.
top
Stages
top
Available from start
Peach's Castle (from the Super Mario series) - The castle of Princess Peach has moving platforms, ramps above the ground on the 2 sides and hovering bumpers. This level is considered disappointing for Mario fans, as there are no actual Mario gimmicks in this stage. The Mushroom Kingdom stage, however, makes up for that in the eyes of many. You can also see Princess Peach's Castle from Super Mario 64 in the background of this stage.
Congo Jungle (from the Donkey Kong Country series) - This stage features a DKC standard: a barrel cannon, that rotates under the ground, and can throw characters in any direction, usually upwards. This stage becomes one of the "past stages" (unlockable SSB stages) in Super Smash Bros. Melee
Hyrule Castle (from the The Legend of Zelda series) - Hyrule Castle is divided into 3 parts (including a gazebo). The stage features a climbable tower and occasional tornadoes.
Planet Zebes (from the Metroid series) - A dark level featuring acid that can sometimes rise over all but the highest platform. This stage was revamped in Super Smash Bros. Melee.
Yoshi's Island (from the Yoshi series) - Yoshi's Island has inclined platforms and clouds on which one can stand, but they dissolve after a few seconds. The clouds are nonexistent in 1 player mode. The Super Happy Tree can be seen in the background. This stage is one of the "past stages" in Super Smash Bros. Melee
Dream Land (from the Kirby series) - A small level consisting of only 3 platforms and one hazard: Whispy Woods, who occasionally blows wind in a random direction. This stage is one of the "past stages" in Super Smash Bros. Melee
Sector Z (from the Star Fox series) - Battling on the Great Fox. An Arwing occasionally flies above the stage and fires at everything in its sight. The Great Fox becomes remade as the stage Corneria in Super Smash Bros. Melee.
Saffron City (from the Pokémon series) - Saffron is divided into 3 sections (Silph Co., a heliport, and a moving platform). Pokémon will routinely pop out of a door located at the center of the stage (especially if a player is nearby when it opens). Many of these Pokémon are unobtainable from Pokéballs. A similar stage appeared in melee called Fourside from Earthbound, only it was much larger.
top
Secret stage
It is possible to unlock the Mushroom Kingdom stage, playable in multiplayer mode, by using all 8 original characters to clear Classic mode, and then play a Vs. Mode Match at all the original stages. This is a 3D-style level based on the original world Mario adventured through in Super Mario Bros. It features falling platforms, POW boxes and Piranha plants in Warp Pipes (which in turn can also be used by the players). Unwary players using the pipes can be caught off guard by an exit only warp pipe inside the wall of a pit, although characters only occasionally emerge from this pipe, and all characters can escape from the pit after exiting the pipe. The music is taken directly from the overworld music of the NES version, as well as the graphics. Some of the graphics were taken from the Super Mario All-Stars version.
top
Non-playable stages
There are several stages that cannot be played in versus mode unless Debug Mode is activated.
Metal Cave - A very simple arena where Metal Mario is fought. It's based off Hazy Maze Cave (or possibly the Green Switch area) in Super Mario 64.
Battlefield - The simple arena where the Fighting Polygons are fought. This stage is playable in Super Smash Bros. Melee.
Final Destination - The simplest stage in the game, this is the stage where Master Hand is fought. The background scenery changes as you progress on lowering Master Hand's HP. However, this stage is playable in Super Smash Bros. Melee.
How to Play Stage (seems to be based on the Kirby series) - Seen in the "How to Play" tutorial, with Mario and Luigi showing you the basics of the game. One must leave the game at the title screen for a few seconds to view this. This stage is actually the stage of Dreamland during its early development.
Opening Movie Stage - When the game turns on and the opening movie starts, a table with a checkerboard and a pipe on it will have two dolls dropped on it, where they become characters. This is actually a variation of the Peach's Castle stage.
top
Debug Stages
There's a few stages that are completely hidden from the game and can only be accessed with the debug menu, much like the Test Stage in Super Smash Bros. Melee.
Small Stage - Very similar to Dream Land only a lot smaller.
New Stage - It's fairly large, has a random floating shape on the left with a wood platform that is shaped differently and moves up & down. Over on the right there are 3 more platforms, 2 of those sideways and move left-right. There's also flowers that move left-right in the foreground. Like the Small Stage, this stage is also Dream Land themed.
top
Bonus stages
These may also be played in Versus mode with debug mode, but may not function properly. Achieving the goal in the stage (Destroying 10 Targets, Boarding 10 Platforms, or touching the Exit) will cause the game to end like normal. Break the Targets and Board the Platforms can be praticed anytime without playing a 1P Game, but Race to the Finish, without debug mode, can only be played during a 1P Game.
Break the Targets! - Arenas that vary from each character. One must destroy all ten targets to win.
Board the Platforms! - Also variable, this arena features 10 platforms for the characters to board.
Race to the Finish - A long raceway with three random Fighting Polygons in it, as well as floating bumpers and rolling obstacles. It is the same for all characters.
top
Glitches
In Super Smash Bros., there are various glitches that can be performed, usually in training mode.
There is a glitch (not a cheat, per se) in training mode that allows you to get the computer up to 999% damage in a few seconds. First, you get as many Green shells as you can onto the stage. Then, you use Mario's Down-B. The game will freeze, there will be a loud noise, but the computer's damage will keep going up and up (it will eventually unfreeze). This scenario can also be reached in versus mode. It is most likely to occur when several items (such as Meowth) that cause multiple hits on other characters are all centered in the same area. In this case, any of the players involved will almost immediately shoot up to 999%, but they will not necessarily die. Just as in the training mode, the game will freeze and after a period of what appears to be a frame by frame speed up, will return to normal conditions.*
You can also rack up incredible damage by using Fox's Reflector on a cornered Bumper. If it becomes trapped and reflected many times, it will finally break his shield and cause hundreds of points of damage and multiple hits.
Another game glitch is the invisible bomb. The Bob-omb can be rendered invisible if it is picked up at precisely the same time when another character is striking the Bob-omb with an attack. If the bomb was struck at precisely the same time as the other character picked it up, an explosion will occur, but the character who tried to pick up the bomb will have an invisible bomb in its hands. An invisible bomb functions exactly like a normal one, except that it cannot be seen. Link is a good character to test this glitch with. If Link is holding an invisible bomb, he will be unable to generate a standard Link-bomb with his Down + B move.
You can exploit an interesting physics glitch in Training mode using Jigglypuff. Go to the very left of Mushroom Kingdom, under the bricks where it is just offscreen, then drop as many Bob-ombs as you can and strike them. If you get blasted to the right, you may be stopped by the cliff, but as soon as you jump you will be slingshot off the screen, as the inertia effect seems to linger for several seconds.
Bouncing Ness's PK Thunder between two Fox reflecting shields will cause the game to freeze and crash.
There is also a strange black hole glitch involving four of links bombs being thrown up at the same time. There is a video of it on youtube.
top
Reaction
Reviews for Super Smash Bros. were almost universally positive. The game was very popular and became a Player's Choice game very quickly. There were, however, a few criticisms, such as the removal of the traditional health bars, though this has slowly come into acceptance and somewhat fixed in Melee with the addition of Stamina mode. In addition, the single-player mode was criticized for its lack of features, which was also fixed in Melee with the addition of randomized fights, Adventure Mode, All-Star Mode, Multi-Man Melee, and the 51 Event Matches.
top
Development
The game was developed by HAL Laboratory, Inc., a Nintendo second-party developer (of
Kirby fame), through 1998. The game had small budget and promotion, and was originally a Japan-only release, but the huge success saw the game released in the US.
top
Voice Talent
top
See also
top
Official
|
|
