Super Smash Bros.

File:Super-smash-bros-brawl-20060510074501608.png

Super Smash Bros. (大乱闘スマッシュブラザーズ, Dairantō Sumasshu Burazāzu, Great Melee Smash Brothers) is a series of fighting games published by Nintendo, featuring characters from established video games. The series had a successful start in 1999 with Super Smash Bros. on the Nintendo 64. It achieved even greater success with Super Smash Bros. Melee, released in 2001 for the Nintendo GameCube, becoming the best selling game on that system. The third installment, Super Smash Bros. Brawl, was released on Wii on January 31, 2008 in Japan, and is scheduled for release on March 9, 2008 in North America. Although HAL Laboratory has been the main developer of the franchise, personnel were borrowed from Game Arts under the charge of preliminary development for Brawl.

History

Super Smash Bros.

Ness fighting Kirby in the Mushroom Kingdom.

Main article: Super Smash Bros.

Super Smash Bros. was introduced in 1999 for the Nintendo 64. It was released worldwide after selling over a million copies in Japan. It featured eight characters from the start, with four unlockable characters, all of them created by Nintendo or one of its second-party developers.

In multiplayer (Versus) mode, up to four people can play, with the specific rules of each match being predetermined by the players. There are two different types that can be chosen: Time, where the person with the most KOs at the end of the set time wins; and stock, where each person has a set amount of lives, and when it is gone, the player is eliminated.

This game's one-player mode included one adventure mode that always followed the same series of opponents although the player could change the difficulty. Other single player modes exist such as Training and several mini-games, including "Break the Targets" and "Board the Platforms". All of these were included in the sequel, with the exception of "Board the Platforms".

In Versus mode, there are nine playable stages: eight based on each of the starting characters (such as Princess Peach's Castle for Mario, Zebes for Samus, and Sector Z for Fox) and the unlockable Mushroom Kingdom.

Super Smash Bros. Melee

Bowser knocks out Ness, Kirby and Yoshi in Super Sudden Death mode in Corneria.

Main article: Super Smash Bros. Melee

Super Smash Bros. Melee was released November 21, 2001, in Japan; December 3, 2001, in North America; May 24, 2002, in Europe; and May 31, 2002, in Australia for the GameCube video game console. It had a larger budget and development team than Super Smash Bros. did and was released to much greater praise and acclaim among critics and consumers. Since its release, Super Smash Bros. Melee has sold more than 7 million copies and was the best-selling game on the GameCube. Super Smash Bros. Melee features 26 characters, of which 15 are available initially, more than doubling the number of characters in its predecessor. There are also 29 stages.

It introduced two new single-player modes alongside the Classic mode: Adventure mode and All-Star mode. Adventure mode has platforming segments similar to the original's "Race to the Finish" mini-game, and All-Star is a fight against every playable character in the game, allows the player only one life in which damage is accumulated over each battle, and a limited number of heal items in between battles.

There are also significantly more multiplayer modes and a tournament mode allowing for 64 different competitors whom can all be controlled by a human player, although only up to four players can participate at the same time. Additionally, the game featured alternative battle modes, called "Special Melee," which involve some sort of alteration to the battle (ex: all characters are giant by default, the speed is faster than normal, etc), along with alternative ways to judge a victory, such as through collecting coins throughout the match.

In place of Super Smash Bros.' character profiles, Melee introduced trophies (called "figures" in the Japanese version). The 293 trophies include three different profiles for each playable character, one unlocked in each single-player mode. In addition, unlike its predecessor, Melee contains profiles for many Nintendo characters who are either non-playable or do not appear in the game, as well as Nintendo items, stages, enemies, and elements.

Another popular aspect of the game is it's debug menu, which can only be accessed accessed through various cheat devices. This allows the player to edit the game's variants and access otherwise unavailable content.

Super Smash Bros. Brawl

Mario, Yoshi, Ike, and Wario preparing to fight on the Battlefield stage.

Main article: Super Smash Bros. Brawl

Although a third Super Smash Bros. game had been announced long before E3 2006, Nintendo unveiled its first information in the form of a trailer on May 10, 2006, and the game was named Super Smash Bros. Brawl. The trailer featured Solid Snake, of Konami's Metal Gear fame, marking the first time that a third-party character had been introduced as a playable character in a Super Smash Bros. title. A second third-party character, Sonic the Hedgehog, from Nintendo's former rival Sega was also confirmed as a playable character on October 10, 2007. Super Smash Bros. Brawl was released in Japan on January 31, 2008. Brawl is also the first game in the franchise to support online play via the Nintendo Wi-Fi Connection.

Brawl also features compatibility with four kinds of controllers (the Wii Remote on its side, the Wii Remote and Nunchuk combination, the Classic Controller, and the Nintendo GameCube controller), while its predecessors only used the one controller designed for that system. The player also has the ability to change the configuration of controls and the controller type.

Super Smash Bros. Brawl features a new Adventure Mode titled Super Smash Bros. Brawl: The Subspace Emissary. This mode features unique character storylines along with numerous side scrolling levels and multiple bosses to fight, as well as CG cut scenes explaining the storyline. The Subspace Emissary features a new group of antagonists called the Subspace Army, who are led by the Ancient Minister. Some of these enemy characters appeared in previous Nintendo video games, such as Petey Piranha from the Mario series and a squadron of R.O.B.s based on classic Nintendo hardware. The Subspace Emissary also boasts a number of original enemies, such as the Roader, a robotic unicycle; the Bytan, a one-eyed ball-like creature which can replicate itself if left alone; and the Primid, enemies that come in many variations. Though primarily a single-player mode, The Subspace Emissary allows for cooperative multiplayer. There are five difficulty levels for each stage, and there is a method of increasing characters' powers during the game. This is by putting collected stickers on the bottom of a character's trophy between stages to increase various aspects of a fighter.

Gameplay

The Super Smash Bros. series is a dramatic departure from many fighting games. Instead of winning by depleting an opponent's life bar, Smash Bros players seek to knock opposing characters off the stage. In Super Smash Bros., characters have a damage total, represented by a percentage value, which rises as they take damage and can exceed 100%. As a character's percentage rises, the character can be knocked progressively farther by an opponent's attacks. To KO an opponent, the player must send that character flying off the edge of the stage, which is not an enclosed arena but rather an area with open boundaries, usually a set of suspended platforms. When a character is knocked off the stage, the character may use jumping moves to (attempt to) return; as some characters' jumps are longer-ranged, they may have an easier time "recovering" than others. Additionally, some characters are heavier than others, making it harder for an opponent to knock them off the edge but likewise harder to recover.

Smash Bros.'s play controls are greatly simplified in comparison to other fighting games. While traditional fighting games such as Street Fighter or Soul Calibur require the player to memorize button-input combinations (sometimes lengthy and complicated, and often specific to a character), Smash Bros uses the same one-attack-button, one-control-stick-direction combinations to access all moves for all characters. Characters are not limited to constantly facing their opponent, but may run around freely. Smash Bros. also implements blocking and dodging mechanics, which can be used both on the ground and in the air. Grabbing and throwing other characters are also possible, allowing for a large variety of ways to attack.

One additional major element in the Super Smash Bros. series is the inclusion of battle items, of which players can control the frequency of appearance. There are conventional "battering items" with which a player may hit an opponent, such as a baseball bat or a sword, as well as throwing items, including Bob-ombs and shells, and shooting items, either single shot guns or rapid fire blasters. Recovery items allow the user to lose varying amounts of their damage percent. From the Pokémon franchise come Poké Balls that release a random Pokémon onto the battlefield to assist the user; Brawl introduces a new "Assist Trophy" item which serves a similar purpose, albeit being capable of summoning a wider range of characters from a variety of franchises. Brawl also introduces items called "Smash Balls," which allow fighters to perform character-specific supers known as "Final Smashes."

Characters

Playable characters

Characters are listed in alphabetical order by their name. Shaded cells denote unlockable characters.

Fighter	SSB	Melee	Brawl	Series
Bowser	N	Y	Y	Mario
Captain Falcon	Y	Y	Y	F-Zero
Diddy Kong	N	N	Y	Donkey Kong
Donkey Kong	Y	Y	Y	Donkey Kong
Dr. Mario	N	Y	N	Mario
Falco	N	Y	Y	Star Fox
Fox	Y	Y	Y	Star Fox
Ganondorf	N	Y	Y	The Legend of Zelda
Ice Climbers	N	Y	Y	Ice Climber
Ike	N	N	Y	Fire Emblem
Jigglypuff	Y	Y	Y	Pokémon
King Dedede	N	N	Y	Kirby
Kirby	Y	Y	Y	Kirby
Link	Y	Y	Y	The Legend of Zelda
Lucario	N	N	Y	Pokémon
Lucas	N	N	Y	Mother
Luigi	Y	Y	Y	Mario
Mario	Y	Y	Y	Mario
Marth	N	Y	Y	Fire Emblem
Meta Knight	N	N	Y	Kirby
Mewtwo	N	Y	N	Pokémon
Mr. Game & Watch	N	Y	Y	Game & Watch
Ness	Y	Y	Y	Mother
Peach	N	Y	Y	Mario
Pichu	N	Y	N	Pokémon
Pikachu	Y	Y	Y	Pokémon
Pikmin & Olimar	N	N	Y	Pikmin
Pit	N	N	Y	Kid Icarus
Pokémon Trainer(refactored from 1)	N	N	Y	Pokémon
R.O.B.	N	N	Y	Robot
Roy	N	Y	N	Fire Emblem
Samus	Y	Y	Y	Metroid
Sheik(refactored from 2)	N	Y	Y	The Legend of Zelda
Snake(refactored from 6)	N	N	Y	Metal Gear
Sonic(refactored from 5)	N	N	Y	Sonic the Hedgehog
Toon Link	N	N	Y(refactored from 3)	The Legend of Zelda
Wario	N	N	Y	Wario
Wolf	N	N	Y	Star Fox
Yoshi	Y	Y	Y	Yoshi
Young Link	N	Y	N	The Legend of Zelda
Zelda	N	Y	Y	The Legend of Zelda
Zero Suit Samus(refactored from 4)	N	N	Y	Metroid

Notes:

Template:Ent Pokémon Trainer stays in the background while the player takes direct control of Squirtle, Ivysaur, or Charizard. The set is listed under the name "Pokémon Trainer". The player may choose which Pokémon to begin playing with. Template:Ent Sheik is not a stand alone character but a transformation of Princess Zelda. Template:Ent Toon Link's English language localized name has not been released, but is referred to by the name "Wind Waker Link" in Official Nintendo Magazine. Template:Ent In Super Smash Bros. Brawl, Samus Aran can become Zero Suit Samus when her armor is destroyed under certain conditions. Template:Ent In Super Smash Bros. Brawl, Sonic is a third party character(not from a nintendo made game). Template:Ent In Super Smash Bros. Brawl, Snake is a third party character(not from a nintendo made game).

Non-playable characters

The following characters are non-playable characters that appear only in the various Single Player modes throughout the series, controlled by the computer. The player can control them only by using various cheat devices. Most of the non-playable characters were created for use in the Super Smash Bros. series.

Bosses

Throughout the Super Smash Bros. series, most single-player modes have included several non-playable boss characters. These bosses generally have a number of advantageous characteristics, such as extreme resistance to being knocked off of the screen. Most of these bosses were created specifically for the Super Smash Bros. franchise, though some have made appearances in other games.

File:Master Hand and Crazy Hand.JPG

Master Hand (right) and Crazy Hand (left) in Super Smash Bros. Melee.

Master Hand (マスターハンド, Masutā Hando) appears in all three games to date, serving as the final boss of Classic Mode and, in Super Smash Bros. Melee, the 50th Event Match "Final Destination Match". Super Smash Bros. Melee introduced a left-hand counterpart to Master Hand named Crazy Hand (クレイジーハンド, Kureijī Hando), which appears alongside Master Hand in some scenarios. Master Hand also makes several appearances in Kirby & the Amazing Mirror as a miniboss, and partnered with Crazy Hand as the bosses of Candy Constellation. It also makes an appearance in Kirby: Squeak Squad as a gray hand that can shift its shape to form swords and the like.

Master Hand and Crazy Hand look identical aside from their laterality, but Crazy Hand's fingers act in a more erratic and chaotic way. While Master Hand is more relaxed and mature, Crazy Hand is impulsive and destructive and its fingers move differently when it's preparing for an attack. Its attacks are wilder and faster than those of Master Hand. When being fought simultaneously, Crazy Hand and Master Hand are able to execute moves together, including a series of claps, and the two hands making fists.

Super Smash Bros. also introduced Metal Mario (originally from Super Mario 64) and Giant Donkey Kong, who are simply enhanced versions of their respective characters. Metal Mario is simply Mario with increased resistance to being knocked out of the stage as well as a faster falling speed and more attack power, while Giant Donkey Kong is simply a larger and more powerful version of Donkey Kong. Super Smash Bros. Melee's Adventure Mode introduced more boss characters that were enhanced versions of playable characters, and are either Giant or Metal. However, due to items introduced in Melee, such as the Super Mushroom, Poison Mushroom and Metal Box, all of these seemingly non-playable characters (including the enhanced characters that were unplayable bosses in the first game) are indeed playable for short amounts of time as they allow all characters to become Giant, Mini or Metal. Dark Link, a completely black form of Link, appeared in Melee and Brawl as an opponent in an Event Match, and also serves as a color change for Link in Brawl.

File:Giga Bo.jpg

Giga Bowser as Bowser's final smash attack in Super Smash Bros. Brawl.

Giga Bowser, known in Japan as Giga Koopa (ギガクッパ, Giga Kuppa), is a gigantic, enhanced version of Bowser introduced in Melee. He is the secret final boss of Melee's Adventure mode, only appearing if certain conditions are met. He is also one of the fighters in the final match of Melee's Event mode, "The Showdown", with Mewtwo and Ganondorf by his side. Giga Bowser has several abilities that the regular Bowser does not. He is so large that he is immune to grabs and similar grabbing moves. As with Metal Mario, Giga Bowser becomes playable for short periods of time in the following game, Super Smash Bros. Brawl, when Bowser performs his "Final Smash" attack. Bowser transforms into Giga Bowser, and is near invincible until the effect of the Final Smash wears off.

File:SSBB Taboo.png

Taboo, in his second winged form.

Taboo (タブー, Tabū), is a human-shaped apparition and the main antagonist of The Subspace Emissary in Super Smash Bros. Brawl. Towards the end of The Subspace Emissary, it is revealed that Taboo is the entity that controls Master Hand and Crazy Hand and is the true antagonist behind the events of the story. Both Master Hand and Ganondorf attempt to defeat him but are subdued.

Super Smash Bros. Brawl's adventure mode, The Subspace Emissary, also features boss characters. Some of these characters, such as Petey Piranha and Rayquaza, are characters borrowed from other franchises.

Other characters

File:FightingWireFrames.jpg

The Fighting Wire Frames in Melee.

Aside from bosses, other non-playable characters can be fought in certain single-player modes.

The Fighting Polygon Team (謎のザコ敵軍団, Nazo no Zako Teki Gundan, Mysterious Small Fry Enemy Corps) is made up metallic-looking purple clones of playable characters made completely out of polygons in Super Smash Bros. The next to last level in the game contains 30 of these characters. They use near-perfect models as their character-counterparts with minute changes to their anatomy, and with a purple texture.

In Super Smash Bros. Melee, the Fighting Polygons are replaced by the Fighting Wire Frames (謎のザコ敵軍団, Nazo no Zako Teki Gundan). Unlike the original game, there are only two types of Fighting Wire Frames (male and female) as opposed to a Polygon corresponding to each individual character base. The only distinct characteristics Fighting Wire Frames have is that they have a Heart inside their chest, and the Super Smash Bros. symbol where their face should be. Male and female Wire Frames have the same frame and gait of Captain Falcon and Zelda, respectively, and both models lack special moves.

In Super Smash Bros. Brawl, the Fighting Wire Frames are in turn replaced by the Fighting Alloy Team (謎のザコ敵軍団, Nazo no Zako Teki Gundan). This team consists of four different types of members: Red Alloy, Blue Alloy, Yellow Alloy, and Green Alloy. Their bodies are metallic and are made up two parts, an upper and lower body, that are connected by a meshed sphere. In place of faces, hands, and heels are glowing spheres of white light.

Along with Melee's Adventure Mode came the inclusion of minor, generic enemies, such as Goombas from the Super Mario series and Octoroks from the Legend of Zelda series. This trend continues into Super Smash Bros. Brawl, which also includes an assortment of original characters to serve as non-playable generic enemies led by the Subspace Army.

File:Primid.jpg

One of the Primid.

The Subspace Army (亜空軍, Akūgun) are the antagonists of Super Smash Bros. Brawl, appearing in "The Subspace Emissary" and led by the Ancient Minister. Their goal is to bring the entire world to Subspace piece by piece with devices called Subspace bombs (detonated with the aid of two R.O.B.s). Among their foot soldiers are the Primid. The Primid are the primary offensive force of the Subspace Army. They are said to come in various forms to do battle. They can be seen forming out of strange purple spores that clump together. A variety of other enemies exist; along with a Squad of R.O.B.s, assorted original enemies include Bytans, small spherical enemies capable of self-replication; Greaps, large robotic figures that attack with large sickles; and Trowlons, enemies with trowel-like arms that attack by lifting opponents, amongst many others.

Sandbag (サンドバッグくん, Sandobaggu-kun) appears in the "Home-Run Contest" minigame in Super Smash Bros. Melee and Super Smash Bros. Brawl. The object is to strike it as far as possible with either a Home-Run Bat or a fighting move. Sandbag's only purpose is to get hit in the Home-Run Contest. Being hit all the time does not hurt it; it actually loves to see players "wind up and let loose," according to the trophy description. During the actual Home-Run Contest challenge, a player will use their chosen character to hit Sandbag off the pedestal on which it rests within ten seconds. Players damage Sandbag as much as possible while keeping on the orange platform so that it will fly farther. In addition, players are supplied with a Home-Run Bat with which to smash it. In Brawl, the "Home-Run Contest" features two-player modes, online play, and a shield that keeps Sandbag on the platform while it is being damaged. Players may also practice by attacking Sandbag while online multiplayer matches load. Sandbag also appears randomly as an item in various other modes in Brawl.

Reception

Aggregate review scores

Game	Metacritic	Game Rankings
Super Smash Bros.	79 out of 100	80%
Super Smash Bros. Melee	92 out of 100	90%
Super Smash Bros. Brawl (preliminary)	(No score yet) out of 100	(Preliminary) 100%

External links

• Super Smash Bros. Brawl homepage
• Template:Ja icon Super Smash Bros. homepage
• Template:Ja icon Super Smash Bros. Melee homepage