Platform: Nintendo 64

Developer: HAL Laboratory

Publisher: Nintendo

Release Date: April 26, 1999

Genre: Fighting

Nerd Rating: 9.5 out of 10!

In January of 1999, Japan saw the release of Nintendo’s new fighting game for the Nintendo 64, titled Super Smash Bros. At the time, Super Smash Bros had a small budget and little promotion thus making it so it was going to be a Japanese exclusive. However, due to the huge success rate of Super Smash Bros, it was thankfully released in April of 1999 for North America and November of 1999 for Europe. Super Smash Bros is a game that went on to create a long-lasting franchise, forever changing the fighting genre of video games, and inspire future games like PlayStation All-Stars Battle Royale.

I had the honor of growing up with Super Smash Bros and experiencing the way it took the world on by storm. As a young child I used to annoy everyone I knew to play this with me, and I even got my grandfather (who had no interest in video games) to play with me and fall in love with Samus (and somehow he managed to beat me quite a bit). Super Smash Bros is a title that is full of countless memories and nostalgia for myself and many others who have played it.

Super Smash Bros was really a dream come true for a lot of gamers who wanted to see their favorite Nintendo characters duke it out and prove which character was the best, and to possibly see if anyone could replace Nintendo mascot Mario. This concept of merging famous characters from multiple franchises is possibly the most original idea I have ever seen implemented into a fighting game. This concept was also obviously a huge fan-favorite as it made it’s way into many other games like the Mario sports and racing franchises, and it even was used by different game companies like Sega and Sony.

The single-player mode of Super Smash Bros is what many critics claim to be the weakest point of the game, and to an extent I agree. Super Smash Bros differs from the usual fighting game as the point isn’t to drop your enemy’s health, but rather to knock them off the screen. The single-player mode doesn’t change at all despite playing with different characters which quite frankly would have been a nice improvement to the gameplay. Many people complained that the single-player mode was basically multiplayer with NPCs instead of real people, and that is very true as there is very little difference. However, I do not think this was a flaw. The reason I don’t see the very simple single-player as a flaw is because not everybody had friends to play with, therefore, they still got the experience of the game’s multiplayer as close as possible without having someone. My biggest complaint regarding the single-player mode is that even the “very hard” difficulty was easy for even the least skilled players.

There are two single-player-only mini-games that are quite unique as they give you something to do other than constant fighting for when you get bored (like you actually get bored playing this game, right). The first of these mini-games is known as break the targets in which your character must race the clock and try to break all of the targets in the map, which is perfectly suited for your character’s strengths and weaknesses. The second mini-game is known as board the platforms, and once again your goal is to race the clock but this time you must land on the strategically placed (and sometimes moving) platforms around the map, which once again is designed specifically to suit your character’s strengths and weaknesses.

Super Smash Bros graphics are obviously very dated compared to today, but while it may not be Titanfall or Soul Caliber V, it still looks amazing and has them beat when it comes to originality and gameplay. A lot of gamers today have come to expect top-notch graphics and hate on any game that doesn’t deliver such, even if the game is only a few years old. Personally, if any unfair judgmental gamers get scared away from the Nintendo 64, or Super Smash Bros specifically, then I feel that you have the wrong hobby. You are giving up an amazing experience on some of the best titles simply because they don’t look as good as the games that have been released within the last 15 years.

The multi-player mode of Super Smash Bros is the strongest aspect of the game as it gives you countless hours of enjoyability and friendly (as well as not so friendly) competition. If you were lucky enough to gather three people to play against you in Super Smash Bros, then you got to experience the full extent of what the multi-player mode had to offer, and it is glorious! Super Smash Bros has quite a few unlockables as well, including four popular Nintendo franchise characters (Captain Falcon from F-Zero, Jigglypuff from Pokémon, Luigi from the Mario Bros franchise and Ness from Earthbound) as well as an extra stage titled Mushroom Kingdom. These unlockables enhance your multi-player and single-player experiences by allowing more options to choose from.

The soundtrack of Super Smash Bros is absolutely beautiful! The soundtrack consists of music from the many different Nintendo franchises that are featured in the game, as well as some special music that was made just for Super Smash Bros. Sadly, a CD form of the soundtrack was only released in Japan and is not obtainable in the United States or Europe without the help of Amazon, Ebay, or another site like that.

Super Smash Bros is an influential and amazing game that is nearly perfect for it’s time, and it even has an amazing soundtrack to help. I honestly can not recommend this game enough, as it is an experience that no gamer should ever miss. While the game does have sequels, you still aren’t experiencing the masterpiece that is Super Smash Bros for the Nintendo 64 unless you see how it all started by playing it on the Nintendo 64. If you don’t have a Nintendo 64, I highly recommend purchasing, or renting the system because the games are simply amazing and Super Smash Bros is definitely no exception. While it is possible for a PC to emulator the Nintendo 64, it honestly doesn’t feel the same.

Do you have any amazing memories of Super Smash Bros, or perhaps you’d like to voice your own opinions on the game? Feel free to leave comments down below!