Super Smash Bros.
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Super Smash Bros. (大乱闘スマッシュブラザーズ, Dai-Rantō Sumasshu Burazāzu, Great Fray Smash Brothers) is a series of fighting games made 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, is scheduled for release on Wii on December 3rd, 2007. Masahiro Sakurai, the director for all three games in the series, has stated he will do his best to make Brawl Wi-Fi compatible.[1][2]
History
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.[3] 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
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[4] 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.[citation needed]
Super Smash Bros. Melee features 25 characters, of which 14 are available initially. In contrast, Super Smash Bros. has only eight starting characters and four hidden characters. 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 the character is allowed to use only three items which heal all taken damage in between battles. There are also significantly more multiplayer modes and a tournament mode allowing for 64 different competitors whom can all be played by the player, although only four players can participate at the same time. Also, it had 12 more modes such as being judged by bonuses usually given in classic and adventure, being in slow motion, being giant, etc.
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.
Super Smash Bros. Brawl
Although a third Super Smash Bros. game had been announced long before E3 2006 known as Super Smash Bros. Revolution, on May 10, 2006, Nintendo unveiled its first information in the form of a trailer, and the game was renamed 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.
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 Gamecube controller),[5] while its prequels 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.[6]
Brawl introduces the Smash Ball, a field item that allows a character to unleash a powerful "Final Smash" attack particular to each character. Also introduced is the Assist Trophy, which opens up a non-playable character to fight on a player's side for a short period of time in a similar fashion to that of Poké Balls used in all Super Smash Bros. games.
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, he can be knocked progressively farther by an opponent's attacks. To kill an opponent, the player must send that character flying off the edge of the stage, which is not a walled area but rather an island floating in space. When a character is knocked off the stage, he 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 Street Fighter or Soul Calibur requires 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.
One additional major element in the Super Smash Bros. series is the inclusion of battle items; players can control the frequency of the appearance of these items. 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. Most items have appeared in a past Nintendo game.
Characters
Playable characters
Characters are listed in alphabetical order by their name. Question marks indicate that the character has neither been confirmed nor dismissed to appear as a playable character in Super Smash Bros. Brawl.
Notes:
- 1. ^ In Super Smash Bros. Brawl, Pokémon Trainer stays in the background. The player takes direct control of Squirtle, Ivysaur, or Charizard and controls the Trainer only when switching between the three Pokémon. The set is listed under the name "Pokémon Trainer."
- 2. ^ In Super Smash Bros. Melee, Sheik is not a stand alone character but a transformation of Princess Zelda.
- 3. ^ In Super Smash Bros. Brawl, Zero Suit Samus is not a stand alone character. Samus Aran can become Zero Suit Samus if she uses her Final Smash, during which she loses all of her armor.
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.
Master Hand
Master Hand (マスターハンド, Masutā Hando) appears in both Super Smash Bros. and its sequel Super Smash Bros. Melee as the final boss of Classic Mode and the 50th Event Match "Final Destination Match".
Master Hand is modeled after Wham Bam Rock in Kirby Super Star, with many of the moves later used in Super Smash Bros.[citation needed]
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.
Crazy Hand
Crazy Hand (クレイジーハンド, Kureijī Hando) is the left hand counterpart of Master Hand, appearing in the 50th Event Match "Final Destination Match", as well as in Classic Mode if certain conditions are met. Crazy Hand is described as Master Hand's alter ego.
Crazy Hand looks exactly the same as Master Hand (apart from being a left hand), but the 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.
Crazy Hand and Master Hand, when being fought simultaneously, are able to execute moves together, including a series of claps, and the two hands making fists.
Giga Bowser
Giga Bowser, known in Japan as Giga Koopa (ギガクッパ, Giga Kuppa), is a more powerful version of Bowser who made his first appearance in Super Smash Bros. Melee. He is the "secret boss" of Adventure mode and only appears if certain conditions are met. He is also one of the fighters in Event Match 51, "The Showdown", with Mewtwo and Ganondorf by his side.
Super Smash Bros. Melee marked the first appearance of the character named Giga Bowser. In this form, he has several abilities that the regular Bowser doesn't and appears far larger and more intimidating, with longer limbs, and a manic looking face. He can be found in Adventure Mode if the player meets certain requirements.
Giga Bowser has been confirmed to make an appearance in Super Smash Bros. Brawl, when Bowser performs his "Final Smash" attack. Bowser transforms into Giga Bowser, and is near invincible, if not fully invincible, for a short time.[7]
Subspace Army
The Subspace Army 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), though their motives are currently unknown.
Primid
The Primid are the primary offensive force of the Subspace Army. They are said to come in various forms to do battle.[8] They can be seen forming out of strange purple spores that clump together.
Petey Piranha
Petey Piranha will appear as a boss in Subspace Emissary. He traps Peach and Zelda within cages and the player has to choose between saving one of them.[9]
Fighting Polygons
Fighting Polygons (or "the Fighting Polygon Team") are metallic-looking purple clones of playable characters made completely out of polygons in Super Smash Bros. for the Nintendo 64. The next to last level in the game contains 30 of these clones of existing SSB characters. They use near-perfect models as their character-counterparts with minute changes to their anatomy, and with a purple texture.
Fighting Wire Frames
The Fighting Wire Frames (謎のザコ敵軍団, Nazo no Zako Teki Gundan, Mysterious Small Fry Enemy Army Group) are a group of enemies in Super Smash Bros. Melee. They are analogous to the Fighting Polygons, as they play a similar role; however, unlike the original game, there are only two types of Fighting Wire Frames (Male and Female) as opposed to a Wire Frame 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. Both the male and female Fighting Wire Frames possess these. Males and Female Wire Frames have the same frame and gait of Captain Falcon and Zelda, respectively. Both models lack special moves.
Sandbag
Sandbag (サンドバッグくん, Sandobaggu-kun) appears in the "Home-Run Contest" minigame in Super Smash Bros. Melee. The object is to strike it as far as possible with a Home-Run Bat. Sandbag's only purpose is to get hit in the Home-Run Contest. Being hit all the time doesn't hurt it; it actually loves to see players "wind up and let loose," according to the trophy description.
During the actual Sandbag challenge, a player will use their chosen character to hit the Sandbag off the pedestal on which it rests within ten seconds. Players damage the 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.
References
- ^ http://wii.ign.com/articles/670/670552p1.html
- ^ http://wii.ign.com/articles/707/707504p1.html
- ^
"Smashing Success: Nintendo's Super Smash Bros. continues to top the charts in Japan". IGN. 1999-10-28. Retrieved 2007-08-05.
{{cite web}}: Check date values in:|date=(help) - ^ www.n-sider.com article
- ^ http://www.smashbros.com/en_us/gamemode/various/various01.html
- ^ http://www.smashbros.com/en_us/gamemode/various/various02.html
- ^ Bowser's page on the official Super Smash Bros. Brawl website
- ^ The Subspace Army
- ^ Petey Piranha
