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Super Smash Bros

Super Smash Bros. (大乱闘スマッシュブラザーズ, Great Fray Smash Brothers), officially referred to as Smash Bros., SSB, and Smash, is a series of fighting games published by Nintendo, featuring characters from franchises established on Nintendo systems.

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 the Wii on January 31st, 2008 in Japan, and was released on March 9th, 2008 in North America.

The fourth and fifth installments were, Super Smash Bros. for Nintendo 3DS and Wii U; in North America, Super Smash Bros. for Nintendo 3DS was released on October 3rd, 2014 and Super Smash Bros. for Wii U was released on November 21st, 2014. Masahiro Sakurai has directed all five games despite HAL Laboratory handing the series to a new developer for Brawl.[1]

The sixth installment, Super Smash Bros. Ultimate, was released on the Nintendo Switch on December 7th, 2018 worldwide.

History[]

Super Smash Bros.[]

Main article: Super Smash Bros.
Mk stockmatch

Ness fighting Kirby in the Mushroom Kingdom stage.

Super Smash Bros. was introduced in 1999 for the Nintendo 64. It was released worldwide after selling over a million copies in Japan.[2] 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 Peach's Castle for Mario, Planet Zebes for Samus, and Sector Z for Fox McCloud) and the unlockable Mushroom Kingdom.

Super Smash Bros. Melee[]

SpecialMelee

Bowser attacking Ness, Kirby and Yoshi in Super Sudden Death mode on the Great Fox in Corneria.

Super Smash Bros. Melee was released November 21st, 2001, in Japan; December 3rd, 2001, in North America; May 24th, 2002, in Europe; and May 31st, 2002, in Australia for the Nintendo GameCube console. It had a larger budget and development team than Super Smash Bros. did[3] 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.[4]

Super Smash Bros. Melee features 26 characters, including Sheik,[5] 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 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 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, players may only use their jump and standard attack buttons, 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.

Super Smash Bros. Brawl[]

SSBB Gameplay

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

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 10th, 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, from Nintendo's former rival Sega was also confirmed as a playable character on October 10th, 2007. Brawl is also the first game in the franchise to support online play via the Nintendo Wi-Fi Connection.[6]

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),[7] 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.[8]

Super Smash Bros. for Nintendo 3DS and Wii U[]

SSB4 Gameplay

Mario, Fox, Kirby, and Zero Suit Samus battling it out in a timed match on the Battlefield stage.

At E3 2011, it was announced that there will be a fourth and fifth entry in the Super Smash Bros. franchise, which will be available on the Nintendo 3DS and Wii U. Sakurai initially stated that the announcement was made public in order to attract developers needed for the games, as development for the titles did not start until May 2012 due to production on Kid Icarus: Uprising.

On June 21st, 2012, Nintendo announced that the creation of the games would be a co-production between Sakurai's Sora Ltd. and Bandai Namco Entertainment. The Nintendo 3DS version was released on September 13th, 2014 in Japan, and was released on October 3rd, 2014 internationally, while the Wii U version was released on November 21st, 2014 in the Americas, on November 28th, 2014 in Europe, on November 29th, 2014 in Australia, and on December 6th, 2014 in Japan.

Initially, the game introduces two new third-party franchises consisting of Mega Man from Capcom and Pac-Man from Bandai Namco. On June 14th, 2015, approximately two months after DLC has been introduced, Ryu from Capcom's Street Fighter was added to the game as the first DLC newcomer, making Capcom the first third-party franchise with more than one playable character in the same game.

Later, during the November 12th, 2015 Nintendo Direct, Cloud Strife from Square Enix's Final Fantasy franchise was announced as the second DLC newcomer, thus adding Square Enix to the list of third-parties represented in Super Smash Bros. for Nintendo 3DS and Wii U. Lastly, during the Super Smash Bros. for Nintendo 3DS and Wii U - Final Video Presentation on December 15th, 2015, Bayonetta, from Sega's stylish action game of the same name, was announced as the fifth and final DLC newcomer.


Super Smash Bros. Ultimate[]

On March 8th, 2018, a new Super Smash Bros. instalment was announced in a Nintendo Direct. The trailer featured The Inklings from Splatoon, who scored pretty high in the fighters ballot of the fourth and fifth Super Smash Bros. games. At E3 2018, the game was unveiled with the shock announcement that every character that has ever appeared in a Smash Bros. game would come back. Super Smash Bros. Ultimate was released on December 7th, 2018, becoming the third best-selling Nintendo Switch game behind Animal Crossing: New Horizons and Mario Kart 8 Deluxe

Joker, the first DLC fighter from Atlus' Persona series was released on April 17th, 2019, approximately five months after the game's release.

The four heroes from Square-Enix's Dragon Quest series was released on July 30th, 2019.

Microsoft and Rare's Banjo & Kazooie were released as Challenger Pack 3 on September 4th, 2019.

Terry Bogard of SNK's Fatal Fury franchise bowed on November 6th, 2019.

January 28th 2020 would see the release of Fire Emblem: Three Houses protagonist, Byleth, closing out Fighters Pass 1.

The second and final Fighters Pass (which was announced in 2019) would see an additional six fighters being added: ARMS fighter, Min Min (June 29th, 2020), Steve/Alex/Zombie/Enderman from Minecraft (October 13th, 2020), Sephiroth from Final Fantasy VII (December 17th, 2020), Pyra & Mythra from Xenoblade Chronicles 2 (March 4th, 2021), Tekken fighter Kazuya (June 29th, 2021), and Sora of Kingdom Hearts fame (October 18th, 2021)

Future[]

On November 2nd 2021, Sakurai stated that the future of Super Smash Bros. was uncertain, and that there were no current plans for a Super Smash Bros. Ultimate sequel.[9]

On July 28th, 2023, Sakurai stated that he couldn't imagine the next game being made without his involvement, thus hinting at his time with Nintendo may continue.[10]

On Dec 26, 2023, Sakurai stated that he is still making games, which led to more potential for a next smash game.[11]

Gameplay[]

The evolution of the characters that have appeared in all three Super Smash Bros. Games.

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 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, 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 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), Super 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. (Around 25, on average.)

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 attacks, known as Final Smashes.

Characters[]

Playable characters[]

Fighter Universe Super Smash Bros. Melee Brawl 3DS/Wii U Ultimate
Mario Mariossbu Mario MarioSymbol Starter
Luigi Luigissbu Unlockable Starter Unlockable
Peach Peachssbu Starter Unlockable
Bowser Bowserssbu Starter Unlockable
Dr. Mario DrMariossbu Unlockable Unlockable Unlockable
Rosalina & Luma Rosalina&Lumassbu Starter Unlockable
Bowser Jr. BowserJrssbu Unlockable (3DS) / Starter (Wii U) Unlockable
Daisy Daisyssbu Echo Fighter
Piranha Plant PiranhaPlantssbu Downloadable
Yoshi Yoshissbu Yoshi YoshiSymbol Starter
Wario Wariossbu Wario WarioSymbol Starter Unlockable
Donkey Kong DonkeyKongssbu Donkey Kong DKSymbol Starter
Diddy Kong DiddyKongssbu Starter Unlockable
King K. Rool KingKRoolssbu Unlockable
Link Linkssbu The Legend of Zelda ZeldaSymbol Starter
Zelda Zeldassbu Starter Unlockable)
Sheik Sheikssbu Starter Unlockable
Ganondorf Ganondorfssbu Unlockable Unlockable (3DS) / Starter (Wii U) Unlockable
Young Link YoungLinkssbu Unlockable Unlockable
Toon Link ToonLinkssbu Unlockable Starter Unlockable
Samus Samusssbu Metroid MetroidSymbol Starter
Zero Suit Samus ZeroSuitSamusssbu Starter Unlockable
Ridley Ridleyssbu Unlockable
Dark Samus DarkSamusssbu Echo Fighter
Kirby Kirbyssbu Kirby KirbySymbol Starter
Meta Knight MetaKnightssbu Starter Unlockable
King Dedede KingDededessbu Starter Unlockable
Fox Foxssbu Star Fox StarFoxSymbol Starter
Falco Falcossbu Unlockable
Wolf Wolfssbu Unlockable Unlockable
Pikachu Pikachussbu Pokémon PokemonSymbol Starter
Jigglypuff Jigglypuffssbu Unlockable Unlockable (3DS) / Starter (Wii U) Unlockable
Mewtwo Mewtwossbu Unlockable Downloadable Unlockable
Pichu Pichussbu Unlockable Unlockable
Pokémon Trainer PokémonTrainerssbu Starter
(Sq/Iv/Cz)
Unlockable
(Sq/Iv/Cz)
Squirtle SSBU Squirtle Stock Icon (0 Default) Starter Unlockable
Ivysaur SSBU Ivysaur Stock Icon (0 Default) Starter Unlockable
Charizard SSBU Charizard Stock Icon (0 Default) Starter Unlockable
Lucario Lucariossbu Unlockable Starter Unlockable
Greninja Greninjassbu Starter Unlockable
Incineroar Incineroarssbu Unlockable
Captain Falcon CaptainFalconssbu F-Zero FZeroSymbol Unlockable Starter Unlockable Starter Unlockable
Ness Nessssbu Mother/EarthBound EarthboundSymbol Unlockable Starter Unlockable Unlockable (3DS) / Starter (Wii U) Unlockable
Lucas Lucasssbu Starter Downloadable Unlockable
Ice Climbers IceClimbersssbu Ice Climber IceClimbersSymbol Starter Unlockable
Marth Marthssbu Fire Emblem FireEmblemSymbol Unlockable Starter Unlockable
Roy Royssbu Unlockable Downloadable Unlockable
Ike Ikessbu Starter Unlockable
Robin Robinssbu Starter Unlockable
Lucina Lucinassbu Unlockable Echo Fighter
Corrin Corrinssbu Downloadable Unlockable
Chrom Chromssbu Echo Fighter
Byleth Bylethssbu Downloadable
Mr. Game & Watch MrGame&Watchssbu Game & Watch Game&WatchSymbol Unlockable
Pit Pitssbu Kid Icarus KidIcarusSymbol Starter Unlockable
Palutena Palutenassbu Starter Unlockable
Dark Pit DarkPitssbu Unlockable Echo Fighter
Olimar Olimarssbu Pikmin PikminSymbol Starter Unlockable
R.O.B. ROBssbu Robot ROBSymbol Unlockable
Villager Villagerssbu Animal Crossing AnimalCrossingSymbol Starter Unlockable
Isabelle Isabellessbu Unlockable
Wii Fit Trainer WiiFitTrainerssbu Wii Fit WiiFitSymbol Starter Unlockable
Little Mac LittleMacssbu Punch-Out!! PunchOutSymbol Starter Unlockable
Shulk Shulkssbu Xenoblade XenobladeSymbol Starter Unlockable
Pyra and Mythra SSBU Pyra Stock Icon (0 Default)SSBU Mythra Stock Icon (0 Default) Downloadable
Duck Hunt DuckHuntssbu Duck Hunt DuckHuntSymbol Unlockable Unlockable
Inkling Inklingssbu Splatoon SplatoonSymbol Unlockable
Min Min MinMinssbu ARMS ARMSSymbol Downloadable
Mii Brawler MiiBrawlerSSBUMiiSwordfighterSSBUMiiGunnerSSBU Super Smash Bros. SmashBrosSymbol Starter Starter
Mii Swordfighter Starter Starter
Mii Gunner Starter Starter
Snake Snakessbu Metal Gear MetalGearSymbol (1) Unlockable Unlockable
Sonic Sonicssbu Sonic the Hedgehog SonicSymbol Unlockable Starter Unlockable
Mega Man MegaManssbu Mega Man MegaManSymbol Starter Unlockable
Pac-Man Pac-Manssbu Pac-Man PacManSymbol Starter Unlockable
Ryu Ryussbu Street Fighter StreetFighterSymbol Downloadable Unlockable
Ken Kenssbu Echo Fighter
Cloud Cloudssbu Final Fantasy FinalFantasySymbol Downloadable Unlockable
Sephiroth Sephirothssbu Downloadable
Bayonetta Bayonettassbu Bayonetta BayonettaSymbol Downloadable Unlockable
Simon Simonssbu Castlevania CastlevaniaSymbol Unlockable
Richter Richterssbu Echo Fighter
Joker Jokerssbu Persona PersonaSymbol Downloadable
Hero Herossbu Dragon Quest DragonQuestSymbol Downloadable
Banjo & Kazooie Banjo&KazooieSSBU Banjo-Kazooie BanjoKazooieSymbol Downloadable
Terry Terryssbu Fatal Fury FatalFurySymbol Downloadable
Steve Stevessbu Minecraft MinecraftSymbol Downloadable
Kazuya Kazuyassbu Tekken TekkenSymbol Downloadable
Sora Sorassbu Kingdom Hearts KingdomHeartsSymbol Downloadable

Non-Playable characters[]

The following non-playable characters appear only in the various Single Player modes throughout the series, controlled by the computer (CPU). 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.

Master Hand (right) and Crazy Hand (left) in Event Match 50 in Super Smash Bros. Melee.

Master Hand appears in Super Smash Bros., its sequel Super Smash Bros. Melee as well as Super Smash Bros. Brawl as the final boss of Classic Mode and in the case of Melee, the 50th Event Match "Final Destination Match".

Super Smash Bros. Melee introduced a left-hand counterpart to Master Hand named Crazy Hand, 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 grey 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 a Giant Donkey Kong. 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, such as the Tiny Donkey Kong duo, Giant Kirby and Metal Luigi.

However, due to items introduced in Melee, such as the Metal Box, Super Mushroom and Poison Mushroom, 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 Metal, Giant or Tiny. Dark Link, a completely black form of Link, appeared in Melee as a non-playable character. In Super Smash Bros. Brawl, gamers can play as Dark Link in the form of a colour change for Link. [12]

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 the gargantuan and powered-up version of Bowser introduced in Melee. He is the secret final boss of Melee's Adventure Mode, only appearing if the player clears Adventure Mode on normal or higher in 18 min. or fewer without continuing. Beat him without using a continue to get his trophy. 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 while he can still take damage, he has permanent super armour, until the effect of the Final Smash wears off.[13]

Super Smash Bros. Brawl's adventure mode, The Subspace Emissary, also features boss characters.[14] Some of these characters, such as Petey Piranha, are characters borrowed from other franchises.

Others are original and are only in Super Smash Bros. Galleom and Duon are both examples.

Other characters[]

Mario preparing to fight 30 Fighting Polygons in Super Smash Bros.
FightingWireFrames

The Fighting Wire Frames in Melee.

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

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 Smash Bros. fighters. 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.

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. 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. In Super Smash Bros. Brawl, the Fighting Alloy team supersedes both other teams and come in four colours, shapes, and sizes. Finally, in Super Smash Bros for Nintendo 3DS / Wii U, the Fighting Mii Team replaces the former 3, representing male and female Miis in Brawler, Sword Fighter and Gunner.

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

Primid

One of the Primid.

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. Among their infantry 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.[15] 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.[16]

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" will also feature two-player modes, online play, and a shield that keeps Sandbag on the platform while it is being damaged. Sandbag also appears as an item, and when attacked, items come out, as a prize. Players may also practice by attacking Sandbag while online multiplayer matches load.

Trivia[]

References[]

External Links[]


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