Super Smash Bros. has come a long way since its release in 1999. In celebration of the most recent Super Smash Bros. release for the Nintendo 3DS, I went ahead and wrote about the evolution of the franchise.
In the original Nintendo 64 game, there was a roster of eight playable characters and the option of single or multiplayer modes. It was a bare-bones fighter catered to gamers of all skill levels. It was all you could ask for out of a game, and despite newer titles being released throughout the years, this one holds up incredibly well and should definitely be kept.
Super Smash Bros. Melee was released in 2001 with a roster of 25 different playable characters, single, multiplayer and new adventure modes and new special and tournament modes as well. With the variety of new characters, new moves, updated graphics, new modes and tight controls, it was crazy to think the game was blocky and fuzzy less than two years prior. It definitely transformed into an amazing game with the second installment.
From there, it was several years before a new game was released. Trailers came and went for the new Super Smash Bros. game, but the release date kept getting pushed back. Other fighting games rose into the limelight (Dead or Alive and Mortal Kombat, to name a few) until 2008, when Super Smash Bros. Brawl for the Nintendo Wii hit stores. It kept all of the goodness of the previous titles, and added in even more playable characters and modes to play.
Though I know little of the 3DS version, I do know that I am excited for the Wii U version coming out this holiday season. It’s crazy to think that a game made nearly 20 years ago could spawn such a popular and well-known series that millions of gamers are playing every day.
Hailey Bibbee is a freshman studying English and creative writing. What makes you nostalgic? Email her at hb398213@ohio.edu.
