Let's take a trip back 17 years or so to January 20, 1999. It was a time of classic cartoons, Nokia cell phones and most importantly, the Nintendo 64. It's time to blow the dust out those old cartridges and unwind those colorful controllers, because we're taking a nostalgic look back at one of the N64's most classic of gems, "Super Smash Bros."
When you hear of "Super Smash Bros." nowadays, you think of the more recent iterations of the game on consoles such as the Wii U or the Wii, but you need to realize it all began way before some of us could even hold a controller. The graphics may have not aged well, but the fun hasn't changed. Here's my review.
When you begin the game you have a roster of eight characters to choose from. This includes the likes of fan favorites such as Mario and Link, but also characters like Yoshi, Donkey Kong and even everyone's favorite Pokemon, Pikachu. Along with the starting eight, there are four other characters waiting to be unlocked through hard work and dedication. Each character has it's own respective move set, and they all handle differently. Some may be more agile than others such as Fox McCloud or Pikachu, but some may be able to take a much more of a beating like Donkey Kong.
My best advice for anyone who hasn't played is just to test the waters, get a good idea of what every character can do, then stick to the one that you feel suits your playing style. I tend to stick with Captain Falcon—spoilers, he is one of the four characters you can unlock. He blends speed with raw power; I very rarely lose when I'm playing as him.
So let's talk about the different modes; there might not be a large selection, but they offer a lot if you're willing to give them some time. You have the one player mode, which is where you can go to try and unlock some new characters or just to warm up until you hop into the multiplayer with your friends, but we will get to that later. The single player mode allows you to fight a preset roster of fighters with the fighter of your choice. You are given the option to change the difficulty all the way from very easy to very hard. It allows new players to get used to the game, and experienced players a chance for a challenge. You are given a set amount of lives that you choose before you start. The game keeps score of certain things depending on how fast you complete each stage or how you take care of the competition. It is a great way to compare with your friends who is the true Super Smash Bro.
Now let's talk about what everyone already knows is great: the multiplayer. You can choose to fight up to three other friends or computer controlled opponents on a team or in a free for all with a set time or life count. You can customize so much when it comes to the multiplayer. You can choose what items drop, how often they drop or even to choose not to have any drop. It allows to have a completely custom tailored experience when you play your friends. My favorite thing to do is to raise the damage percentage to 200 percent and just have all out carnage. The multiplayer offers countless hours of fun for you and your friends, there are still nights when I'll play until 3 or 4 a.m. with my buddies.
They also offer two challenge modes, Break the Target & Board the Platforms. These are just a way for you to get a better grasp on handling and attacking with each character. There might even be some unlockables for those who finish them all, who knows?
I could go on for hours discussing how much I love this game, but that would really interfere with me playing it—I'm not much of a multi-tasker. All I can say is you may get all these new characters and crisp graphics in the newer titles, but you can never forget a classic like this. I highly recommend the game to anyone who's looking for a reason to stay up until sunrise with a few buddies.
Review: 9.5/10
