SUPER SMASH BROS. (SERIES)



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]

Contents
History
''Super Smash Bros.''
''Super Smash Bros. Melee''
''Super Smash Bros. Brawl''
Gameplay
Characters
Playable characters
Non-playable characters
Bosses
Other characters
References
External links

History


''Super Smash Bros.''

Ness fighting Kirby.

Main articles: 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''

Bowser knocks out Kirby, Yoshi and Ness in ''Super Sudden Death'' mode.

Main articles: 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.
''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''

Wario, Mario, Pikachu and Fox all fighting each other.

Main articles: 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''.
Fighter''SSB''''Melee''''Brawl''''Series of Origin''
Bowser''Mario''
Captain Falcon''F-Zero''
Diddy Kong''Donkey Kong''
Donkey Kong''Donkey Kong''
Dr. Mario ''Mario''
Falco''Star Fox''
Fox''Star Fox''
Ganondorf''The Legend of Zelda''
Ice Climbers''Ice Climber''
''Fire Emblem''
Jigglypuff''Pokémon''
Kirby''Kirby''
Link''The Legend of Zelda''
Luigi''Mario''
Mario''Mario''
Marth''Fire Emblem''
Meta Knight''Kirby''
Mewtwo''Pokémon''
Mr. Game & Watch''Game & Watch''
Ness''EarthBound''
Peach''Mario''
Pichu''Pokémon''
Pikachu''Pokémon''
Pit''Kid Icarus''
Pokémon Trainer''''Pokémon''
Roy''Fire Emblem''
Samus''Metroid''
Sheik''''The Legend of Zelda''
Snake''Metal Gear''
Wario''Wario''
Yoshi''Yoshi''
Young Link''The Legend of Zelda
Zelda''The Legend of Zelda
Zero Suit Samus''''Metroid''

'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.
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.

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". Super Smash Bros. Melee introduced a left-hand counterpart to Master Hand named , 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 '' as a gray 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''), Giant Donkey Kong and the Fighting Polygon Team. Metal Mario is simply Mario with increased resistance to falling off of the screen as well as a faster falling speed and louder footsteps. Giant Donkey Kong is for the most part the same as Donkey Kong, but is larger and more powerful. The Fighting Polygon Team consists of thirty polygonal depictions of the game's characters. They lack certain abilities and are generally easy to defeat.
The Fighting Polygon Team was replaced in ''Super Smash Bros. Melee'' by the Fighting Wireframes. Instead of a version representing each character, there are only two versions of the Fighting Wireframes: Male and Female, modeled after Captain Falcon and Zelda, respectively. While they can use standard attacks, they are unable to use special moves. ''Super Smash Bros. Melee'''s Adventure Mode introduced more boss characters that were enhanced versions of playable characters, such as a duo of tiny Donkey Kongs, a giant Kirby and a metal Luigi. However, due to new items like the new Metal Box, Super Mushroom and Poison Mushroom being introduced, all of these seemingly non-playable characters are indeed playable for short amounts of time. Dark Link, a completely black form of Link, appeared in Event Match 18, "Link's Adventure". There is currently no item that grants the character a similar form.
Giga Bowser as Bowser's final smash attack in ''Super Smash Bros. Brawl''.

Also introduced in ''Melee'', 'Giga Bowser', known in Japan as , is a more powerful version of Bowser. 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. Giga Bowser 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. 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 is near invincible, if not fully invincible, until the effect of the Final Smash wears off.[7]
''Super Smash Bos. Brawl'''s adventure mode, ''The Subspace Emissary'', will also feature non-playable boss characters[8]. Some of these characters, such as Petey Piranha, are characters borrowed from other franchises.
Other characters

The Fighting Wire Frames trophy 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 SSB characters. 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 . 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.
One of the Primid.

Along with ''Melee'''s Adventure Mode came the inclusion of minor, generic enemies, such as Goombas from the ''Super Mario'' franhchise 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.
The 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 footsoldiers 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.[9] They can be seen forming out of strange purple spores that clump together.
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 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.

References


1. http://wii.ign.com/articles/670/670552p1.html
2. http://wii.ign.com/articles/707/707504p1.html
3.

4. www.n-sider.com article
5. http://www.smashbros.com/en_us/gamemode/various/various01.html
6. http://www.smashbros.com/en_us/gamemode/various/various02.html
7. Bowser's page on the official Super Smash Bros. Brawl website
8. http://www.smashbros.com/en_us/gamemode/modea/modea04.html
9. The Subspace Army

External links



Super Smash Bros. homepage

Super Smash Bros. Melee homepage

Super Smash Bros. Brawl homepage

This article provided by Wikipedia. To edit the contents of this article, click here for original source.

psst.. try this: add to faves