Why I Love Smash Bros.

[Flip]

This was in response to a topic on why "Mushroomy Kingdom" was so nostalgic. The poster suggested that this is a hint towards more NEW stuff in Brawl, such as instead of Ridley we get Meta-Ridley or instead of Peach's Castle we get Gateway Galaxy. This is my response:

We certainly see this motif with the addition of already shown characters. Samus has her Prime Power Suit, the suitless Samus is based on Zero Mission, Peach wears her newer outfit and uses her new parasol, Sonic is based on his look in Sonic the Hedgehog 360, Lucas replaces (technically, though now we know otherwise) Ness, Diddy, DK, Wario, Yoshi, Link, Zelda... they all take their most recent looks. It's something to be said that Brawl, unlike Melee, is taking the present history into account as well. Melee was simply SSB64 in 3D--there weren't any Gamecube, GBA, or DS games to base stuff on. It was simply the N64 era and prior that people were examining. Since, we've had 6 long years with FOUR more consoles, tons of reinterest in nostalgia, remakes, and reimaginings, and the birth of an even greater Nintendo fanbase. It's only logical that he points out to fans that this IS a new era, a NEW Nintendo.

I love Smash because it does examine the past and reapply it to the present. I mean, we got a completely redone Pit--exactly as he would've been had the Kid Icarus games continued. And the various Assists... it's amazing the kind of detail we can find in some of their models. It's a total mishmash of history and it's gorgeous.

All that being said, I would be completely surprised if the remaining roster revelations did not address more of this "old-school meets new-school" attitude. Ridley would be in full-form from the days of Super Metroid but have a design based on the Prime games; Young Link would appear as a nod to Phantom Hourglass, Four Swords, and Wind Waker but have a Twilight Princess based design; Ganondorf would be from Twilight Princess but utilize the big blue "Pig Ganon" for his Final Smash. THAT'S what I want to see. A truly and completely awesome game made for the fans. We all do. Why else do you think there's such a clamor against the current rumored roster? Or a massive push for characters like Geno, Isaac, and even Kamek? It's Nintendo history at its finest, and damnit: we always want the best.

[TV Eye]

I agree

[Goomba Joe]

Couldn't have said it better myself! Smash Bros. is not only a brilliant, addictively fun game; it's a treasure trove of videogame nostalgia, filled with memories of Nintendo's entire history of games. That's probably my favorite part about the series; I definitely could care less if it were an entirely original game. Almost every series and game is given a nod to in some way, some in more significant ways than others; and it should continue to be that way.

[Arcadenik]

I love the series because:

1) accessible to everyone with its pick-up-and-play controls
2) easy to play but hard to master gameplay mechanics
3) tons of unlockables from characters to stages to modes
4) so many game modes to play
5) huge roster featuring your favorite Nintendo characters
6) tons of nostalgia scattered everywhere
7) interactive encyclopedia with tons of Nintendo information
8) so many collectibles from trophies to stickers to CDs

[Deleted]

I love Smash Bros...because I am a crossover whore. Seriously. I love a story in a well-executed crossover, but in the event that it doesn't have much story to begin with, I equally love a crossover that doesn't take itself too seriously; a crossover that simply tries to be awesome. That's what I really love about Smash Bros.

[Manspeed]

Here's why I like Smash Bros:

1) Simple gameplay + Recognizable figures = Lots of casual gamers and such picking the game up.

2) Recognizable figures + Not recognizable figures = Kickass crossover

3) Lots of casual gamers + Kickass crossover = Nintendo's glorious history being spread, just the way it deserves.

[Dasher Misire]

How to sum up Smash Bros as a whole

The Nintendo Flagship Series.

Not kidding, Mario's the mascot but this is the all-star series that represents all Nintendo.

[Yamato.EXE V2]

Why I love SSB
1.Nostalgically
2.Addicting
3.Challenging
4.Many all-stars to play and master
5.Initiative
6.This is the game that made me a Nintendo Fan again

[NinjaRygar]

I love the small details that most people don't notice.

[Fryguy64]

I agree with everyone above. I also love using its excellent camera and trophies as handy drawing references! ;D

[Old Man Rupee]

Smash Bros has a very dear place in my heart, its simply a beautiful game - and I'm not just talking visuals!

The addictive gameplay, the easy to learn controls, the challenge of the single player challenges, these are all great aspects of the game, but I think I agree with many here when I say its a love letter to the fans. The great roster, the beautifully designed stages that are so fun to battle on, the little touches like the alternative costumes, it all leads back to a passion for the history of Nintendo, be it past, present or the future. Indeed, mentioning the series's impact on the future, would the Fire Emblem series have been exported to our shores without Melee? And where would obscure characters like the Ice Climbers or Ness be without it?

[Flip]

If it were not for Smash Bros., we would probably all be playing our Playstations and XBOXes right now. At least, I would. It was Melee that sold my Gamecube purchase so early in the game, and it's Brawl that's making me get a Wii while it's still hot.

[Dances in Undergarments]

^ Thats Mario for me (and the fact that my Xbox is FUCKING BROKEN AND SHOVED IN A BOX UNDER MY BED), but yeah, basically Melee kept my Cube in use for ages, and brought it back from collecting dust many many times. Brawl will no doubt do the same with my Wii (though Wii Sports admittedly does achieve this already).

[Johans Nidorino]

Without Smash Bros... I guess I would still be a Nintendo fan, except that I would be one that knows even less about the deepness of what Nintendo is. Though the Internet and reading magazines also helped me and many of you learn more about how bigger it was.

Super Smash Bros. for N64 was what every Nintendo young fan with imagination would have liked to see made sometime. Just like what the opening of that game shows, when you're a kid you will want to improvise crossover stories with your favorite toys (video game protagonists in this case), and make them fight, sever their limbs, fire energy beams, etc. Hence why I think that a fighting sub-genre was perfect for a Nintendo crossover. An RPG will do fine, but it will never be the same experience as a fighting game with many possible events happening in every match.

It's because of that similarity with toys that I see a very positive thing in that Snake and Sonic are going to be guests. It opens the doors to other characters (or toys) that you probably had stored in a box just because they were from another brand, even though they are also toys, and are as awesome.

And yeah, bipedal Ganon for Brawl!

[NinjaRygar]

I remember when the N64 Smash came out and I knew who every character was. I was so happy! It was like the game was made just for me. I understood every reference, recognized every song/stage/item.

Then in Melee.....Marth and Roy showed up and I was like "Huh?!"

There were a bunch of trophies too where I was like WTF.

I came to this site hoping that never happens again. I said "If they add Takamaru, Sukapon, Lip, Alice from Balloon kid, Stafy, Mike Jones, Urban champion, or that little car from the Color TV Games I will know who they are!"

Now with brawl so close, finally all this Nintendo knowledge will be put to the test. Bring it on Sakurai! I'm ready!