Super Smash Bros.

Written by Jonathan Nicklas  on July 05, 2000

Review: A smashing good time

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Although fighting may not be the genre you should classify Super Smash Bros. under, it's probably the closest one. With the exclusion of any stellar fighting series on the N64, you may just want to accept SSB as one.

The visuals are where SSB shines from the rest. The intricate movements of the characters are detailed, and the character models look decent, although, slightly pixilated. The attacks look above adequate, and the game is very quickly paced. The designs of combat arenas and backgrounds have realistically no improvements to be made of at all. The only disappointment in SSB is the stuttering frame-rate, which drops to around 20-25 frames per second in 4 character simultaneous battles.

Perhaps one of the most interesting accomplishments of SSB was the audio. The music is filled with nice rehashes of tunes from classic Nintendo mascot games. Its very refreshing listen to those tunes and it might bring you back some memories of the games they were previously in. As for the sound effects, you would expect quality. Well SSB is no exception. There are very nice sound effects of characters landing attacks, and the sound of continuous punches or kicks is really sweet. The sound effects of the weapons have also well done. There are also nice taunts, which usually feature some speech from the certain character.

The gameplay of SSB is where it really flies above the competition. Instead of the usual method of fighting, SSB involves you throwing your opponent out of the arena at most times. Four characters may combat simultaneously in an all out death match with different settings, including time limits, lives, etc. A quality that makes SSB even better are the weapons. Smash Bros.' arsenal is fundamental, and can be used to create turning points in a bout quickly.

Super Smash Bros. features many Nintendo mascots with their own attributes, pros, and cons. Each character has a variety of their own attacks and levels. The single-player mode is adequate, you'll meet some interesting characters and be presented with challenges, but gets tiresome after a bit. The real deal is the multi-player of course, even without 3 friends you can combat with 3 artificial intelligence characters.

The replay of SSB is pretty good in my opinion. I find myself playing it over again with 3 friends or with A.I. characters. If you don't want a tedious single-player, it's best to rent. Consider buying it anyway, it's very fun.