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Super Smash Bros 4 merged logo, no subtitle

Super Smash Bros., often known as SSB, Smash Bros., or Smash, is a series of fighting games published by Nintendo, featuring characters from established video games. The gameplay differs from other traditional fighting games, focusing on knocking opponents out of the stage instead of depleting life bars. The games features many video game characters from Nintendo and some third-party company games, each with different styles of play and sets of moves. The series has been well-received by critics, with much praise given to the multiplayer mode, although its single player modes did not attain the same praise.

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, the character can be knocked progressively farther by an opponent's attacks. To KO an opponent, the player must send that character flying off the edge of the stage, which is not an enclosed arena but rather an area with open boundaries, usually a set of suspended platforms.

When a character is knocked off the stage, the character 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 traditional fighting games such as Street Fighter or Soul Calibur require 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. Grabbing and throwing other characters are also possible, allowing for a large variety of ways to attack.

One additional major element in the Super Smash Bros. series is the inclusion of battle items, of which players can control the frequency of appearance. There are conventional "battering items", with which a player may hit an opponent, such as a baseball bat or a sword; 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 to assist the user; Brawl introduces a new "Assist Trophy" item which serves a similar purpose, albeit being capable of summoning a wider range of characters from a variety of franchises. Brawl also introduces a new item called a "Smash Ball", which allow fighters to perform character-specific supers known as "Final Smashes".

Games[]

Ssb logo
The first game in the series. It features only Fox as a playable character and Sector Z (aboard the Great Fox) as a stage. The original Super Smash Bros., released in 1999 on the Nintendo 64, had a small budget and was originally a Japan-only release, but its domestic success led to a worldwide release.

Super Smash Bros Melee logo
The series 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 second game in the series. Melee features both Fox and Falco as playable characters, although Falco must be unlocked. Corneria replaces Sector Z and Venom is introduced as a stage. There are also trophies of Slippy, Peppy, the Arwing, the Great Fox, the Landmaster, the Wolfen, Andross, and of the Star Fox characters that are also available as fighters.

Super Smash Bros Brawl logo
The third installment, Super Smash Bros. Brawl, was released on Wii on January 31, 2008 in Japan, March 9, 2008 in North America, and was released in Europe on June 27, 2008. Although HAL Laboratory has been the developer of the first two titles, the third game was developed by a cooperation of different developers. The third installment in the series.

Brawl has features that appeared in Melee along with new ones. Fox and Falco return, and this time Wolf joins the fray. Lylat Cruise appears as a stage and features locations from the Sargasso Region to Fortuna, and Corneria returns as a stage. Music from all Star Fox games (excluding Star Fox Adventures) appears in the game and is more prominent.

There are trophies of the Star Fox characters from Melee plus Leon, Panther, Krystal, and different versions of the Great Fox, Falco, and Fox. This game non-canonically introduces the Wolfen Landmaster, a modified Landmaster used by Wolf. Brawl features stickers, small patches that can power up characters as they venture through the Subspace Emissary. All Star Fox characters that are trophies also appear as stickers which use artwork from different games.

Logo EN - Super Smash Bros
The fourth and fifth installments, Super Smash Bros. for Nintendo 3DS and Wii U was released on the Nintendo 3DS and Wii U. The 3DS version was released on October 3, 2014 and the Wii U version on November 21, 2014. The two games are also known for being cross-compatible with each other in some way. The games were co-developed by Bandai Namco Games. Fox and Falco both returned as playable characters, remaining as a default and unlockable with the same traits as they have always done. Wolf did not return as a playable character. Trophies appear in the game taking on character and location designs from mainly Assault and Star Fox 64 3D.

Super Smash Bros
In March 2018, a new Super Smash Bros. game for the Nintendo Switch was announced. At E3 June 2018, it was named as Super Smash Bros. Ultimate. It features every playable character in previous instalments with the tagline: "Everyone is here".

Star Fox elements[]

Characters[]

Fox appears in the original title onwards as a default playable character. Falco appears as an unlockable playable character from "Melee" onwards. Wolf first appeared in "Brawl" as an unlockable playable character, was left out of the Wii U and 3DS titles and returned in "Ultimate". All of whom use the Landmaster tank as their Final Smashes introduced in "Brawl", which was replaced by Arwing/Wolfen volley strikes in "Ultimate".

Stages[]

Sector Z appears as the Star Fox series stage in the original Super Smash Bros where players battle on top of the Great Fox longways, while avoiding occasional Arwing laser fire. Occasionally a Copperhead missile or three Wolfen star fighters appear in the background along with the space wreckage from the same level. In Melee, Great Fox returns as the longways centre platform in a Corneria City themed stage and is used as a sideways staged arena based on Venom, both of which are based on the stages from Star Fox 64.

In Brawl, the Lylat Cruise stage is somewhat based on Star Fox: Assault and has players battle on a long ways stage with out any real hazards other than the ship's tilting. In Wii U, the Orbital gate scenario from Assault is recreated as a new stage where players again battle on the Great Fox before jumping onto an Aparoid missile before it rams into the station and then forces players on top of the Arwings.

Items[]

From Brawl onwards, the Smart Bomb item is introduced as a devastating explosive projectile, where it momentarily creates a lethal explosive field. Andross is also introduced onwards as an Assist Trophy in his SNES era final boss form, throwing tiles at opposing players.

Smash Taunts[]

From Melee onwards, Fox, Falco and Wolf can activate secret Star Fox character conversations on any Star Fox stage which play until it has finished or the player has been K'Od. In the Wii U version, any character can activate the taunts, regardless if they are from outside the Star Fox series or if both Fox and Falco are on the stage together.

Victory fanfare[]

A variation of the Star Fox 64 title screen and Mission Accomplished leitmotif appears in all titles as the victory fanfare for every Star Fox character.

Names in Other Languages[]

Language Name Translation
Japanese 大乱闘スマッシュブラザーズ
(Dairantō Sumasshu Burazāzu)
Great Fray Smash Brothers

See also[]

External Links[]

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