Welcome to a new edition of Retro Corner and a new remastered version from the previous generation for Smash has seen a release. That seems like a trend that won't go away any time soon thanks to this corporatist's mindset. Just take the PlayStation Classic and Square's remastered Final Fantasy titles as perfect examples. However, unlike most companies Nintendo always adds stuff and goes the extra mile. Now, the original Smash Bros game got released on the N64 in 1999 during a time when crossovers weren't common. Sure there was the Marvel verses Capcom series and let's not forget Battle Toads and Double Dragon. Was this on the same scale of Smash? I don't believe so as Smash Bros featured every major Nintendo character in one game. The gameplay isn't anything like Street Fighter or a traditional fighting game. That is probably what sets Smash a part from the major titles in the fighting genre. I mean hardcore players would usually play and bring their skills but at the same time anyone could jump in. So how well does the original Smash hold up today? Gameplay When I heard of the first Smash in early 1999 by its hilarious TV commercial I knew this wasn't going be anything like a traditional fighter. The series was always known as a party style multiplayer where you don't need skill to become good at the gameplay. Smash 64 is basically the Mario Party of fighting games but difference comes from Nintendo putting effort into the series. The character selection features most of the memorable cast of Nintendo's past line up. From Mario, Link, Samus and Donkey Kong to Kirby, Yoshi, Fox and Pikachu, it was where the eight originals all started. Of course, as you play through the modes four secret fighters of Captain Falcon, Jigglypuff, Luigi and Ness become unlocked. It was the classic secret character feature that most studios put in during the 90s. It always felt good when that familiar new challenger appears as a fighter's shadow after accomplishing a task to reach them. Each character follows the gold standard in fighting games and they all have unique attacks and tools that are often patent. It's surprising to know that Luigi was the original echo fighter as he has the same fighting style and moves like Mario. However, he also has his own patent attacks like the Phoenix Uppercut and jumping higher than his brother. With the exception of Luigi, every character's move sets plays to their strengths and tools. My favorites were either Samus or Link because of their attacks and tools they bring to any fight. It was the typical standard of fighting games in that period to have a diverse cast. We even saw this in B titles like Ninja Turtles: Tournament Fighters on Super NES. It's no surprise for Nintendo to follow the same trend that Capcom started in Street Fighter II. The best thing about Smash is the arcade style gameplay which truly makes this a fun experience thanks to the extra items. You have your weapons like bom-ombs, laser swords and DK hammers for melee and even projectile based rifles as seen from the Ray Gun. I also love how the powerups like the Star Man and Pokéballs that unleashes a Pokemon can help in a major situation. The weapons can either make any situation an equalizer or be used against you. The terrain also plays a role as to who can take advantage of the battle first. An example, on the Saffron City stage a Polygon and Electrode can instantly KO any player standing next to them. The gameplay does feel broken and completely dated when you compare it to Melee on the GameCube. There are no Smash specials, combos feel limited and there are no grabbing ledges from behind. Let's also not forget the unbalance AI and attacks from human players. Every fighting game's first entry will always have its unbalances in some form as seen from the first edition of Street Fighter II. An example of broken gameplay comes from DK as he tries performing a recovery with his spinning arms. However, a single attack from over and even under will send him downward like dead weight. Even without any interference can cause a fighter like Link (when performing a recovery) to not grab the ledges despite facing them. There are many examples of this throughout the single and multiplayer (it's mostly with this mode) that these issues persist. Another factor is the weight, and size of the fighter which is the same as each other. That means a light weight like Jigglypuff can throw or knock DK and Samus off the screen. Not only that but other mechanics like dodging and invasive moves are completely absent. Rating: 7.4/10 Graphics/Presentation The first Smash Bros wasn't known for pushing the N64 that Perfect Dark or Zelda Majora's Mask is always touted. However, the graphics I believe were above Mario Party and had more polish. The best thing about SMB64 is the way its characters and stages had a great representation of the games they were from. At the time this looked good to see all Nintendo places and characters exist in the same game. I always found it hilarious to see Samus, Pikachu, Mario, Fox and Link in different Nintendo worlds. It's like the Captain N cartoon done right but in gameplay form with no stupid stuff added. The remixes of these songs sounded great even now and each stage truly reflected the game they came from. I don't have a favorite as the original game is my least played entry out of them all. The animation for the character models looked great as they moved fluently when any maneuver is performed. Hal Laboratory captured their moves from their series to a T and would give you an idea of how they would look in 3D. I also like to mention how this is the first time Samus, Ness and Captain Falcon were in 3D. That is the most interesting thing about the first title since it would be three years until Samus would get a full-blown 3D adventure. The original Smash has age terribly in twenty years with looking close to a cheap spin off today. That's a trend that often happened to Fifth Gen games across most systems. Hal Laboratory did get the graphics above most spin offs on the console in 1999, but today this looks rather cheap in design. When compared to the way Melee and Brawl have aged there isn't a comparison. The character models look extremely rough especially for a game in 1999 after getting such graphics from hits like Ocarina of Time. They are literally polygonic to the point that edges are coming out at every angle. Yes, this was the norm in terms of first generation 3D graphics but in other N64 and PS1 titles the practice saw an improvement by 1999. The models looked like they got made during 1996 as a launch title for the N64's release. The environments for each stage looked to have more effort put into them than anything else. However, some of them weren't even in 3D as seen on Dream Land with Whispy Woods being pre-rendered in his animation. The only stage that stood out the best was Hyrule Castle and Saffron City thanks to their size. Rating: 7.8/10 Features/Content The N64's multiplayer was always the shining example of a console's true potential compared to the single player dominated PlayStation One. In fact, Smash along with Golden Eye, Perfect Dark and Mario Party 2 were the top contenders for such modes. I remember how many hours gamers like me would spend on the four player battle mode. Whether it's with CPUs on level 9 or a group of friends Smash Bros was always the highlight of the party. The single-player mode (now called Classic) gives a simple ladder as seen in most tournament fighters. However, the content has more of a party game spin to it with hitting targets or trying to reach a part in a corridor level. It's far from the single modes that later entries such as Melee and Brawl would receive. The multiplayer was great for its time and gave us a four player fighting game like never before. It might come off casual, but Smash was never meant to play like Street Fighter and the point was to have a party style game. The selection is really limited here with just a Classic mode and a simple multiplayer. The only changeable thing is switching between stocks and a time battle for two minutes to infinite. It's just a regular four player match up and nothing like the later entries that we are so spoiled by today. The single player tried doing multiple different things to create a diverse challenge. Smash obviously needs more than a weak gauntlet of Kirby's, hitting targets and facing an opponent that's unplayable. The cliff notes under the character bios felt truly limited as most of the major titles weren't even listed. When you don't list Super Mario Bros 3 or World under Mario but put the Kart spinoff series instead then we have problems. The small cliff notes were a little fun history to read especially how it claims Mario's relationship with Peach is a mystery. Well based on Mario Odyssey's ending its safe to say that Peach has friend zoned the plumber. Another problem came from the limited themed environments from characters like Captain Falcon or Ness. It's a disservice for F-Zero and Earthbound to not receive a stage based on their respective series. I am not a fan to both IPs but even the idea that they got shafted only to make another Mario stage in 8-bit felt ridiculous. It wouldn't be until Melee when either series and from others would get their own themed levels. Rating: 7.8/10 Final Rating The original game today feels like a glorified tech demo considering its problems. Of course, some good things came from this with a diverse cast of main Nintendo characters battling it out. Even in the new Smash Bros Ultimate the same moves the original twelve have are still being used with some changes—The multiplayer was obviously the selling point like any other N64 game. The first Smash was the true party title to play along with Mario Party 2 and Golden Eye. Now what makes this a tech demo is how bare bones the single player came off especially in the multiplayer department. With eight regular fighters, eight stages, four hidden characters and one secret level tells me more could've been added. It's obvious why Melee is fondly remembered because of the character selection and modes to play through. With the original game I don't really have fond memories of it because of how limited it felt. Gameplay: 7.4/10 Graphics/Presentation: 7.8/10 Features/Content: 7.8/10 Final Rating: 7.7/10 Good
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Retro Gamer has over 25 years of gaming experience and played many classics since the Golden Age. She has been an avid fan since the day the NES graced her life and changed it forever.
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