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Nintendo: Virtual Console Reviews

Wonder Boy III: Monster Lair ^VC

Space Harrier Arcade ^VC

Review

Super Smash Bros.

85%

12-Jun-2009 The N64 classic hits the Virtual Console

26 Comments

The idea for Super Smash Bros. is so brutally simple that it's easy to forget the series is only ten years old. It's a Mario party gone a bit mental after too much fizzy pop in the blazing sunshine. He's invited all of his mates, they've had cake and burgers and Dr Pepper in the garden, not worn hats or sunblock, gone wobbly and started hitting each other in the face with plastic tennis racquets and Master Swords. Mr and Mrs. Nintendo must have gone mad when they saw the mess outside.

Mario's mum and dad must have thought they were doing such a nice thing by letting Mario get all his best Nintendo friends round that afternoon. Unfortunately for them that was only the start of it, because Mario and Link and Samus and the rest of them had so much fun they did it all over again in Super Smash Bros. Melee on the GameCube and Super Smash Bros. Brawl more recently for the Wii. But while they've been tearing their hair out trying to remove the mud stains from the carpet, we've been enjoying clattering Nintendo's biggest characters. For those of you who never played this first time around, now's the time to set the record straight.

Eight characters are available from the off, with a further four being unlocked as you progress through the game, and each has a level dedicated to the games they're famous for. Link's level is a picturesque castle, Fox McCloud's stage has Arwings buzzing overhead and Donkey Kong's set amid drooping palms and B&Q's best wooden decking.

These characteristic stages all hang in mid-air, where the object of the game is to take on all-comers and smash them into the sky. Not quite as easy as it sounds, although as you inflict more damage on a character they'll be easier topple over the edge to oblivion. As well as standard kicks, punches and blocks, there are a number of random weapons dotted about with some really cool functions. Pikachu's Pokeball for example spits out a Pokemon whenever it's called into action, while Donkey Kong's super powerful hammer does a pretty good job of clobbering opponents closer to their doom.

Simple to master it may be, but first time around this was good for months of multiplayer, especially with three other mates. The single-player's over relatively quickly, but as a more rustic alternative to Super Smash Bros. Brawl this comes highly recommended.

Simon Bramble

We're glad to see this one hit the Virtual Console. Has it really been ten years since we first saw this? How time flies when you're having smashing fun.