Countdown to Ultimate Part 1: Super Smash Bros. (N64)

[SonicMario]

We're only 4 months away from the release of Smash Bros. Ultimate. And I thought it was a good time to once again start a bit of a leadup to how far Smash Bros. has come. Especially since Ultimate's doing it's darndest to celebrate the franchise's history and bringing every single veteran back no matter who they were. As it will soon turn 20 years old next year.

Each month I'll put up a separate thread asking for your favorite character that debuted in each game. As well as give you the chance to reflect back on the games themselves if you so wish. There will also be a thread in December for Smash Ultimate since no doubt we'll know all the newcomers by then. But still wait at least a week after release so people can get a chance to try all the new characters

And of course we gotta begin with the one that started it all. Super Smash Bros., for the Nintendo 64.



My favorite character in general prior to Sonic getting in Smash was always Pikachu. I guess lightning-fast rodents are my type when it comes to Smash. All the secret characters though have become honorable mentions especially in Smash 4. Though Ness and Luigi were also carryovers from when I used them a good amount in Brawl (Just not nearly on the level I played as Sonic for sure)

 

[LeftyGreenMario]

This iteration of this character, minus the plush merchandise, is probably the one that got me in to Mario in the first place. I haven't touched much upon the Mario games, being mostly a spectator, so actually, I wasn't in to the Mario games outside of maybe Mario Kart. Mario Party games and Mario Tennis, we rented. The plush merchandise helped a lot, though.

And yeah, I'm sure you can guess the next results too. Not hard.

 

[Alex95]

I will vote Mario every time.

 

[SonicMario]

I will vote Mario every time.

The characters will be restricted to just the characters that were new to the game. So while you could at least pick Dr. Mario in Melee's poll. There's not another Mario in Brawl or Smash 4. And there will only be another one if Paper Mario makes it into Ultimate.

 

[Ray Trace]

Ness of course. I love him so much. Very fun to use, deadly down-air that can be used for devastating combos, mind-game inducing PK Thunder (even though it's arguably the worst aspect of Ness), terrific throws, Forward Smash that can reflect, disjointed hitbox with his Yoyo's, and so much more about him that is great.

He's lower than he used to be on the NA tier list (he's still great on the JP tier list) but that doesn't stop me from loving him. He's my main in all Smash installments.

I still haven't played that Earthbound game though

 

[LeftyGreenMario]

The characters will be restricted to just the characters that were new to the game. So while you could at least pick Dr. Mario in Melee's poll. There's not another Mario in Brawl or Smash 4. And there will only be another one if Paper Mario makes it into Ultimate.

hiss

I do have favorite newcomers for the latter games though!

 

[GalacticPetey]

So... this is the one Smash game I haven't really played. I've done a few matches but I've never really just sat down and played the game. That being said, I've always been fond of Link. He's never been my main but I've always found him fun, partly because I love the Zelda series so much.

I love this games aesthetic. Very pulpy and comic book-y. It's a little rough around the edges but this was the game that started it all.

 

[LeftyGreenMario]

I think this one is the most underrated one in the series. I love the punching sound effects of the international versions (and the sound effects overall such as the explosion, electricity, and the crowd). It also has skeletons for electrocuted people and the fighting polygon team, which I don't think either will ever return. I really miss the cheap cartoon aesthetics in Smash Bros..

 

[YoshiFlutterJump]

I picked Yoshi, of course. But Kirby isn't far behind.

 

[Weasel]

I've rolled with Pikachu since day 1. I may not main him in every game but he's always been one of my most used throughout the series.

(i'm super excited for his new n-air)

 

[Koops]

Of course I haven't played Smash 64, or any Smash, so I just went for my favorite Nintendo character who is not Lucario.

Link.

 

[Toka Hebizuka]

I chose Ness, due to his good KOing and ability to rack up damage quickly, but Jigglypuff is a close second for me, because her moves flow into each other well and Rest. I've never played this game personally, so I'm just basing these characters of there Sm4sh incarnations (and I'll continue to do so for later games, even though I've played Brawl).

 

[LeftyGreenMario]

Jiggypuff doesn't feel as great in this game, but hey, she's no Luigi or Samus.

 

[Mcmadness]

Mario, followed by DK.

 

[Czario]

In Smash 64, I am most likely to play as Mario or Pikachu. I initially went for Link and Luigi, but I discovered that I did badly as them. I had the most success with Mario and Pikachu, so those will most likely be my mains for this game going into the future.

I consider Smash 64 to be the worst in the series. It's not bad, but every later game improved on it so much that it just doesn't stand a chance. Smash 64 feels like the barebones concept of the Smash Bros. series before it was fleshed out and greatly expanded on in the next game. It doesn't have very much content and feels so janky that I have trouble going back to it when I can just play the others. Still, it laid the foundation for the series, which was essential so the later games could build on it and reach its full potential. It's historically very important and the other games owe a lot to it, but it's not easy to go back to and has been largely superseded.

 

[Ray Trace]

Eh, I prefer Smash 64's gameplay than to vBrawl's. Though what doesn't help my perception of it is that it's the very first video game LGM and I played.

 

[Daniel Dyce]

Honestly I respect smash 64 and I understand why it's so basic.
But like i'd never want to go back and play it.

 

[Shyghoul]

i played this once when i was at my parent's friend's house back when i was like 5 or 6
good times

 

[Roserade]

I'm not very familiar with the original at all, but I absolutely love how Mario plays in Smash 4. He has enough basic moves to be very welcoming to beginners, but once you figure him out there's some serious tech you can do with him.

 

[LeftyGreenMario]

Mario plays great in Smash 64. His Mario tornado is always satisfying to land, as it traps a little TOO well, thanks to the hitstun. It's far better than in the later iterations of the tornado, including the Doc one. I also like his drill in Smash 64, which again, seems to string better than in Melee (Dr. Mario gets the d-air in Smash 4). Mario's f-air is also better in 64 than the fist smash, IMO. It's more like Diddy's f-air, even animates like it too.

 

[Ray Trace]

I remember the days when Ness's D-Air was actually good, and in 64, it was actually pretty devastating due to how fast it came out. Thanks for nerfing it totally Smash 4.

 

[LeftyGreenMario]

Smash 64 doesn't even have meteor canceling, so it's fun killing characters with Kirby's OP d-air. Kirby also has an op u-tilt.