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Hamith's Super Smash Brothers (N64)
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| [February 21, 2008 04:21:50 PM]
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Gameplay 2:
For my second entry I was playing solo so I concentrated on the single player mode and the training levels, rather than just playing multiplayer versus computer controlled characters or something else as equally dull. The single player is pretty basic, you just choose a difficulty level and progress through a series of fights, ranging from 1v1s to 2v2s or your character vs. eight Kirbys etc. The single player can actually be pretty challenging if its set on the highest difficulty, as its hard to make it through all the stages without losing a life (the challenge I set myself). The levels do progress in difficulty, although its not really noticeable until the last couple stages. Two somewhat harder levels are at the end where one fight is you vs. a metal mario who is very heavy and difficult to knock off the level, and another fight where its you vs. 30 porygons who are rather weak, but build up damage on you pretty fast. After beating the game once or so on the hardest difficulty, the novelty wears off and I found myself bored of this game mode already.
The training modes can be pretty entertaining for someone like me who likes to set and break new records, but aside from that challenge they get old quick. There is a 'break the targets' challenge where every character has their own stage with an array of targets they have to break, and a 'race to the finish' mode where each character has a different level to make it to the goal as quickly as possible. I'm a perfectionist in some games when it comes to setting time records for things like this, so I kept myself pretty amused trying to break all the targets in as short a time as possible. All in all, the single player aspects of Smash Bros. isn't too enticing, but it can stave off boredom or a homework assignment successfully for a little while.
Design:
A lot of people say they prefer many design elements in the Gamecube version of Smash Bros. over the N64 one. I may be one of the few that will take the 64 version over the Gamecube one anyday. I'm a huge fan of the Gamecube Smash Bros. as well, but I prefer the simplicity of the level design and the smoothness in character movement and control in the 64 version over its more advanced Gamecube sibling. The level design in this one is pretty simple, but it makes players focus more on the fights at hand than the seizure-inducing level designs of the Gamecube version.
The sound design is great for the game, as it incorporates all the distinct sound styles of the games that Smash Bros. takes its fighters. Distinct Nintendo sound affects and music is also incorporated upon using items like Pokeballs or an invicible star from the Mario series. All in all the sound design of this game may be its most error-free quality, as most of the same concepts were adopted for the Gamecube version.
The brilliance of the design is shown in the 4 player Versus battles, where the level, sound, and control schemes all interact in such a way as to create hectic, yet smooth looking battle sequences that allow the players to get socially involved in playing the game. Except for a few annoyances on some of the levels, the player is focusing most of his or her attention on the other players at hand and not on distracting design elements like sound or jarring controls.
This entry has been edited 1 time. It was last edited on Feb 21st, 2008 at 16:22:35.
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| [February 21, 2008 02:25:36 AM]
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Summary:
Super Smash Bros. is a fighting game for the N64 using cherished characters from other well known Nintendo games. Players can either compete head to head in team battles and free for alls, or play solo games in 1P mode and in special training modes.
Gameplay:
Smash Bros. is most well known for its amazingly fun and addictive multiplayer mode. The game took characters and settings familiar to Ninentdo fans and combined them with the smooth new 3-D graphics of the N64 and a great control scheme to create an all-time classic fighting game. Despite having played hardly any Smash Bros. in the last few years, in picking up the game again and playing it, it felt completely natural. So many countless hours were spent fighting my friends in this game, it was finally time for me to try and analyze on paper what it is about the gameplay that makes it so fun and easy to play over and over again.
The simple truth to this game is that it is best enjoyed with friends, and the more the merrier (4 player per game maximum, although many a dorm room has been completely filled with people playing this game). Its control scheme means the game is fairly easy to learn, and difficult to master. Many other fighting games rely on complex button combos and a steep learning curve to master fighting techniques, but Smash Bros. relies on a few simple moves that combine joystick movement and presses from a couple buttons. I played the game again with a few old friends from high school who I used to play the game with back then, and the same rivalries came quickly back to the surface. Many of the same rivalries were reborn, as I quickly remembered the joy of targeting one of my friend's characters with a character I recall him despising greatly.
Despite us all having aged and moved on to more complex things in life, including more complex games, Smash Bros. still brought immense laughter and fun the same way it used to when we were younger. Despite my being completely familiar with the rather limited character and stage selection, every game brings unique experiences and outcomes of battles that leave the players involved raw with some emotion, whether happiness or anger from being beaten so badly. While only having played for about an hour and a half, it is quite clear that the social element the game creates and draws off of with the players involved is the aspect of the game that makes it so enjoyable. Playing more and analyzing again will reveal what design aspects lead to the creation of such a social gameplay atmosphere.
This entry has been edited 1 time. It was last edited on Feb 21st, 2008 at 02:26:48.
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Hamith's Super Smash Brothers (N64)
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Current Status: Playing
GameLog started on: Wednesday 20 February, 2008
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