Why Do You Love Smash?

[Toronto Joe]

Sometimes games provide more than what we can see at face value. EvenMatchupGaming, a player-led gaming organization from Toronto, asked participants of the MLG Canadian Qualifier GOML 2014 what it is about Super Smash Bros. that they love so much. This was the largest ever Smash event in Canada and had an amazing mix of people - from top players to newcomers, and even parents who came to support their children, the video features a diverse mix of Smash fans who make up this wonderful gaming community. The personal impact a gaming community can provide for its members is often overlooked, and this video speaks volumes to the significance that Smash has to its scene.​

Watch the video below:

Remember to tweet @EvenMatchup with the hashtag "#ilovesmash" to tell us what makes Smash Bros. special for you.

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Toronto Joe is an Esports lover and FGC competitor/content creator + more. He loves traveling, gaming, and also you. You can find him on Twitter at @TorontoJoeSSB.

 

[KinGly]

I love smash cause it requires you to go out and meat other smashers due to the lack of good online functionality. I'm actually worried that smash 4s online will be good.

 

[Ting Sing]

I love Smash because it can be fun no matter how you're playing it. By yourself, with friends, for fun, competitively, just however you want.

 

[Chaos Archangel]

I love smash because it offers a unique combat system, unique characters, and can be played by anyone with anyone and still be fun. To this day very few games can compare.

Also, because I grew up with the series. I'm 26 now, looking forward to Sm4sh and I was 11 years old when the first Smash came out.

 

[Sycorax]

I love Smash (Melee in particular) because it allows for diversity of self expression.

 

[Metallaeus]

I love Smash because I love Nintendo and I love the gameplay and above all else I love playing it with other people.

 

[Sobreviviente]

i love smash because this guy

 

[Aguki90]

I love Smash because anything can happen in the battle, because it have that huge stage with plataform and it have intense air attacks and ground attacks. Other fighting games are hard to learn but Smash is simple, any one can join even people who don't like fighting like smash bros because is easy to learn but mastering take time. The game act a library of Nintendo too but the gameplay is what make special, You can go outside and say "I'm a super smash player" and feel good being a smash player.

 

[Handy Man]

Smash Bros. is a celebration of all things gaming. When I was a kid, I playued games like Mario, Pokemon, and Donkey Kong Country all of the time (and I still do). Eventually, Super Smash Bros. came out on the N64, and I was shocked that those characters could pit against each other in the same game. I've also learned about other characters thanks to Smash, like Samus, Ness, Marth, and the Ice Climbers.

I also collect video games as a second hobby, and when you either play through the origins of where these characters come from or like a character's game before he appears in a future Smash game (in my case, Lucario, Wolf, Little Mac, Mega Man, Greninja, etc.), it really gives you an appreciation of themselves and their own series.

Oh, and the Super Smash Bros. games also have this in-depth and technical gameplay to them that makes them really addictive. I guess that counts, too.

 

[Iguana]

Wow, for so many reasons I don't even know where to begin.

It's a brilliant concept that is fantastically well executed, and even manages to separate itself from traditional fighting game standards established by games like Street Fighter II. For example, if I think about it, without knowing Smash Bros., the idea of Mr. Game & Watch and R.O.B. battling each other on Yoshi's Island sounds weird, at least for me. But when I see it in Smash, it just looks right. It feels right. It works. And when you accomplish something like that in a game, you know that you have something good going on with that game.

It's a game that allows me to play in a million different ways, it's a game that allows a level of creativity that few games can accomplish. It's a game for everyone.

But above all things, it's a game that is fun. I've been playing Smash for 15 years and I have never had a single bad experience with this game. Every time I play any Smash game I have a blast, an experience that no other game has yet given me. Some of the fondest memories of my life so far come from playing Smash with my friends. And for that I am grateful to Sakurai, for creating such a masterpiece.

I love Smash because it's one of the few things that truly makes me happy.

 

[NekuShikazu]

The Smash Brothers series is a series I love due to seeing the cut scenes on how characters interact with each other. The games also allow me and my friends to pick our favorite characters and destroy each other, Unlike Mario Kart, it is a party/fighting game that helps build friendships.

 

[Pazzo.]

I love Smash for two reasons.

First, the coalition of characters. From Ness to Mewtwo, Mario to Link, Smash is the only game that has all my beloved Nintendo characters in one game.

Secondly, the combat in Smash is truly unique... the sumo wrestling of fighting games.

 

[RogersBase]

I love competitive Smash because of the community. Plain and simple.

 

[TaichiYaegashi]

I love Smash because of all the different characters from many different franchises and because it's unique. It's also very fun, no matter how you play it.

 

[Gombukelp]

I love Smash because... Ah, jeez. It's hard for me to put it all into words. There are too many reasons.

 

[Wasp]

Dit that last guy really said '...cuz it gives everybody a chance to actually be someone'?

I guess this guy really has one crappy self in real life image... since he's only someone in a videogame... his words were a bit exeggerating.



The reason I love smash so much is because me and ny best friend play it for hours without getting bored. its the ultimate way of rivalling and determining who's the best at given moments. its never the same match.

 

[Doublecork]

I love smash because... It's a way of showing who you really are, in your play style. I like inventing my own style, my own combos, and my new friends.

 

[D-idara]

I love Smash because it has all the characters that have followed me through my best years duking it out, and it offers a simpler twist on the fighting game mechanics that are usually seen.

But mostly because it's a celebration of Nintendo.

 

[Z1GMA]

One reason I love smash is because it's more competitive than many fighting games that are meant to be competitive.

 

[Ragna22]

Killer Instinct on Super Nintendo was my first fighting game, but Smash Bros 64 was the first fighting game I was compelled to learn how to play and the reason I stuck with it was because that was back when I was a big fan of the Pokemon anime and also during the time that I was spending countless hours on Donkey Kong 64 so the fact that Donkey Kong and Pikachu were in a game together hooked me alone, Mario helped with that too.

I spent way more hours on Melee than Smash 64 though not just because it was so fun and I would always have cousins over to play, but also because it was during the time before I discovered the wonders of spoilers so I had no idea who I was getting, Ganondorf and Mewtwo I remember being the biggest surprises for me and I remember two of my cousins always debated about who was better between Marth and Roy. Game & Watch was sort of the fork in the road for me though, for almost a year that damn blank question mark bugged the hell out of me, I started going on the internet more and I first discovered Game & Watch on the website for the Kirby anime that was running because the site had footage of a fight between him and Mario, however I still didn't know how to unlock him until a few months later when one of my cousins called me up and told me he unlocked Game & Watch by completing all the Target maps, I got on that immediately and was happy, and then I proceeded to ignore him until recently when he became my new Melee main lol.

Brawl speaks for itself, the hype for that game was insane and the introduction of third party characters made it better, Sonic especially of course. I remember looking at the Dojo updates everyday before I had to go to school where a friend and I would talk about the updates that were worth a damn before class started, I was so hyped for that game it was the only game I talked about and it got to the point where one of my other friends was starting to get annoyed lol. Then there was the week of the release, I invited a friend over the day before to sleep over so we can play the game in the morning, I woke up at 8 by myself and at the time I never woke up that early without someone waking me up. We got the game the first hour that Gamestop opened, came back, and then we immediately booted up the Subspace Emissary because I picked up all the spoilers from people who imported the Japanese versions so I knew the SSE was the fastest way to unlock everyone, and since I saw a full play through of the SSE before I got my copy, my friend and I were able to almost breeze by, he had to leave in the middle of the Great Maze, I then finished the rest of the SSE that same night then got Toon Link, Wolf and Jigglypuff the next day, and then more fun followed up until I first got into Project M just last year.

In short, I love Smash Bros because of the hype behind it, I love it because of the franchises it brings together and I especially love it for the memories the series gave me.

 

[JCDied4U]

I love Smash because it's a celebration of all the amazing worlds and characters Nintendo has created.

Technically I like it because it's the only fighting game with simultaneous 4 player and staggering movement options.

 

[The One Who Wrote This]

I love Smash Bros. because it was one of my first video games I have ever played. I remember the Christmas I got my GBA. It was my 1st gaming console I ever owned. Because I got hooked onto that (I think Lego Racers for the GBA as well as a Frogger game and maybe a Casino game were my 1st 3 games), we got a GameCube (I think because we liked Mario Party 4). I then saw a game known as Super Smash Bros. Melee. It was AMAZING at the time (I still play it to this date, but more so just with my friends as I 100%ed the trophies in the game) and it introduced me to many of the franchises that I love to this date (however, I did know several games like Pokemon and Mario at the time). I became an avid Metroid fan because of Samus. I bought F-Zero GX because of Falcon (never beat it as it's SOOOOO HARD). I bought Stairfax Temperatures and eventually Star Fox Assault (as well as the 3ds remake of 64 and the DS game) because of Fox and Falco. I was introduced and hooked into the Fire Emblem series thanks to Marth and Roy. I got EVERY single main series game of Zelda thanks to Link and co. You get the rest. Basically, Smash Bros. helped me become the gamer that I am today. I also appreciate the classic games way more thanks to the series. Also, the gameplay was marvelous.

I eventually got Brawl and I loved it as well. Sure, it might not be as competitive as Melee for tournaments, but it was (and still is) fun for me and my friends. I loved how there was a TON more to do in Brawl content wise. More characters. More stages. More modes. Custom stages. My music. Subspace Emissary (though it can be improved upon). Boss Battles. You name it. Also, it makes a great game to just play for fun and it celebrated Nintendo's History. Tripping, less hitstun, and the abusive air dodging system (which I like WAYYY more than Melee's helplessness inducing Air Dodging system) does hurt it competitively a bit though, but it's pretty good in that regard as well for the most part. So, you can say I prefer Melee when playing competitively and that I prefer Brawl when playing for fun and when playing in Single Player mode (though I enjoyed Melee's event matches a biiiiiit more).

I lack an N64. So, I couldn't get to Smash 64 for a long time. Thankfully, Nintendo eventually put Smash Bros. 64 on the Virtual Console. I've played it and I have to say that it was great for a 1st game in the series. Sure, I enjoyed the other 2 games a ton more, but without Smash 64, we wouldn't have the other two (soon to be 3 with Smash 4 around the corner) games as well as other things like Fire Emblem being localized, Kid Icarus getting a 3rd game, the GameCube selling as many units as it did (Melee was the best selling game for the Cube IIRC), and so on. So, you can KINDA say it's one of the most important games in the Smash series if not THE most. Nintendo benefited from Smash Bros. We benefited from Smash Bros. Everyone [who has played it and liked it] has benefited from Smash Bros.

So, in short, I love Smash Bros. because it helped develop my childhood along with my family and friends. It introduced me to many franchises that I continue to play to this day. It helped me get friends that I will never forget (and still have fun with). And to be frank, Smash 4 is one of the few announced video games I'm looking forward to playing. Besides some of the standard Nintendo 1st party titles, I'm only looking forward to Smash Bros. 4 and the occasional 3rd party title like Mega Man, Phoenix Wright, a good Final Fantasy game, and good indie titles like Shovel Knight and Mighty No. 9.

So, history, gameplay, the community, and how it shaped my social life are the 4 main reasons why I love Smash Bros.

 

[Hokori]

I love Smash because it serves as a collection of Nintendo's wonderful history. And I love Nintendo

 

[TheRage]

I love Smash because it has arguably the best character lineup of any fighting game series, intuitive controls, a unique percentage/ring-out system, TONS of Nintendo-related references and content, a good community, and, most importantly, it doesn't take itself too seriously.

 

[HappyW@nderer]

I love Smash because there are so many unique characters that you can choose it's like a new world was just created for the Nintendo characters to duke it out. Also, the community is really nice and fun, and it's wonderful to go out, meet them, and make new friends.

 

[extremechiton]

i love smash because it is a unique take on traditional fighting games. it has the best roster of characters #nintendo and you make up your own combos. it has the freedom to let you play how you want to play and there are so many unique ways to play. in addition, i have become an excellent player through the years and am still learning even more. with each installment, the game gets better and better (with a minor set back in brawl due to tripping mrgrgrg) and i cant wait for smash 4, 5, 6, and beyond!!!

 

[Thegamerguy131]

At first, I thought I loved Smash for the characters, but I soon realized why I really love it. Smash is the only fighting game that I can play with anyone. The controls are simple enough for a beginner, but the game leaves space open for more hardcore players. Smash is a fighting game that truly is fun for everyone.

 

[SyMag]

I love Smash for a lot of reasons. The big reason is that the game is my go-to option when it comes to relieving stress in my life. No matter what life has thrown or will throw at me, I know that I can always plug in my Gamecube or Wii and just unwind by venting on an unwilling AI (or human opponent ). Speaking of human opponents, Smash has helped me, a socially awkward person who can't make friends easily, make a lot of good friends. These friends of mine are rivals, and yet they are also partners. The Smash community continues to grow each day, and it's amazing to see how many people share this passion. Finally, Smash is just an overall fun game, with varying ways to play, ranging from just messing around with items on in a four-player FFA with your friends, or a 1v1 showdown in a tournament setting. Every day I learn some new trick or method I can use in my own playing style, which I always enjoy; the games may be getting long in the tooth, but there are still new things being used that makes gameplay more interesting. Smash is one of the best things I do, and I thoroughly enjoy every aspect of the experience--this is why I love Smash.

 

[Shin F.]

I love Smash because -

... Why would you not love Smash?

 

[xxEliteAlicexx]

I love smash because it allows you to fight different characters from different franchises and there's nothing else like it.

 

[ShadyWolfe]

I love smash because it is an easy fighter to get into and has some of my favorite characters in gaming history. I can play the game casually or competitively with friends and family with multiple people and I have two great Smash games in Melee and Brawl that have two different playstyles.

 

[GOLDENMOP]

I love smash for many reasons, but one of the biggest reasons is that the game (melee specifically) is a decade old, and we are still discovering cool stuff about it.

 

[HylianHero0218]

I love smash because it got me through some troubling times in my youth along with many games in general, specifically Legend of Zelda.

 

[proxibomb]

I love Smash because it's a very flexible fighting game that doesn't restrict you with fighting combos in which you have to press certain buttons in order to get a higher advantage in a battle, it truly is one of the hardest fighting games ever that you, and others have to master.

 

[CrusherMania1592]

I love Smash due to having a wide cast of characters to choose to fight and always wonder how you would do a "person a vs perosn b" fight. Always great to see a Mario/Bowser, Pikachu/Mewtwo, Wolf/Fox matches, but to pull off like Kirby/DK, Peach/Zelda, etc made it fun!

 

[Psionic]

i love smash because it gives this lasting effect other games really don't. regardless of how many times you can play it, it's always so entertaining and nostalgic for me.

 

[Novice_Brave]

I love Smash because I can play 2,000+ matches and never lose the sense of wonder and fun, and because it's a game that really brings people together as friends, rivals, and friendly rivals in the best way possible.

 

[Keeshu]

#1. It's a collection of most of my favorite video game characters (because of Nostalgia and/or Nintendo is good at making characters likable)
#2. It's easy to pick up, hard to master, which makes it very good for playing with both casual and competitive friends.
#3. Most people who have played video games have played at least a few minutes of any smash games. Even if they haven't, they played other Nintendo games, so there's always something to talk about.
#4. The game just looks + feels good. It's also the only fighting game I really enjoy, and I actually have a hard time deciding which character I want to play. In most fighters I usually pick one character and stick with it because I don't care most characters, and because you have to memorize unessary combos.

Those are just the main reasons off the top of my head. Kirby and Smash Bros are my favorite Nintendo series.

 

[SuperLuigiTheIntalian]

Heres why i love smash:

I love smash because Smash has very unique gameplay like no other fighting game has, you also get to play as multiple nintendo characters, fight on nintendo stages, fight with your friends, use cool and handy items, play so many modes and events, and other exciting things, smash is the main reason why i love gaming, cause this game is amazing.

 

[CoolEric258]

I love Smash because I'm a Nintendof*g, and it's the only fighting game I'm good at. Dat's it!