To be sure an endearing quality of Smash has always been the introduction, but I don't think I'd like it like the PSAS intro. The introduction of previous Smash games take on a role similar to the function of silent protagonist, to allow you to fill in the shoes and the blank with things of your own design. The Smash intros have given an image of a grander scale, while it feels the PSAS intro is more personally based. In Smash 64 the first image is a child's room, the fighters are playthings from a toybox, the stage is a simple table with a pencil holder, desk lamp, tissue box, and the like, and there is a hand. The focus of these first few moments is the creation, wrought by 'master hand', who in the most literal and proper interpretation is just a powerful flying hand entity, yet it could be anything. When I was young I thought little of it, it was simply the Master Hand, nothing more, yet later a friend of mine, an English major, proposed to me an interpretation, and then a thesis.
Smash is a game played by a child in his room, making believe grand battles. Smash is a story about a good spirited and powerful multiversal being, who bridges the gaps of reality for the sake of a story, challenge, or glory. Smash is about that kid who is happily playing toys, when the jerk neighbor boy comes over and decides to use his hand against your toys.
Smash is about anything.
Melee, the first image, a human hand, not Master Hand, grabbing Mario in trophy form. After the trophy becomes animated we see Link, opposed to Mario, almost immediately Pikachu and Kirby coming in aerially, the image shatters. The middle sequence is the character's backgrounds, very similar to Smash 64's middle scene. Next is very important, the characters are gathered, ending the scene with an open sense of what is to happen next, you fill that gap.
I didn't like Brawl's introduction as much, many of the scenes where part of the already set SSE story, stealing slightly from that thrill of unknown. There are a few redeeming factors though. The World of Trophies is still undefined and there is still mystery, but much less so now, there is a binding factor, it is very difficult to transfer from the literal to the figurative with all this new knowledge of Master Hand and the world he has.
Most of the introductions have very few scenes of the fight being main focus.
What would I want? I want the unknown, the exciting, the epic, the thrill, Brawl and PSAS introductions just didn't carry those for me anywhere near as the other two did. These are the elements that set them far apart for me, I don't want a 'yeah let's do this fighting!' sort of thing with PSAS, I don't want SSE clips with Brawl, I want my head to spin and my heart to pound.
