Just noticed no one made a post about this, because turns out today is a big day in the Nintendo world!
On this day, November 21, 2001, Super Smash Bros Melee was released in Japan*. This game is one that brings a lot of nostalgia for many. It was one of the most defining games on the Gamecube, and it gave us a memorable cast of characters. In fact, many of the Smash all-stars we all know and love today were first introduced in Melee: Ganondorf, Zelda, Mewtwo, Falco, Roy, Bowser, Peach, Dr. Mario, Ice Climbers, Marth, Roy, and Mr. Game and Watch in particular (there's Pichu and Young Link, but they haven't returned in any subsequent Smash titles since). There were even memorable stages such as Poke Floats, Temple, Onett, Pokemon Stadium, Rainbow Cruise, Fountain of Dreams, Jungle Japes, Big Blue, etc.
Melee introduced us to a really fun Adventure mode, and these were also the first games to emphasize trophies. It even brought us some memorable challenges: the event mode was fun yet hard, and we also had the introduction of recurring Smash bosses such as Crazy Hand and Giga Bowser. Smash Bros Melee also went on to become, arguably, the most popular Smash game for the competitive scene. To play well in high-level tournaments required tricks such as Wavedashing and L-Cancelling. Melee was so popular among competitive Smashers that had the honor of becoming the first Smash game to appear in EVO.
And let's not forget that amazing cinematic opening!
Happy 15th birthday to Super Smash Bros Melee!
*Technically, today would be a day late in Japan, but I'm still going to treat it like today is the main celebration since it's the 21st elsewhere.
But it isn't just Melee's birthday; today also marks a special day for another certain game in that same series.
On November 21, 2014, Super Smash Bros for WiiU finally made its debut with its release in North America. This was a game many of us remember really well because of how recent it was. The anticipation for this game was both exciting yet painful. We all followed Sakurai's Miiverse posts of the day to find out new information, as well as enthusiastically watch those Directs to see those reveal trailers for certain newcomers. The hype was real! Cut to the day the game finally came out in North America and we were in for a treat. While we already knew the cast prior to release thanks to Smash 3DS coming out a month and a half earlier, we were introduced to some exciting new features such as Master and Crazy Orders, a different-style Classic Mode, and of course, 8-Player Smash. Finally, we could play Smash Bros together in one large group compared to the past when we were restricted to just four players.
And that's not the end of it. We also got some pretty fun stages like the Great Cave Offensive, Kalos Pokemon League, Skyloft, Gamer, Coliseum, Wii Fit Studio, Wrecking Crew, Wuhu Island, Wily Castle, Duck Hunt, and Pyrosphere. These games also gave us stage bosses in the forms of Ridley, Yellow Devil, and Metal Face. These games also struck the perfect balance between casual and competitive play, removing the unnecessary tripping and floaty speeds of Brawl. These changes not only reinforced the casual gamers, but it also brought back the competitive scene to Smash. While arguably not as popular and iconic as Melee's competitive scene, Smash 4 did go on to have major appearances in EVO tournaments (with record-breaking attendances there as well). At the rate this is going, Smash 4 could potentially surpass Melee's competitive scene, but we'll see how that will look like in a few years.
Smash 4 WiiU also had a pretty cool opening, one that reminds me of the nostalgic days of the hype and anticipation for its release whenever I watch/listen to it.
Happy 2nd birthday to Super Smash Bros for WiiU!
NOTE: I know Smash 4 technically celebrated its second anniversary with Smash 3DS's release roughly one and a half months ago, but I figured I'd make this celebratory post for Smash WiiU since it happens to be the more popular and discussed Smash title between the two these days.