Super Smash Bros.

Overall: C
Violence: C+
Sexual Content: A
Language: A
Drugs/Alcohol: A

Platform reviewed: Nintendo 64
Publisher: Nintendo
ESRB rating: E

May 25, 1965. The eyes of boxing enthusiasts around the world are glued to their TV sets. Sonny Liston is out to avenge the loss of his heavyweight title to Muhammad Ali (formerly known as Cassius Clay). Electricity fills the air as fans, buzzing with anticipation, file towards their seats. They are here to witness a fight, the caliber of which might even surpass that of last year's contest: A memorable struggle ending after seven rounds, with Liston--positive he had dislocated his shoulder--unable to answer the bell.

Capturing that kind of excitement may well have been on the minds of the creators of Super Smash Bros. Just think. What if you could pit some of Nintendo's newer stars against a few of their aging counterparts? Who would be the victor in a battle featuring the mustachioed Mario and that cute little dinosaur Yoshi? Could Fox McCloud take on Donkey Kong and win? With these exciting possibilities it's no wonder the instruction manual says "Get ready for the fight of the century... Super Smash Bros. is anything but a typical fighting game." The premise of this game is so simple, it only takes a couple of minutes to get into the thick of things: Choose a character, choose a level, go to battle. You can almost hear the ring announcer. Laayyyydeees and Gentlemen, in this corner, weighing in at 234 lbs., the undisputed heavyweight champion of the world...

Battles take place on three-dimensional stages suspended in the middle of nowhere. Your character (limited to a two-dimensional field of motion) is confronted with an opponent, who you then attempt to punch, kick or otherwise knock off the stage. But don't think your adversary will simply sit there and take a licking--he (or she) will be doing their best to knock you off your perch as well. Each of you have special, character-specific moves at your disposal (ever been punched by Donkey Kong's oversized hand, or hit by Pikachu's lightning bolt?) Items such as bombs, bats, swords and ray-guns randomly appear along the way, assisting the first player to grab them. When you've inflicted enough damage on your enemy (or vice-versa), it's time to deliver the finishing blow, sending him sailing into oblivion. Having mastered this Nintendo all-star, you proceed to another level--different stage, new opponent, same objective.

Not unlike the annoyingly repetitive background music, single-player mode gets old in a big hurry. Selecting multi-player mode (allowing any combination of up to four players), may hold your attention a little longer: Here, options include participation in a good old-fashioned brawl (final stats declare the winner), or a free-for-all (the last one standing is declared victorious). Be aware that all acts of aggression in this "harmless" pastime are carried out in standard cartoon fashion... no blood, no gore (and no realistic consequence).

Regardless of what the packaging, promotion, and premise would have you believe, this is your typical fighting game--punch, kick, use weapons, destroy--it's still violence. So, when it comes to disappointment, I couldn't help but make a connection to that boxing match back in ‘65... some fans were still taking their seats (my Dad was in the kitchen, hurriedly making a sandwich) when Ali threw a punch that didn't connect, "knocking out" Liston in the first round. Game over. So much for the hype.

Jim Fleming

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