Super Smash Brothers

Me and Nahrek are taunting you. Show me your moves!

Growing up, I never had an N64.

For a brief refresher in video game history, the N64 was a game console released by Nintendo around the same time as the Playstation 2. In some senses, it was an odd product: it still used a cartridge system when the Playstation had long been using CD's, and it had a funky controller with the analog stick smack-dab in the middle. But history has shown it to be one of the most successful consoles of all time, for one main reason: it had the best games ever.

Mario Kart 64, anyone? Star Fox? The sensational shooter, Goldeneye 007? And how could we forget The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time, hailed by many as the best game ever made? The mere mention of these titles has probably brought back some strong nostalgic memories in a quite a few of our readers.

But for me, a kid deprived of the best toy since, I dunno, building blocks, it was a dark time. The first few glimpses I caught of the console in action captured my imagination so tightly, it never let go. I would take any chance I had to try to play. Birthday parties. Christmas. These unobtainable moments sometimes haunted my dreams.

All this changed this semester. It began when my suitemate Nahrek brought his old N64 console to our room when he moved in at the beginning of the year. One day some of our suitemates were playing a game with different Nintendo characters hopping around on a castle, trying to knock each other off the stage. Mario, throwing his fireballs, Pikachu calling down the thunder. I sat down to play.

Mario's going to be for a little... shock.

The game was Super Smash Brothers, one of the most artfully crafted and addicting games I've ever played. Not only can you choose your favorite Nintendo characters to play as, but each character has dozens of moves and a unique playing style that takes a long time to master.

But beyond just the mechanics, there's also the most important part: ego. When you fall off the stage, a little bit of your dignity goes with it. And no one wants that. The banter between competitors quickly becomes a mix of trash talk and fury.

"Pikachu, you're going down!"

"OMG I just died with 0% damage..."

"Reid stop fighting me! Go after someone else!"

"Everyone gang up on Nahrek, he still has three lives!"

Super Smash Bros. quickly became a battleground for more than just our Nintendo characters. A month long feud between my friend Max and I went something like the nuclear arms race: He started beating me as Link, so I switched from Captain Falcon to Fox. Then I started beating him, so he switched from Link to DK. Then he started beating me, so I switched my playing style.

The storied selection screen. Who will you choose?

It wasn't long before Smash became the hottest thing on our floor. Literally everyone was in on the phenomenon, and games were regularly played as a quick pick-me-up after a long day of classes. We would replicate in-game taunts as a sort of secret handshake. (Such as the first picture above.)

Now that the semester's over, I'm not sure whether Smash will stay a trend. It's surely been a source of some retro goofiness and fun competition for everyone involved. And I'll probably spend more time this semester doing homework, instead of playing video games from the 90's. But one thing's for sure--whatever I lost growing up without an N64, I've made up for it.