Play Super Smash Bros. Online

Summary

Super Smash Bros., often just called Smash Bros., dropped onto the Nintendo 64 and instantly turned the console into a chaotic playground for Nintendo’s biggest icons. Mario, Link, Donkey Kong, Pikachu, Samus, Yoshi, Kirby and Fox all showed up with their signature moves, and four hidden characters waited to be unlocked, turning a simple party game into a treasure hunt for completionists. The charm comes from the way each fighter’s attacks feel true to their original series while the shared goal is always the same: launch opponents off the stage.

The game’s arena design is a love letter to Nintendo’s history, with nine 3‑D stages that still restrict movement to a 2‑D plane, from the alien corridors of Planet Zebes to the star‑filled skies of Sector Z. Randomly falling items—Fire Flowers, Poké Balls, hammers—add a layer of strategy, and the Rumble Pak gives every smash a tactile punch. Up to four players can duke it out in stock, timed, free‑for‑all or team battles, while a single‑player “Classic Mode” strings together a gauntlet of AI opponents and a couple of quirky minigames.

Critics praised its instantly accessible controls and the sheer fun of multiplayer, earning it an Editors’ Choice nod from IGN and a Player’s Choice badge from Nintendo. By 2001 it had moved over five million copies worldwide, cementing its place as a cultural touchstone and spawning a long‑running series that still defines crossover fighting games today.