Super Smash Bros. Brawl: 10th Anniversary!

[astrodomekid]

Today marks the 10th Anniversary of Super Smash Bros. Brawl’s release here in the U.S.! And let me just say, it makes me feel like I’m getting old.

Interesting fact about my history with Nintendo: my little sister and I got a Nintendo console 3 Christmases in a row: a Nintendo 64 in 2005, a GameCube in 2006, and a Wii in 2007. Our N64 came with the original SSB (along with Super Mario 64 and Pokémon Stadium), our GameCube came with Melee (along with MarioKart: Double Dash, Sonic Adventure 2: Battle, Sonic Heroes, and Shadow the Hedgehog), and if Nintendo had released Brawl before Christmas the third year like they intended, it also would’ve been the 3rd Christmas in a row that we got an SSB game.

At the daycare we used to go to as kids (which had 3 N64’s for us to play, hence the reason why we got ours) soon after we got Melee, me and some of the other kids used to think that Mew (not Mewtwo) could have been unlocked as a playable character. We once debated over whether this was true and how to unlock it, and then one kid said “Well... maybe he’ll become playable in Super Smash Bros. Brawl!”. I said “What?”, and he said “Yes, there’s a new SSB coming out for the Wii.”. At a curiosity sake, I looked on the Internet when I got home, and saw this trailer for it, and words could not describe how excited I was. I even admit to letting out a tear of joy or two when I noticed that Sonic - my then-new favorite video game character - would become playable. At the time it was just a rumor, but sure enough it became a reality. It ultimately made me decide to ask my parents for a Wii for Christmas, with my sister providing support.

To this day, I still remember how anxious I was waiting for it to come out. I frequently checked the website for new updates, saw a (G4?) preview on TV, and even had dreams about playing it only to wake up to reality, much to my dismay. The wait was killing me! And on the day that it came out, me and my parents traveled to a couple of different stores trying to find it (since we didn’t pre-order it). We looked at Target and they were all flushed out, then I got my breakfast from my local donut shop (like I always did on Saturday mornings), and went to Wal-Mart where we managed to buy the last one!

And let me just say: my 13-year-old self couldn’t have been happier! It truly was my favorite game on the Wii, and 10 years later I still enjoy playing it. And with the recent announcement of another Super Smash Bros. for the Switch, history might just repeat itself!

[Voor]

WOW. Not often you see that kind of love for Brawl. Melee gets all the love, but I have fondest memories of the original. I had started college, was weary of fighting games and then Smash comes along with a new formula that is just as deep and challenging.

I played Melee a bit a liked it. But I acquired a Wii recently, so maybe it’s time to try Brawl.