5. Super Smash Bros. Brawl
Super Smash Bros. Brawlis the third installment in theSuper Smash Bros. series, debuting seven years afterSuper Smash Bros Melee. That said,Brawlisn’t a bad game—it just got buried within theSmashtimeline.
Brawlintroduces us to an even larger and more diverse roster of characters. For the first time,Brawlgives us the chance to play as Snake, Pokémon Trainer, Wario, and, of course, Snake. It’s a fun cast of characters that we missed out on inMelee.
WhileBrawlalso introduces new features like the Smash Ball and online multiplayer, it’s not as iconic as its predecessororits successors. Because of this,Brawlhas become a forgotten blip inSmashhistory.
4. Super Smash Bros.
You just can’t diss the originalSuper Smash Bros.game. Although it definitely isn’t the best in the series, it still manages to retain a distinct identity.SSBbecame the framework for later games, and was gradually built upon.
As you probably know, the content inSSBis pretty sparse. We can only choose from 12 classic Nintendo characters and nine stages, all of which have remained in the series ever since.
The blocky graphics and lack of content aren’t an issue—after all, it’s the first entry in the series. Its controls, however,arethe issue. The N64 controller hasn’t aged well, and it makes the game exceedingly harder to play.
3. Super Smash Bros. 4
Super Smash Bros. 4is basically the bigger, better, and more exciting version ofBrawl. It takes away quite a few fan-favorite characters, namely Pokémon Trainer, Snake, Wolf, and the Ice Climbers, but replaces them with 21 new fighters.
The roster alone is enough to trumpBrawland secure its spot towards the top of this list. With amazing new fighters like Greninja, Wii Fit Trainer, Pac-Man, and Villager,SSB4has seen some major changes. Let’s not forget thatSSB4is the firstSmashgame to include DLC, which brought us Ryu, Bayonetta, and Cloud.
SSB4was also released for the Nintendo 3DS. Even though most players prefer duking it out on GameCube controllers, the 3DS version still succeeds in giving you the fullSmashexperience on-the-go.
2. Super Smash Bros. Ultimate
Not only doesSuper Smash Bros. Ultimatecombine all of the characters and stages in previous games, but it also adds a ton of new content. It’s the biggestSmashgame to date, with a whopping 74 base characters, and an ever-increasing list of DLC fighters.
SSBUis a major step-up from older titles. The robust list of fighters, massive soundtrack, and huge selection of stages makes it the most idealSmashgame ever. Sakurai has finally met fans' demands, giving us aSmashgame that seems like it can’t be beat.
Still, it doesn’t hold the number one spot on this list.SSBUhas its downfalls, like the addition of some disappointing DLC characters, the missing Target Smash minigame, and the constant struggle to balance the gargantuan roster of fighters.
1. Super Smash Bros. Melee
Over almost two decades after its release,Super Smash Bros. Meleestill has an active competitive community. And even more surprisingly, the release ofSSBUnever caused its popularity to die down. There’s just something aboutMeleethat otherSSBgames lack.
With a total of 26 fighters and 29 stages, it’s far from the behemoth that we callSSBU. The originalSSBmay have started theSmashcraze, butMeleeadded way more fuel to that fire.Melee’s fast, flexible gameplay let players take advantage of wavedashing, an iconic glitch that made theMeleecompetitive scene what it is today.
Meleebrings us back to a time when there was no online multiplayer, DLC, or constant updates. It gives us the chance to plug in our old GameCube, sit down with a friend, and annihilate each other on one screen.MeleeisMelee, and it will never change.
What’s Your Favorite Smash Game?
SSBUcomes close to dethroningMeleeas the bestSSBgame of all time. Maybe it’s just nostalgia-fueled love, butMeleewill likely remain the most-respectedSSBtitle forever.
If you’ve been playingSSBU, you already know how easy it is to get lost in the massive roster. Fortunately, we’ve made it easy to figure outwhichSSBUcharacter you should main.
