Nintendo 64 · 1999
Super Smash Bros.
A 1999 N64 cartridge that gathered Nintendo characters from Mario, Zelda, Star Fox, and other series into one open-boundary knockout brawler.
- Publisher
- Nintendo
- Format
- Cartridge
- Genre
- platform fighter
- Released
- 1999
01
Overview
Instead of draining life bars, players raise each other's damage percentage and try to launch opponents off open-edged stages taken from familiar Nintendo properties. Twelve characters appear, four of them unlockable, and the same simple controls work across the whole cast. Versus play supports up to four people at once, while a single-player campaign runs a fixed gauntlet with a limited number of lives.
02
Why it matters
This title established the core formula the Smash series is known for: accessible inputs, percentage damage, and recovery-based knockouts. It also proved that a crossover of Nintendo's own characters could work as the basis of a dedicated series.
03
The physical edition
A typical retail copy pairs the N64 cartridge with a shrink-wrapped box and an instruction booklet; the North American booklet covers controller use, one-player and versus modes, items, and characters. Regional editions differ in language, labeling, and box art, so the exact package contents should be checked for the specific copy.
04
Playing it today
An original Nintendo 64 console is needed to play the cartridge, or a compatible N64 emulator on modern hardware. The game runs as released, with Rumble Pak support where a compatible controller is available.