Super Smash Brothers FAQ-Multiplayer Strategies
by Silverguy (aaversa@cloud9.net to contact me)
Contents:
1. Introduction to Smash Brothers
2. Best Characters
3. Item Review
4. Stage Tricks
5. Hidden Things
6. Versions
1. Introduction
Super Smash Brothers is the first Nintendo 64 game featuring older
characters from earlier NES and SNES games like Kirby, Samus Aran, and
Ness. What we are dealing with here is an all out slamfest between 12
nintendo characters. In my opinion, it is one of the better games for the
N64. Here are some fun strategies to beat your friends in multiplayer mode.
These will work almost all the time, but don't forget that even if you use
these strategies, you still have to practice doing the moves quickly.
2. Best Characters
Pikachu is probably a great one player character, but did you ever try him
in multiplayer? In my experience he is not very good at all, since he is
weak defensivly. My favorites? Captain Falcon, Kirby, and Mario.
Personally, I like Kirby the most, but other characters are good too. Here
is why I like these 3 characters.
Capt. Falcon is FAST. Speed is important in multiplayer games, especially
when there is a hammer/invincibility star in between a crowd of people. His
dash and A button attack will send opponents flying, and falcon kick (down
and B) will clear the ground. Falcon doesn't have many air moves, but his
speedy attacks make up for. Word of advice: don't use falcon bomb (that is
what I think he is saying) much. It takes too long to charge up, and is
only useful when the opponent is down or dazed.
Kirby is my personal favorite. Although he may seem like a happy little
cream puff, he is straight out deadly. Well, he can fly first of all,
making him an easy character to get back into the stadium with. Jigglypuff
can fly, but he is lighter than Kirby, so he is weaker. Kirby also has an
up and B move that moves him a little to the left/right, besides being an
attack, so that makes it even easier. His ability to swallow someone and
gain their power is very useful. You can do this by pressing B, and when
you have them in your mouth, down. You gain their B button move by doing
this. Try it on characters like Samus, Ness or Capt. Falcon because they
have good B button moves. Kirby has a down B move that is also great. Float
up into the air and press down B to make a big "smash". While you are a
rock, you are totally invincible. The "Kirby Suplex" (R button near the
enemy) does a lot of damage, but only goes up and down, so it probably
won't get the opponent out of the stadium.
And let's not forget Mario. The battle-hardened plumber has invented a few
new moves for himself, so watch out Luigi. Mario can shoot fireballs with
the B button, but they don't do much damage. However, pressing up and B
will make mario jump very high on a slant in the direction you are facing
with his fist outstretched. If you connect, it will hit the opponent a
total of 9 times. This move is called coin punch, and it is very useful.
Luigi has a move like this, except if you hit the opponent, they are set on
fire (now where have I seen that... SFII?). Mario can also do a spinning
kick if he is in the air and you press down and A. Useful, but not
incredibly.
3. Item Review
Items make Super Smash Brothers a fun game. They can win battles for you if
you are up against losing odds, and they can seriously annoy your opponent
too. Here is a review of all the items, what they do, and what I think of
them.
Bob-omb: I think this is the most powerful item. If you see it, pick it up
before it starts walking around. When you have it in your hand, aim for
someone with over 40 damage. Throw it, and the explosion will send them
flying! Although the initial explosion of the bomb isin't big, if it
actually hits, it will be huge. If you don't pick it up for 5 seconds, it
will walk around. After awhile, it will simply self-destruct.
Beam Sword: This is a good weapon for throwing. If you have a character
with a strong A button move, than you won't need this. It isn't as strong
as the home run bat or the bob-omb, but it will do some damage. When anyone
else has it, it is basically just annoying, since all you have to do is use
an air attack on them. If you press forward and R at the same time, you
will throw the sword very far. This by itself is more effective than a
regular hit.
Motion Sensor Mine: Another useful item to have around. Since it blends in
to the area around it, be careful you don't get hit by it yourself! The
best strategy is to stand near a cliff and throw the mine next to you, so
when someone walks near you, they will get hurt by the explosion. Putting
it on a cliff's very edge is also sneaky. If someone is scrambling to get
on the stadium, the mine will explode and they will probably not be able to
get back in.
Home Run Bat: A simple but powerful weapon. All I can say is this: press
forward and the A button for an automatic kill. Nobody can survive the
forward and A button attack of this. Just be careful you don't get hit
while swinging it.
Hammer: The second strongest item that can win battles in a flash. You can
only survive if you have near zero damage, and even then, you will be sent
into the stratosphere on the second or third hit. With the hammer, you
can't double jump, and your regular jump is not high. What some players
don't see is that the hammer does NOT make you invincible. This means that
a well timed hit from an item or long range attack will damage you if you
have it. And for all you Kirby players, Kirby has nothing to fear from the
hammer as long as you stay at the stadium's ground level. You can just suck
up the hammer-wielding opponent and keep him there :)
Fan: The fan is the weakest weapon. It is probably weaker than your regular
A button move, too. It can be useful if you throw it though. If someone is
charging you, throw the fan at him and he will be knocked and stunned for a
second. Then, you can go close to him and throw him etc. There really isn't
much to say about this weapon otherwise, I would turn it off in the item
switch.
Pokeball: Pokeballs! This throwing item is one use, and brings out a random
pokemon. Too bad you can't stock them like lives, that would make them more
useful. In general, pokeballs are really good items if you use them right,
but they are pretty easy to evade. If you throw a pokeball and you hit
someone, it delivers a 'one-two punch' in that it will hit the opponent,
and the pokemon that comes out will hit him again. You can get pokemon from
the balls when you throw them. They are arranged into categories: Beam,
Short Range, All Screen, 360 Degree, and Special.
-Short Range-
Charizard: Comes out of the pokeball and starts using flamethrower. If you
stand in the center of the charizard, you can charge your weapon and relax.
If you see a charizard with someone standing in it, fire something at them.
Otherwise, just jump below or above the charizard to avoid it.
Hitmonlee: Comes out of the pokeball, waits for a second, then jump kicks.
If hitmonlee connects, it is a pretty good hit. Since hitmonlee's jump is a
fairly small arc, it is considered Short Range. If you see a hitmonlee.
Move far away, because it will not hit you if you are really far.
-Beam-
Blastoise: Comes out of the pokeball and starts using hydro pump. When
blastoise shoots a water blast, he moves back a little. That means he can
fall off a cliff even if the pokeball is not on the edge. The water blasts
do not reach the whole screen, so try to place it in a spot where they will
be most effective. Like charizard, just go above or below blastoise to
avoid it.
Starmie: Comes out of the pokeball, and hunts down someone. When it finds a
place, it stays there and uses swift at the target. The shots themselves
aren't that big, so you have a chance of not getting hit if you are falling
through its path. Starmie isn't very effective if he chooses a target in
midair, because the target won't be there very long. To avoid the starmie,
just let it target you and get out of there!
-360 Degree-
Koffing: Comes out of the pokeball, and flys a bit into the air. It starts
using smog to create smog around it after it moves up. You can stand below
it for protection like charizard, except koffing offers a bit more
protection since it is 360 Degree. If you see a koffing, move away from it.
It doesn't have a big range, so you are safe if you stand away from it.
Meowth: Comes out of the pokeball and starts using payday while he is in
the air. The coins are either on the diagonals or on the
vertical/horizontals. One coin from a meowth equals one hit from mario's
coin punch. This means that if you have the bad luck to get in a meowth's
way, you will get hit a LOT. The pokemon is otherwise like koffing.
-All Screen-
Beedrill: Comes out of the pokeball and flys off the screen. You can get
hit by the beedrill while it is flying off. After a few seconds, a swarm of
beedrills come from the side of the screen, and they hit anything in their
way. This one, if you get stuck in it, will cause a good amount of damage.
It has one flaw, though. Just stand as far above the stadium as you can,
and the beedrills should fly under you. It is a pretty good pokemon to get
from a pokeball. Name anyone?
Onix: Comes out of the pokeball and flys into the sky. A rain of rocks
comes down a few seconds later, because the onix uses rock slide. This is
really good if you get it. There is almost no way to avoid it, just hope
the rocks don't hit you.
Snorlax: Comes out of the pokeball and flys into the sky. When it does
this, just run as far away from everyone else as you can. A few seconds
later, the snorlax comes down from the sky and uses body slam to hit
everything on one side of the screen. It hits where there is the most
people, so seperate yourself. This is something good to have if there is a
crowd of people shuffling around in one place.
-Special-
Clefairy: Comes out of the pokeball. From this point it can do many things
because its attack is metronome. Clefairy can copy any one of the other
pokemon's moves, meaning that it could fly off the screen, flop around, et
al. Pretty useful, but random.
Mew: This is a rare pokemon to get. It sparkles, and uses mega punch while
flying off the screen. If you get hit by the Mew, you will get hurt. This
is easy to avoid, just move away from the Mew.
Goldeen: Comes out of the pokeball and... does nothing. All it does is flop
around. Kinda reminds me off the splash move the magikarp has... wait a
second. That is splash!
MaximTomato: Taken from Kirby games. Its real name should be maximum
tomato, in case you care. Heals about 100 damage of your life. If you are
really damaged, this doesn't help as much as a heart. In general, don't let
other people get these since they can easily change the course of a battle.
However, if it puts you in danger while you protect them, don't try to do
it.
Heart: Will heal ALL of your damage. This is probably the best item out
there. When you see a heart falling, go for it as soon as you can. You must
protect it at all costs, even if your own teamate wants it. This item can
win you entire battles, so value it with your character's life.
Shells: There are two types of shells, and both of them are throwing items.
The green shell is a cool item, because you can use it twice sometimes.
Throw it, and it will slide until it hits something. It you throw and it
hits someone without touching the ground, I am pretty sure that you can
pick it up and use it again. The red shell can be annoying, and I like the
green shell better. The red shell will hit the ground and slide back and
forth on the platform until it falls off or it fades away. This CAN hit
you, but the green shell won't, so let other people use red shells
Ray Gun: A pretty cool item. Once you pick it up, you can fire it 16 times,
I believe. it will shock the target momentarily, so you can repeatedly hit
someone to juggle them in mid air. To finish off with it, throw it. If you
drop it, someone else gets to use it, and the 16 shots are restored for
them. A useful item, but when fighting a lot of people, it gets to be too
much of a hassle to aim and fire at everybody.
Bumper: This item can annoy people seriously. If you throw it and it hits
someone, it will bounce the person, like a regular bumper. When it hits the
ground, it acts like a regular bumper also. If it is near a wall, the
bumper by itself can juggle somebody! Just be careful that you don't get
bumped by it yourself, since it propels you back and does some damage.
Fire Flower: Not a really good item to have. You can hold the A button to
blow fire similair to charizard/charmander's flame. However, after awhile,
it wears out. Since it is short range and someone can just jump over you
and attack while you are using it, it really isn't that good unless you are
aiming for a crowd. Then it's a pretty deadly weapon. If you throw it and
it hits someone, it does good damage. You may want to consider just getting
the flower so you can throw it instead of actually using it.
Star Rod: This can be a good item, but you can probably find a better item
to be holding. You swing it like any other hand to hand combat weapon, and
it is moderatly strong. If you press forward and A at the same time, you
can shoot out stars. The stars do better damage than a normal hit, but they
are easy to avoid. It is light, so you can throw it pretty far.
Star: Makes you invincible. Not much to say here. Your invincibility lasts
for about 10 seconds, so make use of it. Try to dash over to someone and
throw them, since throws do a lot of damage. You probably won't get in more
than one throw, so make it good.
4. Stage Tricks
In some stages, you can use the landscape to win battles with opponents
more skilled than you. Here are strategies for all of the levels.
Peach Castle: There are two platforms, one on top, and one on the bottom.
There is a bumper in the air above the top platform, and 2 slide-like
object in the northeastern and western corners. On the bottom platform
there is also a concrete platform going back and forth constantly through
the bottom one. Try to stay on the top platform here. Charaters with good
air attacks are at a slight disadvantage here, because the bumper hampers
your jumping ability. If you want to get rid of an opponent, try to lure
them onto the bottom platform. Attack them onto the side where the large
concrete platform is not there and pound them until they fall.
Hyrule Castle: This is a big level. There is a large platform, which slopes
downwards near the ends. On the eastern end there is a small arch. On top
of the arch is where items like to appear. Also, near the center of the
platform, there are 3 mini platforms floating above. Items appear there
also. Try to stay out of the little arch area, because it can get chaotic
there with a lot of people. If you see the tornado, throw your opponent
into it as best you can because the tornado will finish him off if he has a
high enough damage percent. On top of the arch is a good place to charge
your weapon if you are Samus or DK, or just take a breather since it is out
of the way.
Yoshi's Island: A "happy" level. There is a fairly small center platform,
with three smaller platforms above it. To the left and right of the main
platform are clouds. You can stand on them, items come there, but they can
only support your weight for a little while. That little while is not
enough to charge a weapon either. There aren't any obstacles here, not
really anyway. The clouds on the sides of the platform can help you get
back into the fight if you got shot out. Try to get people onto the clouds
and distracted, so they will not realize they are about to fall.
Top Of Silph Co. Office Building: There is the main platform, the top of a
building. To the right end of it, there is a door. Various pokemon come
from that door and do things. They are:
Venusaur-shoots beams or something at you. When you hear it coming, get
your opponent into the line of fire.
Charmander-blows fire. It has the same range as about a charizard's flame:
fairly short.
Porygon-hits whoever is directly next to the door. Very powerful, but
rarely will hit anyone.
Chansey-throws chansey eggs that have stuff in them.
Electrode-explodes after a few seconds. About the strength of a bob-omb
explosion, so you should be careful when you see the electrode come out of
the door.
back to the stage, there is a small building to the right of the large one.
It is very small, but you can probably stay out of the way there long
enough to charge a weapon. To the left of the main platform is a platform
that moves up and down. To the left of that is a small building, and to the
left of THAT is another platform. Your only hope of really getting someone
off the platform is probably to lure them onto the moving platform and
hitting them with a strong projectile (bob-omb or beam sword). Otherwise,
you can try to get them in front of the pokemon door, but they will get
wise to that technique.
DK Jungle: There is a centeral platform here, with 2 steel bars rotating in
an oval above it. To the right and left of the moving platforms there is
another platform, but they aren't that big. Below the main platform is also
a barrel. If you time it right, you can fall into the barrel and get
yourself back into the stadium. If not, well, you die. The moving platforms
get in your way when trying to do air attacks, so characters like Kirby and
Capt. Falcon will not be able to really use their good air attacks. Items
like to appear on the moving platforms also, but they can be hard to get
since the platforms are moving. The upper right or left platform are good
places to relax and charge your weapon, if you have one.
Planet Zebes: Interesting level, just like Super Metroid. Central platform,
as usual. Above that are a few fairly big platforms. To the right of the
stadium there is a little platform you can stand on to rest etc. The thing
that makes this stage interesting is the obstacle. Occasionally, acid comes
up from the bottom of the screen and sends you flying. I have found that
most KOs in this level have come from being hit by the acid. Try to stay on
the very upper platform in the level, the acid can catch you off guard if
you are near the bottom. Another thing about this place, if you fall off
the stadium and into the acid, it *can* save you occasionally, if you are
lucky, but most times it will rocket you off the screen.
Wispy Woods: A customary plaform is located in the center of this stadium.
Above this platform is a trio of platforms, much like other levels. In the
background of this stage, there is a tree. It can blow you off the
platform, but its gust is not strong at all. Since there is nothing to save
anybody (clouds, barrels etc.) when they go off the main platform, Wispy
Woods is a pretty dangerous level. The 3 platforms above the main one can
get in the way of a diagonal air attack like diagonal falcon kick, but any
attack going straight down, like Kirby's rock move will be fine if you time
it right.
Top of Great Fox: All one big platform. This level is HARD to get someone
off of. On the western end of the platform, it thins out. Near the eastern
end, there is a 'fin' that goes up, then drops down. The area under the fin
is small, so you shouldn't have much trouble getting people off at that
point. Far to the west is another place to get people off. Warning: Don't
stay near the western end of the stadium long. The arwing comes down and
starts using anybody in its way for target practice. This can be useful if
you can get anybody in the laser line of fire. Items appear at mainly the
base of the fin.
Classic Mushroom Kingdom: This is a fun and cool level. It is a weird
layout though. In the center, there are two beams, that will fall down if
you stand on them. They act like a see saw, so if there is balanced weight,
you won't fall down into the pit. To the left, there is a small platform,
and below that there is a tunnel. If you get hit off the screen to far out
of the tunnel, you will die. Above the tunnel is another platform, with a
pipe on it. Pirahna plants come out of pipes in this level and hurt you, so
watch out. They can be killed with a strong attack. There are 2 platforms
in the air to the right of the center pit. Below those 2 platforms is
another pipe. The Classic Mushroom Kingdom is a chaotic level, but it is
fun. There are POW blocks scattered around. Hit these when you can! It
gives everybody but you a hit. You can even kill someone with a POW block
if they have a high percent. The best way to eliminate someone is to grab
them and try to distract them while they are on the beams. Then they will
fall. You can go down with them and attack them, and triple jump back at
the last minute. Kirby, Jigglypuff and Pikachu are the best suited for this
technique. This level is random, so there isn't much more to say about it,
except have fun!
Metal Mario Stage: There is a small central platform here. Above it is a
slightly smaller platform. That is it. Since you only fight Metal Mario
here, here is the strategy. Jump up onto his platform and keep bashing him
with rapid fire moves (Up and A is usually powerful). Once he hits 150%,
knock him down to the lower platform. Smash attack him until he is over
200%, then get him to the edge and nail him as hard as you can until he
doesn't have enough steam to get back in the stadium.
Fighting Porygon Team Stage: There is a small central platform, and 3
platforms in the shape of a triangle above it. You fight the fighting
polygon team here only. Your best bet on destroying the team is to hit them
from below while they are on the platforms. You could also attack them from
above. Either way, they should die in one or two (at the most three) hits.
Throwing moves will also work, but make sure they don't gang up on you
while you get close to them.
Master Hand Stage: There is a medium sized platform, which is all there is.
Here you will fight master hand, the boss of the game. He has 300HP, which
you much whittle away. He has many powerful moves that can break your guard
bubble, so watch out! Your down and B or down and A moves will do the most
damage, as only aerial attacks do serious damage to him. Kirby, Captain
Falcon, Mario, and Link are suited for this guy. Kirby can turn into a rock
on master hand to do 15 to 20HP, Captain Falcon can use falcon kick and do
about 15HP, Mario has coin punch to do more damage, and Link can use his
sword thrusts or bombs. If you see master hand about to slam his fist on
you, DO NOT GUARD! It is worth taking the damage once then being dazed and
getting hit multiple times.
5. Hidden Things
The more *s by a secret, the harder it is to get.
-Secret Characters-
*Jigglypuff: Beat the game. Nothing else to it. This is usually the first
secret character anybody gets.
**Captain Falcon: Beat the game, in under 20 seconds. This one is a bit
harder to get than Jigglypuff, but on Very Easy or Easy modes, it is not a
challenge to zip through the game.
**Luigi: Beat all 8 original characters' break the targets bonus games.
This is kind of hard, if you can't do the bonuses. Some people say this is
a very hard thing to do, others say it is almost as easy as Jigglypuff.
****Ness: Beat the game on normal, with 3 lives, without continuing. This
is the hardest character to get. It is well worth it too, since Ness is a
great character. My advice? Use Kirby, and you can beat the game without
losing more than one life!
-Other Stuff-
****Classic Mushroom Kingdom: Beat the game with all of the original
characters. This is hard for characters like Yoshi or Fox, because they
aren't that good. But with continuing and any difficulty level, it isn't
impossible.
*****Sound Test: Beat all 8 original characters' board the platforms bonus
games. This is probably the hardest thing to do. The second bonus stages
are harder than the first. Kind of pointless... who wants to spend all that
time just to hear the music?
*Item Switch: Play 50 vs. matches. This is definitly no challenge to get,
it it is fun to play those 50 vs. matches. This can make matches fun, or
fair. Try turning off everything but pokeballs, and set appearance to Very
High. Heh heh heh...
6. Versions
1.0: Made the original guide.
1.1: Corrected some stuff, changed Best Items into Item Review. Put in my
email address too.
1.2: Corrected some stuff about Mew, put in Hidden Things section, and
added strategy for Classic Mushroom Kingdom.
1.3: Made more corrections, mostly grammatical.
1.4: Put in names of pokemons' moves. (Special thanks to AirBoltA@aol.com)
1.5: Added in 3 new stage strategies.