This is Objection Network’s countdown of the top 25 video game series of all-time. We’re counting down to the best franchise ever on March 31. For more info on the voting process, click here.

10) Super Smash Brothers (4 votes, 147 points)

Chris: I feel like modern gamers don’t understand how cool of an idea the first Super Smash Brothers was.

On the surface, the original Smash doesn’t look like much. Twelve characters and 10 stages (not all of which were even available at the start), a handful of game modes and…that’s about. But it’s the concept that’s so important. Let me take you on a time machine ride back to 1999 so you can see this commercial and understand the depths of my love.

Look at those happy characters. Look at Pikachu doing nothing but get his ass kicked the whole commercial. What a world.

Having Nintendo’s best characters mashed into one game where you could fight for supremacy was almost incomprehensible for young teenage Chris. The gameplay was fun and responsive, and it felt like an entirely new take on the fighting genre.

Fast forward to today, and we have four offerings in the series. We’re up to 58 characters and 42 stages, characters from outside of the Nintendo umbrella have been making appearances, and the entire thing feels like a fandom orgy. Melee was a game-changer, so much so that it’s still the preferred destination (lol) for many competitive players 16 years after its release. Brawl tried to up the ante with a robust single-player mode that had some neat moments, and Smash 4 showed us that portable systems are just as fun as we thought they would be.

Nintendo has already talked about a Smash title coming for the Switch at some point, although I’d be surprised if we saw it before 2020. (Also, Sakurai is probably crying in a corner somewhere thinking about it.) Still, the franchise is going strong and shows no signs of slowing down.

Michelle: I’m embarrassed to even think about how many hours I’ve spent playing the SSB games. When I was a kid, I basically lived at a friend’s house because she had an N64. We played SSB until our eyes burned. The series itself hasn’t evolved much, but the formula was pretty much perfect from the word go. Don’t try to fix what ain’t broke, right? As a result, pretty much all of the SSB installments have been super (pun intended) good.  Over the years I have enjoyed mastering new characters, unlocking the new maps, playing the nostalgic music from games of yesteryear. It blends all of the things I love about Nintendo’s iconic characters and lets you beat the shit out of each other. What’s not to love? Also, I will slay you as Rosalina and Luma. I’m just saying.

Christine: One of the first games I absolutely had to get when I got a Wii was Smash Bros. Brawl. I played it when I was over the houses of friends who had a Wii and it was an amazing experience. Choosing a variety of well known Nintendo characters to fight against either a friend or CPU? Sign me up! The best matches I had was when my friends and I played as a team against the CPUs. Chaos and hilarity ensued as we battled it out in the arenas and we decided who would take on who. We had a game plan and we executed it to the best of our abilities. I particularly loved doing the single player mode where there was a sort of story involved and each character from their respective games had a chance to shine. My personal favorites to play through were the ones involving Samus, Meta Knight, and Kirby. While I don’t really play the Wii as much as I used to, it’s always good to know I can pop in Brawl and play a few games should the desire arise. It’s also one of the best series to play at a party or during a huge gathering.

RELATED LINKS:
(11) Fire Emblem
(12) Street Fighter
(13) Batman: Arkham
(14) Metal Gear
(15) Fallout
(16) Persona
(17) Tales
(18) Saints Row
(19) BioShock
(20) The Sims
(21) Grand Theft Auto
(22) Halo
(23) Animal Crossing
(24) Silent Hill
(25) Donkey Kong
#50-26
Intro/Honorable Mention

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