“Super Smash Brothers” fans are having a nice November. Beyond the proliferation of copies of the Nintendo 3DS release of the game last month (3DS owners in Madison will have noticed a massive uptick in “StreetPasses,” the ad-hoc networking system that lets 3DS users pass each other game information), the new title launches Nov. 21 on the Wii U with incredible graphics, the same improved gameplay featured in the 3DS version and an expanded roster.
More than just a fighting game, “Super Smash Brothers” is about the celebration of gaming’s past. The newest title is filled with more loving homage than any previous game in the franchise, with loads of music, characters, items and stages set earlier in Nintendo’s history than previous entries. A “Galaga” warship might fly around the screen, eventually attempting to abduct a player and pull them offscreen. The star of “Mike Tyson’s Punch-Out!!,” Little Mac, is one of the game’s most popular playable characters in the 3DS version.
But this is nostalgia for a time in which most UW students weren’t alive or weren’t playing video games. I was lucky enough to get my hands on my dad’s Nintendo Entertainment System at about two years old, trying desperately to pass “Super Mario Brothers’” third stage. However, most students with a gaming history cite their PlayStation or Nintendo 64 (in many cases, PlayStation 2s and Nintendo GameCubes) as their first gaming consoles. And though some have made an effort to dig backward through history, others have decided to move forward as they play.
What can we pull from these “classics,” and what’s the best way to go about playing old games? Watching old films is basically the pastime of cinephiles, who regularly cite films from the 50s, 60s and 70s as their all-time favorites. Most people tend to do the same with music, whether you’re blasting Led Zeppelin or rolling your eyes at your roommate playing a Beatles singles collection because you know how much cooler Lou Reed’s and Tom Waits’ experimentations are.
A clear difference is evident with a comparison between those media. Watching an old film might be confusing, but it isn’t actively “difficult.” You might not get the movie, but you’ll be able to see the images and hear it until the end. The same isn’t true of games. I’ve spent the better part of a month’s playtime with my old NES and copy of the fantastic original “Super Mario Brothers,” but the actually awful second-to-last level is such a chore that, even upon completing it, I’m too low on extra lives to figure out the game’s final stage.
Even beyond the difficulty of these games, there’s a fairly good chance that you’ll get your hands on an old game that simply is no good. I’ve had a collection of old Sega Genesis games for years, an Xbox 360 compilation entitled “Sonic’s Ultimate Genesis Collection,” which features forty-nine old games mostly presented as originally made (barring a couple exceptions, such as completely botching the pitch of the audio in the 1985 shooter “Space Harrier”). It’s available as a $20 disc and there are several fantastic games on there; the aforementioned “Space Harrier,” “Streets of Rage,” and “Bonanza Bros,” and most of the original “Sonic the Hedgehog” games are unimpeachable.
Ten minutes with “DecapAttack” or “Alex Kidd in the Enchanted Castle” is enough to know the truth; games, even a few of those that are lovingly preserved, have always included some of the worst titles ever made. So when someone tells you “games used to be better,” know that simply isn’t true, and—like with movies—time generally protects your memories of the great stuff. Or sit them down and have them try “Congo Bongo” before defending their statement. But this works both ways; just as I’ve made an effort to showcase the great games of recent years, there are as many classics that are worth your time, available in compilations or otherwise (often by used Amazon sales and through services like the Wii’s Virtual Console).
So when you’re booting up “Super Smash Brothers,” whether on your GameCube or your Wii U, know that you’re sorting through an idealized gaming history. Most every character included in “Super Smash Brothers” comes from a great game, and like the Criterion Collection film series or the films presented by UW’s own Cinematheque, you’re not likely to have a negative experience with any of them. And if you’re too low on cash to pick up the new game, history’s on your side. The Internet Archive legally offers playable arcade games, console classics, and old-school PC games for you to play for free! Google away, coasting through game history—and remember that there are smashes out there.
Do you have an old-school favorite that Alex might be missing out on? Let him know at alovendahl@wisc.edu.
