It’s time for the tier list to end all tier lists, the tier list of Smash Bros. games! Without further ado, here it is!
S Tier – Super Smash Bros. Ultimate
Quite literally the Ultimate Smash Bros. experience. Combined gameplay mechanics from all previous games in the series, the most levels, the most characters, the most stages, and the most different ways to play.
Pros
- Most fighters to choose from
- Most stages to choose from
- Can save customized rulesets
- One of the easiest in the series to pick up, but still has advanced tech for serious players
- Best online in series so far
- Easiest to play in the present
- Most options in terms of controllers to use and controls set-up.
Cons
- Too many characters; overload of choices and matchups to learn
- The single player is repetitve and over-long
- The online still isn’t great and the new ranking system is horrendous
A Tier – Super Smash Bros.
This is the one that started it all, and over 20 years later it’s still a blast to play.
Pros
- Only 12 characters total in the game, so this is the easiest to learn multiple characters and all the match-ups
- The single-player has a nice Arcade game feel, that’s fun to play over and over
- Game with the least amount of advanced tech to learn
Cons
- This is the hardest to play presently, requiring either a N64 hooked up to a screen that can display the N64 input or playing the Virtual Console version on WiiU/Wii with a Wii Classic Controller
- The only game in the series where the controls are not built around the GameCube controller
- Competition rulesets have now devolved into one legal stage, which can make tournament style competion quite boring
- Gameplay mechanics in this game don’t transfer between this game and the rest of the games in the series as well as they do in the other games
- Let’s be honest – this game looks rough today
B Tier – Super Smash Bros. Melee
So yes, this is the game that true hardcore Smashers hold up as the One, the most perfect of Smash fighting games. But the barrier of entry – both in terms of just getting it playing and getting into it is high. It’s amazing that 18 years later the meta of this game is still evolving, but this can be daunting game for beginners.
Pros
- The deepest meta, gameplay, and mechanics of the series
- From this game on, the series’ controls was based on the GameCube controls in this game
- The most technical and fun to watch as an eSport of the series
- Introduced new ways to play and train such as Home Run Contest and Events.
Cons
- Daunting trying to learn all the deep technical things as a new player
- Not an easy game to run in the present day, must have a CRT TV or monitor or somehow convert the GameCube signal to HDMI
- Very limited options for customizing controls.
C Tier – Super Smash Bros Brawl
So, yeah this pretty univerally loathed as the worst Smash game, but I’m gonna make my case for it being only the second worst. It introduced Online play to the series. It brought in characters from outside of Nintendo. And it has a great single-player campaign. And there are so many mods that actually make the game much better. But in terms of actual gameplay – yeah this is the worst.
Pros
- Best told and most interesting single-player campaign of all the games
- Expanded the series outside of just Nintendo characters
- Multiple Mods available for this version, which don’t require any deep technical know-how to run or actual modding of your Wii.
Cons
- Worst, slowest gameplay of the series
- Tripping is most prevalent in this game, and is a truly stupid mechanic
- The dominance of MetaKnight in this iteration ruins the fun of playing multiple characters.
- Easier to get setup than 64 of Melee, but you still have to figure out how to get a Wii or WiiU hooked up
D Tier – Super Smash Bros for WiiU
Ok, so why is this the worst of all? Well, everything it did, Ultimate does better. Smash in HD? Better on Switch. Bringing in more characters and adding new characters in DLC? Much better in Ultimate. Mixing the mechanics of Melee and Brawl into cohesive gameplay? Executed more thoroughly and smoothly on Switch. Online play? Ok, that one is only slightly better in Ultimate.
Pros
- Still looks good in HD
- Still an easy game to setup in the present
- Gameplay is a vast improvement over Brawl and easier to pick up than 64
- The most Customizable of all the games in the series, the only one where you can change the Special attacks of the base fighters
Cons
- Everything it does, Ultimate does better
- Bayonetta is so far and away the best character in this game it ruins competition
- Nothing about it stands out from Ultimate enough to give it longstanding appeal