Maybe it's not the first of the series, but Super Smash Brothers Melee (SSBM) is one of the most balanced fighting games out there. In fact, it is so much so that this game was part of the Pro Circuit in the Major League Gaming competition for numerous years. Yes, SSBM was originally designed as a party game for kids 13 and older. That didn't stop thousands of people of all ages and countries from competing for grand prizes at tournaments which eventually ranged to rewards of ten thousand dollars.
What was different about the Super Smash Bros. games was that mechanics were vastly different from any other fighting games at the time. The camera zooms in and out to keep everyone on the screen as much as possible. There were many iconic Nintendo characters that many people could relate too. Not to mention that it also brought the spotlight to some more unrecognized characters from the company's previous endeavors. Stages and items reflected much of Nintendo's property as well.
The most notable difference between this series and other fighting games would probably be the core mechanics. If you didn't know, during a match in SSBM, the characters don't lose health when they are struck in any way. In fact, they are indestructible. The only way that the players can win is by knocking their opponent off of the edge of the screen. When a character is struck, they gain a certain amount of damage. The more damage you have, the farther you fly when you get hit.
This physics-based gameplay turns out to be extremely enjoyable. Knocking your opponent off the stage with over 100% damage means they will go flying super fast. It feels great to have that much power. The controls are simple and easy to pick up, yet extremely hard to master; which makes me wonder how that can be.
Melee in particular represents the perfect balance of all of these elements. The characters move on the screen at a considerable pace and it allows the players to break down the game into an art. The physics of gravity and forces implement an almost random aspect to the challenge. There was a combination of key elements to make it balanced enough that players with extreme were the only ones that could win. If someone wasn't as good at the game than their opponent, then they were bound to lose.
On the other hand, Brawl (SSBB), the offspring of Melee, took this out of the equation. Anyone can win a match of SSBB. This game rewards the player for being defensive and pulling cheap moves everywhere. It simply isn't as balanced as Melee is or was. Yet, for casual gamers, this is probably the best Smash game to date. It harnesses every element that a party game should and still makes the player feel rewarded for the things that they do. It's a rather juicy game.
To pick a game that's better than the other would be pointless. If you want to seriously pit to players against each other to see who has the most skill, Melee would be the way to go. If you want a friendly (or not so friendly) match against your friend just to kill some time, then Brawl is perfect. I just find it so interesting that two extremely similar games can separate it's own community. SSBM was the best version before SSBB came out so its community consisted of everyone that loved the game.
Situations like this have occurred before and it's not really preventable. It's sort of odd that such great games could actually tear apart the very community that they were made for. This just goes to show that the very mechanics of a game, no matter how invisible, play a large part in the success of the game. Certain mechanics will intrigue some players and turn others away. Perhaps making a game directed towards a specified audience isn't the way to go. If a series starts pinpointing one group, then diversity is lost and the games just don't apply to everyone. I think a broader audience is the way to go when it comes to designing video games.
Something to think about....
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