Super Smash Bros is the first game in Nintendo's fighting game series. It is a crossover game featuring characters from various Nintendo franchises. The main difference between this game and traditional fighters is that this game uses a damage percentage instead of a life bar. Wins sre achieved by ring-outs only. Other features include usage of items and team battles.
Smash Notation
The Smash series utilizes a completely different notation system than other fighting games. It will be used a lot in this guide so it is advisable to learn them.
Directional Notation
N - Neutral. This basically means to leave the joystick in its central position.
F - Forward. Push the joystick towards the direction your character is facing.
B - Backward. Push the joystick behind the direction your character was facing.
U - Upward. Push the joystick upwards. This usually makes the character jump.
D - Downward. Push the joystick downwards. This makes the character crouch of fastfall.
Attack Notation
Jab - A jab is activated by simply pressing A. Pressing it multiple times can lead into a natural combo to damage the opponent further.
-Tilt - Slightly tilting the joystick in one direction and press the A button. Tilts are usually more ranged than jabs and help in combos.
-Smash - Quickly push the joystick to one direction and press A at the same time. Smashes are stronger than tilts and make good combo finishers and KO moves.
-Grab - Pressing the grab button makes your character grab, regardless of their distance with an opponent.
-Air - Press the A button in the air. A direction can be added to use a different move. Aerial attacks are, obviously, attacks in the air.
-Special - Press the B button, optionally adding a direction to use a different special move. Every character has four specials with unique properties.
Game Mechanics
Damage and KOs
Super Smash Bros plays differently from conventional fighting games. To win, you must first tack on damage to your opponent. You and your opponent's damage is recorded at the bottom of the screen next to your character portrait. The more damage a character posesses, the further they will fly from a strong attack. If they fly outside of a stage's blastzone, they lose a stock, or get "KO'd". Note that you can also die from falling below the bottom blastzone, generating another way to KO opponents.
Two Different Objectives of Winning
Through the options bar, you can select two different objectives for winning. The most common and usually used in tourneys is the stock match. To win a stock match, one player must reduce the others' stocks to zero, by knocking them out. In time matches, the victor is determined by the number of KOs from each character within a set period of time. There's also team versions of these two, allowing more than two people to compete on the same field at once.
Hitstun
Hitstun is a state where your character is hit by an attack and has no way to do anything except maneuver yourself. It is during this period where true combos are possible. SSB's long hitstun ensures long combos for almost every character.
Double Jumping
After jumping, pressing the jump button again will make you character double jump. Some characters have multiple double jumps that help them in recovery.
Grabbing
By pressing the grab button, you can grab the opponent if you're close enough. Once an opponent is grabbed, he cannot escape by any means. After grabbing, you have the choice of throwing forwards or backwards. Grabs often have high knockback, so it makes a good combo finisher. Every character's grab range differs, some have tether grabs, which are longer grabs, but slower if missed.
Shielding
By pressing "Z", your character will be encased in a bubble shield, blocking any attack that hits it. However, the shield diminishes over time, leaving parts of your character vulnerable for damage. Eventually, the shield breaks, from too much damage or time, and you will be put in a dizzied state, leaving you wide open for a charged smash attack. When an attack hits your shield, you suffer significant block stun, enough for a quick enough player to break it in a single combo, so use it seldomly. You can slightly angle the shield or grab out of a shield by pressing A.
Rolling
Pressing Z and a directional button makes you roll in that direction, leaving you invincible for a certain amount of time and positioning you to a possibly more advantageous position. However, there is a slight moment where you're vulnerable after the roll, during which a good player can easily take advantage of.
Shield Jumping
Another option out of a shield is jumping out of it. You can instantly follow that up with an aerial attack, potentially starting a combo. However, you have no invincibility upon jumping out of it, so be careful with using this.
Recovering
Most of the time you will find yourself falling off the stage, such as after an edgeguard attempt. To prevent a certain death, you should double jump, provided you still have one, then use a recovery move. Your recovery move is usually Up Special, but it doesn't necessarily have to be.
Grabbing the Ledge
In most stages, there is a part where the main platform ends called a ledge. If your character is close enough, he/she will grab the ledge automatically. After you grab the ledge you get a period of invincibility. You can then choose your options from the ledge. You can drop off from it, roll onto the stage, attack an on-stage attacker or jump over the ledge.
A common technique used by tourney players is edgehogging. As only one character can grab the ledge at one time, purposely grabbing the ledge that your opponent was aiming for will spell doom for them.
Directional Influence
Directional influence, or DI, is a technique that helps survive longer, and also used to escape multi-hitting moves. When hit by an attack, pushing the control stick quickly in any direction will slightly shift your character in that direction. You can use this to get as far from the closest blastzone or slowly move out of multi-hitting moves.
Short Hopping
If you press jump, then let go of the button before your character leaves the ground, you can perform a jump about half the length of a normal jump. SHing is usually used for landing aerial attacks on grounded characters. This is usually done with the C buttons as it is much easier to perform.
Fast Falling
Pressing down while in the air will accelerate your fall to the ground. This technique alone is generally helpful for surviving powerful upwards-sending moves.
L-Canceling
Pressing the shield button when landing during an aerial will negate any and all lag normally experienced without L-canaceling. This technique is vital for competitive play, as it allows for fast movement and attack.
SHFFLing
A combination of the above three techniques. Basically, you short hop, fastfall, perform an aerial and l-cancel it. This technique allows for long strings of aerials and deadly combos.