My first fighting game I've ever played was "Yie Ar Kung Fu" in 1988. From then on, I was a fighting game fanatic. My focal point in gaming has been the fighting genre since then. I love all fighting games, and never meet a fighting game I did not like (Primal Rage was close, but I thought the monkey's killer farting kept me enjoying it). I consider myself a professional in this genre. The topic I want to discuss is Super Smash Bros, and the depth it has compare to traditional fighters.

As I said before, I love all fighting games. I bought the Wii just for Super Smash and Mario Party. Smash Bros is fun and exciting to play with friends and family. One of the main reason I enjoy fighting games is the multiplayer experience. Getting into the hardcore mechanics of fighting, Super Smash Bros falls short of some things that the average gamer would not recognize as important elements of a "fighting game".

1...2...3...Paper!

First, the concept of all fighters are the same as the classic game paper, rock, and scissors. We all know the rules of the game, thus the same rules apply to the mechanics of fighters. High beats mid, mids beats low, and low beats high. Fighting games added another element in "jumping attack" or jump-high which beats out low and mid moves. Each attack has a hit point amount to it. For example, High = 5, mid = 4, and low = 3. In most fighter, the hit point system is set-up the way the example is shown. To balance it out, The higher the hit point the slower the move is in frame rate. You have a possibility of 10 combination of attacks to get as many hit point as needed to get a "K.O". Super Smash Brothers does not have this mechanics at all. This causes an absence in the mind game that is created in the system of traditional fighters.

The Hand is quicker than the eye? Oh, really!?

You want to be a great fighter? Beat your friends down to a pulp? Then it's all about frame rates. The core of any traditional fighter. Knowing the speed of a move lets you know what move it can beat out, or know how long does it take to counter after the blow. If Fighter A uppercut is 8 frames per second and recovery time is 4, then Fighter B better use a move that is 8 frames shorter, or 4 frames faster when he's recovering from the blocked uppercut (it's more complicated when you add in stun guard frame rates, but that's not important right now). Ask any pro-fighter how do they become so good, and the first thing they will say is knowing what moves counters others. Frame rate data is also based on the tier list of any fighting game. In any tier list, you'll notice it's not the most powerful on the top, but the ones who has quick moves to counter with. Super Smash Bros? Doesn't have a frame rate data sheet...One of the main reason it was not in major tournaments for so long until recent time. Partly because certain moves doesn't have a set frame rate. Mario's uppercut can be between 3~5 frames per second and other moves are like so.

I just did a 100-hit combo by mashing the A and B buttons!!!!

Of course you can't do that in any fighter game, but the point was "button smashing" is very evident in Smash Bros. I think this is the main reason Smash attract so many people to it's game. The simplicity of it it the genius part of Smash Bros. No longer I have to do a freaking double 360, pressing 2 punch button, order a pizza, walk the dog, and get my momma's wig out of lay-a-way just to do a heavy slam (looking at you SNK). That being said, it's more likely for button smashing to occur in Smash than traditional fighters. Not saying it doesn't occur at all in traditional fighter because the master of all button smasher characters was E. Honda. There is more skills involved in doing a combination attack in traditional fighters, than the combos in Smash Bros. Also, Smash bros combos are 100% guaranteed to chain with each attack. In traditional fighters it is not.

Analogy from a professional.

SSBM is to fighters as Brittney Spear is to music. Brittney is talented and the number of albums she sold shows this. She can sing, dance, and a great crowd pleaser. Her music is enjoyed around the world. She is consider a great artists of music of her time. However, lets compare Brittney's talents to Lauryn Hill, Aretha Franklin, Celion Dion, Mariah Carey, and Anita Baker. It kinda puts "music" in another perspective don't you think? Quite honestly, I think it's unfair to compare Brittney to those divas. Goes the same with SSBM and traditional fighters. SSMB is a wonderful game and should be played in tournaments like EVO, SBO, and GLA. I hope SSBM continue to make strides in the fighting genre to bring our community back on top of gaming. However, comparing SSMB to other traditional fighter is unfair for SSMB. It's has it's own light and it should stay there. Let it be known as fact that traditional fighters have the deeper mechanical gameplay than SSBM, but SSBM can be enjoyed just like all the other fighters.

I want the gaming industry to grow bigger in a way that no other entertainment industry has done before. I want the gaming industry to be bigger than movies and music, and to be taking seriously. I hate to see companies who are in to make a quick buck. Your kind is not welcome by me. As long you showing new idea and innovative ways that progressing the industry forward, I'm happy for you. However, if you just leeching off ideas that other companies are doing than you need to step out of the industry.