Background

I’m both a console tournament organizer and a new player in the Smash 64 community (though not a new player in Smash by any means), and this is a question that I receive all the time on Twitter, on Facebook, in person at tournaments, on reddit, on streams, you name it, from people who knew me from Brawl and Melee and are following my transition to the older brother in the series. Ever since I started playing this game competitively, my enthusiasm for it has grown like nothing I’ve ever played before, and it’s something that friends have told me has inspired them to delve into the game themselves. This is something I would like to spread even further, as 64 is the game that everybody seems to love, and yet nobody seems to play.

Key word being “seems”. In truth, the game is well alive and kicking — it’s growing, it’s got a long and rich history, and a unique, talented, interesting, and sometimes eccentric community to boot. Much as we all love Isai to bits, it’s so much more than just the game he dominates at.

n64

Smash 64’s Top 8 at Apex broadcasted to a record number of viewers, and while very few attendees at Apex gave it much attention on the secondary stage, it was one of the most fascinating Top 8 sets the community has ever seen. This top 8 was completely laden with upsets and unforeseen metagame advances, in Smash 64’s biggest North American tournament of all time. In response to this, I tried to think of how we can bring this game’s riveting competitive scene to more Smash players, how we can, as TaFoKiNtS would put it, “make it more spectator-friendly”, and I think that starts with making the game and its community accessible to outsiders.

64 has a much smaller scene and following compared especially to Melee and Smash 4, its console communities mostly being scattered between Ontario, Japan, Peru, Socal, MD/VA, Tristate, Quebec, Iowa, Lousiana, and west coast Canada. A year ago, there were not nearly as many 64 console communities as there are today, and the community needs to keep the ball rolling to keep growing. A big reason for its relative obscurity is its members being a little bit older than the average smasher, and having mostly not caught on to the social media and content production influx that has helped the other Smash installments boom as esports. This is slowly starting to change with recent discussion within the community on how to attract more viewers and competitors, and therefore gain more stream exposure, event interest, and public support. Following that line of thought, this article will attempt to make it easy for you to not only dive right into this game and its scene, but have enough content to keep you satiated and interested.

Gameplay basics

n64AT
Smash 64, while sharing the same objective as every other smash game, has some fundamental differences that make it different: it has the highest hitstun, highest shieldstun, only 2 throw directions, 3 specials, no charged smashes, no pummeling, and no spotdodging or airdodging. Tech skill in this game includes Z-cancelling (equivalent to L-cancelling in PM and Melee), its own form of DI (functionally equivalent to SDI in other games, but also facilitates stage DI, a tech that only exists in 64), floor teching (but no wall or ceiling teching), shield dropping, crouch canceling, and even character-specific techniques like jab-grabbing, parrying, shine cancelling… the list goes on and on. While the game does not have numerically as many input options as more modern Smash games, it maintains incredible depth and complexity that make for a very unique metagame.

A fantastic beginner’s guide to Smash 64 gameplay and advanced techs, as well as a tier list, matchup chart, and tournament ruleset can be found on Smashboards. This thread also is a treasure trove of information for the Smash 64 community, including youtube channels, Break the Targets records, an attack calculator, frame data, and advanced guides for playing online. Additionally, http://onlinessb.com contains a thorough and extremely helpful repository of hitbox data, gameshark codes, an ELO ranking, and much, much more.

It is always recommended to play on an actual N64 console with a cartridge, rather than on the virtual console version. The latter is subject to random and unpredictable frameskips, much moreso when you use characters like Link or Fox and there are a lot of explosions and lasers flying around. This doesn’t happen on the original console.

Controllers

n64controller

One of the biggest barriers I hear from newcomers to 64 is “I can’t get used to the controller!” Luckily, this game probably has the most available options for controllers out of any Smash installment. Online, you can really use whatever controller you like to play on Project 64. Many players coming in from Melee, Brawl, PM, and Smash 4 will prefer the gamecube controller (despite the lack of C-stick support), which luckily is also pretty easy to move over to console with if you purchase a GCC-to-N64 adapter.

However, if you use any other kind of controller to play online (keyboard, xbox controller, ps3 controller, etc), moving over to console with your favourite controller is a little more complicated. Because the netplay scene is so huge and alternative controllers are abundant, Karajan created custom lagless universal adapters that translate any USB input to N64 input, so that controller comfort level is no longer a barrier to anyone from playing at their best. He wrote a smashboards post about it, and walked me through it on Skype with a detailed set of instructions. These adapters cost about $150 to create, moreso if you want the latest version of the software (the version linked in these posts works just as well, but is more time-consuming to get up and running), and other people won’t always be able to supply one for you, so you’d have an easier time using a N64 controller. However, you’re used to what you’re used to, and the community has ways to accommodate you.

If you’re fine with the N64 controller, but had too many drunken friends over playing Mario Party and now have thoroughly unusable joysticks, you’re in luck — a little bit of wheel-bearing grease from any Home Hardware will make most controllers usable. Here are a couple of video guides.

Kitsch-Bent Method to replace gears in worn-out sticks
Another stick repair method (no gear replacement)
Maintenance guide for good sticks to prevent wear

If this seems like it’s not worth the effort, you can always look around for second-hand ones! Personally, I have 8 of them that I picked up from game stores and garage sales.

If you’d like to play online with your N64 controller, you’re going to need an adapter for your PC. Raphnet vs Mayflash vs Retroport is an occasional topic of heated debate in the 64 community, but any one will serve your needs just fine.

You could also pick up a Hori Mini Pad, which is preferred by quite a few players as it functions as well as a N64 controller without the awkward shape, but these are generally hard to find and very expensive.

Where to find opponents

There are plenty of ways you can find people to play Smash 64 with, whether online or in person. Here are a couple of great resources that will get you playing a real human opponent in no time (and, if you want it enough, start a local console scene of your own):

  • Smash 64 Player Map – Add yourself, and open the google map to find neighbours!
  • /r/smashbros’ List of Facebook groups – Join your local Facebook group, and ask if anyone wants to play! Some regions already have 64-specific groups, but others you might have to ask around for.
  • Kaillera netplay – A short introductory guide to get set up on Smash 64 netplay. A more detailed guide can be found on Smashboards, and a server list can be found on onlinessb.com.
  • Anther’s Ladder – The popular PM/Melee/Smash4 matchmaking site now supports Smash 64! Get on, practice up, and work your way up the ladder!
  • Advanced Brackets – Bracket software by Shears and Studstill of the Smash 64 community, contains a list of upcoming tournaments using it. Netplay tournaments are held very often on this site, sometimes more than a few times a week. Anyone is free to join these tournaments so long as they register an account on the site.
  • /r/smashbros’ Tournament Calendar – Check this calendar periodically to see when the next Smash 64 netplay monthly on /r/smashbros will be.

Where to discuss Smash 64

Although the community is largely hiding away in private Skype chats, there are a few more publicly accessible gathering spots online that are seeing greater use. Here are a few places where you can talk specifically with other Smash 64 players about the game and… well, everything else:

Streams & Social Media

Prog has stated many times that he prefers to call himself a storyteller rather than a commentator or a caster. As he says about Melee, “Why do people talk about ‘the gods?’ Not just because they are top players, but because they come attached with a compelling storyline.”

Smash 64’s story is not quite out in the public yet, but it’s getting there. If you want to get to know some of the regular players a little more intimately who have chosen to take up social media, here are some outlets to follow.

  • SSB64 Streams – Bloodpeach’s resource covering all the regular Smash 64 competitive streams we are aware of.
  • Salty Streams – Shears’ new stream site featuring a betting feature for virtual currency to unlock more site features! Can be used for any smash game but is mostly used by 64 players.
  • Twitter list – A feed of Smash 64 players’ tweets.

You can find plenty more streams, YouTube channels, and other media outlets in the Smash 64 Index on Smashboards.

Hopefully the info in this piece was helpful enough to send you on your way into the game whose initial success would eventually make way for the massive world of Smash Bros that we all enjoy today. Smash 64 is working its way out of the shadows and making itself known for the incredible game its community already knows it to be, and the resources here can help you become a part of the action!

Don’t forget to check out the Apex 2015 Top 8 VODs!