Happy Birthday, Game Boy and Super Smash Bros.!

Today marks two very special occasions.

First, today marks the tenth anniversary of Super Smash Bros.! I’ll probably go into some detail soon about my fondness of the series, but for now, you can read what Joe Keiser has to say about the occasion over at 61 Frames per Second.

And amidst it all, he drops this:

So it’s important, but that doesn’t make it all that worthwhile to go back to. Super Smash Bros has been thoroughly eclipsed by its sequels. 2001’s Super Smash Bros Melee in particular is still considered the series’ highlight, and was a favorite of professional tournaments for many years. Of course, that’s not going to keep Nintendo from selling the original: it recently appeared on the Japanese Wii Virtual Console, and it seems like an American release (perhaps on April 27th, 2009?) is inevitable.

Hmm, that’s less than a week away. Would Nintendo consider giving it to us on VC to mark the anniversary? Can’t say I’m holding my breath, but that would be terrific.

The other big celebration, arguably the bigger of the two, is that today marks the 20th anniversary of the Japanese release of the original Game Boy. You remember, the brick with the green screen?

I plan to write my own memories about the system– and my lack thereof– soon, but in the meantime, check out some of these posts about the portable powerhouse:

– Happy 20th anniversary, Game Boy!, from The Mega Man Network

– A Girl and Her Brick

– Game Boy: The Cure for Boredom

– 8-Bit Cafe: Nintendo’s Withered Wonderland

– A (Far Too) Personal Look Back at 20 Years of Game Boy

– Game Boy: Falling Hard for the Foot Clan

– 8-Bit Cafe: The Humble King of “Good Enough” Turns 20, and the last of the 1UP Retronauts blog posts for now.

– Happy Birthday Game Boy!

Happy Birthday, indeed.

Of course, Nintendo hasn’t peeped a word regarding this event, but then, there is probably little reason to expect them to; the Game Boy didn’t launch in North America until around August. Hopefully we’ll see and hear something then.

…wouldn’t a Game Boy-themed DSi be kind of cool?

–LBD “Nytetrayn”

David Oxford

David Oxford, or “LBD ‘Nytetrayn’,” as he is sometimes also known, is a freelance writer of many varied interests who resides in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. If you’re interested in hiring him, please drop him a line at david.oxford (at) nyteworks.net.

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