document_title: Catholic schools in the United States

question_text: number of catholic high schools in the united states

text: Catholic schools in the United States

text: History[edit]

text: By the middle of the 19th century, the Catholics in larger cities started building their own parochial school system.[2] The main impetus was fear that indoctrination by Protestant teachers in the public schools would lead to a loss of faith. Protestants reacted by strong opposition to any public funding of parochial schools.[3] The Catholics nevertheless built their elementary schools, parish by parish, using very low paid and sisters without college educations as teachers.[4] This was not unlike the public school system, where college-educated teachers became the norm only in the 20th century.

text: Operation[edit]

text: Most Catholic elementary schools are operated by a local parish community, while secondary schools are usually operated by a diocese or archdiocese, or a religious institute, and often those in major cities are also attached to a Catholic university.[5]

text: In the United States, the term parochial school is commonly used to refer to Catholic schools, to distinguish it from private school (which can refer to either a nonsectarian school or a church-based school).[6]

text: Most elementary schools are owned by a particular parish, while high schools are often owned by a group of parishes (more common in the South), a religious institute (more common in the Northeast), or a diocese. In the West, a mixture of schools operated by dioceses and religious institutes is common, with the older schools generally run by such institutes. Except in the case of independent schools, local priests are invariably members of the school board, and often at secondary schools are found among the teaching staff as well. In some dioceses the bishop holds the title of superintendent, while others have delegated this responsibility to the head of the Office of Catholic Schools. In terms of practicality, it is often the local priests who fulfill this function.

text: Most Catholic elementary schools tend to be smaller than their public counterparts, and it is not unusual for such schools to have only one teacher and classroom per grade level. Additionally, grade levels often separated between grammar and middle schools (in the public schools) are generally not separated in Catholic schools; thus a student may attend the same school from kindergarten or first grade through eighth grade. One other major difference is that in most parts of the country, public schools provide bus service to their students, while Catholic schools rarely do.

text: Entrance requirements[edit]

text: Catholic schools in the United States accept students of all religions, ethnic backgrounds, and ability. More competitive Catholic secondary schools tend to have tighter academic requirements and/or an entrance exam. It is a common expectation that non-Catholic students take religion classes and attend the spiritual exercises of the school. Many schools have a policy (sometimes written) banning proselytizing in any form.[7]

text: Enrollment[edit]

text: The United States had 7,498 Catholic schools in 2006-07, including 6,288 elementary schools and 1,210 secondary schools. In total there were 2,320,651 students, including 1,682,412 students in the elementary/middle schools and 638,239 in high schools.[8] Enrollment in the nation's Catholic schools has steadily dropped to less than half of its peak at five million students 40 years ago, The New York Times reported in early 2009. At its peak in 1965, the number of U.S. parochial schools was more than 12,000, and roughly half of all Catholic children in America attended Catholic elementary schools, according to the National Catholic Educational Association. The same share in 2009 is about 15 percent. Among Latinos, the fastest-growing church group — soon to comprise a majority of Catholics in the United States — it is three percent. The article also reported on "dozens of local efforts" to turn the tide, including by the Archdiocese of Chicago and Washington, and dioceses in Memphis and Wichita, Kansas, as well as in the New York metro area.[9]

text: Public funding debate[edit]

text: Heavily Protestant in the 19th century, most states passed a state constitutional amendment, referred to as the Blaine Amendment, forbidding tax money be used to fund parochial schools, a possible outcome of heavy immigration from Catholic Ireland after the 1840s. In 2002, the United States Supreme Court partially vitiated these amendments, in theory, when they ruled that vouchers were constitutional if tax dollars followed a child to a school, even if it were religious. However, no state had, by 2009, changed its laws to allow this.[10]

text: Since 2000, 1,942 Catholic schools around the country have shut their doors, and enrollment has dropped by 621,583 students, to just over 2 million in 2012, according to the National Catholic Educational Association. Many Catholic schools were being squeezed out of the education market by publicly funded charter schools.[11]


document_title: The Signature at MGM Grand

question_text: when was the signature at mgm grand built

root

text: The Signature at MGM Grand

text: History[edit]

text: On December 20, 2003, MGM Resorts International and Turnberry Associates announced the formation of a partnership to build the luxury condo hotel, stating that they would build up to six towers each rising up to 40 stories. The first phase of this project involved the sales of condo units to individuals and investors. During this phase, the project was referred to as The Residences, The Residences at MGM Grand and/or The Residences: A Condo Hotel by Turnberry. The first tower sold out within 90 days, proving that the concept was well received. The second tower was already 50% sold by the time construction began in late 2004.

tag: p

text: In October 2004, The Residences celebrated its ground-breaking, making it the first high-rise condo-hotel project overlooking the strip to begin construction. Other ventures of this type have begun since in Las Vegas, with many of them failing to obtain necessary financing and/or support. On May 12, 2006, the first tower opened for occupancy. The successful opening of The Signature at MGM Grand appears to be aided by its connection to the resources and amenities of The MGM Grand Hotel & Casino.

text: Amenities[edit]

text: Each tower has a private pool with a hot tub. Tower 1 has a cocktail lounge. Towers 1 and 3 have a workout room for the guests of all three towers. Starbucks is available at Tower 1. Signature guests have full access to all MGM Grand amenities as well.

text: Access To The MGM Casino[edit]

text: The Signature is connected to the main MGM Grand Casino via several moving walkways that traverse through two of the 3 towers (Tower 1 & 2). Tower 3 is accessible via a hallway between tower 2 and 3. Time to the main casino to the furthest tower (Tower 3) is about 8 minutes for the average walker.

text: Parking[edit]

text: There is no self parking on the Signature property, all parking is by valet. Each tower has valet parking on the ground level.

text: Gallery[edit]

text:
Harmon Ave East

The Signature at MGM Grand, Las Vegas

File:The Signature at MGM Grand Tower

tag: ul


document_title: Geography of Europe

question_text: what mountain range in russia separates europe from asia

text: Geography of Europe

text: Overview[edit]

text: Some geographical texts refer to a Eurasian continent given that Europe is not surrounded by sea and its southeastern border has always been variously defined for centuries.

text: In terms of shape, Europe is a collection of connected peninsulas and nearby islands. The two largest peninsulas are mainland Europe and Scandinavia to the north, divided from each other by the Baltic Sea. Three smaller peninsulas—Iberia, Italy and the Balkans—emerge from the southern margin of the mainland. The Balkan peninsula is separated from Asia by the Black and Aegean Seas. Italy is separated from the Balkans by the Adriatic Sea, and from Iberia by the Mediterranean Sea, which also separates Europe from Africa. Eastward, mainland Europe widens much like the mouth of a funnel, until the boundary with Asia is reached at the Ural Mountains and Ural River, the Caspian Sea and Caucasus Mountains.

text: Land relief in Europe shows great variation within relatively small areas. The southern regions are mountainous, while moving north the terrain descends from the high Alps, Pyrenees and Carpathians, through hilly uplands, into broad, low northern plains, which are vast in the east. An arc of uplands also exists along the northwestern seaboard, beginning in southwestern Ireland, continuing across through western and northern Great Britain, and up along the mountainous, fjord-cut spine of Norway.

text: This description is simplified. Sub-regions such as Iberia and Italy contain their own complex features, as does mainland Europe itself, where the relief contains many plateaus, river valleys and basins that complicate the general trend. Iceland and the British Isles are special cases. The former is of North Atlantic volcanic formation, while the latter consist of upland areas once joined to the mainland until cut off by rising sea levels.

text: Peninsula of peninsulas[edit]

text: Europe is sometimes called a "peninsula of peninsulas", to draw attention to the fact that Europe is a relatively small, elongated appendage to Asia, and that a large part of Europe is made up of peninsulas.[1]

text: Partial list of European peninsulas

text:
Absheron peninsula
Balkan peninsula
Cotentin Peninsula
Crimea
Fennoscandian Peninsula

Kola Peninsula
Scandinavian Peninsula

Iberian Peninsula
Italian Peninsula
Jutland
Kanin Peninsula

text: Geology[edit]

text: Europe's most significant geological feature is the dichotomy between the highlands and mountains of Southern Europe and a vast, partially underwater, northern plain ranging from Great Britain in the west to the Ural Mountains in the east.[citation needed] These two halves are separated by the mountain chains of the Pyrenees and the Alps/Carpathians. The northern plains are delimited in the west by the Scandinavian mountains and the mountainous parts of the British Isles. The major shallow water bodies submerging parts of the northern plains are the Celtic Sea, the North Sea, the Baltic Sea complex, and the Barents Sea.

text: The northern plain contains the old geological continent of Baltica, and so may be regarded as the "main continent", while peripheral highlands and mountainous regions in south and west constitute fragments from various other geological continents.

text: The geology of Europe is hugely varied and complex, and gives rise to the wide variety of landscapes found across the continent, from the Scottish Highlands to the rolling plains of Hungary.

text: This section needs expansion. You can help by adding to it. (March 2011)

tag: table

text: Population[edit]

text: Figures for the population of Europe vary according to which definition of European boundaries is used. The population within the standard physical geographical boundaries was 701 million in 2005 according to the United Nations. In 2000 the population was 857 million, using a definition which includes the whole of the transcontinental countries of Russia and Turkey. Population growth is comparatively slow, and median age comparatively high in relation to the world's other continents.

text: Rivers[edit]

text: The longest rivers in Europe with their approximate lengths:[2][3]

text:
Volga -   3,690 km (2,290 mi)
Danube - 2,860 km (1,780 mi)
Ural   -    2,428 km (1,509 mi)
Dnieper - 2,290 km (1,420 mi)
Don   -     1,950 km (1,210 mi)
Pechora - 1,809 km (1,124 mi)
Kama -  1,805 km (1,122 mi)
Oka   -   1,500 km (930 mi)
Belaya - 1,430 km (890 mi)
Tisza   -   1,358 km (844 mi)
Dniester - 1,352 km (840 mi)
Rhine   -   1,236 km (768 mi)
Elbe   -   1,091 km (678 mi)
Vistula - 1,047 km (651 mi)
Tagus   - 1,038 km (645 mi)
Daugava - 1,020 km (630 mi)
Loire - 1,012 km (629 mi)
Ebro - 960 km (600 mi)
Neman - 937 km (582 mi)
Sava - 933 km (580 mi)
Douro - 897 km (557 mi)
Oder - 854 km (531 mi)
Guadiana - 829 km (515 mi)
Rhône - 815 km (506 mi)
Seine  - 776 km (482 mi)
Mureș - 761 km (473 mi)
Prut - 742 km (461 mi)
Po - 682 km (424 mi)
Guadalquivir - 657 km (408 mi)
Olt - 615 km (382 mi)
Glomma - 604 km (375 mi)
Garonne - 602 km (374 mi)
Siret - 559 km (347 mi)
Neris - 510 km (320 mi)
Maritsa - 480 km (300 mi)
Gauja - 452 km (281 mi)
Vltava - 430 km (270 mi)
Ialomița - 417 km (259 mi)
Vah - 406 km (252 mi)
Vardar - 388 km (241 mi)
Shannon - 386 km (240 mi)
Someș - 376 km (234 mi)
Morava - 353 km (219 mi)
Thames - 346 km (215 mi)
Drin 335 km - 335 km (208 mi)
Torne - 324 km (201 mi)

tag: ol

text: Lakes and inland seas[edit]

text: Major islands[edit]

text: Iceland, Faroe Islands, Great Britain, Ireland, Balearic Islands, Corsica, Sardinia, Sicily, Malta, Cyprus, Ionian Islands, Crete, Aegean Islands, Åland Islands, Gotland, Saaremaa, Svalbard, Hinnøya, Senja, Zealand, Fyn and North Jutlandic Island.

text: See also List of European islands by area and List of European islands by population

text: Plains and lowlands[edit]

text:
East European Plain, the largest landscape feature of Europe
Northern European Lowlands
Pannonian Plain
Meseta Central is a high plain (plateau) in central Spain (occupies roughly 40% of the country)
Po Valley, also known as Padan Plain, between Alps and Apennines

text: Mountain ranges[edit]

text: Some of Europe's major mountain ranges are:

text:
Ural Mountains, which form the boundary between Europe and Asia
Caucasus Mountains, which also separate Europe and Asia, and are the namesake of the Caucasian race
Carpathian Mountains, a major mountain range in Central and Southern Europe
Alps, in Central Western Europe
Apennines, which run through Italy
Pyrenees, the natural border between France and Spain
Cantabrian Mountains, which run across northern Spain
Scandinavian Mountains, a mountain range which runs through the Scandinavian Peninsula, includes the Kjølen mountains
Dinaric Alps, a mountain range in the Balkans
Balkan Mountains, a mountain range in central Balkans
Scottish Highlands (including the Cairngorms) in the United Kingdom.

text: Land area in different classes of European mountainous terrain (classification from UNEP-WCMC):

text:
Altitude
Area (km2)
% Area

≥4500m
1
0.00%

3500-4500m
225
0.00%

2500-3500m
497,886
4.89%

1500-2500m & slope ≥2°
145,838
1.43%

1000-1500m & slope ≥5°
or local elevation range >300m
345,255
3.39%

300-1000m
and local elevation range >300m
1,222,104
12.00%

Mountainous TOTAL
2,211,308
21.72%

Europe TOTAL
10,180,000
100.00%

text: Temperature and precipitation[edit]

text: The high mountainous areas of Europe are colder and have higher precipitation than lower areas, as is true of mountainous areas in general. Europe has less precipitation in the east than in central and western Europe. The temperature difference between summer and winter gradually increases from coastal northwest Europe to southeast inland Europe, ranging from Ireland, with a temperature difference of only 10 °C from the warmest to the coldest month, to the area north of the Caspian Sea, with a temperature difference of 40 °C. January average range from 13 °C in southern Spain and southern Greek islands to -20 °C in the northeastern part of European Russia. Desert climates are found in the European portion of Kazakhstan and South Eastern Spain.

text: Western Europe and parts of Central Europe generally fall into the temperate maritime climate (Cfb), the southern part is mostly a Mediterranean climate (mostly Csa, smaller area with Csb), the north-central part and east into central Russia is mostly a humid continental climate (Dfb) and the northern part of the continent is a subarctic climate (Dfc). In the extreme northern part (northernmost Russia; Svalbard), bordering the Arctic Ocean, is tundra climate (Et). Mountain ranges, such as the Alps and the Carpathian mountains, have a highland climate with large variations according to altitude and latitude.

text: Landlocked countries[edit]

text: If Nagorno-Karabakh Republic is considered a country (it is a non-UN member state not recognised by any state), it is landlocked by Armenia.

text:
Andorra
Armenia
Austria
Belarus
Czech Republic
Hungary
Kazakhstan
Kosovo
Liechtenstein
Luxembourg
Republic of Macedonia
Moldova
San Marino
Serbia
Slovakia
Switzerland
Vatican

text: Notes:

text:
Liechtenstein is doubly landlocked.
Switzerland, Liechtenstein, Austria, Czech Republic, Slovakia, Hungary, Serbia, and Macedonia constitute a contiguous landlocked agglomeration of eight countries in Central Europe and the Balkans, stretching from Geneva all the way to Greece.
All other landlocked countries (Luxembourg, Andorra, Vatican, San Marino, Belarus, Moldova, Azerbaijan, and Kazakhstan) are "standalone" landlocked countries, not bordering any other such European one (the emphasis is necessary, since Kazakhstan borders Turkmenistan, Uzbekistan, and Kyrgyzstan, thus forming a vast landlocked expanse in Central Asia)

text: Countries consisting solely of islands or parts of islands[edit]

text:
Cyprus
Iceland
Ireland
Malta
United Kingdom

text: Countries bordering or spanning another continent[edit]

text:
Eurasia
Armenia, Azerbaijan, Republic of Cyprus, Georgia, Kazakhstan, Russia, Turkey, Greece (some Aegean islands and Kastelorizo island in southeastern Mediterranean)

Europe-Africa
Malta, Spain (Ceuta, Melilla and Canary Islands), Italy (Lampedusa and Lampione), Portugal (Madeira),[4] France (Réunion and Mayotte)

Europe-South America
France (French Guiana)

Europe-North America
France (Guadeloupe, Martinique, and St. Pierre et Miquelon), Denmark (Greenland), Netherlands (Bonaire, Saba, and St. Eustatius), Portugal (Corvo Island, Flores Island)

text: Countries that share a name with their capital[edit]

text:
Luxembourg
Monaco
San Marino
Vatican City
Andorra

text: Countries whose capital is not the most populous[edit]

text:
Country
Capital
Largest city or municipality

 Liechtenstein
Vaduz
Schaan

 Malta
Valletta
Birkirkara

 San Marino
San Marino
Serravalle

 Switzerland
Bern
Zurich

 Turkey
Ankara
Istanbul

text: Note: Italy's capital, Rome, is the country's largest city if only the municipality (comune) is considered. Greater Milan is the largest Metropolitan Area in Italy.

text: Brussels is considered to be the largest city of Belgium, according to the population of the Brussels-Capital Region. The population of the City of Brussels is ~175,000. Antwerp is the biggest city of the country.

text: List of countries by the number of other countries they border[edit]

text:
14
Russia (Including Kaliningrad)

11
France (Including overseas departments and territories)

9
Germany

8
Austria, Serbia, Turkey

7
Hungary, Poland, Ukraine

6
Italy

5
Azerbaijan, Belarus, Bulgaria, Croatia, Kazakhstan, Romania, Macedonia, Slovakia, Spain (Including Ceuta and Melilla), Switzerland

4
Albania, Armenia, Belgium, the Czech Republic, Georgia, Greece, Kosovo, Latvia, Lithuania, Montenegro, Slovenia

3
Bosnia and Herzegovina, Finland, Netherlands (Including Sint Maarten), Norway, Luxembourg

2
Andorra, Estonia, Liechtenstein, Moldova, Sweden

1
Denmark, Ireland, Monaco, Portugal, San Marino, United Kingdom, Vatican City

0
Iceland, Cyprus, Malta


document_title: Super Smash Bros.

question_text: how many unlockable characters in super smash bros

text: Super Smash Bros.

text: History

text:
Timeline of release years

1999
Super Smash Bros.

2000

2001
Melee

2002

2003

2004

2005

2006

2007

2008
Brawl

2009

2010

2011

2012

2013

2014
3DS and Wii U

text: Super Smash Bros. (1999)

text: Super Smash Bros. was introduced in 1999 for the Nintendo 64. It was released worldwide after selling over a million copies in Japan.[2] It featured eight characters from the start (Mario, Donkey Kong, Link, Samus, Yoshi, Kirby, Fox, and Pikachu), with four unlockable characters (Luigi, Captain Falcon, Ness, and Jigglypuff), all of them created by Nintendo or one of its second-party developers.

text: In Super Smash Bros., up to four players can play in multiplayer (Versus) mode, with the specific rules of each match being predetermined by the players. There are two match types that can be chosen: Time, where the person with the most KOs at the end of the set time wins; and stock, where each player has a set number of lives and are eliminated from play when their lives are depleted.

text: This game's one-player mode included one adventure mode that always followed the same series of opponents although the player could change the difficulty. Other single player modes exist such as Training and several mini-games, including "Break the Targets" and "Board the Platforms". All of these were included in the sequel, with the exception of "Board the Platforms".

text: There are nine playable stages in Versus mode, eight based on each of the starting characters (such as Princess Peach's Castle for Mario, Zebes for Samus, and Sector Z for Fox) and the unlockable Mushroom Kingdom, based around motifs from the original Super Mario Bros., even containing original sprites and the original version of the Overworld theme from that game.

text: Super Smash Bros. Melee (2001)

text: Super Smash Bros. Melee was released November 21, 2001, in Japan; December 3, 2001, in North America; May 24, 2002, in Europe; and May 31, 2002, in Australia for the GameCube video game console. It had a larger budget and development team than Super Smash Bros. did[3] and was released to much greater praise and acclaim among critics and consumers. Since its release, Super Smash Bros. Melee has sold more than 7 million copies and was the best-selling game on the GameCube.[4] Super Smash Bros. Melee features 26 characters, of which 15 are available initially, more than doubling the number of characters in its predecessor. There are also 29 stages.

text: It introduced two new single-player modes alongside the Classic mode: Adventure mode and All-Star mode. Adventure mode has platforming segments similar to the original's "Race to the Finish" mini-game, and All-Star is a fight against every playable character in the game, allows the player only one life in which damage is accumulated over each battle and a limited number of heal items in between battles.

text: There are also significantly more multiplayer modes and a tournament mode allowing for 64 different competitors whom can all be controlled by a human player, although only up to four players can participate at the same time. Additionally, the game featured alternative battle modes, called "Special Melee," which allows players to make many different alterations to the battle, along with alternative ways to judge a victory, such as through collecting coins throughout the match.[5]

text: In place of Super Smash Bros.' character profiles, Melee introduced trophies (called "figures" in the Japanese version). The 293 trophies include three different profiles for each playable character, one unlocked in each single-player mode. In addition, unlike its predecessor, Melee contains profiles for many Nintendo characters who are either non-playable or do not appear in the game, as well as Nintendo items, stages, enemies, and elements.

text: Super Smash Bros. Brawl (2008)

text: Although a third Super Smash Bros. game had been announced long before E3 2006, Nintendo unveiled its first information in the form of a trailer on May 10, 2006, and the game was named Super Smash Bros. Brawl. The trailer featured Solid Snake, of Konami's Metal Gear fame, marking the first time that a third-party character had been introduced as a playable character in a Super Smash Bros. title. A second third-party character, Sonic the Hedgehog, from Nintendo's former rival Sega was also confirmed as a playable character on October 10, 2007. Super Smash Bros. Brawl was released in Japan on January 31, 2008, in North America on March 9, 2008, in Australia on June 26, 2008, and Europe on June 27, 2008. Brawl is also the first game in the franchise to support online play, via the Nintendo Wi-Fi Connection,[6] and to offer the ability for players to construct their own original stages.[7] The game features a total of 39 playable characters and 41 stages.

text: Brawl also features compatibility with four kinds of controllers (the Wii Remote on its side, the Wii Remote and Nunchuk combination, the Classic Controller, and the GameCube controller),[8] while its predecessors only used the one controller designed for that system. The player also has the ability to change the configuration of controls and the controller type.[9]

text: Super Smash Bros. Brawl features a new Adventure Mode titled Super Smash Bros. Brawl: The Subspace Emissary. This mode features unique character storylines along with numerous side scrolling levels and multiple bosses to fight, as well as CG cut scenes explaining the storyline. The Subspace Emissary features a new group of antagonists called the Subspace Army, who are led by the Ancient Minister. Some of these enemy characters appeared in previous Nintendo video games, such as Petey Piranha from the Mario series and a squadron of R.O.B.s based on classic Nintendo hardware. The Subspace Emissary also boasts a number of original enemies, such as the Roader, a robotic unicycle; the Bytan, a one-eyed ball-like creature which can replicate itself if left alone; and the Primid, enemies that come in many variations.[10] Though primarily a single-player mode, The Subspace Emissary allows for cooperative multiplayer. There are five difficulty levels for each stage, and there is a method of increasing characters' powers during the game.[11] This is done by placing collected stickers onto the bottom of a character's trophy between stages to improve various aspects of a fighter.[12]

text: Super Smash Bros. for Nintendo 3DS and Wii U (2014)

text: At E3 2011, it was confirmed that a fourth and fifth Super Smash Bros. game will be coming to the Nintendo 3DS and Wii U, with the two games being cross-compatible with each other in some way.[13][14] Sakurai stated that the announcement was made public in order to attract developers needed for the games, as development for the titles did not start until May 2012 due to production on Kid Icarus: Uprising.[15][16] On June 21, 2012, Nintendo announced that the creation of the games would be a co-production between Sakurai's Sora Ltd. and Bandai Namco Entertainment.[17] The titles were officially revealed at E3 2013, with new information being released via trailers, Nintendo Direct presentations, and developer posts on Miiverse.[18] The game features 58 characters[19] (seven of which are downloadable) with 19 brand new fighters, including third-party characters Mega Man, Pac-Man, Ryu, Cloud Strife, and Bayonetta. The game was released for Nintendo 3DS in Japan on September 13, 2014, and in North America and Europe on October 3, 2014, and in Australia on October 4, 2014. The Wii U version was released on November 21, 2014 in North America, in Europe on November 28, 2014, in Australia on November 29, 2014, and in Japan on December 6, 2014.[20][21][22]

text: Future

text: In April 2014, Bandai Namco Entertainment posted a recruitment advertisement on a Japanese career job opportunity website. The recruitment page consisted of a listing for programmers for Super Smash Bros. 6, which was expected to be released in 2015 for both the Wii U and Nintendo 3DS. The page noted there were 120 game developers working on the project at the time, and that the Bandai Namco expected that number to increase to 200. However, shortly after its publication, the page was taken down.[23]

text: In January 2015 in his column in Weekly Famitsu, Sakurai alluded to the possibility of retirement, expressing doubt that he would be able to continue making games if his career continued to be as stressful as it was.[24] In December 2015, Sakurai once again stated that he wasn't sure if there will be another Smash Bros. game in the series.[25] In January 2016, it was rumoured that a new Super Smash Bros. game was being developed by Bandai Namco and that the game was planned as a launch title for the Nintendo Switch. However, the rumour was actually debunked, and it is currently unknown as to whether it will be another installment in the series or an enhanced port of the 3DS and Wii U versions.[26]

text: Gameplay

text: Gameplay in the Super Smash Bros. series differs from many fighting games.[27] Instead of winning by depleting an opponent's life bar, players seek to launch their opponents off the stage and out of the map. Characters have a damage total which rises as they take damage, represented by a percentage value that measures up to 999%. As a character's percentage rises, the character can be knocked progressively farther by an opponent's attacks.[5] To knock out an opponent, the player must knock that character outside the arena's boundaries in any direction.[28] When a character is launched off the stage, the character can attempt to "recover" by using jumping moves and abilities to return to the stage.[5] Some characters have an easier time recovering onto the stage than others due to their moves and abilities. Additionally, some characters vary in weight, with lighter characters being easier to launch than heavy characters.[29]

text: Smash Bros.' controls are greatly simplified in comparison to other fighting games, with one button used for standard attacks and another used for special attacks.[27] Players can perform different types of moves by holding the directional controls up, down, to the side, or in a neutral position while pressing the attack or special button.[5] As such, each character has four types of ground attacks, mid-air attacks, and special attacks that can be performed.[5] Quickly pressing or tapping a directional input and the attack button together while on the ground allows players to perform a chargeable "Smash Attack", which is generally more powerful than other attacks.[5] When characters are hit by attacks, they receive hitstun that temporarily disallows any attacks to be made. This allows combos to be performed. A shield button allows players to put up a defensive shield which weakens with repeated use and will leave the player unable to move if broken. Combining the shield button with directional inputs and attack buttons allows the player to also perform dodges, rolls, grabs, and throws.[30] The three basic actions in Super Smash Bros., attacking, grabbing, and shielding, are often described using a rock–paper–scissors analogy: attacking beats grabbing, grabbing beats shielding, and shielding beats attacking.[31] When a player knocks another player off of the main platform, they may perform an action called edge-guarding.[32] At the same time the player that has been knocked off will try to recover by jumping back onto the stage and avoiding the other players' edge-guarding.[5]

text: Another element in the Super Smash Bros. series is battle items, the abundance of which players can adjust the before matches. There are conventional "battering items", with which a player may hit an opponent, such as a Home run bat or a Beam Sword, throwing items, including Bob-ombs and Koopa shells, and shooting items, either single shot guns or rapid fire blasters. Recovery items allow the user to reduce their damage percentage by varying amounts. Poké Balls are special items that release a random Pokémon onto the battlefield to assist the user. Brawl introduced the Assist Trophy item which serves a similar purpose; instead of releasing Pokémon, it summons a character from a Nintendo franchise.[33] Brawl also introduces the Smash Ball, which when broken allows fighters to perform a character-specific super attack known as a "Final Smash".[33]

text: The rules that can be used in a match vary depending on the game, but the most commonly used settings across all games are Time and Stock. Time mode uses a point based system in which fighters earn points for knocking out their opponents and lose points for being knocked out or self-destructing (i.e. falling out of the arena by themselves). The player with the highest score at the end of the set time limit wins the match. Survival uses a life-based system in which players are given a set number of lives, known as stock, with each fighter losing a life whenever they are knocked out, becoming eliminated if they run out of lives. The winner is the last fighter standing once all other fighters are eliminated or, if a time-limit is applied to the match, the fighter with the most lives remaining once time runs out. In the event of a tie, such as two or more fighters sharing the highest score/life count at the end of the time limit or remaining fighters losing their last life simultaneously, a Sudden Death match takes place. Here, each of the tied fighters are given a starting damage percentage of 300%, making them easier to launch off the stage, and the last fighter standing wins the match. In some games this process is repeated if the match ends in another tie.

text: Gameplay using competitive Smash Bros. rules is usually played in stock mode and with a timer.[34] Items are turned off and the only tournament legal stages are those that do not feature hazards and other disruptive elements.[35]

text: Characters

text: Playable characters

text: Each game in the series has a number of playable characters (referred in the games as "fighters") taken from various Nintendo franchises. Starting with Brawl, characters from third-party franchises have also made playable appearances. At the start of each game, some of the fighters will be locked from play. To unlock a hidden fighter, players need to clear certain conditions, such as playing a certain number of matches, and defeat that fighter in a match. In Brawl, players can also unlock fighters by encountering them in the Subspace Emissary mode. In Super Smash Bros. for Nintendo 3DS and Wii U, players are able to customise existing fighters with altered movesets and statistics, or make their own Mii Fighters that can be given different fighting styles, though these cannot be played in online matches with strangers.

text:
Fighter
64
Melee
Brawl
3DS/Wii U
Franchise

Bayonetta

DLC
Bayonetta

Bowser

Super Mario

Bowser Jr.[Note 1]

Super Mario

Captain Falcon

F-Zero

Charizard[Note 2]

Pokémon

Cloud

DLC
Final Fantasy

Corrin

DLC
Fire Emblem

Dark Pit

Kid Icarus

Diddy Kong

Donkey Kong

Donkey Kong

Donkey Kong

Dr. Mario

Super Mario

Duck Hunt[Note 3]

Duck Hunt

Falco

Star Fox

Fox

Star Fox

Ganondorf

The Legend of Zelda

Greninja

Pokémon

Ice Climbers

Ice Climber

Ike

Fire Emblem

Ivysaur[Note 2]

Pokémon

Jigglypuff

Pokémon

King Dedede

Kirby

Kirby

Kirby

Link

The Legend of Zelda

Little Mac

Punch-Out!!

Lucario

Pokémon

Lucas[Note 4]

DLC
EarthBound

Lucina

Fire Emblem

Luigi

Super Mario

Mario

Super Mario

Marth

Fire Emblem

Mega Man

Mega Man

Meta Knight

Kirby

Mewtwo[Note 5]

DLC
Pokémon

Mii Brawler[Note 6]

Mii

Mii Swordfighter[Note 3][Note 6]

Mii

Mii Gunner[Note 6]

Mii

Mr. Game & Watch

Game & Watch

Ness

EarthBound

Olimar[Note 7]

Pikmin

Pac-Man

Pac-Man

Palutena

Kid Icarus

Peach

Super Mario

Pichu

Pokémon

Pikachu

Pokémon

Pit

Kid Icarus

R.O.B.

Gyromite / Stack-Up

Robin

Fire Emblem

Rosalina & Luma

Super Mario

Roy[Note 8]

DLC
Fire Emblem

Ryu

DLC
Street Fighter

Samus

Metroid

Sheik[Note 9]

The Legend of Zelda

Shulk

Xenoblade

Snake

Metal Gear

Sonic

Sonic the Hedgehog

Squirtle[Note 2]

Pokémon

Toon Link

The Legend of Zelda

Villager

Animal Crossing

Wario

Wario

Wii Fit Trainer

Wii Fit

Wolf

Star Fox

Yoshi

Yoshi

Young Link

The Legend of Zelda

Zelda

The Legend of Zelda

Zero Suit Samus[Note 10]

Metroid

Total
12
26
39
51 + 7 (DLC)

text:
Jump up ^ Bowser Jr.'s seven alternate costumes change the character's name and appearance to be one of the Koopalings: Larry, Morton, Wendy, Iggy, Roy, Lemmy, or Ludwig. However, they are otherwise identical to Bowser Jr.
^ Jump up to: a b c In Super Smash Bros. Brawl, this Pokémon is listed with two others under the name "Pokémon Trainer" on the character select screen. The Pokémon Trainer appears in the background while the player takes direct control of Squirtle, Ivysaur, or Charizard, and can switch between them during the battle. In 3DS/Wii U, only Charizard is available as a standalone character.
^ Jump up to: a b In 3DS/Wii U, there are slight name variations between NTSC and PAL versions. For the NTSC characters "Duck Hunt" and "Mii Swordfighter," PAL versions lists them as "Duck Hunt Duo" and "Mii Sword Fighter."
Jump up ^ In 3DS/Wii U, Lucas is a bonus downloadable character. Lucas was released alongside Roy and Ryu on June 14, 2015.
Jump up ^ In 3DS/Wii U, Mewtwo is a bonus downloadable character. Mewtwo was released on April 15, 2015 for Club Nintendo members who registered both versions of the game, and was available later for purchase on April 28, 2015.
^ Jump up to: a b c Brawler, Swordfighter, and Gunner are under one slot labeled as Mii Fighters, and cannot be used in online matches against strangers.
Jump up ^ In 3DS/Wii U, four of Olimar's alternate costumes change his name and appearance to Alph. However, Alph plays the same as Olimar.
Jump up ^ In 3DS/Wii U, Roy is a bonus downloadable character. Roy was released alongside Lucas and Ryu on June 14, 2015.
Jump up ^ In Super Smash Bros. Melee, Zelda can transform into Sheik using her down-B attack and vice versa. This can also be done in Super Smash Bros. Brawl, though players are also able to select Sheik within Zelda's character icon on the character select screen. In 3DS/Wii U, they are both standalone characters.
Jump up ^ In Super Smash Bros. Brawl, Samus and Zero Suit Samus can be selected individually on the character select screen, or can alternate between each other by performing their respective Final Smash attacks. In 3DS/Wii U, they are both standalone characters.

text: Non-playable characters

text: The following characters are non-playable characters unless using glitches or cheat cartridges, that appear only in the various Single Player modes throughout the series, controlled by the computer, as hazards in specific stages, or in Smash Run. Most of the non-playable characters were created for use in the Super Smash Bros. series although some of them, such as Goombas, come from other game franchises.

text: Bosses

text:
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text: Throughout the Super Smash Bros. series, most single-player modes have included several non-playable boss characters. These bosses generally have a number of advantageous characteristics, such as extreme resistance to being knocked off the screen. Most of these bosses were created specifically for the Super Smash Bros. franchise, though some have made appearances in other games.

text: Master Hand (マスターハンド, Masutā Hando) is a glove-like being that appears in all games to date, serving as the final boss of Classic Mode[46] and, in Super Smash Bros. Melee, the 50th Event Match "Final Destination Match". In Melee, Master Hand is playable via a system glitch.[47] Super Smash Bros. Melee introduced a left-hand counterpart to Master Hand named Crazy Hand (クレイジーハンド, Kureijī Hando), which appears alongside Master Hand in some scenarios. Master Hand makes several appearances in Kirby & the Amazing Mirror as a miniboss, and partnered with Crazy Hand as the bosses of Candy Constellation. Master Hand and Crazy Hand look identical aside from their chirality, but Crazy Hand's fingers act in a more impulsive and destructive way.[48] While Master Hand is more relaxed and mature, Crazy Hand evokes the bizarre and his fingers move differently when he's preparing for an attack.[49] His attacks are also wilder and faster than those of Master Hand. UGO.com listed Master Hand first on their list of "The 25 Awesomest Hidden Characters" citing the glitch which allows him to be playable.[50] In Super Smash Bros. for Nintendo 3DS and Wii U, fighting against Master Hand and Crazy Hand on a high intensity will lead to a battle against Master Core, a shape-shifting being of dark energy that can take various forms, including that of the player's fighter. After defeating these forms, the Master Core shows its true form.

text: Super Smash Bros. also features Metal Mario (originally from Super Mario 64) and Giant Donkey Kong, who are simply enhanced versions of their respective characters. Metal Mario is simply Mario with increased resistance to being knocked out of the stage as well as a faster falling speed and more attack power, while Giant Donkey Kong is simply a larger and more powerful version of Donkey Kong. Both characters reappear in Super Smash Bros. Melee's Adventure Mode along with Giant Kirby, Metal Luigi and two Tiny Donkey Kongs. However, due to items introduced in Melee (the Metal Box, Super Mushroom, and Poison Mushroom, specifically), all of these seemingly non-playable characters (including the enhanced characters that were unplayable bosses in the first game) are indeed playable for short amounts of time. Dark Link, a completely black form of Link, appears in Melee and Brawl as an opponent in an Event Match, and in Brawl and 3DS and Wii U is also a playable costume for Link.[51]

text: Giga Bowser is a gigantic, enhanced version of Bowser introduced in Melee. He is the secret final boss of Melee's Adventure mode, only appearing if certain conditions are met. Giga Bowser becomes playable for short periods of time in Brawl and 3DS and Wii U when Bowser performs his "Final Smash" attack. Bowser transforms into Giga Bowser, and is near invincible until the effect of the Final Smash wears off.[52]

text: Tabuu (タブー, Tabū) is the villain of Super Smash Bros. Brawl's story mode, The Subspace Emissary. He is a human-shaped apparition composed of pure energy, with a single eye-shaped object located where a person's stomach would be. He is able to conjure several weapons for use in battle, including a rapier and large chakram. His other powers include the ability to change his size at will and teleportation. Towards the end of The Subspace Emissary, it is revealed that Tabuu is the entity that controlled Master Hand and the true antagonist behind the events of the story.[53]

text: The Subspace Emissary also features other boss characters.[54] Some of these characters, such as Petey Piranha, Ridley, Porky, and Rayquaza, are from other franchises. Three original bosses are also featured: the aforementioned Tabuu, Galleom (ガレオム, Gareomu) and Duon (デュオン, Dyuon).[55] Galleom is a giant cyborg that is fought two times in The Subspace Emissary. It usually attacks with its fists and body, but can also shoot missiles and transform into a tank-like form. It also has a built in Subspace bomb that it uses to self-destruct in the story mode. Duon is a giant robot that has two upper bodies positioned on top of a wheel. Its pink side uses projectile attacks, while the blue side uses blades on its arms and head. It is created when multiple Mr. Game and Watch clones fuse together.

text: Other characters

text: In each of the games, there is a group of characters that resemble the designs for the initial characters. In the Japanese versions of the games, these characters have always been called the "Mysterious Small Fry Enemy Corps" (謎のザコ敵軍団, Nazo no Zako Teki Gundan). In the English regionalized versions of the games, they are given names that describe their physical form. These include the Fighting Polygon Team, the Fighting Wire Frames, the Fighting Alloy Team[56] and the Fighting Mii Team. Along with Melee's Adventure Mode came the inclusion of minor, generic enemies, such as Goombas from the Super Mario series and Octoroks from The Legend of Zelda series. This trend continues into Super Smash Bros. Brawl, which also includes an assortment of original characters to serve as non-playable generic enemies led by the Subspace Army.

text: The Subspace Army (亜空軍, Akūgun) are the antagonists of Super Smash Bros. Brawl, appearing in The Subspace Emissary and led by the Ancient Minister (エインシャント卿, Einshanto Kyō). Their goal is to bring the entire world to Subspace piece by piece with devices called Subspace bombs (detonated with the aid of two R.O.B.s, requires 3 minutes of waiting time).[57] The Sandbag (サンドバッグくん, Sandobaggu-kun) appears in the "Home-Run Contest" minigame since Super Smash Bros. Melee. The object is to strike it as far as possible with either a Home-Run Bat or a fighting move.[58] Sandbag also appears randomly as an item that drops other items when hit in various other modes in Brawl.[59]

text: Each Super Smash Bros. game has an announcer who blasts the player character names upon selection and victory. The announcer's voice is used in many of the promotional materials of the games. The role has been taken on by Jeff Manning in the original game, Dean Harrington in Melee, Pat Cashman in Brawl, and Xander Mobus in the Wii U and 3DS games. The announcer voice actor traditionally voices Master Hand and Crazy Hand as well.[60][61]

text: Music

text: Super Smash Bros. features music from some of Nintendo's popular gaming franchises. While many are newly arranged for the game, some pieces are taken directly from their sources. The music for the Nintendo 64 game was composed by Hirokazu Ando, who later returned as sound and music director in Melee. Melee also features tracks composed by Tadashi Ikegami, Shougo Sakai, and Takuto Kitsuta.[62] Brawl features the collaboration of 38 composers,[63] including Final Fantasy series composer Nobuo Uematsu, who composed the main theme.[64] Like the previous game in the series, Super Smash Bros. for Nintendo 3DS and Wii U features many original and re-arranged tracks from various different gaming franchises. Both versions have multiple musical tracks that can be selected and listened to using the returning "My Music" feature, including pieces taken directly from earlier Super Smash Bros. titles. The 3DS version features less music altogether than the Wii U version however, and only has two songs per stage because of size limitations.[65] The 3DS version also has a "Play in Sleep Mode" option, allowing players to listen to the game's music from the sound menu whilst the system is in sleep mode.[66] On August 22, 2014, the Super Smash Bros. website revealed the list of composers and arrangers for the game. Various well known musicians such as Masashi Hamauzu, Yuzo Koshiro, Yasunori Mitsuda, Motoi Sakuraba, Yoko Shimomura, Mahito Yokota, along with many others, provided new arrangements for both versions of the game.[67] The original music was created by Bandai Namco's in-house sound team. The Wii U specific musicians were revealed on October 23, 2014, and feature contributions from Akari Kaida, Michiru Yamane, Koji Kondo, Kazumi Totaka, and Hiroshi Okubo, among others.[67]

text: Three soundtrack albums for the series have been released. An album with the original music for Super Smash Bros. was released in Japan by Teichiku Records in 2000.[68] In 2003, Nintendo released Smashing...Live!, a live orchestrated performance of various pieces featured in Melee by the New Japan Philharmonic.[69] A two-disc promotional soundtrack was available for Club Nintendo members who registered both the 3DS and Wii U games between November 21, 2014 and January 13, 2015.[70]

text: Development

text: Super Smash Bros. was developed by HAL Laboratory, a Nintendo first-party developer, during 1998. It began as a prototype created by Masahiro Sakurai and Satoru Iwata in their spare time titled "Dragon King: The Fighting Game", and originally featured no Nintendo characters. However, Sakurai hit on the idea of including fighters from different Nintendo franchises in order to provide "atmosphere" which he felt was necessary for a home console fighting game, and his idea was approved.[71] The game had a small budget and little promotion, and was originally a Japan-only release, but its huge success saw the game released worldwide.[72]

text: HAL Laboratory developed Super Smash Bros. Melee, with Masahiro Sakurai as the head of production. The game was one of the first games released on the GameCube and highlighted the advancement in graphics from the Nintendo 64. The developers wanted to pay homage to the debut of the GameCube by making an opening full motion video sequence that would attract people's attention to the graphics.[73] HAL worked with three separate graphic houses in Tokyo to make the opening sequence. On their official website, the developers posted screenshots and information highlighting and explaining the attention to physics and detail in the game, with references to changes from its predecessor.[74]

text: At a pre-E3 2005 press conference, the president of Nintendo, Satoru Iwata, announced the next installment of Super Smash Bros. was not only already in development for their next gaming console, but hoped it would be a launch title with Wi–Fi compatibility for online play.[75] The announcement was unexpected to the creator of the Super Smash Bros. series, Masahiro Sakurai. Back in 2003, he had left HAL Laboratory, the company that was in charge with the franchises' development and was never informed of this announcement despite the fact shortly after resigning from the company, Iwata said if a new game was to be made, he would be in charge. It was not until after the conference Sakurai was called to Satoru Iwata's room on the top floor of a Los Angeles hotel, where he was told by Iwata "We'd like you to be involved in the production of the new Smash Bros., if possible near the level of director".[76] Although Iwata had said he was hoping for it to be a launch title, Sakurai stated "I decided to become director. And as of May 2005, I was the only member of the new Smash Bros. development team". Development of the game never actually started until October 2005,[77] when Nintendo opened a new office in Tokyo just for its production. Nintendo also enlisted outside help from various developer studios, mainly Game Arts. Sakurai also stated that these people had spent excessive amounts of time playing Super Smash Bros. Melee. This team was given access to all the original material and tools from the development of Melee, courtesy of HAL Laboratory. Also, several Smash Bros. staff members that reside around the area of the new office joined the project's development.[78][79]

text: On the game's official Japanese website, the developers explain reasons for making particular characters playable and explain why some characters were not available as playable characters upon release. Initially, the development team wanted to replace Ness with Lucas, the main character of Mother 3 for the Game Boy Advance, but they retained Ness in consideration of delays.[80] The game's creators have included Lucas in the game's sequel, Super Smash Bros. Brawl.[81][82] Video game developer Hideo Kojima originally requested Solid Snake, the protagonist of the Metal Gear series, to be a playable character in Super Smash Bros. Melee, but the game was too far in development for him to be included. As with Lucas, development time allowed for his inclusion in Brawl. Roy and Marth were initially intended to be playable exclusively in the Japanese version of Super Smash Bros. Melee. However, they received favorable attention during the game's North American localization, leading to the decision for the developers to include them in the Western version. Comparisons have been formed by the developers between characters which have very similar moves to each other on the website. Such characters have been referred to as "clones" in the media.

text: At the Nintendo Media Conference at E3 2007, it was announced by Nintendo of America president Reggie Fils-Aimé that Super Smash Bros. Brawl would be released on December 3, 2007 in the Americas. However, just 2 months before its anticipated December release, the development team asked for more time to work on the game. During the Nintendo Conference on October 10, 2007, Nintendo Co., Ltd. president Iwata announced the delay.

text: On October 11, 2007, George Harrison of Nintendo of America announced that Super Smash Bros. Brawl would be released on February 10, 2008 in North America.[83] On January 15, 2008, the game's release was pushed back one week in Japan to January 31 and nearly a month in the Americas to March 9.[84] On April 24, 2008, it was confirmed by Nintendo of Europe that Brawl will be released in Europe on June 27.[85]

text: Director Masahiro Sakurai first announced that a new Super Smash Bros. game was planned for Nintendo 3DS and Wii U at E3 2011 in June 2011, but development only officially began following the completion of Sakurai's other project, Kid Icarus: Uprising, in March 2012.[86][87] The game was later revealed to be a joint-project between Sora Ltd. and Bandai Namco Games, with various staff members from Bandai Namco's Soulcalibur and Tekken series assisting Sakurai in development.[88][89][90] Sakurai, who was previously the sole person responsible for balance in the series' multiple fighters, has involved more staff to further improve the game's competitive balance.[91] The game was officially revealed at E3 2013 on June 11, 2013 during a Nintendo Direct presentation.[92] Along with screenshots being posted each weekday on the game's official website and Miiverse community,[93] various cinematic trailers were released, introducing each of the brand new fighters. Sakurai chose to use these trailers, which benefit from Internet sharing, as opposed to including a story campaign similar to the Subspace Emissary mode featured in Brawl, as he believed the impact of seeing the mode's cinematic cutscenes for the first time was ruined by people uploading said scenes to video sharing websites.[94][95]

text: At E3 2013, Sakurai stated that the tripping mechanic introduced in Brawl was removed, with him also stating that the gameplay was between the fast-paced and competitive style of Melee and the slower and more casual style of Brawl.[96] While the games didn't feature cross-platform play between the Wii U and 3DS, due to each version featuring certain exclusive stages and gamemodes, there is an option to transfer customized characters and items between the two versions.[97] The game builds upon the previous game's third-party involvement with the addition of third-party characters such as Capcom's Mega Man and Bandai Namco's Pac-Man, as well as the return of Sega's Sonic the Hedgehog. This involvement expands beyond playable characters, as other third-party characters, such as Ubisoft's Rayman, are also included in the game as trophies.[98] The addition of Mii characters was made in response to the growing number of requests from fans to have their dream characters included in the game. To prevent potential bullying, as well as to maintain game balance online, Mii Fighters cannot be used in online matches against strangers.[99] The decision to release the Wii U version at a later date from the 3DS version was made to allow each version to receive a dedicated debugging period.[100] Hardware limitations on the Nintendo 3DS led to various design choices, such as the removal of mid-match transformations, the absence of the Ice Climbers, and the lack of Circle Pad Pro support.[101]

text: Reception

text:
Aggregate review scores
As of February 6, 2015.

Game
Metacritic

Super Smash Bros.
79[102]

Super Smash Bros. Melee
92[103]

Super Smash Bros. Brawl
93[104]

Super Smash Bros. for Nintendo 3DS
85[105]

Super Smash Bros. for Wii U
92[106]

text: Reviews for the Super Smash Bros. series are usually positive. The multiplayer mode in every title has been highly praised. However, single player modes have not been viewed as highly.

text: Super Smash Bros. has received praise for its multiplayer mode. Nintendo Power listed the series as being one of the greatest multiplayer experiences in Nintendo history, describing it as infinitely replayable due to its special moves and close-quarters combat.[107] There were criticisms, however, such as the game's scoring being difficult to follow.[108] In addition, the single-player mode was criticized for its perceived difficulty and lack of features.

text: Super Smash Bros. Melee generally received a positive reception from reviewers, most of whom credited Melee's expansion of gameplay features from Super Smash Bros. Focusing on the additional features, GameSpy commented that "Melee really scores big in the 'we've added tons of great extra stuff' department." Reviewers compared the game favorably to Super Smash Bros.—IGN's Fran Mirabella III stated that it was "in an entirely different league than the N64 version"; GameSpot's Miguel Lopez praised the game for offering an advanced "classic-mode" compared to its predecessor, while detailing the Adventure Mode as "really a hit-or-miss experience." Despite a mixed response to the single-player modes, most reviewers expressed the game's multiplayer mode as a strong component of the game. In their review of the game, GameSpy stated that "you'll have a pretty hard time finding a more enjoyable multiplayer experience on any other console."

text: Brawl received a perfect score from the Japanese magazine Famitsu. The reviewers praised the variety and depth of the single-player content,[109] the unpredictability of Final Smashes, and the dynamic fighting styles of the characters. Thunderbolt Games gave the game 10 out of 10, calling it "a vastly improved entry into the venerable series". Chris Slate of Nintendo Power also awarded Brawl a perfect score in its March 2008 issue, calling it "one of the very best games that Nintendo has ever produced". IGN critic Matt Casamassina, in his February 11 Wii-k in Review podcast, noted that although Brawl is a "solid fighter," it does have "some issues that need to be acknowledged," including "long loading times" and repetition in The Subspace Emissary.

text: Super Smash Bros. for 3DS and Super Smash Bros. for Wii U both garnered critical praise and were commercially successful, holding current ratings of 85/100 and 92/100 on Metacritic and 86.10% and 92.39% on GameRankings.[110][105][111][106] Reviewers have particularly noted the large, diverse character roster, the improvements to game mechanics, and the variety of multiplayer options. Some criticisms in the 3DS version include a lack of single player modes and issues concerning the 3DS hardware, such as the size of characters on the smaller screen when zoomed out and latency issues during both local and online multiplayer.[112][113] There were also reports of players damaging their 3DS Circle Pads while playing the game excessively.[114][115] The Wii U version's online play quality was mildly criticized for some inconsistency, but has overall been critically acclaimed. Daniel Dischoff of Game Revolution stated "It's true that Super Smash Bros. evolves every time with regard to new features, items, and characters to choose from. While your favorite character may not return or a few annoying pickups may force you to turn off items altogether, this represents the biggest leap forward Smashers have seen yet." Daniel Starky at GameSpot criticized the inconsistent online performance in the game, but still called it an "incredible game", noting "With the Wii U release, Smash Bros. has fully realized its goals." Jose Otero from IGN, praising the replayability of the game, states "Nearly every aspect of Smash Wii U seems fine-tuned not only to appeal to the nostalgia of long-time Nintendo fans, but also to be accessible to new players."

text: Super Smash Bros sold 1.4 million copies in Japan,[116] and 2.3 million in the U.S.[117] Melee sold over 7 million units worldwide, becoming the best-selling GameCube title.[4] Brawl sold 1.524 million units in Japan as of March 30, 2008[update],[118] and sold 1.4 million units in its first week in the United States, becoming Nintendo of America's fastest selling title.[119] The 3DS version sold over a million copies in its first weekend on sale in Japan,[120] and has sold more than 3.22 million copies worldwide as of October 2014[update].[121] Super Smash Bros. for Wii U became the fastest-selling Wii U game to date, selling 3.39 million units worldwide within just two months of availability, beating the record previously held by Mario Kart 8.[122]

text: Competitive play

text: The Super Smash Bros. series has been widely played as competitive video games and has been featured in several high-profile tournaments. The first publicized Super Smash Bros. Melee tournaments were held in early 2002.[123] From 2004 to 2007, Melee was on Major League Gaming's tournament roster.[124] In 2010 MLG picked up Brawl for its pro circuit for a year. During this time, Nintendo prohibited MLG from live streaming Brawl matches.[125] At 2014 MLG Anaheim Melee was once again hosted at an MLG event. Melee was also included at the Evolution Championship Series (Evo) in 2007, a fighting game tournament held in Las Vegas. Melee was again hosted at Evo 2013 after it won a charity drive to decide the final game to be featured in its tournament lineup.[126][127] Due to the large turnout and popularity that year, Evo again included a Melee at their 2014 event and plans to do so in 2015. New Jersey based Apex is another prominent Super Smash Bros. tournament, and has a series of qualifying events that are a prerequisite to playing at Apex. In 2015 Apex announced that they were officially sponsored by Nintendo of America.[128] EVO 2015 was the largest Smash tournament in history and featured Super Smash Bros. for Wii U and Super Smash Bros. Melee with the former having 1,926 entrants and the latter having 1,869.[129]


document_title: Yankee Doodle

question_text: in the song yankee doodle what does macaroni mean

text: Yankee Doodle

text: Origin[edit]

text: The tune of Yankee Doodle is thought to be much older than the lyrics, being well known across western Europe, including England, France, Holland (modern Netherlands), Hungary, and Spain.[3] The earliest words of "Yankee Doodle" came from a Middle Dutch harvest song (which is thought to have followed the same tune), possibly dating back as far as 15th-century Holland.[5][6] It contained mostly nonsensical and out-of-place words, both in English and Dutch: "Yanker, didel, doodle down, Diddle, dudel, lanther, Yanke viver, voover vown, Botermilk und tanther."[3][4][6] Farm laborers in Holland at the time received as their wages "as much buttermilk (Botermilk) as they could drink, and a tenth (tanther) of the grain".[4][6]

text: The term Doodle first appeared in English in the early seventeenth century[7] and is thought to be derived from the Low German (a language close to Dutch) dudel, meaning "playing music badly" or Dödel, meaning "fool" or "simpleton". The Macaroni wig was an extreme fashion in the 1770s and became contemporary slang for foppishness.[8] Dandies were men who placed particular importance upon physical appearance, refined language, and leisure hobbies. A self-made "Dandy" was a British middle-class man from the late 18th to early 19th century who impersonated an aristocratic lifestyle. They notably wore silk strip cloth, stuck feathers in their hats, and bore two fob watch accessories simultaneously (two pocket watches with chains)—"one to tell what time it was and the other to tell what time it was not".[9] This era was the height of "dandyism" in London, when men wore striped silks upon their return from the Grand Tour[citation needed], along with a feather in the hat.

text: The macaroni wig was an example of such Rococo dandy fashion, popular in elite circles in Western Europe and much mocked in the London press of the time. The term macaroni was used to describe a fashionable man who dressed and spoke in an outlandishly affected and effeminate manner. The term pejoratively referred to a man who "exceeded the ordinary bounds of fashion"[10] in terms of clothes, fastidious eating, and gambling.

text: In British conversation, the term "Yankee Doodle Dandy" implied unsophisticated misappropriation of high-class fashion, as though simply sticking a feather in one's cap would make one to be noble.[11] Peter McNeil, professor of fashion studies, claims that the British were insinuating that the colonists were low-class men lacking masculinity, emphasizing that the American men were womanly.[12]

text: Early versions[edit]

text: Traditions place its origin in a pre-Revolutionary War song originally sung by British military officers to mock the disheveled, disorganized colonial "Yankees" with whom they served in the French and Indian War, apparently written c. 1755 by British Army surgeon Dr. Richard Shuckburgh while campaigning in upper New York.[13] The British troops sang it to make fun of their stereotype of the American soldier as a Yankee simpleton who thought that he was stylish if he simply stuck a feather in his cap.[1]

text: It was also popular among the Americans as a song of defiance.[1] As per the American Library of Congress, the Americans added additional verses to the song, mocking the British troops and hailing the Commander of the Continental army George Washington. By 1781, Yankee Doodle had turned from being an insult to being a song of national pride.[14]

text: One version of the Yankee Doodle lyrics is generally attributed to Dr. Shuckburgh.[15] According to one story, Dr. Shuckburgh wrote the song after seeing the appearance of Colonial troops under Colonel Thomas Fitch, the son of Connecticut Governor Thomas Fitch.[16] According to Etymology Online, "The current version seems to have been written in 1776 by Edward Bangs, a Harvard sophomore who also was a Minuteman."[17]

text: A bill was introduced to the House of Representatives on July 25, 1999 (as referenced as H. CON. RES. 143) recognizing Billerica, Massachusetts as "America's Yankee Doodle Town". After the Battle of Lexington and Concord, a Boston newspaper reported:

text: "Upon their return to Boston [pursued by the Minutemen], one [Briton] asked his brother officer how he liked the tune now, — 'Dang them', returned he, 'they made us dance it till we were tired' — since which Yankee Doodle sounds less sweet to their ears."

text: The earliest known version of the lyrics comes from 1755 or 1758, as the date of origin is disputed:[18]

text: (Note that the sheet music which accompanies these lyrics reads, "The Words to be Sung through the Nose, & in the West Country drawl & dialect.")

text: The Ephraim referred to here was Ephraim Williams, a popularly known colonel in the Massachusetts militia who was killed in the Battle of Lake George.[citation needed] He left his land and property to the founding of a school in Western Massachusetts, now known as Williams College.

text: The tune also appeared in 1762 in one of America's first comic operas The Disappointment, with bawdy lyrics about the search for Blackbeard's buried treasure by a team from Philadelphia.[19]

text: It has been reported[20][weasel words] that the British often marched to a version believed to be about a man named Thomas Ditson of Billerica, Massachusetts. Ditson was tarred and feathered for attempting to buy a musket in Boston in March 1775, although he later fought at Concord:

text: For this reason, the town of Billerica is the "home" of Yankee Doodle,[21][22]

text: Another pro-British set of lyrics believed to have used the tune was published in June 1775 following the Battle of Bunker Hill:[23]

text: There is another version attributed to Edward Bangs, a student at Harvard College, who wrote a ballad with fifteen verses which circulated in Boston and surrounding towns in 1775 or 1776.[24] Yankee Doodle was also played at the British surrender at Saratoga in 1777.[25]

text: On February 6, 1788, Massachusetts ratified the Constitution by a vote of 186 to 168. To the ringing of bells and the booming of cannon, the delegates trooped out of Brattle Street Church.[citation needed] Before many days had passed, the citizens sang their convention song to the tune of "Yankee Doodle." Here are the lyrics to their song:

text: Full version[edit]

text:
The Spirit of '76 (aka Yankee Doodle)

Artist
Archibald MacNeal Willard

Year
circa 1875

Type
oil

Dimensions
61 cm × 45 cm (24 in × 18 in)

Location
United States Department of State

text: The full version of the song, as it is known today, goes:[26][27]

text: Popular culture[edit]

text:
President John F. Kennedy from Massachusetts bought a pony for his daughter Caroline while he was in the White House. The family named it "Macaroni" after the song "Yankee Doodle," although the song applies the name to the feathered cap rather than the pony.
Dueling Banjos, composed by Arthur "Guitar Boogie" Smith in 1955, contains riffs from Yankee Doodle.[28]
The Voice of America begins and ends all broadcasts with the interval signal of "Yankee Doodle".[29]
TV commentator Bud Collins took note of the July 4th holiday and John McEnroe's red-white-and-blue attire at the conclusion of the 1981 Wimbledon Championships, in which American tennis star McEnroe had defeated his long-time rival Björn Borg: "Stick a feather in his cap and call him 'McEnroe-ni'!"[30]
In Turn: Washington's Spies season 3 episode 8 "Mended," the song is sung in parody by English Tories using alternate lyrics.