<Tr> <Th> Latest release </Th> <Td> Super Smash Bros. for Wii U November 21, 2014 </Td> </Tr> <P> Super Smash Bros. is a series of crossover fighting games published by Nintendo, that primarily features characters from franchises established on its systems . All five games have been directed by Masahiro Sakurai . </P> <P> The gameplay objective differs from that of traditional fighters by aiming to knock opponents off of the stage instead of depleting life bars . The original Super Smash Bros., released in 1999 for the Nintendo 64, had a small budget and was originally a Japan - only release, but its domestic success led to a worldwide release . The series achieved even greater success with the release of Super Smash Bros. Melee, which was released in 2001 for the GameCube and became the best - selling game on that system . A third installment, Super Smash Bros. Brawl, was released in 2008 for the Wii . Although HAL Laboratory has been the developer of the first two titles, the third game was developed through the collaboration of several companies . The fourth and fifth installments, Super Smash Bros. for Nintendo 3DS and Wii U, were released in 2014 for the Nintendo 3DS and Wii U, respectively . The 3DS installment was the first series title to be released on a handheld platform . </P> <P> The series features many characters from Nintendo's most popular franchises, including Mario, Fox McCloud, Link, Kirby, Samus Aran and Pikachu . The original Super Smash Bros. had 12 playable characters, and the roster count has risen to 26 characters in Melee, 39 in Brawl, and 58 in 3DS / Wii U (seven of which are downloadable). Some characters are able to transform into different forms that have different styles of play and sets of moves . The games also feature non-playable Nintendo characters, like Ridley and Petey Piranha . In Brawl, two third - party characters were added, Solid Snake and Sonic the Hedgehog . Additional third - party characters Mega Man, Pac - Man, Ryu, Cloud Strife and Bayonetta appeared in 3DS and Wii U, while Solid Snake was removed from the line - up . </P>

When did the first smash bros come out