Single-Player Game Modes (excluding Adventure)

[FishSlappinDance]

This topic will pertain to all single-player modes from previous Smash games excluding Adventure mode. If you wish to discuss about Adventure mode, go here. The modes covered will be Classic, All-Star, Break the Targets, Board the Platforms, Home-Run Contest, Multi-Man, Boss Battles, and Event Matches, whether you preferred Melee's approach or Brawl's approach and what approach can be taken for Sm4sh. New single-player game modes may also be discussed.

Classic Mode:
Melee's approach to Classic mode included three sub-games: Break the Targets, Snag the Trophies, and Race to the Finish. Featuring 11 stages, standard fights included 1v1, 2v2, 3v1 (Giant), 1v10 (Team), 1v1 (Metal) and the boss himself: Master Hand (though Crazy Hand may be encountered if criteria is met once Master Hand's HP is around half). Opponents and allies were always random from the roster (though you never fight Roy or Ganondorf for some reason) so no two playthroughs were always the same.

On the other hand, Brawl took a different approach. Levels were based on franchises and could be either a 1v1, Giant (1 or no allies), Team, Metal, or 2v2 match. The only sub-game included was based off the generic Break the Target maps, increasing to the next level upon the second time (unless playing Intense). The second to last level was a FFA with three characters chosen at random. As with any Smash game, the final opponent is Master Hand as well as Crazy Hand, though they appear alongside each other right at the start.

In regards for Sm4sh, I'd love to see it return to a more Melee-style layout where opponents (and allies) were always chosen at random and you wouldn't have to run into a Team or Giant battle twice in a runthrough. However the concept of a FFA introduced in Brawl was a good idea and should be implemented as either the third to last or second to last level. What Brawl also did well in regards to the Master Hand and Crazy Hand battle is make them appear at the beginning as opposed to CH making an appearance halfway through the battle, so the battle wouldn't have to be extended further than it should be.

All-Star Mode
As a new game-mode introduced in Melee (which needed to be unlocked), All-Star provided us with a mode where we fought the entire roster with only one life, always ending with a team of Mr. G&W. The number of opponents fought increased as you progressed further, beginning with 1v1s, progressing to 1v2s, and so forth.

In Brawl, this mode returns as a hidden mode but with a different layout. The characters fought are now in a set order based on series of origin and what year it debuted. This was pretty much a homage to the history of characters, you could say. The first character would always be Mr. G&W (1980) whereas Olimar was always the last (2001).

I don't have any preference for this mode but I do like how Brawl payed homage to Nintendo.. err... gaming's character history.

Break the Targets
Melee presented us with an individualized target test, pertaining to each character and was a great test for one's skills. Brawl would do away with this system and put forth five generic tests that was also the first to implement the use of items.

For the next installment, I would like to see the return of the individualized target tests, though this may prove to be tedious if we have a big roster, which is why I see that they took the generic route.

Board the Platforms, Multi-Man, and HRC
The former (BTP) I wouldn't mind returning but I don't have much to say, if it's individualized that'd be cool. I think Multi-Man is fine, though I do hate having a random playable character show up. Lastly, the HRC is fine as it is, can't really change much here.

Boss Battles
This new hidden mode is essentially the "All-Star" for the SSE's bosses. You basically fight the seven bosses (plus Master & Crazy Hand) in a random order with your fight always ending with Tabuu.

For Sm4sh, it just needs to be updated with the new roster of bosses thrown in Sm4sh though I wouldn't mind having the originals return. But if Ridley becomes playable, Ridley vs. Ridley would be...

I also think it would be cool to include a Time Attack based mode where you fight a single boss (chooseable) and look to get the best time.

Event Matches
Yup, introduced in Melee, event matches pitted us with specific criteria and reflected upon some history of its characters (Triforce Gathering = Ocarina of Time, Space Travelers = EarthBound, Mewtwo Strikes! = 1st Pokemon movie). What I really liked about this mode is that its difficulty progressed the further you got into it. Remember wanting to pull your hair out because of Pikachu in Event Match #48 or the triumph and achievement you felt for beating #51? It also did provide us with those neat trophy stages as well.

Brawl's didn't live up to Melee's at all. Not one bit. Now difficulty could be chosen from the start and none of them really "wowed" me. The only reason I would play on a higher difficult was to get some gimmick song or something. But it's clear that they devoted much more time into SSE so I suppose that explains it.

For the next installment, go back to Melee's roots, where event matches referenced character's works and progressed with difficulty.

This concludes my thoughts for single-player game modes for Sm4sh. Feel free to put your input below.

 

[Dark Phazon]

There should be
Classic
All-Star
1 more

and Event matches/and the stadium stuff and mult mans and da. i hope...

 

[Hypercat-Z]

I'm all for Board The Platform to return.
I would also purpose this, as bonus game:
Save The Civilians
More than vaguely inspired to Defender and one of the game of Wii Play, in this game you have various comprimaries of the game serieses wandering around in the stage, and ufos that try du abduct them by the usual cone of light. Much obviously you have to kick out the ufos and save as much civilians as you can in the given time.
This would be different because it would be not a prove of speed but of resistence.

 

[Hypercat-Z]

Catch The Bunnies
Chase the three white bunnies of Super Mario Galxy and the brown bunny of Super Mario 64 and bring them to the hut in the middle of the screen. The brown bunny gives you more points than the other three, but it's even more hard to catch.

 

[Shun_one]

World Tour
A spin on the idea presented in Street Fighter Alpha 3 (Dreamcast edition), this mode is pretty simple.

Upon starting it, you're presented with a world map with a world for each of the franchises represented in Smash. Each world has 4 normal stages, then a 5th boss stage. Each stage holds various challenges and that must be completed. In between stages, you are able to power up your character with various abilities based off of how many points you get (earned by getting Bonuses during battle) An example being:

Mushroom Kingdom
Stage 1-1
- Defeat Mario!
Stage 1-2
- Defeat Giant Mario!

Stage 5-1
- KO all of Mushroom Kingdom (you vs. All Mushroom Kingdom Characters)
Stage 5-2
- Escape from Bowsers Castle!
Stage 5-3
- Take on the Boss

It's essentially a more expanded Event Match mode, but with a set of progression instead. I'd imagine you can take your powered up character and fight against others in a separate multi-player mode.

 

[Hypercat-Z]

^There is something like that in Soul Calibur II, by NAMCO. So it's a realistic and hopable option.

Also:
Destroy it!
In a fair homage to the Street Fighter II's first bonus screen, you have to crush the flying clown craft of Bowser or the flying spheric craft of Eggman (choosen ramdomly), without being crushed by the same when it tries to land on you. Visible damages to it involved.