Super Smash Bros. is one of the most beloved series in video game history, and while the latest iteration for Switch has gotten great reviews, there are some fans who think it will never live up to the classic. Enter Charlie Alexanian, a really impressive Smash purist who only plays the original SNES or NES game each character is from.


“I know Super Smash Bros. Ultimate has got a lot of bells and whistles, but to me, it’s just not really Smash unless I’m playing Ness on an original 1995 copy of EarthBound,” Alexanian told OGN, clutching the original six-button gamepad while explaining that though he appreciates the enhanced graphics of the Switch game, the modern takes on characters like Captain Falcon would never “feel just right” for him in the same way as they do in 1990’s F-Zero.

Still, Alexanian did stress that his preference had caused difficulties in the Smash tournament circuit, noting that most competitions refused to let him compete with a classic version of Marth by bringing in his Nintendo Entertainment System and booting up the 8-bit Fire Emblem: Shadow Dragon And The Blade Of Light in the corner. In fact, he says he’s been expelled from numerous competitions just for the distracting amount of clattering he made while setting the console up.


Still, this Super Smash master isn’t willing to back down on his stance that you can’t beat the originals!

“Take Samus for example. In newer iterations, there are so many flashy, complicated movesets that it takes away from the simple fact that Smash has always been about exploring a colorful, sprite-based Space Pirate base and defeating Mother Brain,” he said. “And don’t even get me started on Peach. She has this new sweep kick that doesn’t make any sense. Her only moves should be sitting in a tower and waiting to be rescued. If you ask me, Nintendo’s lost its way since the ’90s.”


Wow! No matter how big a fan of the new Smash games you are, you’ve gotta admire Alexandian’s hardcore commitment to the classics! Keep on chugging, you beautiful bastard!