“There’s no DI in 64.“

Partially true, partially false. Mostly false. What 64 players call "DI” looks functionally equivalent to “SDI” in other smash games. Trajectory DI as it exists in other smash games does not exist in Smash 64.

Since there is only one of the two forms of DI, there’s never been a real need among Smash 64 players to add the “S” qualifier.

Further showing the disconnect in the definition of DI across games, 64 also has an advanced tech called “Stage DI” (sometimes called “Ledge DI”), which doesn’t exist in other smash games. Check out Advanced Techs videos for more information about DI in 64.



Players of other Smash games have frequently suggested 64 players start calling it “SDI” for consistency with the rest of the series. While some 64 players do agree and choose to call it as such, the community as a whole refers to it as ‘DI’ because it’s easier and it is the only form of DI in the game, and is not likely to change that terminology after so many years. Seems confusing if you play multiple Smash games, right? Don’t worry, once you get used to factoring in the context of which game is being talked about, understanding variable “DI” definitions is like second nature. (But if you value your Reddit karma, whatever you do, don’t start this argument in a 64 thread!)



“There’s no teching in 64.”

I don’t hear this one as often, but it’s still false. You can surface-tech floors in 64. You can’t do it off of walls or ceilings like the Hyrule tent or the sides of Dream Land.



“64 is nothing but zero-to-deaths.”

Not true! If you want to kill a few hours, watch the Genesis 3 Top 8 and count how many zero-to-death combos you see (spoiler: there aren’t that many). That way you’ll learn about more kill options in the game, and you’ll have watched over 3 hours of awesome top-level 64 play. Win-win!



“64 is just Hitstun: The Game.”

64 does have the most hitstun out of all the games in the series. But all that really means is that 64’s punish game is incredibly strong, warranting the higher stock count, and that players can get very creative if they think far ahead enough about their combos.

Which means if your other fundamentals suck, you’re going to get punished hard. All Smash fundamentals are important in this game, it’s not overcentralized by hitstun.

“64 isn’t as fast as Melee.” or “64 is too clunky.”

Although there are no airdodge-related movement options like wavedashing or wavelands, 64 has many fast movement options.

For example, dash-pivoting and edge-cancelling are far more common in 64 than in any other Smash game. Shield dropping is easier to perform, and its momentum-retentive properties are extremely useful. When these tools are used by skilled players, you’d be blown away by how fast they can move.

When it comes to the general play speed, that relates mostly to the hitstun/shieldstun/hitlag, but the basic movement (dashing/running/fastfalling) in the game is just as fast or FASTER than some characters in other smash games. This isn’t like Brawl where you can be punished for dashing. The metagame of using hitstun, shieldstun, and hitlag to your advantage creates elements of the game that 64 players find more fun than speed alone.

“64 has no depth and is very simple, because there are less button presses than in other Smash games.”

There are less movement and input options (i.e. no side B, no pummeling, 2 throws instead of 4, no airdodging or spotdodging, no wallteching, etc)



However, this does not make 64 an inherently less complex or deep game than any other Smash. 64′s complexity is often misjudged by fans who are distracted by its potential for flashy combos. (Not necessarily a bad thing, its combos are pretty cool.)

There are also options available in 64 that do not exist in any other game, such as stage DI and teleporting.

“Kirby is broken, why isn’t he #1 on the tier list? Just look at that utilt hitbox!”

Kirby did not make an appearance in Genesis 3 top 8.

Good players have had lots of time to learn the matchup, and standing in place uptilting won’t work on them. They know how to exploit Kirby’s flaws, despite him being a great choice for beginners.

His recovery is also very good, but very predictable. A Kirby recovering low is going to have a hard time getting on stage.



For more information about Kirby’s strong and weak points, check out this video.

“Every character is broken.”

Totally different from the above misconception. Fascinating, huh?



Every character may seem broken before you learn how to effectively use 64 tech skill (especially teching and DI). Then you might see that what you previously thought were true combos were just exploitations of unfamiliarity with 64 techs. Check out Advanced Techs videos if you wanna learn how to do them, and get out of what you thought was “broken!”

Kirby isn’t actually guaranteed to fsmash Fox repeatedly across the stage! It’s not a real combo, you need to tech!

“There are no tiers in 64, every character has strengths that play against certain characters equally. Like Rock Paper Scissors” or “This game at top level is just Pikachu dittos”

The top 3 characters on the tier list (falcon, pika, kirby) are balanced between themselves in a RPS sort of way where they won’t necessarily lose to their weakness but they don’t have a cycle of advantages on each other.

The rest of the cast (with the exception of maybe Jigglypuff and Yoshi, after Wangera’s phenomenal performance at Genesis 3 as well as consistently good Yoshi play from players like Wizzrobe, Tacos, and Fireblaster) doesn’t quite have all the various options the top 3 come equipped with, but each character in a lower tier is capable of holding their own against a top tier so this keeps them relevant in the meta, unlike the other smash games where lower tiers just flat out suck and have no options. Yoshi and Link can fight well vs Kirby, Mario can do well against Falcon and Kirby, Samus against Kirby, Jigglypuff against Falcon and Kirby, etc…

“Hyrule is banned because of the tornado / because of Mew2king”

This 52-minute game 1 out of a 90-minute set between SuPeRbOoMfAn and Gerson, two top players, demonstrates the biggest flaw in Hyrule’s layout, as it facilitates unapproachable positions.

Here is the biggest discussion thread about Hyrule’s legality. Bane has since edited his posts into shitposts, but you can see them in the archived version of the thread. It was eventually banned at Apex 2014, and most (not all) regions followed suit.

Unfortunately with the loss of Hyrule we also lost cool tent combos. Those were fun. Some players still swear by Hyrule in friendlies and will Gentleman’s to it at tournaments where it is allowed.

Bonus stage ban info: Peach’s Castle and Kongo Jungle were legal at majors up until (including) Apex 2015, after which they started being banned without any major pushback. Peach’s Castle disproportionately favours top tiers since their recovery is the least affected by the lack of ledges, and Kongo Jungle’s rotating platform enables circle camping and its top platforms enable abusably campy positioning like Hyrule’s top platform. Since then, Dream Land has widely been used as the only legal stage.

“64 seems fun, but it’s too hard to find a controller.”



The first half of this isn’t a misconception – 64 is very fun! ;)



While it’s true that original controllers are not manufactured anymore, 64 might actually have the most options for controllers!



options for controllers! Most players do use original N64 controllers, however some players use Gamecube controllers, Hori controllers, keyboards, Xbox controllers, PlayStation controllers, SNES controllers…

It’s actually fairly cheap and simple to repair your old N64 controllers, too! Many controllers with worn out joysticks can be fixed up with a little grease, a gear replacement (gears are still manufactured by a third party), or stick replacement.

For more information on controller types, repairs, and finding new ones, visit the megapost linked at the end of this post.

“Nobody plays 64.”

Up until 2014, Smash 64 had two major tournaments a year in Apex and Zenith. However, our numbers have steadily increased enough to warrant all of these.

Not bad for less than 2 years of growth, no? Our numbers are only growing, and console communities are popping up everywhere.



From a pure numbers standpoint: Smash 64 at Genesis 3 had 238 entrants. Compared to the 1000+ that entered Melee and Smash 4, that seems pretty small. However, in perspective, consider a few years ago when Melee and Brawl were just starting to enjoy having hundreds of tournament entrants – at Apex 2010, Brawl and Melee both had around this many entrants, which was a drastic improvement over the previous year, but you’ll never hear someone say “nobody played Melee or Brawl in 2010,” because these numbers were hugely impressive for a grassroots community. 64, still bring grassroots as well, may be growing more slowly than Melee and Smash 4, which have enjoyed exponentially explosive success since 2013, but the fact is it’s still growing steadily, and enjoying newfound success as it enters its golden age!

"Competitive 64 only exists because of competitive Melee”

The two scenes started at around the same time. 64 netplay was popular in the early-mid 2000s, especially among smash players who did not have access to Gamecubes.

It grew separately from Melee and has very little overlap with any other smash community.



Smash 64 is extremely popular in Japan, Central America, and South America. It has an especially strong following in countries like Peru and Brazil.

“Isai is the only guy who plays this game.”

Isai is a legendary badass and we love him. But this game has no shortage of top notch talent, especially considering all the very strong international scenes.

Every player at Genesis 3 lost at least one set. There are no untouchable players.

“64 is the chillest smash community.”

Maybe. There’s no real metric for chill.

We can be pretty abrasive when we get tired of having to constantly correct misconceptions about the game to prevent them from spreading farther than they already have. Hopefully this post can help change that!

We have our fair share of drama too, but at the end of the day most of us are pretty easy to get on with in person. And are also pretty funny.

We’re just as crazy as the rest of you Smashers. Maybe moreso, considering we swear by a Smash game that has no esports money in it (for now…)

“Damn, this is good info! Where can I learn more about the game?”

