Unlike other items, the Smash Ball hovers around the stage on its own. Second was the introduction of an item called the Smash Ball. Due to the nature of tripping, swift changes in direction would quickly trigger it, often causing a match to be decided simply by who tripped first. Much of the strategy in “Melee” involved short, quick movements on the ground meant to bait an opponent into an attack, followed by a quick counterattack. In competitive play, the introduction of tripping was devastating. Because of its random nature, it is impossible to predict when a character will trip. While somewhat rare, tripping is considered the most annoying addition to the game. When moving on the ground, characters have a one-in-100 chance of tripping, and going prone for a second, leaving them open to attack. The first and foremost of the changes is the addition of tripping. Unlike the previous two games, “Brawl” adds mechanics that completely change the gameplay. Like its predecessors, “Brawl” features a fighting system based around knocking opponents off the screen instead of depleting a health bar. “Brawl” built upon the two previous games, with 36 characters and 41 stages total, is the largest and most popular in the series. On opening day it sold nearly 875,000 copies, and within the first week over 1.4 million copies were sold, making “Brawl” the fastest-selling game in Nintendo’s history. franchise, was released on March 9, 2008. Brawl.” the third installment of the Super Smash Bros.