Smash 64's still has charm and I love that it introduces the concept of what Smash is (kid playing with their toys), give each [base] character an equal introduction as they all come together to face off against each other. This intro is also the one where the whole concept of Master Hand even makes sense since he was right there from the get go. Unlike many of the later intros, this one doesn't just work as an intro to one game, but the entire series. Classic.
Melee's was basically designed to be an epic showcase. It exists to promote not just the game but GameCube's FMV capabilities (that was a big deal back then). That pause in the music before the Mario trophy comes alive is an outstanding 'Here We Go!' moment and you know you're in for a treat that'll be even more epic than Smash 64 before (also ties nicely to the whole trophy theming found throughout the game). Also can't deny the hint of nostalgia I have for it.
One point I'd like to raise regarding both Melee and 64's is they have music clearly designed for the visuals. 64's even have the nice touch of some of the instrumentation changing to reflect the characters on screen.
I bring this up because we come to Brawl. Nice tune, shame about the visuals. Throwing together various SSE clips with barely any rhyme or reason, with slow pacing with barely any regards to the music playing. I'd argue
this old trailer for Brawl when the music hits the calmer passage and we see the change in the Yoshi's Island stage worked better as a shot than anything in Brawl's opening (likely why I still remember said shot after all this time). Also, as epic as the theme was, we had heard it so much in the run up to Brawl it kind of last the impact (this was the first Smash I followed closely throughout its entire development). The best bit is the pan across the entire cast at the start (which updates when you unlock everyone which is cool), which also acted as a neat reference to that promo art they had for Melee. I was honestly kind of surprised how boring it was looking back on it.
On the other hand, I feel I may have been a bit too harsh of Smash for Wii U's opening over the years. It's not that bad. I guess with Bamco on board I was hoping they'd bring something like Soul Calibur 2's opening to the table rather than another clip show so had a touch of disappointment when reality hit. Saying that, at least the cuts between each clip is tied with the music. The main melody is quite nice, but it loses energy towards the end with the rock drop and the ending flare doesn't really do much to help it recover. So basically starts nice, then loses it a bit.
And thus we come to Ultimate's, which basically takes the best of the previous two and finally makes a clip opening work. An epic vocal song, with energy throughout, with actual thought put into the clips shown. With Ultimate's big selling point, everyone is here, this intro basically keeps building up to more and more characters joining the party, seemingly never ending, which, even now, comes across as an impressive feat all these years later. Also I like that clip with Pikachu flicking through various stages because it highlights that Smash is also about stages. Thank you.
So overall I'd have to agree with the majority it seems that Melee is the best one, but it was meant to sell the game after all. Though speaking of selling the game, remember that advert for Ultimate, that was
basically the huge cast banner brought to life? What was up with this? An epic bespoke animation highlighting the cast and tied to the epic mural that was central to most of the game's marketing. Almost like a teaser for the opening and yet not a nanosecond appeared in the game. So strange.
Melee > 64 > Ultimate > Brawl > Smash for Wii U
