Combo video
A combo video is a video dedicated to one or more clips showcasing a combo in a video game. Since a combo is defined as a player connecting multiple actions into a fluid chain of events, a combo video can take many forms. These videos typically boil down to a display of a player's abilities at a game. They can have various amounts of editing, though heavy amounts of editing can lead to complications. The combos themselves can either be carefully set up in a type of training mode to show that a combo can theoretically work, or can be a clip of a real match to prove the combo can be made. Some videos are based around a theme, either around a specific player, character, event, or a general compilation pulled from many different sources. The latter format is often refered to as a montage due to piecing together short clips to make a longer video. Sometimes these videos do not strictly showcase combos, but also other impressive and funny moments the creator happened to record and wanted to show. However, the fact that videos can be edited opens the door for the possibility of fake combos, which many have attempted to pass off over the years. examples of fake combo videos can include false pretenses like claiming the combo was part of a real match when it was not, splicing clips together to hide mistakes, and manipulative editing techniques to exaggerate the impressive nature of the video.
In the Super Smash Bros. series[edit]
Combo videos are a popular form of Smash-related content creation that have been made regularly since the popularization of video sharing over the internet. These videos are a focal point of the non-competitive side of the Smash community. Any player with a capture card could record themselves and their friends and post them online, with the games Super Smash Bros. for Wii U and Super Smash Bros. Ultimate allowing clips of matches to be saved externally, simplifying the uploading process. While videos about individual combos are made daily, few of them achieve notoriety due to either a lack of reach and/or video quality. Some take it upon themselves to help these smaller creators by showcasing these videos on a larger platform. YouTube channels like StylesX2 have seen success in aggregating community made combo clips and presenting them in a digestible fashion. Some known players in the community also occasionally rate the combos in these videos, though often not in a serious capacity. Highlight reels of tournaments can also be considered a combo video due to usually having combos in them. Some combo videos have even transcended the community and into mainstream popular culture, chief among them the video Wombo Combo, which started out as the name of a particular combo and ended up as a slang term used across the internet.
Combo videos are also influential on the competitive side of the community. Videos of this nature often inspire casual fans to transition to competition, widening and diversifying the talent pool for tournaments. Some combo videos also showcase groundbreaking techniques very few have seen before, pushing the metagame forward and increasing representation of specific characters. Videos like AriqueNuubs and Perfect Dark: A Fox Combo Video] are often credited not just for getting many into the series, but also greatly contributing to the metas of Sheik and Fox respectively in Super Smash Bros. Melee.
Starting around in the era of SSB4, a popular variant of the combo video known as the "meme montage" began to become popular. While "montage parodies" were common for non-Smash Bros. games beforehand, a meme montage is a mix of serious combo video footage with more humorous clips and overedited jokes. YouTube channels like King of Skill, WolfeScratch and ZaWarudo are well known for these types of videos.
