Remembering the GameCube: Super Smash Bros. Melee (GameCube Review) by Kyle L.

Super Smash Bros. Melee
Publisher: Nintendo
Developer: HAL Laboratory
System: Nintendo GameCube
Release: December 2, 2001

March 3, 2011, by Kyle L. - Super Smash Bros. Melee (or SSBM, from here on) is the critically-acclaimed sequel to the original Nintendo mascot fighter and succeeds on all its merits. While the original began with its bare-bones idea and lacked content to back up a stronger following, it was thankfully saved by its successor SSBM a few years later. I'd be lying if I said the simplicity of the original SSB isn't fun, but Melee's advancements in technology and features were welcomed for adding so much. Even a detailed review is nowhere near enough to cover the content in this massive game, especially for a mascot fighter with such a humble beginning.

Before I get ahead of myself, let's start out by taking a quick look at what this game is all about for the uninitiated readers. The Super Smash Bros. series in general is about taking Nintendo-licensed (and later Sega and Konami) franchises and pitting the mascots against each other in a 2 dimensional fighting stage. There's no blood or gory violence in these fights, only cartoony sound effects which make the game more accessible for younger gamers looking for a fighting game. Instead of a simple health system, a character's damage is calculated via percentage, and the higher it gets, the farther the character is knocked away and the easier it is to score a KO on them by knocking them out of one of the four boundary limits (the top, the sides, and the pits below). A winner is decided via most KO's under a time limit, last man standing, or whoever has the most coins collected in a coin match. The game focuses on having wacky fun, and it shows in the regular gameplay.

The controls show off both the simplicity and depth the game. The fighting mechanics revolve around four buttons, involving one for standard attacks and one for special attacks (both combined with directions via the directional stick), the shoulder buttons for shielding/ dodging, the Z button for grabs/throws, and the directional arrows for taunting. Without going into further detail, that's as simple as this game gets, and that's all you really need to know to enjoy the gameplay on its own merits. However, if you're looking to master the fighting system, there are advanced techniques for those fighting veterans who want to play competitively. Fun- loving casual gamers can still enjoy the game with their friends, so the developers made it more accessible to everyone.

By far, the best part about this game is its attention to detail in its presentation. If you're a Nintendo fanboy of any kind, this game has you covered. Whether it's a simple item from a franchise you grew up with (Kirby's Warp Star, for example) or an entire stage devoted to recreating memories of a certain level (Corneria of Star Fox 64 fame), players' nostalgia will not be spared. Everything is recreated down to the smallest detail to aid the experience as the fighters battle it out in rich 3D arenas on a 2D plane. For a very early GameCube game (just a month after US release), the graphics are quite nice, even if it's just a simple fighting game. Graphics aren't the only the part of the marvelous presentation offered in this game, as the music is nostalgic and lovingly recreated as well. Themes from various game franchises are brought back for certain stages, and some stages even have alternate music choices when holding the shoulder buttons and selecting them on the stage select. There are many music choices in the game, including Donkey Kong Country's Jungle theme, The Legend of Zelda's Great Bay Shrine theme, the Green Greens theme from Kirby's Adventure, and many more to please longtime fans. The game is a huge step in the right direction in terms of design and creativity, and fans of Nintendo will agree with me there.


Characters in this game are quite varied, with a total of 26 characters over its predecessors 14. Each character has special attacks unique to their original game, such as Samus's charge beam or Link's Bow and Arrow. It's similar to that of any fighting game, as there are strong fighters that move slowly, quick characters that don't do much damage, and average characters which have average speed and strength. However, while the roster itself is full of characters that are fun to play, it would be wrong of me not to address the "clone" situation. Some characters borrow most of their moves from existing characters, so that may cause a problem for those who are looking for an entirely unique cast of characters. The "clones," however, have their own unique twist on moves and bring their own merits to the table, so try to experiment a little until you find out who you are comfortable with.

While simple basic fights are extremely fun (especially in groups), there are other modes to be explored here, as I mentioned just how much content is in this game to begin with. For single-player modes, there's still the Classic Mode from the original SSB, which involves fights with opponents on certain conditions, and even a few Bonus Stages to grab trophies (the game's collectible items featuring characters, items, and stages as part of Nintendo's history) as well as the new Adventure Mode. This mode involves a series of 2D side-scrolling levels which lead to certain fights with characters and plenty of surprises along the way. Even though this is the main Single-Player mode, there is still not much of a story to be found here, besides short cut-scenes to introduce each stage, so don't expect a large narrative to carry the game here. Later on, players can unlock All-Star Mode, which allows players to fight each character in the game based on their universes involved (all Mario characters, all LoZ characters, etc.). There's also the Stadium, which involves breaking records in competitive modes including the Home-Run Contest (smack around a sandbag and see how far you can launch him), Target Test (personalized for each character's abilities to see how fast you can break ten targets), and Multi- Man Melee (defeat wire-frame fighters in various challenges). There are even Event Matches to keep the player busy by completing certain challenges that really challenge the player in mastering character's abilities. There's clearly plenty to do, even if you don't often get the opportunity to play with friends.

Being able to customize the basic fights to your own liking is an extremely important feature to those who love spicing up their game once a while. The game allows you to set the number of lives in Stock fights as well as the time limit in timed matches, as well as the computer fighters' AI level, and the items that will appear on-stage during the fight. For example, the Special Melee mode in Multiplayer allows you to customize certain types of fights to your liking, including such options as Stamina Mode (for a more traditional fighting experience based on health), Giant/Tiny Melee (fighting with the characters as gigantic monsters or merely pipsqueaks for the entire fight), and even Invisible Melee (the characters are all invisible!). It's clear that the developers want players to experiment more and more and have a different game each time they play.

With collecting trophies, fighting your friends, participating in contests and breaking records, mastering the strengths of a certain character, or even going through the score-based Adventure Mode, there's clearly so much to do in this game and so much replay value. The fun factor is ridiculous here, and when you sit down and play a video game like this, you know that there's a lot of love in the video game industry. It's no wonder why this series of games are so highly regarded by fans.

The Verdict

Sound
14/15 - So many tracks from Nintendo's history of franchises are represented here, and are tons of fun to listen to with all the corny sound effects going on with the fighting. The voice acting isn't harsh to listen to either, considering the cheesy announcer and audience during fights.

Graphics
19/20 - For early on in the GameCube's lifespan, this game drew many eyes as it brought previously 8-bit characters into a completely new dimension, bringing along plenty of fantastic- looking stages that recreate past franchises in their glory days.

Appeal
25/25 - It should come as no surprise that the game has plenty of content to keep players coming back for more. Multiplayer fights are so fun to participate in, with plenty of nostalgic items and stages to enjoy, until you're ready for some Single-Player record-breaking and nonstop fighting action! With so many competitions in the gaming world centered on this game for the past 10 years, there's clear proof of how addicting and fun this game truly is.

Gameplay
40/40 - The gameplay is great, with fully responsive controls, and absolutely so much to do. In terms of the basic gameplay and all the variations abound, as well as single-player fun and addicting trophy collecting, the game set the bar amazingly high for content. The game is just so much fun, no matter what you're doing, and I know you'll have a good time with it.

Overall
98/100 - Super Smash Bros Melee is by far one of the best GameCube titles hands-down as it appeals to all ages, has an incredibly long-lasting lifespan, and has absolutely so much to do. Any GameCube or even Wii owner would be crazy to not already have this game in their collection. I can't possibly recommend this game more, and even though it's not absolutely perfect, it sure can impress any gamer even by today's standards. Pick this game up immediately, or at least go play it again if you have!