SUPER SMASH BROS. MELEE
Developer: Nintendo
Publisher: Nintendo
Game Type: Fighting
Similar To: Original Super Smash Bros.

Date: 1/29/2002
By: Leo (Byanlor)

Note: Screenshots courtesy of Nintendo.com

    Grab a few of the old but cute characters, dump a few extra kicks, and stir it up with a whole bunch of fighting and you have the simple but effective ingredient for Super Smash Bros. Melee. The specialty of this game is that you get to use a lot of the popular characters from all of the previous Nintendo platforms and compete to see who's the best. Even though there's no story line to why they want to beat each other senseless, it's fun to see little Pikachu get beaten up by Donkey Kong or Mario finally admit defeat to his brother Luigi. If you have played or heard of Super Smash Bros. from Nintendo 64, then you basically know the whole game. They just upped the graphics, added a few more moves to all the characters, a few more new characters, and add a few more features to make the gameplay last longer.

    When you open the package, the first thing you'll notice is the disc. You can't help but wonder if there was a mistake when you take the disk into your hand. It's about half the size of a normal CD. I thought there's no way they could get so much information into the little sucker, but when I plugged it in, I found that that there's a pretty amazing game in there.

Bowser, Kirby, Link, Peach, and... Toad??

    If you've played the Nintendo 64 version, then you may think it's the same game. You're generally right. However, it's been updated with better graphics, and more gameplay than before. The game itself is still a mayhem of punch and kicks like the N64 version, but the people from Nintendo learned from their mistakes and fixed it up in the GameCube version. For example, the extreme wide shot of a stage (when characters are spread around a stage) caused a lot of complaints. This time around, the characters have very clean texturing and is a bit larger than before. They also have a pointer to show who's who when the camera is far away. My friends who played the game with me still have some problems sometimes seeing who they are, but it's not easy to see when there's four guys fighting each other all at the same time. There's just no help for that.

    Another addition to the game is the smash attack. The good people of Nintendo realized the problem a lot of people had trying to kick an opponent off the screen, so they decided to add the smash attach. Basically, it's just a very strong attack. Along with that smash attack, they also included one extra special move for all of the old characters. The other special moves are pretty much the same as before.

You bastard! You ate my brother!

    The control is pretty much the same as before--extremely simple. All you need is about 5 minutes of lessons from someone and you'll know all there is to know about the fighting moves in the game. But unlike the old N64 version, they added more advanced techniques like dodging and catching. You can dodge an attack in the air so you are not as vulnerable as before. You can also catch an item that is thrown at you, so you can use it for yourself. They're a lot harder to use effectively, but if you know the basic controls, you can play the game. However, to win, you must learn to jump back on the stage from a distance. To do that, you'll have to master the double jump and the special attack of your chosen character. You have to use your double jump and your special attack wisely to safely reach the platform.

    The other aspect of the game is single player campaigns. It's not as fun as a group game, but it's hard because the computer is merciless. They're ready to show you the meaning of a beating. There are side option games like the Event mode where you're asked to do a task (usually involves beating someone down) or a home run contest where you're ask to beat up a sand bag and hit it as far as you can. They're not bad, but the novelty wears out after a bit. The only things that kept me playing the single player are the trophies of Nintendo characters that you can collect. I've got about 200 something. They look like toys you get from the vending machine at supermarket: statue-like trophies that you collect for fun. They all have a basic information of what they are and where they came from.

Try figuring out what the heck is going on here...

    Overall, the game isn't extremely innovative, considering the fact that it's based on an N64 game, but it does have beautiful graphics, unique environments, and good gameplay. Graphics is something you need to see to enjoy. It is a giant step up compared to the N64 version. The most helpful improvement from the previous SSB is that there is less havoc and more control. The gameplay is smooth for almost all of the stages, except during a stage where you're fighting on top of F-zero racing cars I was a bit disappointed, but my cousin and I were playing in the lighting mode (where everything is faster) and everyone was fighting, so I just forgot about it.

    Super Smash Brothers Melee is a good addition to anyone's collection. It's a fun game to go back and play because of the 25 different characters. It doesn't take too much skill to learn to play and doesn't take any time to start a game. Even though there's not much improvement from the original, it's still a good game. If it's not broken, why fix it?

M A Y - H E M !

Final Grade: A-
Summary: Good party game. So-so single player game.

Gratuitous Screenshots:

Kirby speaks softly, but carries a BIG stick.

Bowser just had some really hot chili.