Editing Super Smash Bros. Melee

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{{Cquote|Within Nintendo, we've had a lot of discussion about which of our most popular characters should be ready to appear in games when Nintendo GameCube comes to market. We think we've got a great answer.|cite=[[Shigeru Miyamoto]]}}

|image       = [[File:SsbmBoxart.jpg|250px|North American cover art]]

|developer   = [[HAL Laboratory]]<br />[[Intelligent Systems]]

|publisher   = [[Nintendo]]

|designer     = [[Masahiro Sakurai]]

|released     = {{Flag|Japan}} November 21, 2001<br />{{Flag|North America}} December 3, 2001<br />{{Flag|Europe}} May 24, 2002<br />{{Flag|Australia}} May 31, 2002

|genre       = [[wikipedia:Fighting game|Fighting game]]

|modes       = [[wikipedia:Single-player|Single-player]], [[wikipedia:multiplayer video game|Multiplayer]] (2-4)

|ratings     = [[wikipedia:Entertainment Software Rating Board|ESRB]]: T<br />[[wikipedia:Entertainment and Leisure Software Publishers Association|ELSPA]]: 11+<br />[[wikipedia:Entertainment and Leisure Software Publishers Association|ELSPA]]: 3+ (re-rating)<br />[[wikipedia:Pan European Game Information|PEGI]]: 3+<br />[[wikipedia:Office of Film and Literature Classification (Australia)|OFLC]]: G8+

|platform     = [[Nintendo GameCube]]

|media       = [[wikipedia:Nintendo optical discs|GameCube Optical Disc]]

|input       = [[GameCube controller]]

'''''Super Smash Bros. Melee''''' ({{ja|大乱闘 スマッシュ ブラザーズ ＤＸ|Dairantō Sumasshu Burazāzu Derakkusu}}, ''Great Fray Smash Brothers Deluxe''), often shortened to "'''''SSBM'''''" or "'''''Melee'''''", is a 2.5D fighting game for the Nintendo GameCube. It was released on November 21st, 2001 in Japan, and December 3rd, 2001 in North America, shortly after GameCube's launch, and then on the following year in Europe and Australia on May 24th, 2002 and May 31st, 2002 respectively. It is the second game in the [[Super Smash Bros. (series)|''Super Smash Bros.'' series]], following its predecessor, ''[[Super Smash Bros.]]'' and was succeeded by ''[[Super Smash Bros. Brawl]]'' and ''[[Super Smash Bros. 4]]''.

Like ''[[Super Smash Bros.]]'', its predecessor, ''Melee'' features [[gameplay]] unique from that of other fighting games.  Compared to characters in other fighting games, ''Melee'' characters have simple movesets and lack complicated button inputs and lengthy [[natural combo]]s.  Instead Melee emphasizes movement and ringouts. Indeed, [[edge-guarding]] in ''Melee'' takes on much more significance than it does in most other games due to copious mid-air jumps and other methods of reaching the edge unfettered. The game has sold over seven million copies and is the best-selling GameCube game. ''Melee'' is also one of the two games in the ''Super Smash Bros.'' series to be rated T by the ESRB, with the other being its sequel, ''Super Smash Bros. Brawl.''

The [[opening movie]] of ''Melee'' was given particularly high attention by the developing team; according to Sakurai, the team wanted to create an entire, high-quality FMV sequence in the game in order to highlight the then newly-released GameCube console's graphical power in comparison to previous consoles. The development team worked in three different animations studios in Tokyo, Japan to finish the FMV opening.

In addition to pre-rendered cutscenes, the opening sequence also contains some shots of actual gameplay; continuing the trend started in the previous game, the opening also directly segues into the title screen.

An [[Beta elements (SSBM)#Other beta elements|early opening]] has also been found; in this sequence, the clips of actual gameplay had been considerably changed.

The cast of 25 playable characters, 26 including [[Zelda]]'s alter ego [[Sheik]], includes all 12 characters from ''[[Super Smash Bros.]]'' and 13 newcomers. Of these, 14 are available from the start of play (15 if Sheik is included), including all the [[veteran]] characters but [[Luigi]] and [[Jigglypuff]].

|[[File:Young Link SSBM.jpg|100x100px|link=Young Link (SSBM)]]<br>'''{{SSBM|Young Link}}'''<br>{{symbol|zelda|20px}}

 

 

|colspan=3 width=50%|[[File:Fighting Wire Frames Trophy.png|100x100px|link=Fighting Wire Frames]]<br />''[[Fighting Wire Frames]]''<br />{{Symbol|smash|20px}}

|}

There are eighteen [[starter stage]]s and eleven more which can be unlocked.

|width="20%"|[[Image:Mushroom Kingdom I Melee.png|100x100px|link=Mushroom Kingdom (SSBM)]]<br />{{SSBM|Mushroom Kingdom}}<br />{{symbol|mario|20px|suffix=preBrawl}}

|width="20%"|[[File:PCastleMelee.jpg|100x100px|link=Princess Peach's Castle]]<br />[[Princess Peach's Castle]]<br />{{symbol|mario|20px|suffix=preBrawl}}

|width="20%"|[[Image:Rainbow Cruise.jpg|100x100px|link=Rainbow Cruise]]<br />[[Rainbow Cruise]]<br />{{symbol|mario|20px|suffix=preBrawl}}

|width="20%"|[[Image:YoshisIslandSSBM.jpg|100x100px|link=Yoshi's Island (SSBM)]]<br />{{SSBM|Yoshi's Island}}<br />{{symbol|yoshi|20px|suffix=preBrawl}}

|width="20%"|[[File:Yoshi'sStory.PNG|100x100px|link=Yoshi's Story]]<br />[[Yoshi's Story]]<br />{{symbol|yoshi|20px|suffix=preBrawl}}

|[[Image:Kongojungle.jpg|100x100px|link=Kongo Jungle (SSBM)]]<br />{{SSBM|Kongo Jungle}}<br />{{symbol|dk|20px|suffix=preBrawl}}

|[[Image:JungleJapes.jpg|100x100px|link=Jungle Japes]]<br />[[Jungle Japes]]<br />{{symbol|dk|20px|suffix=preBrawl}}

|[[File:Great bay.jpg|100x100px|link=Great Bay]]<br />[[Great Bay]]<br />{{symbol|zelda|20px}}

|[[Image:Hyrule Temple.jpg|100x100px|link=Temple]]<br />[[Temple]]<br />{{symbol|zelda|20px}}

|[[File:Brinstar brawl.jpg|100x100px|link=Brinstar]]<br />[[Brinstar]]<br />{{symbol|metroid|20px|suffix=preBrawl}}

|-style="vertical-align:bottom;"

|[[Image:Fountainofdreams.jpg|100x100px|link=Fountain of Dreams]]<br />[[Fountain of Dreams]]<br />{{symbol|kirby|20px}}

|[[Image:Corneria full.jpg|100x100px|link=Corneria]]<br />[[Corneria]]<br />{{symbol|starfox|20px|suffix=preBrawl}}

|[[Image:Venom.jpg|100x100px|link=Venom]]<br />[[Venom]]<br />{{symbol|starfox|20px|suffix=preBrawl}}

|[[File:Pokemonstadium.jpg|100x100px|link=Pokémon Stadium]]<br />[[Pokémon Stadium]]<br />{{symbol|pokemon|20px|suffix=preBrawl}}

|[[Image:MuteCity.jpg|100x100px|link=Mute City (SSBM)]]<br />{{SSBM|Mute City}}<br />{{symbol|fzero|20px}}

|[[Image:IcicleMountain.jpg|100x100px|link=Icicle Mountain]]<br />[[Icicle Mountain]]<br />{{symbol|ic|20px}}

!colspan=5|Unlockable stages

|[[Image:Battlefieldssbm.jpg|100x100px|link=Battlefield (SSBM)]]<br />{{SSBM|Battlefield}}<br />{{symbol||20px|l=Super Smash Bros. (universe)}}

|[[File:Finaldestination.jpg|100x100px|link=Final Destination (SSBM)]]<br />{{SSBM|Final Destination}}<br />{{symbol|smash|20px}}

|[[Image:Mushroom Kingdom II Melee.png|100x100px|link=Mushroom Kingdom II]]<br />[[Mushroom Kingdom II]]<br />{{symbol|mario|20px|suffix=preBrawl}}

|[[file:OLDKJ-NRML-SSBM.png|100x100px|link=Kongo Jungle (SSB)]]<br />{{gameIcon|SSB}} {{SSB|Kongo Jungle}}<br />{{symbol|dk|20px|suffix=preBrawl}}

|-style="vertical-align:bottom;"

|[[Image:brinstardepths.jpg|100x100px|link=Brinstar Depths]]<br />[[Brinstar Depths]]<br />{{symbol|metroid|20px|suffix=preBrawl}}

|[[File:OLDDL-NRML-SSBM.jpg|100x100px|link=Dream Land (SSB)]]<br />{{gameIcon|SSB}} {{SSB|Dream Land}}<br />{{symbol|kirby|20px}}

|[[Image:Flatzone copy.jpg|100x100px|link=Flat Zone]]<br />[[Flat Zone]]<br />{{symbol|gw|20px|suffix=preBrawl}}

|}

*[[Race to the Finish (SSBM)|Race to the Finish]]

*[[Mushroom Kingdom (Adventure Mode)|Mushroom Kingdom]]

*[[Goomba (stage)|Goomba]]

*[[Entei (stage)|Entei]]

 

 

*[[TEST]]

*Zelda/Sheik's [[Target Test]] Stage

 

 

*[[AKANEIA]]

[[File:MenuScreen.jpg|340px|right|thumb|The main menu screen for ''Melee''.]]

*[[Adventure Mode]]

===Multi-player===

===Action Replay===

The game features several points to be unlocked, most of which include the [[Trophy|trophies]], unlockable characters and stages. Some of them are unlocked by a special way, like achieving a certain distance on the [[Home-Run Contest]], while others are obtained by the [[Lottery]]. For a full list, see [[List of unlockables (SSBM)]].

[[HAL Laboratory]] developed ''Super Smash Bros. Melee'', with [[Masahiro Sakurai]] as the head of production. The game was one of the first games released on the [[Nintendo GameCube]] and highlighted the advancement in graphics from the [[Nintendo 64]]. The developers wanted to pay homage to the debut of the GameCube by making an opening FMV sequence that would attract people's attention to the graphics.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://cube.ign.com/articles/097/097950p1.html |title=Smash Bros. FMV Explained |publisher=IGN |accessdate=2007-11-24 |date=2001-08-31}}</ref> HAL worked with three separate graphic houses in Tokyo to make the opening sequence. On their official website, the developers posted screen shots and information highlighting and explaining the attention to physics and detail in the game, with references to changes from its predecessor.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://cube.ign.com/articles/098/098158p1.html |title=A Detailed Melee |publisher=IGN |accessdate=2007-11-24 |date=2001-09-07}}</ref> The game was in development for 13 months, and Sakurai called his lifestyle during this period "destructive" with no holidays and short weekends.<ref name=sharpest>{{cite web|last=George|first=Richard|title=Super Smash Bros Creator: "Melee The Sharpest"|url=http://uk.ign.com/articles/2010/12/09/super-smash-bros-creator-melee-the-sharpest|publisher=IGN}}</ref> Unlike the experimental first ''[[Super Smash Bros.]]'', he felt great pressure to deliver a quality sequel, claiming it was the "biggest project I had ever led up to that point". Despite the painful development cycle, Sakurai proudly called it "the sharpest game in the series... it just felt really good to play", even compared to its successor, ''[[Super Smash Bros. Brawl]]''.<ref name="sharpest"/>

On the game's official Japanese website, the developers explain reasons for making particular characters playable and explain why some characters were not available as playable characters upon release. Initially, the development team wanted to replace Ness with [[Lucas]], the main character of ''[[Mother 3]]'', but retained Ness in consideration of delays.<ref>{{cite web|last=Sakurai |first=Masahiro |authorlink=Masahiro Sakurai |url=http://www.nintendo.co.jp/n01/n64/software/nus_p_nalj/smash/flash/0717/index.html |title=Super Smash Bros. Melee |date=2001-07-17 |publisher=[[Nintendo]] |accessdate=2007-11-24 |language=Japanese}}</ref> The game's creators later included Lucas in the game's sequel, ''[[Super Smash Bros. Brawl]]''.<ref>{{cite web|last=Sakurai |first=Masahiro |authorlink=Masahiro Sakurai |url=http://www.smashbros.com/en_us/characters/lucas.html |title=Super Smash Bros. Brawl—Lucas |publisher=[[Nintendo]] |date=2007-10-01 |accessdate=2007-11-24}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|last=Sakurai |first=Masahiro |authorlink=Masahiro Sakurai |url=http://www.smashbros.com/en_us/characters/snake.html |title=Super Smash Bros. Brawl—Snake |publisher=[[Nintendo]] |date=2001-09-21 |accessdate=2007-11-24}}</ref> Video game developer [[Hideo Kojima]] originally requested the inclusion of [[Solid Snake]] to Sakurai, but the game was too far into development. As with Lucas, development time allowed for his inclusion in ''Brawl''.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://kotaku.com/gaming/nintendo/e306-super-smash-bros-brawl-qa-173071.php |title=E306 Super Smash Bros. Brawl Q&A |publisher=Kotaku |date=2007-05-11 |accessdate=2007-12-30}}</ref> Marth and Roy were initially intended to be playable exclusively in the Japanese version of ''Super Smash Bros. Melee''. However, they received favorable attention during the game's North American localization, leading to the decision for the developers to include them in the Western version.<ref>{{cite web|last=Sakurai |first=Masahiro |authorlink=Masahiro Sakurai |url=http://www.nintendo.co.jp/n01/n64/software/nus_p_nalj/smash/flash/0115/index.html |title=Super Smash Bros. Melee—Roy |publisher=[[Nintendo]] |date=2002-01-15 |accessdate=2007-11-24 |language=Japanese}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|last=Sakurai |first=Masahiro |authorlink=Masahiro Sakurai |url=http://www.nintendo.co.jp/n01/n64/software/nus_p_nalj/smash/flash/1204/index.html |title=Super Smash Bros. Melee—Marth |publisher=[[Nintendo]] |date=2001-12-14 |accessdate=2007-11-24 |language=Japanese}}</ref> Additionally, Sakurai stated that the development team had suggested characters from four other games to represent the Famicom or NES era until the developers decided that the [[Ice Climber]]s would be in the game.<ref>{{cite web|last=Sakurai |first=Masahiro |authorlink=Masahiro Sakurai |url=http://www.nintendo.co.jp/n01/n64/software/nus_p_nalj/smash/flash/1009/index.html |title=Super Smash Bros. Melee—Ice Climbers |publisher=[[Nintendo]] |accessdate=2007-11-24 |date=2001-10-09 |language=Japanese |quote=The four games considered were ''[[Balloon Fight]]'' ("the balloon would be easily blown"), ''[[Urban Champion]]'' ("seem too small"), ''[[Clu Clu Land]]'' ("they know how to fight?") and ''[[Excitebike]]'' ("would have to jump")}}</ref> The developers have noted characters that have very similar moves to each other on the website;<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.nintendo.co.jp/n01/n64/software/nus_p_nalj/smash/flash/0118/index.html |title=Roy |publisher=[[Nintendo]] |accessdate=2008-01-11 |date=2002-01-15 |language=Japanese}}</ref> such characters have been referred to as "clones" in the media.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://cube.ign.com/objects/016/016387.html |title=IGN: Super Smash Bros. Melee |publisher=IGN |accessdate=2008-01-11 |date=2002-01-10}}</ref>

Nintendo presented the game at the [[Electronic Entertainment Expo]] (E3) event of 2001 as a playable demonstration.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://cube.ign.com/articles/094/094823p1.html |title=IGN: E3: Hands-on Impressions for Super Smash bros Melee |publisher=IGN |accessdate=2007-11-24 |date=2001-05-17}}</ref> The next major exposition of the game came in August 2001 at Spaceworld, when Nintendo displayed a playable demo that updated from the previous demo displayed at E3. Nintendo offered a playable tournament of the games for fans in which a GameCube and ''Super Smash Bros. Melee'' were prizes for the winner.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://cube.ign.com/articles/097/097777p1.html |title=IGN: Spaceworld 2001: Super Smash Bros Melee hands-on |publisher=IGN |accessdate=2007-11-24 |date=2001-08-25}}</ref> Before the game's release, the Japanese official website included weekly updates, including screenshots and character profiles.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://cube.ign.com/articles/096/096718p1.html |title=Super Smashing Moves |publisher=IGN |accessdate=2007-11-24 |date=2001-07-19}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.nintendo.co.jp/n01/n64/software/nus_p_nalj/smash/flash/index.html |title=Super Smash Bros. Melee |publisher=[[Nintendo]] |accessdate=2007-11-24 |language=Japanese}}</ref> Nintendo followed this trend with ''Super Smash Bros. Brawl'', in which there were daily updates by the game's developer, Masahiro Sakurai.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.smashbros.com/en_uk/index.html |title=Super Smash Bros. Brawl |publisher=[[Nintendo]] |accessdate=2007-11-24}}</ref> Japanese gaming magazine ''Famitsu'' reported that Nintendo advertised the game in between showings of the ''Pokémon the First Movie'' across movie theaters in Japan.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://cube.ign.com/articles/096/096528p1.html |date=2001-07-12 |title=Nintendo kicks-off GameCube hype in Japan |publisher=IGN |accessdate=2007-11-24}}</ref> In January 2003, ''Super Smash Bros Melee'' became part of the Player's Choice, a marketing label used by Nintendo to promote video games that have sold more than a million copies.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://cube.ign.com/articles/383/383504p1.html |title=Nintendo Expands Player's Choice Line-up |publisher=IGN |accessdate=2007-11-24 |date=2003-01-23}}</ref> In August 2005, Nintendo bundled the game with the Nintendo GameCube for $99.99.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://cube.ign.com/articles/632/632133p1.html |title=Super Smash Bros. Bundle |publisher=IGN |accessdate=2007-11-24 |date=2005-07-07 |first=Matt |last=Casamassina}}</ref>

|1UP =  

|Edge = 6/10

|EuroG = 10/10<ref name="Eurogamer">http://www.eurogamer.net/articles/r_ssbm_gc</ref>

|Fam = 37/40

|GSpot = 8.9/10<ref name="Gamespot">http://www.gamespot.com/reviews/super-smash-bros-melee-review/1900-2829090/</ref>

|GT =  

|IGN = 9.6/10<ref name="IGN">http://uk.cube.ign.com/articles/166/166387p1.html</ref>

|NP = 5/5 <ref name="metacritic" /><ref name="GameRankings" />

|ONM = 95%

|MC = 92/100<ref name="metacritic">http://www.metacritic.com/game/gamecube/super-smash-bros-melee</ref>

|GR = 90.52%<ref name="GameRankings">http://www.gamerankings.com/gamecube/516492-super-smash-bros-melee/index.html</ref>

|TTR =  

''Melee'' was well-received in many quarters and is the GameCube's top-selling game. More than seven million copies of ''Melee'' were sold as of March 10, 2008. It was the fastest-selling GameCube game in Japan and sold 358,525 copies within four days of its release. In North America, it sold 250,000 copies within nine days of its release. It was the first GameCube game to sell over a million copies, an achievement reached only two months after its release. ''Super Smash Bros. Melee'' is the best selling game for the [[Nintendo GameCube]], selling about 7.09 million copies worldwide, as of December 31, 2009.

''Melee'' has received critical acclaim from reviewers, and has received high rankings on many gaming sites, such as {{s|wikipedia|GameRankings}}, {{s|wikipedia|IGN}}, and {{s|wikipedia|GameSpot}}. {{s|wikipedia|GameSpy}} commented in their review that "you'll have a pretty hard time finding a more enjoyable multiplayer experience on any other console".<ref name="Gamespy">{{cite web|last=Williams |first=Bryn |date=2001-12-03 |url=http://cube.gamespy.com/gamecube/super-smash-bros-melee/636813p1.html |title=Super GameSpy: Smash Bros Melee review |publisher={{s|wikipedia|GameSpy}} |accessdate=2013-06-05}}</ref> Reviewers compared the game favorably to the original ''[[Super Smash Bros.]]'', commonly due to the large amount of new content added to the sequel, with IGN's {{s|wikipedia|Fran Mirabella III}} saying it was "in an entirely different league than the N64 version".<ref name="IGN">{{cite web|last=Mirabella III |first=Fran |date=2001-12-03 |url=http://cube.ign.com/articles/166/166387p1.html |title=IGN: Super Smash Bros Melee review |publisher=IGN |accessdate=2013-06-05}}</ref> The improved graphics were also welcomed, and GameSpot said that "the character models are pleasantly full-bodied, and the quality of their textures is amazing".<ref name="Gamespot">{{cite web|last=Lopez |first=Miguel |date=2001-12-01 |url=http://www.gamespot.com/gamecube/action/supersmashbrosmelee/review.html?page=4 |title=Super Smash Bros Melee for GameCube review—GameSpot |publisher={{s|wikipedia|GameSpot}} |accessdate=2013-06-05}}</ref> Planet GameCube's Mike Sklens also rated it as "one of the best sounding games ever",<ref>{{cite web|last=Sklens |first=Mike |date=2001-12-18 |url=http://www.nintendoworldreport.com/review/3834 |title=Nintendo World Report: Smash Bros Melee review |publisher={{s|wikipedia|Nintendo World Report}} |accessdate=2013-06-05}}</ref> while GameSpot's Greg Kasavin commented that "it all sounds brilliant".<ref name="Gamespot"/>

''Super Smash Bros. Melee'' has received many gaming awards. GameSpy chose it as Best Fighting GameCube Game in their "Best of 2001" awards<ref>{{cite web|url=http://archive.gamespy.com/goty2001/gc/gc_fighting_winner.shtml |title=GameCube Fighting Game of the Year: Super Smash Bros. Melee |publisher={{s|wikipedia|GameSpy}} |accessdate=2013-06-05| archiveurl = http://web.archive.org/web/20071220220600/http://archive.gamespy.com/goty2001/gc/gc_fighting_winner.shtml| archivedate = December 20, 2007}}</ref>, IGN's reader choice chose it as {{s|wikipedia|Game of the Year}},<ref>{{cite web|url=http://insider.ign.com/articles/317668p1.html |title=Insider: Reader's Choice awards |archiveurl=http://web.archive.org/web/20040813070819/http://insider.ign.com/articles/317668p1.html |archivedate=2004-08-13 |publisher=IGN |date=2001-01-19 |accessdate=2013-06-05}}</ref>, ''{{s|wikipedia|Electronic Gaming Monthly}}'' chose it as Best Multiplayer and Best GameCube Game,<ref>{{cite web|title=2001 "Gamers' Choice Awards" |publisher=Ziff Davis, {{s|wikipedia|Electronic Gaming Monthly}}|date=April 2002 |url=http://gamegroup.ziffdavis.com/presscenter/pr20020304.php?view=printer |archiveurl=http://web.archive.org/web/20080306150300/http://gamegroup.ziffdavis.com/presscenter/pr20020304.php?view=printer |archivedate=2008-03-06 |issn=1058-918X}}</ref>, and GameSpot chose ''Melee'' as the Best GameCube Game and tenth best game of the year.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.gamespot.com/gamespot/features/video/bestof_2001/p5_04.html |title=The Best and Worst of 2001: Best GameCube Game |publisher=GameSpot |accessdate=2007-12-23}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.gamespot.com/gamespot/features/video/bestof_2001/p6_01.html |title=The Best and Worst of 2001: The Top Ten Video Games of the Year |publisher=GameSpot|accessdate=2013-06-05}}</ref>.

Despite overall positive reception, common criticisms of gameplay included the controls' over-sensitivity<ref name="Gamespy"/> and "hyper-responsiveness", with characters easily dashing and precise movements difficult to perform,<ref name="Gamespot"/>, as well as the fast-paced gameplay, with Nintendo Spin's Clark Nielson stating that "Melee was too fast for its own good".<ref>{{cite web|date=2007-05-27 |url=http://www.nintendospin.com/features/the-games-we-hate/ |title=The Games We Hate |publisher=Nintendo Spin |accessdate=2013-06-05 |last=Nielsen |first=Clark}}</ref> Many gamers additionally criticized the game for being too similar to the original, and GameCritics.com's Caleb Hale called it "every bit as good as its Nintendo&nbsp;64 predecessor. The game doesn't expand much past that point".<ref>{{cite web|last=Hale |first=Caleb |date=2002-02-20 |url=http://www.gamecritics.com/review/ssbmelee/main.php |archiveurl=http://web.archive.org/web/20071231122649/http://www.gamecritics.com/review/ssbmelee/main.php |archivedate=2007-12-31 |title=GameCritics.com: Smash Bros :Melee review |publisher=GameCritics.com |accessdate=2013-06-05}}</ref>

==Changes from the original==

===Gameplay and game mechanics===

*The general pacing of the game has been increased; [[freeze frame]]s have been reduced, KOs off the top [[blast line]] finish sooner, and characters move faster in general, as [[gravity]] and [[falling speed]] values have been made higher, and more forward momentum is now conserved from a [[dash]] when jumping.

*[[Stale-move negation]] has been redesigned; moves now feature a gradual drop in power if used repeatedly instead of a single large drop in power when used once, and using a move less frequently but still often gives less of a penalty then using the move the same number of times consecutively. For consecutive hitting attacks, once the first hit connects, all others become one level more stale.

*Most [[aerial attack]]s have been decreased in damage. All of them now have unique landing animations, and [[L-canceling]] now just halves the landing lag of an aerial rather than making the character assume their regular landing animation. Characters can now, however, [[fast fall]] at any time during aerials, so they can be L-canceled earlier, introducing the highly-competitive [[SHFFL]] and allowing character to perform more extensive combos within ''Melee''{{'}}s new physics.

*[[Meteor smash]]es can now be canceled (with a loud swishing sound and the character glowing briefly white while doing so), though [[spike|certain moves]] "fall through the cracks" and cannot be. Moves that can meteor smash are also generally much slower in all aspects.

*[[Angling]] forward tilts and smashes now either increases or reduces their damage, depending on the angle, but most of them now have less angles.

*[[Jump-canceled grab]]s are implemented: dashing characters can now use their regular grabs by preparing a jump and then grabbing before leaving the ground, making them faster and with longer reach, depending on the characters' [[Dashing|dash speed]] and [[traction]].

*Grabs can now be escaped should the grabber wait too long before throwing, with the time until escaping dependent on the grabbed character's damage (the more damage they have, the longer they can be held). Grabs now have increased ending lag, so they cannot be used in repeated succession as effectively.

*Certain characters can now [[wall jump]].

*All characters can walk while holding a heavy item, though very slowly; Donkey Kong remains the only one who can jump. They can also be thrown upwards and downwards, like regular items.

*Healing items can now be consumed while wielding another one.

*A stock match can now have a maximum time limit set. Many other additional rules have also been added, such as taking out stages from random selection, controlling the way in which stages are chosen, or altering the battles' [[damage ratio]].

*Bonuses can now be earned in both single player modes and multiplayer matches, and a lot more [[List of bonuses|bonuses]] have also been added, changing from being 57 to 249.

*[[1P Game]] is known as {{SSBM|Classic Mode}}, with the opponents before the final stage now being random rather than always the same, and various other single player modes such as [[Adventure Mode]] and [[All-Star Mode]] have been added.

*[[Special Melee]]s have been introduced, which include battling with [[Super Mushroom|giant]] or [[Cloaking Device|invisible]] characters, using [[stamina]] as opposed to damage, and even battling at a faster or slower speed. A [[Tournament mode]] has also been added.

*The [[Board the Platforms]] bonus game has been removed, with the [[Snag the Trophies]] bonus game being introduced, and [[Race to the Finish]] being revamped.

*[[Coin (collectable)|Coin]]s are now used for [[Continue|continuing]] on 1P modes and earning trophies: these are obtained by winning battles on either regular 1P or Versus modes, the amount depending on how long they take.

*Unique [[on-screen appearance]]s have been removed; all characters share the same animation of a trophy coming to life.

*[[Angle indicator]]s have been removed.

===Data===

*Records are not saved if a match is forfeited.

*More complex records are saved by the game, such as the total of times it has been turned on, current characters with the most [[KO]]s, [[fall]]s and [[SD]]s, or even the total distance walked by all characters.

==[[Tournament]] play==

''Melee'' is widely known for its large and intricate tournament scene. The birth of the tournament scene occurred with the creation of the [[Tournament Go]] series in 2002. ''Melee'' has since been featured in the championships of many grand-scale fighting game tournaments, such as [[Major League Gaming]] in 2004, 2005, 2006, and 2014, and [[EVO]] in 2007, 2013, 2014, 2015, and 2016.

The community has constructed a set of [[tournament legal (SSBM)|standard tournament rules]] to regulate tournament play. While rulesets may vary between different tournaments, generally universal gameplay rules include all matches being played via [[time]]d [[stock]] (four lives and eight minutes), and restrictions on legal [[stage]]s. These regulations are enacted to ensure that gameplay at the highest level remains fair and interesting.

*As a near-launch title for the system, ''Super Smash Bros. Melee'' marks the first appearance on the [[Nintendo GameCube]] for 23 out of the 26 playable characters; the exceptions being Mario, Luigi, and Bowser, who had appeared in ''Luigi's Mansion''. As only Luigi was playable in said game, he is also the only character who was playable on the GameCube in a game before ''Melee''.

**This also marked the first playable appearance for [[Sheik]], [[Ganondorf]], and [[Roy]] in any series, as well as Roy's first appearance in any game.

**''Melee'' is also the only GameCube appearance for [[Ness]], [[Marth]], Roy, [[Ice Climbers]] and [[Mr. Game & Watch]].

*Despite there being 5 "?"-marked character boxes initially, there are a total of 11 unlockable characters, with the ones not marked by a "?" being [[clone]]s. Given that ''Melee'' directly identifies these characters as clones by how they're presented on the selection screen, this raises interesting questions about how they were treated by the development team.

**Oddly, on the character selection screen, when Luigi is unlocked, Luigi takes his place next to Mario and then he relocates Pikachu to the bottom row instead of sitting in one himself (Pikachu is the only Pokémon available from the start of the game. It appears next to Mario, but moves to the bottom row after Luigi is unlocked.). This appears to be a concession made by the fact that Luigi (from the Super Mario franchise) and all of the Pokémon characters (Jigglypuff, Pichu, and Mewtwo) aside from Pikachu are unlockable, meaning that if Pikachu were to reside in its final position from the start, it would be the only member of the bottom row, with a single "?" box on the right of Mario (where Pikachu begins and Luigi later appears).

*''Melee'' introduces the least new playable universes at three (Ice Climber, Fire Emblem and Game & Watch). By comparison ''Super Smash Bros.'' introduces 10, ''Brawl'' introduces 6, and ''Smash 4'' introduces 11.

*Not counting Ganondorf being able to regain his midair jump via an aerial [[Wizard's Foot]], ''Melee'' is the only game in the series not to have introduced a new playable character with multiple double jumps.

**It is also the only installment in the series which grants the ability of multiple double jumps to a veteran who lacked it in the previous game, if one counts [[Captain Falcon]]'s aerial Falcon Kick, which is fundamentally the same as Wizard's Foot.

*Not counting [[Super Smash Bros.|the original game]], ''Melee'' is the only game with more newcomers than veterans.

*''Melee'' is the only game where [[Jigglypuff]] is not the lightest character, due to the appearance of [[Pichu]], who is 5 units lighter than Jigglypuff.

*''Melee'' is the first game in the series to receive "T" ESRB rating.

*[[wikipedia:Super Smash Bros. Melee|Wikipedia's ''Super Smash Bros. Melee'' article]]

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