Super Smash Bros. Melee
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{{Title|''Super Smash Bros. Melee''}}
{{ArticleIcons|melee=y|fa=y}}
{{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]] moments before the ''Melee'' trailer was unveiled to the public at E3 2001.}}
{{Infobox Game
{{Infobox Game
| title        = Super Smash Bros. Melee
|image = {{tabber|width=250px|title1=American boxart|content1=[[File:SsbmBoxart.jpg|250px]]|title2=Japanese boxart|content2=[[File:SSBM JP Box.jpg|250px]]}}
| image        = [[Image:Super Smash Bros Melee Players Ch.jpg]]
|developer = [[HAL Laboratory]]<br>[[Intelligent Systems]]
| caption      = Official box art for ''Super Smash Bros. Melee''.
|publisher = [[Nintendo]]
| developer   = [[HAL Laboratory]]
|designer = [[Masahiro Sakurai]]
| publisher   = [[Nintendo]]
|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<br>{{flag|South Korea}} December 14, 2002
| distributor  =
|genre = [[wikipedia:Fighting game|Fighting game]]<br>[[wikipedia:Platform game|Platforming]]
| designer     = [[Masahiro Sakurai]] (director)
|modes = [[wikipedia:Single-player|Single-player]], [[wikipedia:multiplayer video game|Multiplayer]] (2-4)
| engine      =
|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+<ref>[https://www.mariowiki.com/File:SSBM_Box_EU_PC.jpg Player's Choice re-release]</ref><br>[[wikipedia:Office of Film and Literature Classification (Australia)|OFLC]]: G8+
| version      =
|platform = [[Nintendo GameCube]]
| released     = [[Image:Flag of Japan.svg|22px|Japan]] November 21, 2001<br />[[Image:Flag of the United States.svg|22px|USA]]/[[Image:Flag of Canada.svg|22px|Canada]] December 3, 2001<br />[[Image:Flag of Europe.svg|22px|Europe]] May 24, 2002<br />[[Image:Flag of Australia.svg|22px|Australia]] May 31, 2002
|media = [[wikipedia:Nintendo optical discs|GameCube Optical Disc]]
| genre       = [[Wikipedia:Fighting game|Fighting game]]
|requirements = 11 blocks of memory (an additional 2 or more blocks are needed for each snapshot saved)
| modes       = Single-player, multiplayer
|input = [[GameCube controller]]
| ratings     = [[Wikipedia:Entertainment Software Rating Board|ESRB]]: Teen (T)
| platforms    = [[Nintendo GameCube]]
| media       = GameCube Optical Disc
| requirements = 11 blocks of memory (an additional 2 or more blocks are needed for each snapshot saved)
| input       = [[GameCube controller]]
}}
}}
{{Redirect|Melee|the game mode|Versus Mode#Versus Mode in Super Smash Bros. Melee|Versus Mode}}
'''''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'''''" ({{ja|スマブラDX|Sumabura dī ekkusu}}), is the second installment in the ''{{b|Super Smash Bros.|series}}'' series published by [[Nintendo]]. The game released for [[GameCube]] 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. The game was directed by [[Masahiro Sakurai]] and was primarily developed by [[HAL Laboratory]].


'''''Super Smash Bros. Melee''''' (released in Japan as Dairantō Smash Brothers DX with ''Dairantō'' meaning "Great Fray"), is a popular crossover action game released for the [[Nintendo GameCube]] shortly after its launch in 2001 (2002 in the PAL region). It is the sequel to the 1999 [[Nintendo 64]] fighting game ''[[Super Smash Bros.]]'', and is followed by the 2008 [[Wii]] game ''[[Super Smash Bros. Brawl]]''. [[HAL Laboratory]] developed the game, with [[Masahiro Sakurai]] as head of production.
Like its predecessor ''Super Smash Bros.'', ''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. ''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 game is centered on dueling characters from Nintendo's video gaming franchises such as ''[[Mario (series)|Mario]]'' and ''[[The Legend of Zelda (series)|The Legend of Zelda]]''. The stages and gameplay modes make references to and or take their designs from popular games released by Nintendo.<ref name="Stages">{{cite web|url=http://uk.guides.ign.com/guides/16387/page_29.html|title=Guides: Super Smash Bros. Melee &ndash; Stages|publisher=IGN|accessdate=2007-12-22|date}}</ref> ''Melee's'' gameplay system offers an unorthodox approach to the "fighter" genre as percentage counters measure the level of damage received, rather than the traditional health bar in fighting games.<ref name="Percentage system">{{cite web|url=http://www.gamefreaks365.com/review.php?artid=127|title=Super Smash Bros. Melee &ndash; Game Freaks 365|publisher=Game Freaks 365|accessdate=2007-12-22|date=2001-12-03}}</ref> It builds on the first game's broad appeal by adding new features related to gameplay and playable characters. Following the popularity of the game's multiplayer gameplay, the game has been the subject of several multiplayer gaming tournaments.<ref>{{cite web|last=Lenzi|first=Chris|| date=2003-02-03 |url=http://www.gotfrag.com/cs/story/10451/|title=Counter-strike News Story| publisher=GotFrag|accessdate=2007-12-14}}</ref>
''Melee'' received universal acclaim, with many critics praising the game's expansion and refinement from its N64 predecessor, ''Super Smash Bros.'', as well as its visuals, tight controls, multiplayer mode, and orchestrated soundtrack. However, its single-player modes, lack of originality, and similarity to its predecessor received criticism.


The game received a generally positive reception from the media,<ref name="IGN">{{cite web|last=Mirabella III |first=Fran|Date=2001-12-03|url=http://uk.cube.ign.com/articles/166/166387p1.html|title=IGN: Super Smash Bros Melee review|publisher=IGN| accessdate=2007-12-14}}</ref><ref name="Gamespot">{{cite web|last=Lopez |first=Miguel|Date=2001-12-01|url=http://uk.gamespot.com/gamecube/action/supersmashbrosmelee/review.html?om_act=convert&om_clk=gssummary&tag=summary%3Breview&page=4|title=Super Smash Bros Melee for GameCube review&mdash;Gamespot|publisher=[[GameSpot]]| accessdate=2007-12-14}}</ref><ref name="Eurogamer">{{cite web|last=Bramwell |first=Tom|Date=2002-05-23|url=http://www.eurogamer.net/article.php?article_id=3047|title=Super Smash Bros Melee//GC//Eurogamer|publisher=Eurogamer| accessdate=2007-12-14}}</ref> as well as awards and acknowledgments from well-known gaming publications.<ref name="Game FAQs awards">{{cite web|author=|Date=Spring 2004|url=http://www.gamefaqs.com/features/contest/c04spr|title=Game FAQs best games ever|publisher=Game FAQs |accessdate=2007-12-23}}</ref><ref name="Game FAQs anniversary contest">{{cite web|author=|Date|url=http://www.gamefaqs.com/features/contest/top10|title=Game FAQs anniversary contest|publisher=GameFAQs| accessdate=2007-12-23}}</ref><ref name=" 1UP 200">{{cite web|last=Semrad |first=Steve|Date|url=http://www.1up.com/do/feature?cId=3147448|title=1UP 200 Greatest games of all time|accessdate=2007-12-23}}</ref> It achieved commercial success upon release,<ref name="Japanese weekly sales">{{cite web|author|Date=2001-29-11|url=http://uk.cube.ign.com/articles/100/100174p1.html|title=Smash Bros. Melee hot in Japan|publisher=IGN|accessdate=2007-12-21}}</ref> being the best-selling game that has been released for the GameCube with six million units sold worldwide.<ref>{{cite web | url=http://biz.gamedaily.com/industry/feature/?id=14501 | title=Opinion: Wii Won't Rock You | last=Radd |first=David | publisher=GameDaily | accessdate=2006-11-27 | date=2006-11-17}}</ref>
==Opening movie==
The [[opening movie]] of ''Melee'' mostly uses FMV scenes from its E3 2001 trailer along with some scenes of actual gameplay.


==Gameplay==
The FMV scenes were 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 to highlight the then newly-released GameCube console's graphical power in comparison to previous consoles. The development team worked in three different animation studios in Tokyo, Japan to finish the FMV opening.


Like its predecessor, ''Super Smash Bros. Melee'' is different from traditional fighting games in that inflicting damage does not guarantee victory. In play, a player must force the opponent beyond the stage's boundaries,<ref name="Throw off stage">{{cite web|url=http://uk.guides.ign.com/guides/16387/index.html|title=Guides: Super Smash Bros. Melee|publisher=IGN|accessdate=2007-12-22|date}}</ref> referred to as a "Knock-Off" and abbreviated in the game as a KO.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.replacementdocs.com/request.php?3524 Super Smash Bros. Instruction Booklet|title=Super Smash Bros Manual Booklet| publisher|accessdate=2007-12-14}}</ref> Most attacks both inflict damage and can, if enough damage is dealt, knock back the enemy; inflicted damage increases that distance, so sufficient damage must be accumulated before attempting a "KO". Each character's health is measured by a percentage damage counter.<ref name="Percentage system">{{cite web|url=http://www.gamefreaks365.com/review.php?artid=127|title=Super Smash Bros. Melee &ndash; Game Freaks 365|publisher=Game Freaks 365|accessdate=2007-12-22|date=2001-12-03}}</ref> The higher the percentage value, the weaker the player is, and the easier they are to knock off the stage.<ref name="Explanation of percentage">{{cite web|url=http://uk.guides.ign.com/guides/16387/index.html|title=Guides: Super Smash Bros. Melee &ndash; Introduction|publisher=IGN|accessdate=2007-12-29|date}}</ref> Unlike other games of the same genre, most moves in the game can be accessed via one-button presses and a joystick direction.<ref name="Simple controls">{{cite web|url=http://uk.guides.ign.com/guides/16387/page_2.html|title=Guides: Super Smash Bros. Melee &ndash; Basics|publisher=IGN|accessdate=2007-12-22|date}}</ref>
An earlier version of the opening movie was released on ''Melee''<nowiki>'</nowiki>s Japanese website in November 2001.<ref>[https://tcrf.net/Prerelease:Super_Smash_Bros._Melee#Early_Intro_Cinematic SSBM Early Intro Cinematic - The Cutting Room Floor.]</ref> The early movie is nearly identical to the final game's, but the clips of actual gameplay differ.
During battles, items related to Nintendo games or merchandise fall onto the game field.<ref name="Items">{{cite web|url=http://uk.guides.ign.com/guides/16387/page_53.html|title=Guides: Super Smash Bros. Melee &ndash; Items|publisher=IGN|accessdate=2007-12-22|date}}</ref> These items have purposes ranging from inflicting damage on the opponent to restoring health to the player's combatant.<ref name="Items">{{cite web|url=http://uk.guides.ign.com/guides/16387/page_53.html|title=Guides: Super Smash Bros. Melee &ndash; Items|publisher=IGN|accessdate=2007-12-22|date}}</ref> Additionally, most stages have a theme relating to a Nintendo franchise or a specific Nintendo game and are interactive to the player.<ref name="Stages">{{cite web|url=http://uk.guides.ign.com/guides/16387/page_29.html|title=Guides: Super Smash Bros. Melee &ndash; Stages|publisher=IGN|accessdate=2007-12-22|date}}</ref> Although the stages are rendered in the third-dimension, players cannot move along the Z-axis in any of them. Not all stages are available immediately, so some stages have to be obtained by the player by meeting particular requirements.<ref name="Stages">{{cite web|url=http://uk.guides.ign.com/guides/16387/page_29.html|title=Guides: Super Smash Bros. Melee &ndash; Stages|publisher=IGN|accessdate=2007-12-22|date}}</ref><ref name="Eighteen stages">{{cite web|url=http://www.bestprices.com/cgi-bin/vlink/045496960070|title=Super Smash Bros. Melee &ndash; BestPrices.com|publisher=BestPrices.com|accessdate=2007-12-29|date}}</ref>
===Single player===
Single-player mode provides the player with a variety of fighting and side-scrolling challenges. The applicable modes range from the "Classic mode", which involves the player battling against opponents in multiple stages until he or she reaches the boss character,<ref name="Classic">{{cite web|url=http://uk.guides.ign.com/guides/16387/page_44.html|title=Guides: Super Smash Bros. Melee &ndash; Classic Mode|publisher=IGN|accessdate=2007-12-22|date}}</ref> to the "Home Run Contest", which is a minigame involving the player trying to launch a sandbag as far as possible with a Home Run Bat.<ref name="Home Run contest">{{cite web|url=http://uk.guides.ign.com/guides/16387/page_51.html|title=Guides: Super Smash Bros. Melee &ndash; Home Run Contest|publisher=IGN|accessdate=2007-12-22|date}}</ref> Some of these modes are personalized for the character; for example, the "Target Test" sets out a specialized area for a character in which they aim to destroy ten targets within the time limit. These areas may include references to that particular character's past and legacy.<ref name="Target test">{{cite web|url=http://uk.guides.ign.com/guides/16387/page_46.html|title=Guides: Super Smash Bros. Melee &ndash; Target Test|publisher=IGN|accessdate=2007-12-22|date}}</ref> "Adventure mode" takes the player to several predefined universes of characters in the Nintendo franchise. Like the battle stages in the game, they make references to some conventions of particular series.


[[Image:SSBM-Mario2.jpg|thumb|300px|Mario and Luigi fight in multiplayer mode on the Mushroom Kingdom II stage (the game is paused).]]
In addition, continuing the trend started in the previous game, the opening also directly segues into the title screen with the [[announcer]] calling out the game's title.
===Multiplayer===
In the multiplayer mode, up to four player or computer characters may fight, either in a free-for-all or in teams.<ref name="Teams or free-for-all">{{cite web|author|Date|url=http://www.geocities.com/games_mark/gcreviewssbm.html|title=GamesMark: Super Smash Bros. Melee review|publisher=GamesMark| accessdate=2007-12-29}}</ref> The CPU characters' AI difficulty is ranked from one to nine in ascending order of difficulty. There are five ways in which the victor can be determined, depending on the game type. The traditional mode is "Stock mode",<ref>''Super Smash Bros. Melee'' instruction booklet, p. 32.</ref> a solo or team-based battle in which the last player to lose their lives wins, but this can be changed to less conventional modes like "Coin mode", which rewards the richest player as the victor; they must collect coins by hitting enemies and try not to lose them by falling off the stage.<ref name="Coin mode">{{cite web|url=http://videogames.yahoo.com/gc/super-smash-bros-melee/preview-1062341|title=Guides: Super Smash Bros. Melee previews &ndash; Yahooo|publisher=Yahoo|accessdate=2007-12-22|date=2001-11-27}}</ref> A number of other options are available, such as determining the number and type of items that appear during the battle.<ref name="IGN">{{cite web|author=Fran Mirabella III|Date=2001-12-03|url=http://uk.cube.ign.com/articles/166/166387p1.html|title=IGN: Super Smash Bros Melee review|publisher=IGN| accessdate=2007-12-14}}</ref>


===Other modes===
It is the first pre-rendered cutscene in the series.
*[[Stadium]] mode, a variety of tests where solo players can test their abilities.
*[[Special melee]], a selection of melees with special rules.
*[[Tournament]], along with winner out/loser out functions for when there are more players than controllers.
*[[Adventure]], a one player mode where the player can journey through Nintendo's many worlds.
*[[All Star]], a one player endurance test where the player faces all 25 characters back to back.
*[[Event Match]], a series of situational one player matches.
*[[Classic]] one player mode and free for all melees remain as game modes.


===Trophies===
{{#widget:YouTube|id=KcLg1yBbcb0}}
[[Awards|Trophies]] (known as "Figures" in the Japanese version) of various [[Nintendo]] characters and objects can be collected throughout the game. These trophies include figures of various playable characters, accessories, and items associated with them as well as secondary characters not otherwise included in the game. The trophies range from the well-known to the obscure, and even characters or elements that were only released in Japan.<ref name="Trophies">{{cite web|url=http://uk.guides.ign.com/guides/16387/page_54.html|title=Guides: Super Smash Bros. Melee &ndash; Trophies|publisher=IGN|accessdate=2007-12-22|date}}</ref> Some of the trophies includes a description of the particular subject and details the year and the game in which the subject first appeared.<ref name="Mario Trophy">{{cite web|url=http://www.themushroomkingdom.net/mariopedia/trophy/mario.jpg|title=TMK: SSBM|publisher=The Mushroom Kingdom|accessdate=2007-12-29|date}}</ref> ''Super Smash Bros.'' had a similar system of plush dolls (Biographies); however it only included the twelve playable characters. There is one more trophy in the Japanese version of the game than in the [[wikipedia:NTSC|NTSC]] and [[wikipedia:PAL|PAL]] versions.<ref name="Secrets">{{cite web|url=http://uk.guides.ign.com/guides/16387/page_55.html|title=Guides: Super Smash Bros. Melee &ndash; Secrets|publisher=IGN|accessdate=2007-12-22|date}}</ref>


==Playable characters==
==Fighters==
:See Also: [[Characters]]
[[File:Character selection melee.png|thumb|250px|The character-selection screen of ''Super Smash Bros. Melee'' (which includes all 26 characters unlocked).]]
The cast of 25 playable characters, 26 if including [[Zelda]]'s alter ego [[Sheik]], includes all 12 characters from ''[[Super Smash Bros.]]'' and 13 newcomers (14 counting Sheik). Of these, 14 are available from the start of play (15 if Sheik is included), including all the [[veteran]] characters except [[Jigglypuff]] and [[Luigi]] and 11 more which can be unlocked.
[[File:SSBMCast.jpg|The entire cast of ''Melee'', excluding {{SSBM|Sheik}}, {{SSBM|Zelda}}'s alter ego.|thumb|250px]]
Of the new characters, the greatest number are from {{uv|The Legend of Zelda}} universe if Zelda/Sheik are counted as two characters to go with [[Ganondorf]] and [[Young Link]], although the {{uv|Mario}} series also takes three new character slots for [[Bowser]], [[Princess Peach]] and [[Dr. Mario]] added. On top of these, two universes add two characters each, with the {{uv|Fire Emblem}} series making its ''Smash Bros.'' debut with [[Marth]] and [[Roy]] (with Roy making his debut in ''any'' game), and the {{uv|Pokémon}} universe adding [[Pichu]] and [[Mewtwo]] to its two existing characters. The three other characters added are [[Falco]], a second character from the {{uv|Star Fox}} series, [[Mr. Game & Watch]], and the [[Ice Climbers]] from two highly venerable Nintendo series.
{{clr}}
{{SSBM character table}}


''Super Smash Bros. Melee'' features twenty-five characters, of which fourteen are available initially. Every character featured in the game derives from a popular Nintendo franchise.<ref name="Characters">{{cite web|url=http://uk.guides.ign.com/guides/16387/page_3.html|title=Guides: Super Smash Bros. Melee &ndash; Characters|publisher=IGN|accessdate=2007-12-22|date}}</ref> All characters have a symbol that appears behind their damage percentage during a fight; this symbol represents what series they belong to, such as a Triforce symbol behind [[Link]]'s damage percentage and a [[Super Mushroom]] behind [[Mario]]'s. Some characters represent popular franchises while others were less-known at the time of the release&mdash;[[Marth]] and [[Roy]] represent the ''[[Fire Emblem (series)]]'' , which never had a game released in the West at the time.<ref name="Marth in FE">{{cite web|url=http://uk.guides.ign.com/guides/16387/page_27.html|title=Guides: Super Smash Bros. Melee &ndash; Marth|publisher=IGN|accessdate=2007-12-22|date}}</ref> This led to a rise in popularity of games and characters that were more obscure than such series as the [[Mario (series)|''Mario'' series]].<ref name="Fire Emblem Details">{{cite news|title='Fire Emblem Database'|url=http://nindb.classicgaming.gamespy.com/agb-ae7.shtml|accessdate=2007-12-22|date|work=Nintendo Database}}</ref> References are made throughout the game to the relationship between characters of the same universe; in one of the events from "Event mode", [[Link]] and [[Zelda]] battle together to defeat [[Ganondorf]], the main antagonist of [[The Legend of Zelda (series)|''The Legend of Zelda'' series]].<ref name="Events">{{cite web|url=http://uk.guides.ign.com/guides/16387/page_45.html|title=Guides: Super Smash Bros. Melee &ndash; Events|publisher=IGN|accessdate=2007-12-22|date}}</ref> Furthermore,
==Stages==
each character has recognizable moves from their original game, such as [[Samus]]'s firearms from the [[Metroid (series)|''Metroid'' series]] and Link's arsenal of weapons.<ref name="Samus Aran">{{cite web|url=http://uk.guides.ign.com/guides/16387/page_18.html|title=Guides: Super Smash Bros. Melee &ndash; Samus Aran|publisher=IGN|accessdate=2007-12-22|date}}</ref>
[[File:Stage Select Melee.png|thumb|250px|The stage select screen in ''Melee'']]
There are 29 stages in ''Melee'' that can be played in VS. Mode, 18 [[starter stage]]s and 11 more which are unlockable stages. Three stages return from ''[[Super Smash Bros.]]'' as [[Past Stages]], all of which are unlockable. Each [[universe]], except for the ''[[Fire Emblem]]'' universe, has a stage. The {{uv|EarthBound}} and {{uv|F-Zero}} universes, which previously did not have any stages, receive stages for their respective universes. Most universes have two stages, the exceptions are the {{uv|Ice Climber}} and {{uv|Game & Watch}} universes which have only one, and the {{uv|Mario}} universe which has four. Counting Past Stages, the {{uv|Donkey Kong}}, {{uv|Kirby}}, and the {{uv|Yoshi}} universes have three stages. For the first time in the series, [[Battlefield (SSBM)|Battlefield]] and [[Final Destination (SSBM)|Final Destination]] can be played in VS. Mode, previously they were restricted to single-player modes.
{{clrr}}
{{SSBM stage table}}


===Default Characters===
===1-player stages===
These stages cannot be unlocked, and can only be played under certain circumstances.
*[[Target Test]] Stages
*[[Snag the Trophies]]
*{{SSBM|Race to the Finish}}
*{{b|Mushroom Kingdom|Adventure Mode}}
*[[Underground Maze]]
*[[Brinstar Escape Shaft]]
*[[F-Zero Grand Prix]]
*[[Rest Station]]
*[[Home-Run Stadium]]
*[[Goomba#As a stage|Goomba]]
*[[Entei#As a stage|Entei]]
*[[Majora's Mask#As a stage|Majora's Mask]]


These characters come with the game.  Everyone will automatically have them when they start playing.
==Modes==
[[Image:MeleeCharacters.jpg|thumb|400px|right|Melee's character roster at the selection screen]]
[[File:Melee Menu.png|340px|thumb|The main menu.]]


* [[Mario]] from the Mario series.
===1-Player===
* [[Link]] from the Legend of Zelda series.
*{{SSBM|Classic Mode}}
* [[Kirby]] from the Kirby series.
*{{SSBM|Adventure Mode}}
* [[Pikachu]] from the Pokémon series.
*[[All-Star Mode]] (must be unlocked)
* [[Yoshi]] from the Mario and Yoshi series.
*[[Event mode|Event Match]]
* [[Samus Aran]] from the Metroid series.
*[[Stadium]]
* [[Donkey Kong]] from the Donkey Kong and Mario series.
**[[Home-Run Contest]]
* [[Princess Peach]] from the Mario series.
**[[Target Test]]
* [[Fox McCloud]] from the Star Fox series.
**[[Multi-Man Melee]]
* [[Ness|Ness]] from the EarthBound/Mother series.
*[[Training]]
* [[Bowser|Bowser]] from the Mario series.
* [[Captain Falcon|Captain Falcon]] from the F-Zero series.
* [[Ice Climbers|Popo and Nana]] from Ice Climbers.
* [[Zelda|Zelda\Sheik]] from the Legend of Zelda series.


===Hidden characters===
===Multiplayer===
[[Image:MeleeCharacters2.jpg|thumb|right|300px|The character roster ready for battle.]]
*[[Versus Mode]]
These characters must be unlocked and defeated in battle before they can be used.
*[[Special Melee]]
**[[Camera Mode]]
**[[Super Sudden Death]]
**[[Special Melee|Giant Melee]]
**Tiny Melee
**Invisible Melee
**Slo-Mo Melee
**Fixed-Camera Mode
**Single-Button Melee
**Lightning Melee
**[[Stamina Mode]]
*[[Tournament Mode]]


*[[Jigglypuff]] from the Pokémon series.
===Other===
*[[Dr. Mario]] from the Dr. Mario series.
*{{SSBM|Debug menu}}
*[[Pichu]] from the Pokémon series.
*[[Falco]] from the Star Fox series.
*[[Marth]] from the Fire Emblem series.
*[[Young Link]] from the Legend of Zelda series.
*[[Ganondorf]] from the Legend of Zelda series.
*[[Mewtwo]] from the Pokémon series.
*[[Luigi]] from the Mario series.
*[[Roy]] from the Fire Emblem series.
*[[Mr. Game & Watch]] from the Game & Watch series.


==Changes from the original==
==Unlockables==
The game featured several points to be unlocked, most of which include the [[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)]].


While ''Melee'' mainly follows the same formula introduced in the [[Super Smash Bros.|original game]] by retaining most elements, several differences exist between the two games.  The following list, while not all-inclusive, addresses several of the changes.  Please note that this list does not include obvious changes, such as a different button scheme/controller and Melee-only characters and items.
Some unlockable elements in SSBM were left out, but can be seen with an Action Replay cheat disc. See [[Debug menu]] for more details.
*All characters have four special moves; veterans now have a new [[Smash B]] move.
*The number of throws each character can perform has also been increased to four; all veterans now have an [[up throw]] and a [[down throw]].
*The pacing of the game has been increased drastically.
*The game has much less of a focus on [[comboing]].
*Grabs have been decreased in power and knockback.
*The single-player [[Board the Platforms]] bonus game does not return.
*[[Air dodge|Air dodging]] and [[Sidestop dodge|Sidestep dodging]] have been implemented.
*All characters can move while carrying a heavy item (ex: a [[barrel]] or [[crate]]); in the original, this ability was exclusive to [[Donkey Kong]].
*Wall jumping has been implemented.
*Items can now been caught in mid-air.
*[[Smash attack]]s can now charged by holding the A button.
* The [[Heart Container]]'s function has been changed; rather than clearing all damage for whoever uses it, 100% damage is subtracted from the player's damage percentage.
* The [[Maxim Tomato]]'s function has also been changed; rather than clearing 100% damage for whoever uses it, 50% damage is subtracted from the player's damage percentage.
*[[On-Screen Appearances]] have been removed.


==Development and release==
==Development==
<div style="float:right"><youtube width="320px" height="240px">0rl3bnQhKRY</youtube></div>
Conceptualization of ''Super Smash Bros. Melee'' began almost immediately after the previous entry released, even before [[Nintendo GameCube]] development kits were widely distributed. [[Masahiro Sakurai]] was quietly tinkering with the design plan mostly by himself with no knowledge of what the final hardware specifications would be. He publicly denied that he was working on a new ''Smash'' title until the 1999 [[Electronic Entertainment Expo]] (E3) event, where he announced he was working on a "Smash game for the GameCube."<ref>{{cite web|url=https://sourcegaming.info/2016/05/01/smashbegins/|title=News Flash! Smash Bros. Dojo: Smash Begins!|publisher=Source Gaming|accessdate=2022-08-22|date=2001-05-17}}</ref> [[HAL Laboratory]] returned as lead developer of ''Melee'', with Sakurai as the head of production. When final GameCube development kits reached the team, they discovered that they were much easier to use then Nintendo 64 kits.<ref name=youtube>{{cite web|last=Sakurai|first=Masahiro|title=Super Smash Bros. Melee [Game Concepts]|url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vLRRNsAVl-8|publisher=YouTube}}</ref> The optical disc format also let the team use streaming playback for the first time, which allowed the use of real musical instruments for music tracks. The final soundtrack ended up using a mix of real music recordings and synthesized instruments, though Sakurai assured that the differences would be nearly unnoticeable. These tracks are an inspiration for the founding of the ''{{iw|wikipedia|Press Start: Symphony of Games}}'' concert series, which was an annual orchestral concert hosted by game industry veterans that featured arrangements of video game music that ran from 2006 to 2015.<ref name="youtube"/>


[[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 demonstrated the advancement in graphics from the [[Nintendo 64]]. The developers wanted to pay homage to the debut of the GameCube by making an opening full motion video sequence that would attract people's attention to the graphics.<ref name="FMV opening">{{cite web|url=http://uk.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 screenshots and information highlighting and explaining the attention to physics and detail in the game, with references to changes from its predecessor.<ref name="Changes">{{cite web|url=http://uk.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 one of the first games released on the 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, with Sakurai personally storyboarding the intro instead of spending the New Year with his family.<ref name="youtube"/> On their official website, the developers posted screenshots 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"/> Sakurai also felt pressured to make the game as content-rich as possible to help it stand out from both other games at the time and its predecessor. [[Trophies]] were born out of this desire for content. Since the team was only able to make a limited amount of playable characters, trophies acted as representation for characters and franchises that did not make the cut otherwise as fanservice and a history lesson with background information attached to each trophy.<ref name="youtube"/>


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]]'' for the [[Game Boy Advance]], but they kept Ness in light of delays.<ref name="Ness and Lucas">{{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|accessdate=2007-11-24|date}}</ref> The game's creators instead placed Lucas into the game's sequel, ''[[Super Smash Bros. Brawl]]''.<ref name="Lucas!!">{{cite web|last=Sakurai |first=Masahiro |authorlink=Masahiro Sakurai|url=http://www.smashbros.com/en_us/characters/lucas.html|title=Super Smash Bros. Brawl&mdash;Lucas|publisher|date=2007-10-01|accessdate=2007-11-24|date}}</ref><ref name="snake">{{cite web|last=Sakurai |first=Masahiro |authorlink=Masahiro Sakurai|url=http://www.smashbros.com/en_us/characters/snake.html|title=Super Smash Bros. Brawl&mdash;Snake|publisher|date=2001-09-21|accessdate=2007-11-24|date}}</ref> Video game developer Hideo Kojima originally requested [[Snake]], the protagonist of the ''[[Metal Gear (series)|Metal Gear]]'' series, to be a playable character in ''Super Smash Bros. Melee'', but the game was too far in development for him to be included.<ref name="Snake's inclusion">{{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|date}}</ref> [[Roy]] and [[Marth]] 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 name="Roy">{{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&mdash;Roy|publisher|date=2002-01-15|accessdate=2007-11-24|date}}</ref><ref name="Marth">{{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&mdash;Marth|publisher|date=2001-12-14|accessdate=2007-11-24|date}}</ref> Additionally, Sakurai stated that the development team has suggested four other games to represent the Famicom or NES era until the developers decided that the Ice Climbers would be in the game.<ref name="Ice Climbers">{{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&mdash;Ice Climbers|publisher|date=2001-10-09|accessdate=2007-11-24|date}}</ref>
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/wii/en_us/characters/lucas.html|title=Super Smash Bros. Brawl—Lucas|publisher=[[Nintendo]]|date=2007-10-01|accessdate=2021-07-30}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|last=Sakurai|first=Masahiro|authorlink=Masahiro Sakurai|url=http://www.smashbros.com/wii/en_us/characters/snake.html |title=Super Smash Bros. Brawl—Snake|publisher=[[Nintendo]]|date=2007-09-21|accessdate=2021-07-30}}</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> Similarly, Sonic Team head Yuji Naka confirmed that [[Sonic the Hedgehog|Sonic]] was ultimately not added due to time constraints;<ref>[[:File:YujiNakaInterview.jpg|Yuji Naka on the road - ''Edge Magazine'']]</ref> like Snake and Lucas, he later became playable in ''Brawl''. Wario was strongly considered for ''Melee's'' roster; while Sakurai expressed that he would have included Wario if he had time to add one more character,<ref>[https://www.nintendo.co.jp/n01/n64/software/nus_p_nalj/smash/flash/syukeiken/return512.html]</ref> he explained that he had opted to instead allocate the team's limited development time to implementing other characters such as {{SSBM|Mewtwo}} or {{SSBM|Marth}} and {{SSBM|Roy}}, and also wanted to avoid having an excessive number of ''Mario'' characters.<ref>[http://www.nintendo.co.jp/n01/n64/software/nus_p_nalj/smash/flash/syukeiken/return576.html]</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> This decision is often credited for popularizing the ''Fire Emblem'' brand outside of Japan to the point of convincing Nintendo to release the series internationally starting with ''{{iw|fireemblemwiki|Fire Emblem: The Blazing Blade}}'', localized as simply ''Fire Emblem''. 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 {{uv|Balloon Fight}} ("the balloon would be easily blown"), {{uvm|Urban Champion}} ("seem too small"), {{uv|Clu Clu Land}} ("they know how to fight?") and ''[[Excite (universe)|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 E3 event of 2001, in which a playable demonstration of the game was available.<ref name="First showing">{{cite web|url=http://uk.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 ''Spaceworld 2001'' in August, in which Nintendo displayed a playable demo that had updated upon the previous demo displayed in 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 name="Spaceworld">{{cite web|url=http://uk.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> Prior to the release of the game, the Japanese official website of the game included weekly updates on the game, including screenshots and character profiles.<ref name="Weekly updates">{{cite web|url=http://uk.cube.ign.com/articles/096/096718p1.html|title=Super Smashing Moves|publisher=IGN|accessdate=2007-11-24|date=2001-7-19}}</ref><ref name="Weekly updates on website">{{cite web|url=http://www.nintendo.co.jp/n01/n64/software/nus_p_nalj/smash/flash/index.html|title=Super Smash Bros. Melee|publisher|accessdate=2007-11-24|date}}</ref> Nintendo followed this trend with [[Super Smash Bros Brawl]], in which there are daily updates by the game's developer, [[Masahiro Sakurai]].<ref name="Weekly updates of SSBB on website">{{cite web|url=http://www.smashbros.com/en_uk/index.html|title=Super Smash Bros. Brawl|publisher|accessdate=2007-11-24|date}}</ref> The popular Japanese magazine Famitsu reported that Nintendo advertised the game in between showings of the ''Pokemon'' movie across movie theaters in Japan.<ref name="Advertising">{{cite web|url=http://uk.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|date}}</ref> In January 2003, ''Super Smash Bros Melee'' became part of the Player's Choice, which was a category of the best-selling games on the ''GameCube'' that had been reduced in price.<ref name="Player's choice">{{cite web|url=http://uk.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 ''GameCube'' for $99.99.<ref name="Bundle">{{cite web|url=http://uk.cube.ign.com/articles/632/632133p1.html|title=Super Smash Bros. Bundle|publisher=IGN|accessdate=2007-11-24|date=2005-07-07}}</ref>
Nintendo presented the game at E3 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>


==Music==
==Reception==
: See Also: [[Smashing...Live!]] and [[Super Smash Bros. Melee music]]
{{Reviews
''Super Smash Bros. Melee'' featured music from some of Nintendo's popular gaming franchises. Nintendo released a special musical album in 2003 called ''[[Smashing...Live!]]'', which it gave away as a bonus for subscribing to ''Nintendo Power'' magazine in North America, and also as a free gift in an issue of the British ''Nintendo Official Magazine''. It is not music taken directly from the game like most video game soundtracks, but a live orchestrated performance by the New Japan Philharmonic of many of the songs from the game.<ref name="Orchestra">{{cite web|url=http://www.themushroomkingdom.net/mania/ssbmsl.shtml|title=Soundtracks|publisher=The Mushroom Kingdom|accessdate=2007-11-25|date=2001-08-31}}</ref> The soundtrack is only available for purchase in Japan.<ref name="Only in Japan">{{cite web|url=http://www.mininova.org/tor/639909|title=Smashing Live! OST|publisher=Mininova|accessdate=2007-11-25|date}}</ref>
|title=''Melee'' reviews
 
|1UP=
==Reception and sales==
|Edge=6/10
<div style="font-size: 90%;float:right;border-left:1em solid white">
|EuroG=10/10<ref name="Eurogamer">http://www.eurogamer.net/articles/r_ssbm_gc</ref>
{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center"
|Fam=37/40
|+'''Reviews'''
|GSpot=8.9/10<ref name="GameSpot">http://www.gamespot.com/reviews/super-smash-bros-melee-review/1900-2829090/</ref>
!colspan = 2|Compilations of multiple reviews
|GT=
|-
|IGN=9.6/10<ref name="Ign">http://uk.cube.ign.com/articles/166/166387p1.html</ref>
|Game Rankings
|NP=5/5 <ref name="metacritic" />
|colspan=2|90%<ref name="Game Rankings">{{cite web| url=http://www.gamerankings.com/htmlpages2/516492.asp?q=melee|title=Super Smash Bros Melee Ranking | publisher=[[Game Rankings]]| accessdate=2007-12-14}}</ref>
|NGamer=
|-
|ONM=95%
|Metacritic
|
|colspan=2|92% <ref name="MetaCritic">{{cite web|url=http://www.metacritic.com/games/platforms/gamecube/supersmashbrosmelee/|title=Super Smash Bros Melee at MetaCritic | publisher=[[MetaCritic]]| accessdate=2007-12-14}}</ref>
|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>
!Publication
|TTR=
!Response
}}
|-
''Melee'' was well-received in many quarters and is the GameCube's top-selling game, selling about 7.09 million copies worldwide as of December 31, 2009. 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.
|GameSpot
|8.9/10<ref name="Gamespot">{{cite web|author=Miguel Lopez|Date=2001-12-01|url=http://uk.gamespot.com/gamecube/action/supersmashbrosmelee/review.html?om_act=convert&om_clk=gssummary&tag=summary%3Breview&page=4|title=Super Smash Bros Melee for GameCube review&mdash;Gamespot|publisher=[[GameSpot]]| accessdate=2007-12-14}}</ref>
|-
|''Official Nintendo Magazine''
|95%<ref name="ONM-1">{{Citation |date=March 2006| title= rated GameCube| periodical= [[Official Nintendo Magazine]]|publisher=[[Future Publishing]]|issue=1|pages=125}}</ref>
|-
|Eurogamer
|10/10 <ref name="Eurogamer">{{cite web|author=Tom Bramwell|Date=2002-05-23|url=http://www.eurogamer.net/article.php?article_id=3047|title=Super Smash Bros Melee//GC//Eurogamer|publisher=Eurogamer| accessdate=2007-12-14}}</ref>
|-
|IGN
|9.6/10<ref name="IGN">{{cite web|author=Fran Mirabella III|Date=2001-12-03|url=http://uk.cube.ign.com/articles/166/166387p1.html|title=IGN: Super Smash Bros Melee review|publisher=IGN| accessdate=2007-12-14}}</ref>
|-
|''Famitsu''
|37/40<ref name="Famitsu">{{cite web|url=http://geimin.net/da/cross_review.php|title= Geimen.net (Japanese)|publisher=GEIMEN.NET| accessdate=2007-12-14}}</ref>
|}
</div>


''Super Smash Bros. Melee'' generally received a positive reception from reviewers, most of whom credited ''Melee's'' expansion of gameplay features from ''Super Smash Bros''.<ref name="IGN">{{cite web|author=Fran Mirabella III|Date=2001-12-03|url=http://uk.cube.ign.com/articles/166/166387p1.html|title=IGN: Super Smash Bros Melee review|publisher=IGN| accessdate=2007-12-14}}</ref><ref name="Gamespot">{{cite web|author=Miguel Lopez|Date=2001-12-01|url=http://uk.gamespot.com/gamecube/action/supersmashbrosmelee/review.html?om_act=convert&om_clk=gssummary&tag=summary%3Breview&page=4|title=Super Smash Bros Melee for GameCube review&mdash;Gamespot|publisher=[[GameSpot]]| accessdate=2007-12-14}}</ref><ref name="Eurogamer">{{cite web|author=Tom Bramwell|Date=2002-05-23|url=http://www.eurogamer.net/article.php?article_id=3047|title=Super Smash Bros Melee//GC//Eurogamer|publisher=Eurogamer| accessdate=2007-12-14}}</ref> Focusing on the additional features, ''Gamespy'' commented that "Melee really scores big in the "we've added tons of great extra stuff" department."<ref name="Gamespy">{{cite web|last=Williams|first=Bryn|Date=2001-12-03|url=http://uk.cube.gamespy.com/gamecube/super-smash-bros-melee/636813p1.html|title=Super Gamespy: Smash Bros Melee review|publisher=Gamespy|accessdate=2007-12-14}}</ref> Reviewers compared the game favorably to ''Super Smash Bros.''&mdash;''IGN's'' Fran Mirabella III stated that it was "in an entirely different league than the N64 version";<ref name="IGN">{{cite web|author=Fran Mirabella III|Date=2001-12-03|url=http://uk.cube.ign.com/articles/166/166387p1.html|title=IGN: Super Smash Bros Melee review|publisher=IGN| accessdate=2007-12-14}}</ref> ''GameSpot's'' Miguel Lopez praised the game for offering an advanced "classic-mode" compared to its predecessor, while detailing the Adventure Mode as "really a hit-or-miss experience."<ref name="Gamespot">{{cite web|author=Miguel Lopez|Date=2001-12-01|url=http://uk.gamespot.com/gamecube/action/supersmashbrosmelee/review.html?om_act=convert&om_clk=gssummary&tag=summary%3Breview&page=4|title=Super Smash Bros Melee for GameCube review&mdash;Gamespot|publisher=[[GameSpot]]| accessdate=2007-12-14}}</ref> Despite a mixed response to the single-player modes, most reviewers expressed the game's multiplayer mode as a strong component of the game.<ref name="Eurogamer">{{cite web|author=Tom Bramwell|Date=2002-05-23|url=http://www.eurogamer.net/article.php?article_id=3047|title=Super Smash Bros Melee//GC//Eurogamer|publisher=Eurogamer| accessdate=2007-12-14}}</ref> In their review of the game, ''Gamespy'' stated that "you'll have a pretty hard time finding a more enjoyable multiplayer experience on any other console."<ref name="Gamespy">{{cite web|author=Bryn Williams|Date=2001-12-03|url=http://uk.cube.gamespy.com/gamecube/super-smash-bros-melee/636813p1.html|title=Super Gamespy: Smash Bros Melee review|publisher=Gamespy|accessdate=2007-12-14}}</ref>
''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"/>


The visuals gained a positive reaction, although Matt Casamassina thought that "some of the backgrounds lack the visual polish endowed upon the characters" when giving a second opinion about the game.<ref name="IGN">{{cite web|author=Fran Mirabella III|Date=2001-12-03|url=http://uk.cube.ign.com/articles/166/166387p1.html|title=IGN: Super Smash Bros Melee review|publisher=IGN| accessdate=2007-12-14}}</ref> Most of the critics have praised the game's orchestrated soundtrack;<ref name="Gamespot">{{cite web|author=Miguel Lopez|Date=2001-12-01|url=http://uk.gamespot.com/gamecube/action/supersmashbrosmelee/review.html?om_act=convert&om_clk=gssummary&tag=summary%3Breview&page=4|title=Super Smash Bros Melee for GameCube review&mdash;Gamespot|publisher=[[GameSpot]]| accessdate=2007-12-14}}</ref><ref name="IGN">{{cite web|author=Fran Mirabella III|Date=2001-12-03|url=http://uk.cube.ign.com/articles/166/166387p1.html|title=IGN: Super Smash Bros Melee review|publisher=IGN| accessdate=2007-12-14}}</ref> ''Nintendo World Report's'' Mike Sklens rated it as "one of the best sounding games ever."<ref name="Nintendo World Report">{{cite web|last=Sklens|first=Mike|Date=2001-12-18|url=http://www.nintendoworldreport.com/reviewArt.cfm?artid=3834&CFID=34203647&CFTOKEN=25fbb14f4df4a5ae-DECEFC3A-C09F-3E62-0584D434E0F928A9|title=Nintendo World Report: Smash Bros Melee review|publisher=Nintendo World Report|accessdate=2007-12-15}}</ref>
''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>.
Most reviewers have welcomed the simplistic controls,<ref name="IGN">{{cite web|author=Fran Mirabella III|Date=2001-12-03|url=http://uk.cube.ign.com/articles/166/166387p1.html|title=IGN: Super Smash Bros Melee review|publisher=IGN| accessdate=2007-12-14}}</ref> yet its "hyper-responsiveness" has been expressed as a serious flaw of the game by ''Gamespot''.<ref name="Gamespot">{{cite web|author=Miguel Lopez|Date=2001-12-01|url=http://uk.gamespot.com/gamecube/action/supersmashbrosmelee/review.html?om_act=convert&om_clk=gssummary&tag=summary%3Breview&page=4|title=Super Smash Bros Melee for GameCube review&mdash;Gamespot|publisher=[[GameSpot]]| accessdate=2007-12-14}}</ref> With a milder criticism of controls, Bryn Williams of ''Gamespy'' commented that "movement and navigation seems slightly too sensitive."<ref name="Gamespy">{{cite web|author=Bryn Williams|Date=2001-12-03|url=http://uk.cube.gamespy.com/gamecube/super-smash-bros-melee/636813p1.html|title=Super Gamespy: Smash Bros Melee review|publisher=Gamespy|accessdate=2007-12-14}}</ref> The basis of ''Melee's'' gameplay system is the battles between Nintendo characters, which has been suggested as being overly hectic; ''N-Europe'' questioned that the gameplay is "too Frantic?", even though they enjoyed the variety of modes on offer.<ref name="N-Europe">{{cite web|author|Date=2001-04-11|url=http://www.n-europe.com/review.php?rid=59|title=N-Europe: Smash Bros :Melee review|publisher=N-Europe|accessdate=2007-12-15}}</ref>  


The media has criticized ''Melee'' for a lack of originality and for being too similar to its predecessor, ''Super Smash Bros''; Caleb Hale from ''Game Critic'' rated as "every bit as good as its Nintendo 64 predecessor. The game doesn't expand much past that point."<ref name="Game Critics.com">{{cite web|last=WHale|first=Caleb|Date=2002-02-20|url=http://www.gamecritics.com/review/ssbmelee/main.php|title=GameCritics.com: Smash Bros :Melee review|publisher=GameCritics.com|accessdate=2007-12-15}}</ref> The nostalgic nature of the game received a positive reaction,<ref name="Eurogamer">{{cite web|author=Tom Bramwell|Date=2002-05-23|url=http://www.eurogamer.net/article.php?article_id=3047|title=Super Smash Bros Melee//GC//Eurogamer|publisher=Eurogamer| accessdate=2007-12-14}}</ref> as well as the accompanying stages and items that made references to past Nintendo games.<ref name="N-Europe">{{cite web|author|Date=2001-04-11|url=http://www.n-europe.com/review.php?rid=59|title=N-Europe: Smash Bros :Melee review|publisher=N-Europe|accessdate=2007-12-15}}</ref> Gaming journalists have welcomed the roster of twenty-five Nintendo characters,<ref name="Eurogamer">{{cite web|author=Tom Bramwell|Date=2002-05-23|url=http://www.eurogamer.net/article.php?article_id=3047|title=Super Smash Bros Melee//GC//Eurogamer|publisher=Eurogamer| accessdate=2007-12-14}}</ref> as well as the "trophy system", which ''Nintendo Spin'' labelled as "a great addition to this game."<ref name="Nintendo Spin">{{cite web|last=Zuk|first=Michal|Date=2004-04-25|url=http://www.nintendospin.com/article50.html|title=Super Smash Bros Melee &ndash; Nintendo Spin|publisher=Nintendo Spin| accessdate=2007-12-23}}</ref> When considering ''Melee's'' gameplay, reviewers have questioned its status as a fighting game;<ref name="Metacritic review blurbs">{{cite web|author|Date|url=http://www.metacritic.com/games/platforms/gamecube/supersmashbrosmelee/|title=Metacritic: Smash Bros :Melee review|publisher=Metacritic|accessdate=2007-12-15}}</ref> ''GamePro'' summed ''Melee'' as "Not quite a fighting game, not quite a party game."<ref name="Gamepro">{{cite web|author|Date=2001-12-03|url=http://www.gamepro.com/nintendo/gamecube/games/reviews/18760.shtml|title=Smash Bros on GameCube at GamePro.com|publisher=GamePro|accessdate=2007-12-15}}</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|archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20130127024648/http://www.nintendospin.com/features/the-games-we-hate/|archivedate=2013-01-27}}</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>


===Sales===
==Changes from ''[[Super Smash Bros.]]''==
When released in Japan, it became the fastest selling GameCube game with 358,525 units sold in the week of November 19 to November 25, in 2001.<ref name="Japanese weekly sales">{{cite web|author|Date=2001-29-11|url=http://uk.cube.ign.com/articles/100/100174p1.html|title=Smash Bros. Melee hot in Japan|publisher=IGN|accessdate=2007-12-21}}</ref> The success continued in Japan as the game sold over a million units only two years after its release, which also made it the first GameCube title to reach a million copies.<ref name="A million JP copies">{{cite web|author|Date=2002-16-01|url=http://uk.cube.ign.com/articles/100/100981p1.html|title=Smash Bros. Melee "Million" in Japan|publisher=IGN|accessdate=2007-12-21}}</ref> The game also sold well in North America, in which it sold 250,000 copies in nine days.<ref name="North American sales">{{cite web|last=Satterfield|first=Shane|Date=2001-12-14|url=http://uk.gamespot.com/gamecube/action/supersmashbrosmelee/news.html?sid=2832770|title=Nintendo announces more sales|publisher=Gamespot|accessdate=2007-12-21}}</ref> To date, ''Super Smash Bros Melee'' is the best selling GameCube game, with over six million copies sold worldwide.<ref>{{cite web | url=http://biz.gamedaily.com/industry/feature/?id=14501 | title=Opinion: Wii Won't Rock You | last=Radd|first=David| publisher=GameDaily | accessdate=2006-11-27 | date=2006-11-17}}</ref>
While ''Melee'' mainly follows the same formula introduced in the [[Super Smash Bros.|original game]] by retaining most elements, several differences exist between the two games. The following list, while not all-inclusive, notes several of the changes. Note that this list does not include obvious changes, such as a different button scheme/controller and Melee-only characters and items.


===Awards and lists===
===Gameplay===
Several publications have acknowledged ''Super Smash Bros. Melee'' in competitions and awards. In their "best of 2001" awards, GameSpy chose it as Best Fighting GameCube Game,<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
*The general pacing of the game has been increased; [[hitlag]] has 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.
|publisher=[[GameSpy]]|accessdate=2007-12-23}}</ref> IGN's reader choice chose it as 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=2007-12-23}}</ref> ''Electronic Gaming Monthly'' chose it as Best Multiplayer and Best GameCube Game,<ref>{{cite journal
*[[Hitbox]]es now use spheres and tubes instead of rectangular prisms.
  | last =
*[[Damage]] is now dealt and tracked with decimal numbers instead of integers, making moves of any damage equally vulnerable to [[stale]]ness.
  | first =
*[[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 gives less of a penalty than using the move the same number of times consecutively. For consecutive hitting attacks, once the first hit connects, all others become one-level staler.
  | authorlink =
*[[Weight]] differences have been made less drastic; characters heavier than [[Mario]] are lighter, while characters lighter than Mario are heavier, so overall weight is slightly less of a factor in knockback.
  | coauthors =
*The amount of [[hitstun]] a character suffers has been decreased, being reduced from x0.533 the amount of knockback to x0.4.
  | title = 2001 "GAMERS' CHOICE AWARDS"
*Midair characters can now drop through [[soft platform]]s by holding down on the Control Stick, improving aerial movement.
  | journal = Electronic Gaming Monthly
*[[Directional influence]] revamped: in addition to shifting into a direction while in hitlag ([[SDI]]), characters can also alter the angle they are launched into by holding into a direction, as well as get a weaker additional shift into the direction the Control Stick is held (ASDI).
  | volume =
*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 the character to perform more extensive combos within ''Melee''{{'}}s new physics.
  | issue = 153
*[[Smash attack]]s can now be charged for extra damage and knockback. Most smash attacks have received a power decrease to balance this out.
  | pages =
*[[Meteor smash]] knockback can now be cancelled via using an up special or jumping (with the audio and visual indicators being a loud swishing sound and the character glowing briefly white while doing so, in addition to a sparkle), though [[spike|certain moves]] "fall through the cracks" and cannot be. Moves that can meteor smash are also generally much slower in all aspects.
  | publisher = Ziff Davis
*[[Angling]] forward tilts and smashes now either increases or reduces their damage, depending on the angle, but most of them now have fewer angles.
  | location =
*Characters now have a [[side special move]], bringing the total number of special moves per character to 4. Some veterans gain a new move for their side special, while others (like Link, Ness and Jigglypuff) gain a new [[neutral special]], with their old one becoming the side special.
  | date = April 2002
*[[Shield]]s now last for a shorter time, and characters now take longer to drop them, though they receive less [[shieldstun]] from attacks. The game now uses two different sounds for when a shield is broken by either an opponent or the character itself, the former being higher-pitched.
  | url =http://gamegroup.ziffdavis.com/presscenter/pr20020304.php?view=printer
*Characters can now [[sidestep]] dodge and [[air dodge]], which results in the addition of [[wavedashing]], as well as making [[shield platform drop]]ping more difficult.
  | doi =
*Characters can now [[powershield]] and lightshield (the latter function makes a character`s shield bigger than usual, but they slide farther from shielding attacks).
  | issn=1058-918X
*Characters can now [[tech]] on walls, ceilings and ledges.
  | accessdate =  }}</ref> and GameSpot chose it 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=2007-12-23}}</ref>
*Characters hanging on [[ledge]]s can now get up by jumping from them, and they can also be [[Edge sweetspot|sweetspot]]ted during the ending lag of [[recovery]] moves. Characters can prevent grabbing them by holding the Control Stick down.
GameFAQs placed it sixth in two competitions: the ''"Best... Game... Ever."'' contest, and a poll of the 100 best games ever.<ref name="Game FAQs awards">{{cite web|author=|Date=Spring 2004|url=http://www.gamefaqs.com/features/contest/c04spr|title=Game FAQs best games ever| accessdate=2007-12-23}}</ref><ref name="Game FAQs anniversary contest">{{cite web|author=|Date|url=http://www.gamefaqs.com/features/contest/top10|title=Game FAQs anniversary contest| accessdate=2007-12-23}}</ref> In the 200th issue of ''Electronic Gaming Monthly'', the editors selected ''Melee'' as the 92nd most influential game on their "Top 200 Games of Their Time" list, defining ''Melee'' as "Billions of things to unlock, plus Yoshi pummeling Pikachu with a bat".<ref>Semrad, Steve. [http://www.1up.com/do/feature?cId=3147448 The Greatest 200 Video Games of Their Time]. 1UP.com. February 2, 2006. Retrieved May 27, 2006]].</ref> <!-- In a similar competition, ''Nintendo Power'' named ''Super Smash Bros. Melee'' the 16th best game ever to appear on a Nintendo console,<ref>''Nintendo Power'' #200</ref> and selected it as the 2001 "Game of the Year". --> ''IGN'' named it the third best GameCube game of all time in 2007 as a part of a feature reflecting on the GameCube's long lifespan, citing it as "the grand stage of fighters, much like Mario Kart is for racing fans",<ref name="3rd">{{cite web | author=IGN GameCube Team | date=2007-03-16 | url=http://cube.ign.com/articles/772/772300p5.html | title=The Top 25 GameCube Games of All Time | publisher=IGN.com | accessdate=2007-03-18}}</ref> while GameSpy chose it as fourth in a similar list.<ref>{{cite web| url = http://cube.gamespy.com/articles/639/639689p23.html| title = Top 25 GameCube Games of All-Time - #4: Super Smash Bros. Melee| publisher = GameSpy| date = [[2005-08-12]]| accessdate=2007-09-13}}</ref>
*Characters now have a unique animation for running [[grab]]s, which is generally slower and farther reaching than their standing/walking grab.
*Character pose animations are removed in Melee’s character selection screen. Instead, when the player is selecting a character, they showed the full portrait of the character on the bottom screen in the character selection screen.
*[[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 a longer reach, depending on the characters' [[Dashing|dash speed]] and [[traction]].
*Grabs can 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.
*Characters now have an [[up throw]] and a [[down throw]] in addition to a [[pummel]]. Some veterans have had throws reassigned (for example, Kirby and Jigglypuff's old [[forward throw]]s are now their up throws, Captain Falcon's old forward throw is now his down throw, and they have gained new forward throws).
**Throws are additionally weaker in general, with less damage and knockback, and most throws are now meant to start combos instead of being KO moves. This, combined with the introduction of up and down throws, introduces many more options for [[chain throw]]s. The majority of [[throw]]s now also have variable speed depending on the opponent's weight (lighter characters are thrown faster), and many others also consist of two hits, with the first hit being able to damage nearby opponents.
*Certain characters can now use their extended grab in midair to [[wall grapple]].
*Certain characters like Mario can now [[wall jump]].
*[[Moonwalk]]ing is possible (with Captain Falcon being the most prolific user of it).
*If an already struck character is hit by another attack 10 frames afterwards while still in hitstun, the [[knockback]] power and angle of both attacks is scaled for the second hit, rather than being completely replaced.
*[[Tumbling]] can be stopped by quickly tapping the Control Stick sideways.
*Characters can now only be KO'd by the top [[blast line]] if they are in hitstun when sent upwards, and foes on extensive team battles (such as in [[Multi-Man Melee]]) now cannot be Star KO'd nor Screen KO'd, making them significantly faster.
*Items can now be grabbed before coming to rest, and can also now be grabbed by aerial characters.
*All characters can walk while holding a heavy item, though very slowly; Donkey Kong remains the only one who can jump and walk at a normal speed while carrying them. They can also be thrown upwards and downwards, like regular items.
*Healing items can now be consumed while wielding a battering item, such as the [[Beam Sword]].


==Legacy==
===Game modes===
===Sequel===
*A stock match can now have a maximum time limit set. Many other additional rules have also been added, such as removing stages from random selection, controlling how stages are chosen, and altering the battles' [[Damage Ratio|damage ratio]].
[[Image:TempleBrawl.jpg|right|[[Diddy Kong]], [[Wario]], and a graphically enhanced [[Bowser]] fighting in the returning "Temple" stage in ''Brawl''|200px|right|thumb]]
*Bonuses can now be earned in both single-player modes and multiplayer matches. Some old bonuses have been removed while [[List of bonuses|many more]] have been added, bringing the total from 57 to 249.
''Super Smash Bros. Melee'' is the second installment of the [[Super Smash Bros. (series)|''Super Smash Bros.'' series]], following the release of ''[[Super Smash Bros.]]'' two years earlier. At the pre-E3 conference of 2005, Nintendo announced ''Melee's'' sequel, ''[[Super Smash Bros. Brawl]]''.<ref name="E3 2005">{{cite web|last=Casamassina |first=Matt |authorlink=Matt Casamassina | date=[[2005-05-17]] |url=http://wii.ign.com/articles/670/670552p1.html |title=E3 2005: ''Smash Bros.'' For Revolution| publisher=[[IGN]]|accessdate=2006-12-01}}</ref> Nintendo's president, Satoru Iwata requested Masahiro Sakurai to be the director of the game after the conference.<ref name="director">{{cite web |url=http://cube.ign.com/articles/667/667525p1.html |title=''Smash Bros. Revolution'' Director Revealed|author=IGN Staff |accessdate=2007-12-01 |date=[[2005-11-16]] |publisher=IGN}}</ref> The game retains some of the gameplay features of its predecessors while having major gameplay additions, such as a more substantial single-player mode and Wi-Fi compatibility.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.eurogamer.net/article.php?article_id=64601&page=2 |title=Miyamoto and Sakurai on Nintendo Wii |accessdate=2007-12-01 |last=Bramwell |first=Tom |date=[[2005-05-11]] |publisher= Eurogamer}}</ref> Like ''Melee'', the game makes references to games and franchises, even those that debuted after the release of ''Melee''; for example, Link's design is taken from ''[[The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess]]'' and a [[Nintendogs]] puppy is present as an Assist Trophy (a new item which summons characters from different games to briefly participate in the fight or hinder it).<ref>{{cite web|last=Sakurai |first=Masahiro |authorlink=Masahiro Sakurai | date=[[2007-05-23]] |url=http://www.smashbros.com/en_us/characters/link.html |title=Link| publisher=[[Nintendo]]|accessdate=2007-12-01}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.joystiq.com/2007/07/02/smash-bros-brawl-to-include-nintendogs-hammer-bros-and-samura/ |title=Puppies|accessdate=2007-12-01|last=McElroy |first=Justin |date=[[2007-07-02]] |publisher= Joystiq}}</ref> Sakurai has announced that stages from ''Melee'' will be included in the upcoming sequel with the "Temple" stage shown on the official site as an example.<ref>{{cite web|last=Sakurai |first=Masahiro |authorlink=Masahiro Sakurai | date=[[2007-11-30]] |url=http://www.smashbros.com/en_us/stages/stage18.html |title=Melee Stages| publisher=[[Nintendo]]|accessdate=2007-12-01}}</ref>
*[[1P Game]] is now 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 {{SSBM|Adventure Mode}} and [[All-Star Mode]] have been added.
*[[Training]] mode now has many more options, such as battling with more than one CPU, adjusting their damage percentage, or even controlling them by a human player if additional controllers are plugged in. The longest [[combo]] achieved with each character is also saved afterwards.
*[[Special Smash]]es have been introduced, which include battling with [[Super Mushroom|giant]] or [[Cloaking Device|invisible]] characters, using [[hit points]] as opposed to damage, and even battling at a faster or slower speed.
*A [[Tournament mode]] has been added.
*The [[Board the Platforms]] bonus game has been removed, with the [[Snag the Trophies]] bonus game being introduced, and {{SSBM|Race to the Finish}} being revamped.
*The Board of Platforms mini-game has been removed from the stadium mode, with the [[Home Run Contest]] mini-game being introduced.
*[[Trophy|Trophies]] have been added, which can be collected in the [[Lottery]], 1P modes or by specific means, then viewed in detailed ways. All characters also have three trophies of themselves, replacing the previous game's biographies.
*{{b|Coin|collectable}}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.
*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.


===Tournaments===
===Aesthetic===
''Super Smash Bros. Melee'' has been the subject of several high-profile gaming tournaments beginning in 2003 which has been credited to [http://www.smashboards.com Smash World Forums] also known as ''"Smashboards"''.<ref>[http://www.mlgpro.com/?q=node/43964 http://www.mlgpro.com/?q=node/43964]</ref> In March 2003, the IVGF NorthWest Regional Gaming Festival and Tournament took place, the first corporate sponsored tournament. During this time, IVGF gave out a record $US 12,500 for the top three finishers of ''Super Smash Bros. Melee'', a record that would be held for almost three years.<ref>{{cite web|author=Chris Lenzi| date=2003-02-03 |url=http://www.gotfrag.com/cs/story/10451/|title=Counter-strike News Story| publisher=GotFrag|accessdate=2007-12-14}}</ref> In 2004, Major League Gaming added ''Super Smash Bros. Melee'' to its tournament roster.<ref>{{cite web|author| date=2006-09-10|url=http://www.mlgpro.com/?q=node/50132|title=Major League Gaming| publisher=Major League Gaming|accessdate=2007-12-14}}</ref> In the summer of 2005, a crew in Mishawaka, Indiana hosted ''Melee-FC3'', a tournament with nearly 200 participants from 30 states, the United Kingdom, and the Netherlands.<ref name="smashtakesover">{{cite|Nintendo Power, Issue 196, Page 106|author=Myers, Andy|date=October 2005|title=Smash Takes Over|publisher=Nintendo Power|access date=09, 11, 2006}}</ref> In two separate issues, ''Nintendo Power'' covered the independent and corporate Smash scenes, including Smashboards, Major League Gaming, and FC3.<ref name="smashtakesover" /><ref>{{cite|Nintendo Power, Issue 195, Page 76-79|author=Myers, Andy| date=September 2005|title=Smash Planet|publisher=Nintendo Power|access date=09, 11, 2006}}</ref> Smash Brothers Melee also made it into the Evolution Tournament of Fighting in 2007, a fighting game tournament held in Las Vegas with Ken Hoang, winner of MLG's 2004 and 2005 National Smash Championships, winning the 2007 EVO World Finals.<ref name="Gaming tournament">{{cite web| date= |url=http://evo2k.com/tournament/games/ssbm.php|title=EVo 2007 Championship series &ndash; SSBM| publisher=EVP 2007 Championship series|accessdate=2007-12-23}}</ref>
*Most characters, such as Mario and Luigi, use updated designs.
*Most items are now 3D models, rather than animated 2D sprites like the original game.
*The pre-match countdown by the [[announcer]] and unique [[on-screen appearances]] for each playable fighter are absent. Instead, the announcer says "Ready... Go!" at the start of a match, and all fighters share the same animation of a [[trophy]] coming to life.
*The camera controls on the pause screen have been extended to allow freedom of focusing on other characters. A Camera Mode has been introduced where players can additionally slide it across the stage and take snapshots, which are saved into the Memory Card occupying additional slots.
*Players can now use personalized [[name]]s for battles, which also get records saved.
*The [[match timer]] will now show hundredths of a second (XX:XX.xx). In addition, the [[Match timer#Final countdown timer|final five seconds of the match]] will appear on-screen, and while the announcer counts down, the numbers will get bigger. Also, except in Japanese, the announcer will call out "Game!" and "Time!" when the match ends.


== Items ==
==In competitive play==
*[[Food]]
{{main|Super Smash Bros. Melee in competitive play}}
*[[Maximum Tomato]]
''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 and from 2013 to 2018.
*[[Heart Container]]
*[[Warp Star]]
*[[Ray Gun]]
*[[Super Scope]]
*[[Fire Flower]]
*[[Lip's Stick]]
*[[Star Rod]]
*[[Beam Sword]]
*[[Home run bat]]
*[[Fan]]
*[[Hammer]]
*[[Green Shell]]
*[[Red shell]]
*[[Flipper]]
*[[Freezie]]
*[[Mr. Saturn]]
*[[Pokéball]]
*[[Bob-omb]]
*[[Motion sensor bomb]]
*[[Super Mushroom]]
*[[Poison Mushroom]]
*[[Starman]]
*[[Parasol]]
*[[Screw Attack]]
*[[Metal Box]]
*[[Bunny Hood]]
*[[Cloaking Device]]
*[[Barrel Cannon]]
*[[Crate]]
*[[Barrel]]
*[[Egg]]
*[[Capsule]]


== Stages ==
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 stocks 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.
[[Image:Meleestages.jpg|thumb|right|400px|All 29 stages, with Fourside selected]]


There are 29 stages available in Super Smash Bros. Melee.
Competitive ''Melee'' has historically had a rocky relationship with [[Nintendo]]. Due to a combination of reasons, such as cultural differences and company policies, Nintendo is very strict with permission to broadcast competitive ''Melee'', and has had streams or even whole tournaments shut down for what players view as unfair reasons. This was exacerbated during the years of online-focused or online-only play, as ''Melee'' (being a GameCube game) cannot be played online without emulation and [[mod]]ding, two things Nintendo is very adamant on disallowing.


===Default stages===
==Staff==
{{main|List of staff (SSBM)}}


These stages are avaiable as soon as one purchases the game. They do not require unlocking.
==Gallery==
<CENTER>
<gallery widths="170">
MeleePAL.jpg|''Super Smash Bros. Melee'' European box art.
NP151Cover.jpg|''Super Smash Bros. Melee'' as seen on the cover of the 151st issue of Nintendo Power.
SSBM logo.png|English logo.
MeleeTitle.png|English title screen.
DSBDXTitle.png|Japanese title screen.
</gallery>
</center>


*[[Icicle Mountain]] from ''Ice Climber''.
==Trivia==
*[[Princess Peach's Castle]] from the Super Mario series.
*''Melee'' is the only ''Super Smash Bros.'' game to:
*[[Rainbow Ride]] from ''Super Mario 64''.
**Not have unique [[on-screen appearance]]s for each playable character. Instead, all playable characters share the same animation of a [[trophy]] coming to life.
*[[Kongo Jungle]] from the Donkey Kong series.
**Not have separate announcer voice clips for [[free-for-all]] and [[team battle]], instead collectively announced as either "Melee/Battle Royale", "Survival", "Grab/Get the coins" and "Decision" (in [[time]], [[stock]], [[coin battle|coin]] and {{b|bonus|mode}} battles, respectively), or in cases of [[Special Melee]], respective announcements for each rules.
*[[Jungle Japes]] from the Donkey Kong series.
**Be a sequel that contains a roster with a greater amount of newcomers than veterans, with newcomers making up more than 50% of the playable roster.
*[[Great Bay]] from ''Legend of Zelda: Majora's Mask''.
*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'' (the latter after a fashion, as his appearance in said game was actually an elaborate animated suit controlled by King Boo). 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''.
*[[Temple]] from the Legend of Zelda series.
**This marked the first playable appearance for [[Sheik]], [[Ganondorf]], and [[Roy]] in any series, as well as Roy's first appearance in any game, with ''Melee'' releasing before his {{uv|Fire Emblem}} debut game, ''{{s|fireemblem|Fire Emblem: The Binding Blade}}''. This additionally marks Zelda's first playable appearance in an official Nintendo game (as she was only playable prior in two of the semi-official CD-i ''Zelda'' games, ''{{s|zeldawiki|Zelda: The Wand of Gamelon}}'' and ''{{s|zeldawiki|Zelda's Adventure}}'').
*[[Yoshi's Story]] from ''Yoshi's Story''.
*Gameplay of ''Melee'', in particular {{SSBM|Marth}} and {{SSBM|Roy}} fighting against each other on [[Temple]], was shown nineteen years after the game's debut for the ''[[Fire Emblem: Shadow Dragon and the Blade of Light]]'' reveal trailer.[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8xNUYS-tJZQ]
*[[Yoshi's Island]] from ''Super Mario World''.
*[[Fountain of Dreams]] from the Kirby series.
*[[Green Greens]] from the Kirby series.
*[[Corneria]] from ''Star Fox 64''.
*[[Venom]] from ''Star Fox 64''.
*[[Brinstar]] from the Metroid series.
*[[Onett]] from the Earthbound/Mother series.
*[[Mute City]] from ''F-Zero X''.
*[[Pokémon Stadium]] from the Pokémon series.
*[[Mushroom Kingdom]] from ''Super Mario Bros.''


===Hidden stages===
==References==
<references />


*[[Brinstar Depths]] from the Metroid series.
== External links ==
*[[Fourside]] from the Earthbound/Mother series.
*[[Wikipedia: Super Smash Bros. Melee|Wikipedia's ''Super Smash Bros. Melee'' article]]
*[[Big Blue]] from the F-Zero series.
*[http://www.nintendo.co.jp/n01/n64/software/nus_p_nalj/smash/flash/ Official Japanese ''Super Smash Bros. Melee'' website]
*[[Poké Floats]] though not exactly 'from' the pokemon series, it features random pokemon floating around.
*[http://web.archive.org/web/20050403131356/http://www.smashbros.com/battle/index.html Official English ''Super Smash Bros. Melee'' website (Archived)]
*[[Mushroom Kingdom 2]] from Super Mario Bros. 2.
*[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sfQ75gr2znA First announcement]
*[[Flat Zone]] from the Game and Watch series.
*[[Battlefield (SSBM)]] from the Super Smash Bros. series.
*[[Final Destination]] from the Super Smash Bros. series.
*[[Kongo Jungle (N64)]] from the Donkey Kong series and [[Super Smash Bros.]]
*[[Yoshi's Island (N64)]] from the Yoshi series and [[Super Smash Bros.]]
*[[Dreamland (N64)]] from the Kirby series and [[Super Smash Bros.]]
 
==External links==
*[[Wikipedia:Super Smash Bros. Melee|Wikipedia's ''Super Smash Bros. Melee'' article]]
*[http://strategywiki.org/wiki/Super_Smash_Bros._Melee ''Super Smash Bros. Melee'' guide at StrategyWiki]


{{SSBSeries}}
{{wikipedia}}
[[Category:Games]]
[[Category:Games]]
 
[[Category:Super Smash Bros. Melee| ]]
{{SSBGames}}
[[Category:Super Smash Bros. universe]]
[[Category:Super Smash Bros. series]]
[[Category:Nintendo GameCube]]
[[es:Super Smash Bros. Melee]]

Revision as of 19:04, September 23, 2024

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.
Shigeru Miyamoto moments before the Melee trailer was unveiled to the public at E3 2001.
Super Smash Bros. Melee
SsbmBoxart.jpg
SSBM JP Box.jpg
Developer(s) HAL Laboratory
Intelligent Systems
Publisher(s) Nintendo
Designer(s) Masahiro Sakurai
Released Japan November 21, 2001
North America December 3, 2001
Europe May 24, 2002
Australia May 31, 2002
South Korea December 14, 2002
Genre(s) Fighting game
Platforming
Mode(s) Single-player, Multiplayer (2-4)
Ratings ESRB: T
ELSPA: 11+
ELSPA: 3+ (re-rating)
PEGI: 3+[1]
OFLC: G8+
Platform(s) Nintendo GameCube
Media GameCube Optical Disc
System requirements 11 blocks of memory (an additional 2 or more blocks are needed for each snapshot saved)
Input methods GameCube controller
"Melee" redirects here. For the game mode, see Versus Mode.

Super Smash Bros. Melee (大乱闘 スマッシュ ブラザーズ DX, Great Fray Smash Brothers Deluxe), often shortened to "SSBM" or "Melee" (スマブラDX), is the second installment in the Super Smash Bros. series published by Nintendo. The game released for GameCube 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. The game was directed by Masahiro Sakurai and was primarily developed by HAL Laboratory.

Like its predecessor Super Smash Bros., 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 combos. 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. 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.

Melee received universal acclaim, with many critics praising the game's expansion and refinement from its N64 predecessor, Super Smash Bros., as well as its visuals, tight controls, multiplayer mode, and orchestrated soundtrack. However, its single-player modes, lack of originality, and similarity to its predecessor received criticism.

Opening movie

The opening movie of Melee mostly uses FMV scenes from its E3 2001 trailer along with some scenes of actual gameplay.

The FMV scenes were 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 to highlight the then newly-released GameCube console's graphical power in comparison to previous consoles. The development team worked in three different animation studios in Tokyo, Japan to finish the FMV opening.

An earlier version of the opening movie was released on Melee's Japanese website in November 2001.[2] The early movie is nearly identical to the final game's, but the clips of actual gameplay differ.

In addition, continuing the trend started in the previous game, the opening also directly segues into the title screen with the announcer calling out the game's title.

It is the first pre-rendered cutscene in the series.

Fighters

The character-selection screen of Super Smash Bros. Melee (which includes all 26 characters unlocked).

The cast of 25 playable characters, 26 if including Zelda's alter ego Sheik, includes all 12 characters from Super Smash Bros. and 13 newcomers (14 counting Sheik). Of these, 14 are available from the start of play (15 if Sheik is included), including all the veteran characters except Jigglypuff and Luigi and 11 more which can be unlocked.

The entire cast of Melee, excluding Sheik, Zelda's alter ego.

Of the new characters, the greatest number are from The Legend of Zelda universe if Zelda/Sheik are counted as two characters to go with Ganondorf and Young Link, although the Mario series also takes three new character slots for Bowser, Princess Peach and Dr. Mario added. On top of these, two universes add two characters each, with the Fire Emblem series making its Smash Bros. debut with Marth and Roy (with Roy making his debut in any game), and the Pokémon universe adding Pichu and Mewtwo to its two existing characters. The three other characters added are Falco, a second character from the Star Fox series, Mr. Game & Watch, and the Ice Climbers from two highly venerable Nintendo series.

Veterans (12)
Mario (SSBM)
Mario
Mario (universe)
Luigi (SSBM)
Luigi
Mario (universe)
Yoshi (SSBM)
Yoshi
Yoshi (universe)
Donkey Kong (SSBM)
Donkey Kong
Donkey Kong (universe)
Link (SSBM)
Link
The Legend of Zelda (universe)
Samus (SSBM)
Samus
Metroid (universe)
Kirby (SSBM)
Kirby
Kirby (universe)
Fox (SSBM)
Fox
Star Fox (universe)
Pikachu (SSBM)
Pikachu
Pokémon (universe)
Jigglypuff (SSBM)
Jigglypuff
Pokémon (universe)
Captain Falcon (SSBM)
Captain Falcon
F-Zero (universe)
Ness (SSBM)
Ness
EarthBound (universe)
Newcomers (14)
Peach (SSBM)
Peach
Mario (universe)
Bowser (SSBM)
Bowser
Mario (universe)
Dr. Mario (SSBM)
Dr. Mario
Mario (universe)
Zelda (SSBM)Sheik (SSBM)
Zelda/Sheik
The Legend of Zelda (universe)
Ganondorf (SSBM)
Ganondorf
The Legend of Zelda (universe)
Young Link (SSBM)
Young Link
The Legend of Zelda (universe)
Falco (SSBM)
Falco
Star Fox (universe)
Mewtwo (SSBM)
Mewtwo
Pokémon (universe)
Pichu (SSBM)
Pichu
Pokémon (universe)
Ice Climbers (SSBM)
Ice Climbers
Ice Climber (universe)
Marth (SSBM)
Marth
Fire Emblem (universe)
Roy (SSBM)
Roy
Fire Emblem (universe)
Mr. Game & Watch (SSBM)
Mr. Game & Watch
Game & Watch (universe)

Bold denotes unlockable characters.

Stages

The stage select screen in Melee

There are 29 stages in Melee that can be played in VS. Mode, 18 starter stages and 11 more which are unlockable stages. Three stages return from Super Smash Bros. as Past Stages, all of which are unlockable. Each universe, except for the Fire Emblem universe, has a stage. The EarthBound and F-Zero universes, which previously did not have any stages, receive stages for their respective universes. Most universes have two stages, the exceptions are the Ice Climber and Game & Watch universes which have only one, and the Mario universe which has four. Counting Past Stages, the Donkey Kong, Kirby, and the Yoshi universes have three stages. For the first time in the series, Battlefield and Final Destination can be played in VS. Mode, previously they were restricted to single-player modes.

Starter stages (18)
Princess Peach's Castle
Mushroom Kingdom: Princess Peach’s Castle
Mario (universe)
Rainbow Cruise
Mushroom Kingdom: Rainbow Cruise
Mario (universe)
Mushroom Kingdom (SSBM)
Mushroom Kingdom
Mario (universe)
Yoshi's Story
Yoshi's Island: Yoshi's Story
Yoshi (universe)
Yoshi's Island (SSBM)
Yoshi's Island: Yoshi's Island
Yoshi (universe)
Kongo Falls
DK Island: Kongo Jungle
Donkey Kong (universe)
Jungle Japes
DK Island: Jungle Japes
Donkey Kong (universe)
Great Bay
Termina: Great Bay
The Legend of Zelda (universe)
Temple
Hyrule: Temple
The Legend of Zelda (universe)
Brinstar
Planet Zebes: Brinstar
Metroid (universe)
Fountain of Dreams
Dream Land: Fountain of Dreams
Kirby (universe)
Green Greens
Dream Land: Green Greens
Kirby (universe)
Corneria
Lylat System: Corneria
Star Fox (universe)
Venom
Lylat System: Venom
Star Fox (universe)
Pokémon Stadium
Kanto: Pokémon Stadium
Pokémon (universe)
Mute City
F-Zero Grand Prix: Mute City
F-Zero (universe)
Onett
Eagleland: Onett
EarthBound (universe)
Icicle Mountain
Infinite Glacier: Icicle Mountain
Ice Climber (universe)
Unlockable stages (11)
Battlefield (SSBM)
Special Stages: Battlefield
Super Smash Bros. (universe)
Final Destination (SSBM)
Special Stages: Final Destination
Super Smash Bros. (universe)
Mushroom Kingdom II
Mushroom Kingdom II
Mario (universe)
Super Happy Tree
Super Smash Bros. Past Stages: Yoshi's Island
Yoshi (universe)
Kongo Jungle
Super Smash Bros. Past Stages: Kongo Jungle
Donkey Kong (universe)
Brinstar Depths
Planet Zebes: Brinstar Depths
Metroid (universe)
Dream Land
Super Smash Bros. Past Stages: Dream Land
Kirby (universe)
Poké Floats
Kanto Skies: Poké Floats
Pokémon (universe)
Big Blue
F-Zero Grand Prix: Big Blue
F-Zero (universe)
Fourside
Eagleland: Fourside
EarthBound (universe)
Flat Zone
Superflat World: Flat Zone
Game & Watch (universe)

1-player stages

These stages cannot be unlocked, and can only be played under certain circumstances.

Modes

The main menu.

1-Player

Multiplayer

Other

Unlockables

The game featured several points to be unlocked, most of which include the 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).

Some unlockable elements in SSBM were left out, but can be seen with an Action Replay cheat disc. See Debug menu for more details.

Development

Conceptualization of Super Smash Bros. Melee began almost immediately after the previous entry released, even before Nintendo GameCube development kits were widely distributed. Masahiro Sakurai was quietly tinkering with the design plan mostly by himself with no knowledge of what the final hardware specifications would be. He publicly denied that he was working on a new Smash title until the 1999 Electronic Entertainment Expo (E3) event, where he announced he was working on a "Smash game for the GameCube."[3] HAL Laboratory returned as lead developer of Melee, with Sakurai as the head of production. When final GameCube development kits reached the team, they discovered that they were much easier to use then Nintendo 64 kits.[4] The optical disc format also let the team use streaming playback for the first time, which allowed the use of real musical instruments for music tracks. The final soundtrack ended up using a mix of real music recordings and synthesized instruments, though Sakurai assured that the differences would be nearly unnoticeable. These tracks are an inspiration for the founding of the Press Start: Symphony of Games concert series, which was an annual orchestral concert hosted by game industry veterans that featured arrangements of video game music that ran from 2006 to 2015.[4]

The game was one of the first games released on the 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.[5] HAL worked with three separate graphic houses in Tokyo to make the opening sequence, with Sakurai personally storyboarding the intro instead of spending the New Year with his family.[4] On their official website, the developers posted screenshots and information highlighting and explaining the attention to physics and detail in the game, with references to changes from its predecessor.[6] The game was in development for 13 months, and Sakurai called his lifestyle during this period "destructive" with no holidays and short weekends.[7] 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.[7] Sakurai also felt pressured to make the game as content-rich as possible to help it stand out from both other games at the time and its predecessor. Trophies were born out of this desire for content. Since the team was only able to make a limited amount of playable characters, trophies acted as representation for characters and franchises that did not make the cut otherwise as fanservice and a history lesson with background information attached to each trophy.[4]

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.[8] The game's creators later included Lucas in the game's sequel, Super Smash Bros. Brawl.[9][10] 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.[11] Similarly, Sonic Team head Yuji Naka confirmed that Sonic was ultimately not added due to time constraints;[12] like Snake and Lucas, he later became playable in Brawl. Wario was strongly considered for Melee's roster; while Sakurai expressed that he would have included Wario if he had time to add one more character,[13] he explained that he had opted to instead allocate the team's limited development time to implementing other characters such as Mewtwo or Marth and Roy, and also wanted to avoid having an excessive number of Mario characters.[14] 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.[15][16] This decision is often credited for popularizing the Fire Emblem brand outside of Japan to the point of convincing Nintendo to release the series internationally starting with Fire Emblem: The Blazing Blade, localized as simply Fire Emblem. 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 Climbers would be in the game.[17] The developers have noted characters that have very similar moves to each other on the website;[18] such characters have been referred to as "clones" in the media.[19]

Nintendo presented the game at E3 2001 as a playable demonstration.[20] 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.[21] Before the game's release, the Japanese official website included weekly updates, including screenshots and character profiles.[22][23] Nintendo followed this trend with Super Smash Bros. Brawl, in which there were daily updates by the game's developer, Masahiro Sakurai.[24] Japanese gaming magazine Famitsu reported that Nintendo advertised the game in between showings of the Pokémon the First Movie across movie theaters in Japan.[25] 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.[26] In August 2005, Nintendo bundled the game with the Nintendo GameCube for $99.99.[27]

Reception

Melee reviews
Publication Score
Edge Magazine 6/10
Eurogamer 10/10[28]
Famitsu 37/40
GameSpot 8.9/10[29]
IGN 9.6/10[30]
Nintendo Power 5/5 [31]
Official Nintendo Magazine 95%
Compilations of multiple reviews
Metacritic 92/100[31]
Game Rankings 90.52%[32]

Melee was well-received in many quarters and is the GameCube's top-selling game, selling about 7.09 million copies worldwide as of December 31, 2009. 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.

Melee has received critical acclaim from reviewers, and has received high rankings on many gaming sites, such as GameRankings, IGN, and GameSpot. GameSpy commented in their review that "you'll have a pretty hard time finding a more enjoyable multiplayer experience on any other console".[33] 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 Fran Mirabella III saying it was "in an entirely different league than the N64 version".[34] 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".[35] Planet GameCube's Mike Sklens also rated it as "one of the best sounding games ever",[36] while GameSpot's Greg Kasavin commented that "it all sounds brilliant".[35]

Super Smash Bros. Melee has received many gaming awards. GameSpy chose it as Best Fighting GameCube Game in their "Best of 2001" awards[37], IGN's reader choice chose it as Game of the Year,[38], Electronic Gaming Monthly chose it as Best Multiplayer and Best GameCube Game,[39], and GameSpot chose Melee as the Best GameCube Game and tenth best game of the year.[40][41].

Despite overall positive reception, common criticisms of gameplay included the controls' over-sensitivity[33] and "hyper-responsiveness", with characters easily dashing and precise movements difficult to perform,[35], as well as the fast-paced gameplay, with Nintendo Spin's Clark Nielson stating that "Melee was too fast for its own good".[42] 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 64 predecessor. The game doesn't expand much past that point".[43]

Changes from Super Smash Bros.

While Melee mainly follows the same formula introduced in the original game by retaining most elements, several differences exist between the two games. The following list, while not all-inclusive, notes several of the changes. Note that this list does not include obvious changes, such as a different button scheme/controller and Melee-only characters and items.

Gameplay

  • The general pacing of the game has been increased; hitlag has 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.
  • Hitboxes now use spheres and tubes instead of rectangular prisms.
  • Damage is now dealt and tracked with decimal numbers instead of integers, making moves of any damage equally vulnerable to staleness.
  • 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 gives less of a penalty than using the move the same number of times consecutively. For consecutive hitting attacks, once the first hit connects, all others become one-level staler.
  • Weight differences have been made less drastic; characters heavier than Mario are lighter, while characters lighter than Mario are heavier, so overall weight is slightly less of a factor in knockback.
  • The amount of hitstun a character suffers has been decreased, being reduced from x0.533 the amount of knockback to x0.4.
  • Midair characters can now drop through soft platforms by holding down on the Control Stick, improving aerial movement.
  • Directional influence revamped: in addition to shifting into a direction while in hitlag (SDI), characters can also alter the angle they are launched into by holding into a direction, as well as get a weaker additional shift into the direction the Control Stick is held (ASDI).
  • Most aerial attacks 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 the character to perform more extensive combos within Melee's new physics.
  • Smash attacks can now be charged for extra damage and knockback. Most smash attacks have received a power decrease to balance this out.
  • Meteor smash knockback can now be cancelled via using an up special or jumping (with the audio and visual indicators being a loud swishing sound and the character glowing briefly white while doing so, in addition to a sparkle), though 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 fewer angles.
  • Characters now have a side special move, bringing the total number of special moves per character to 4. Some veterans gain a new move for their side special, while others (like Link, Ness and Jigglypuff) gain a new neutral special, with their old one becoming the side special.
  • Shields now last for a shorter time, and characters now take longer to drop them, though they receive less shieldstun from attacks. The game now uses two different sounds for when a shield is broken by either an opponent or the character itself, the former being higher-pitched.
  • Characters can now sidestep dodge and air dodge, which results in the addition of wavedashing, as well as making shield platform dropping more difficult.
  • Characters can now powershield and lightshield (the latter function makes a character`s shield bigger than usual, but they slide farther from shielding attacks).
  • Characters can now tech on walls, ceilings and ledges.
  • Characters hanging on ledges can now get up by jumping from them, and they can also be sweetspotted during the ending lag of recovery moves. Characters can prevent grabbing them by holding the Control Stick down.
  • Characters now have a unique animation for running grabs, which is generally slower and farther reaching than their standing/walking grab.
  • Character pose animations are removed in Melee’s character selection screen. Instead, when the player is selecting a character, they showed the full portrait of the character on the bottom screen in the character selection screen.
  • Jump-canceled grabs 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 a longer reach, depending on the characters' dash speed and traction.
  • Grabs can 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.
  • Characters now have an up throw and a down throw in addition to a pummel. Some veterans have had throws reassigned (for example, Kirby and Jigglypuff's old forward throws are now their up throws, Captain Falcon's old forward throw is now his down throw, and they have gained new forward throws).
    • Throws are additionally weaker in general, with less damage and knockback, and most throws are now meant to start combos instead of being KO moves. This, combined with the introduction of up and down throws, introduces many more options for chain throws. The majority of throws now also have variable speed depending on the opponent's weight (lighter characters are thrown faster), and many others also consist of two hits, with the first hit being able to damage nearby opponents.
  • Certain characters can now use their extended grab in midair to wall grapple.
  • Certain characters like Mario can now wall jump.
  • Moonwalking is possible (with Captain Falcon being the most prolific user of it).
  • If an already struck character is hit by another attack 10 frames afterwards while still in hitstun, the knockback power and angle of both attacks is scaled for the second hit, rather than being completely replaced.
  • Tumbling can be stopped by quickly tapping the Control Stick sideways.
  • Characters can now only be KO'd by the top blast line if they are in hitstun when sent upwards, and foes on extensive team battles (such as in Multi-Man Melee) now cannot be Star KO'd nor Screen KO'd, making them significantly faster.
  • Items can now be grabbed before coming to rest, and can also now be grabbed by aerial characters.
  • All characters can walk while holding a heavy item, though very slowly; Donkey Kong remains the only one who can jump and walk at a normal speed while carrying them. They can also be thrown upwards and downwards, like regular items.
  • Healing items can now be consumed while wielding a battering item, such as the Beam Sword.

Game modes

  • A stock match can now have a maximum time limit set. Many other additional rules have also been added, such as removing stages from random selection, controlling how stages are chosen, and altering the battles' damage ratio.
  • Bonuses can now be earned in both single-player modes and multiplayer matches. Some old bonuses have been removed while many more have been added, bringing the total from 57 to 249.
  • 1P Game is now known as 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.
  • Training mode now has many more options, such as battling with more than one CPU, adjusting their damage percentage, or even controlling them by a human player if additional controllers are plugged in. The longest combo achieved with each character is also saved afterwards.
  • Special Smashes have been introduced, which include battling with giant or invisible characters, using hit points as opposed to damage, and even battling at a faster or slower speed.
  • A Tournament mode has 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.
  • The Board of Platforms mini-game has been removed from the stadium mode, with the Home Run Contest mini-game being introduced.
  • Trophies have been added, which can be collected in the Lottery, 1P modes or by specific means, then viewed in detailed ways. All characters also have three trophies of themselves, replacing the previous game's biographies.
  • Coins are now used for 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.
  • 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 KOs, falls and SDs, or even the total distance walked by all characters.

Aesthetic

  • Most characters, such as Mario and Luigi, use updated designs.
  • Most items are now 3D models, rather than animated 2D sprites like the original game.
  • The pre-match countdown by the announcer and unique on-screen appearances for each playable fighter are absent. Instead, the announcer says "Ready... Go!" at the start of a match, and all fighters share the same animation of a trophy coming to life.
  • The camera controls on the pause screen have been extended to allow freedom of focusing on other characters. A Camera Mode has been introduced where players can additionally slide it across the stage and take snapshots, which are saved into the Memory Card occupying additional slots.
  • Players can now use personalized names for battles, which also get records saved.
  • The match timer will now show hundredths of a second (XX:XX.xx). In addition, the final five seconds of the match will appear on-screen, and while the announcer counts down, the numbers will get bigger. Also, except in Japanese, the announcer will call out "Game!" and "Time!" when the match ends.

In competitive 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 and from 2013 to 2018.

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

Competitive Melee has historically had a rocky relationship with Nintendo. Due to a combination of reasons, such as cultural differences and company policies, Nintendo is very strict with permission to broadcast competitive Melee, and has had streams or even whole tournaments shut down for what players view as unfair reasons. This was exacerbated during the years of online-focused or online-only play, as Melee (being a GameCube game) cannot be played online without emulation and modding, two things Nintendo is very adamant on disallowing.

Staff

Main article: List of staff (SSBM)

Gallery

Trivia

  • Melee is the only Super Smash Bros. game to:
    • Not have unique on-screen appearances for each playable character. Instead, all playable characters share the same animation of a trophy coming to life.
    • Not have separate announcer voice clips for free-for-all and team battle, instead collectively announced as either "Melee/Battle Royale", "Survival", "Grab/Get the coins" and "Decision" (in time, stock, coin and bonus battles, respectively), or in cases of Special Melee, respective announcements for each rules.
    • Be a sequel that contains a roster with a greater amount of newcomers than veterans, with newcomers making up more than 50% of the playable roster.
  • 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 (the latter after a fashion, as his appearance in said game was actually an elaborate animated suit controlled by King Boo). 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.
  • Gameplay of Melee, in particular Marth and Roy fighting against each other on Temple, was shown nineteen years after the game's debut for the Fire Emblem: Shadow Dragon and the Blade of Light reveal trailer.[3]

References

  1. ^ Player's Choice re-release
  2. ^ SSBM Early Intro Cinematic - The Cutting Room Floor.
  3. ^ News Flash! Smash Bros. Dojo: Smash Begins!. Source Gaming (2001-05-17). Retrieved on 2022-08-22.
  4. ^ a b c d Sakurai, Masahiro. Super Smash Bros. Melee [Game Concepts]. YouTube.
  5. ^ Smash Bros. FMV Explained. IGN (2001-08-31). Retrieved on 2007-11-24.
  6. ^ A Detailed Melee. IGN (2001-09-07). Retrieved on 2007-11-24.
  7. ^ a b George, Richard. Super Smash Bros Creator: "Melee The Sharpest". IGN.
  8. ^ Masahiro Sakurai (2001-07-17). Super Smash Bros. Melee (Japanese). Nintendo. Retrieved on 2007-11-24.
  9. ^ Masahiro Sakurai (2007-10-01). Super Smash Bros. Brawl—Lucas. Nintendo. Retrieved on 2021-07-30.
  10. ^ Masahiro Sakurai (2007-09-21). Super Smash Bros. Brawl—Snake. Nintendo. Retrieved on 2021-07-30.
  11. ^ E306 Super Smash Bros. Brawl Q&A. Kotaku (2007-05-11). Retrieved on 2007-12-30.
  12. ^ Yuji Naka on the road - Edge Magazine
  13. ^ [1]
  14. ^ [2]
  15. ^ Masahiro Sakurai (2002-01-15). Super Smash Bros. Melee—Roy (Japanese). Nintendo. Retrieved on 2007-11-24.
  16. ^ Masahiro Sakurai (2001-12-14). Super Smash Bros. Melee—Marth (Japanese). Nintendo. Retrieved on 2007-11-24.
  17. ^ Masahiro Sakurai (2001-10-09). Super Smash Bros. Melee—Ice Climbers (Japanese). Nintendo. Retrieved on 2007-11-24. “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")”
  18. ^ Roy (Japanese). Nintendo (2002-01-15). Retrieved on 2008-01-11.
  19. ^ IGN: Super Smash Bros. Melee. IGN (2002-01-10). Retrieved on 2008-01-11.
  20. ^ IGN: E3: Hands-on Impressions for Super Smash bros Melee. IGN (2001-05-17). Retrieved on 2007-11-24.
  21. ^ IGN: Spaceworld 2001: Super Smash Bros Melee hands-on. IGN (2001-08-25). Retrieved on 2007-11-24.
  22. ^ Super Smashing Moves. IGN (2001-07-19). Retrieved on 2007-11-24.
  23. ^ Super Smash Bros. Melee (Japanese). Nintendo. Retrieved on 2007-11-24.
  24. ^ Super Smash Bros. Brawl. Nintendo. Retrieved on 2007-11-24.
  25. ^ Nintendo kicks-off GameCube hype in Japan. IGN (2001-07-12). Retrieved on 2007-11-24.
  26. ^ Nintendo Expands Player's Choice Line-up. IGN (2003-01-23). Retrieved on 2007-11-24.
  27. ^ Casamassina, Matt (2005-07-07). Super Smash Bros. Bundle. IGN. Retrieved on 2007-11-24.
  28. ^ http://www.eurogamer.net/articles/r_ssbm_gc
  29. ^ http://www.gamespot.com/reviews/super-smash-bros-melee-review/1900-2829090/
  30. ^ http://uk.cube.ign.com/articles/166/166387p1.html
  31. ^ a b http://www.metacritic.com/game/gamecube/super-smash-bros-melee
  32. ^ http://www.gamerankings.com/gamecube/516492-super-smash-bros-melee/index.html
  33. ^ a b Williams, Bryn (2001-12-03). Super GameSpy: Smash Bros Melee review. GameSpy. Retrieved on 2013-06-05.
  34. ^ Mirabella III, Fran (2001-12-03). IGN: Super Smash Bros Melee review. IGN. Retrieved on 2013-06-05.
  35. ^ a b c Lopez, Miguel (2001-12-01). Super Smash Bros Melee for GameCube review—GameSpot. GameSpot. Retrieved on 2013-06-05.
  36. ^ Sklens, Mike (2001-12-18). Nintendo World Report: Smash Bros Melee review. Nintendo World Report. Retrieved on 2013-06-05.
  37. ^ GameCube Fighting Game of the Year: Super Smash Bros. Melee. GameSpy. Archived from the original on December 20, 2007. Retrieved on 2013-06-05.
  38. ^ Insider: Reader's Choice awards. IGN (2001-01-19). Archived from the original on 2004-08-13. Retrieved on 2013-06-05.
  39. ^ 2001 "Gamers' Choice Awards". Ziff Davis, Electronic Gaming Monthly (April 2002). Archived from the original on 2008-03-06.
  40. ^ The Best and Worst of 2001: Best GameCube Game. GameSpot. Retrieved on 2007-12-23.
  41. ^ The Best and Worst of 2001: The Top Ten Video Games of the Year. GameSpot. Retrieved on 2013-06-05.
  42. ^ Nielsen, Clark (2007-05-27). The Games We Hate. Nintendo Spin. Archived from the original on 2013-01-27. Retrieved on 2013-06-05.
  43. ^ Hale, Caleb (2002-02-20). GameCritics.com: Smash Bros :Melee review. GameCritics.com. Archived from the original on 2007-12-31. Retrieved on 2013-06-05.

External links


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