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Super Smash Bros. Melee
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Super Smash Bros. Melee

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“ 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
Super Smash Bros. Melee
North American cover art
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
Genre(s) Fighting game
Mode(s) Single-player, Multiplayer (2-4)
Ratings ESRB: T
ELSPA: 11+
ELSPA: 3+ (re-rating)
PEGI: 3+
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, known in Japan as Dairantou* Smash Brothers DX** (大乱闘 スマッシュ ブラザーズDX, Dairantō Sumasshu Burazāzu Dī Ekkusu), and often shortened to "SSBM" or "Melee", is a 2.5D fighting game for the Nintendo GameCube. It was released in late 2001 in America and Japan, shortly after GameCube's launch, and early 2002 in Europe. It is the second game in the Super Smash Bros. series, following its predecessor, Super Smash Bros. and was succeeded by Super Smash Bros. Brawl.

Like Super Smash Bros., its predecessor, Melee features gameplay unique from that of other fighting games. Compared to characters in other fighting games, Melee characters have simple movesets and lack complicated button inputs and lengthy natural 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. The game has sold over seven million copies and is the best-selling GameCube game.

* Dairantou = Great Fray
**DX = Deluxe

Opening Movie

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

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

An early opening has also been found; in this sequence, the clips of actual gameplay had been considerably changed.

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Characters

Main article: List of Super Smash Bros. series characters
 
The entire cast of Melee, excluding Sheik, Zelda's alter ego.
 
The character-selection screen of Super Smash Bros. Melee (which includes all 26 characters unlocked).

The cast of 25 playable characters, 26 includng Zelda's alter ego Sheik, includes all twelve characters from Super Smash Bros. and thirteen newcomers. Of these, fourteen are available from the start of play (fifteen if Sheik is included), including all the "veteran" characters but Luigi and Jigglypuff.

Of the new characters, the greatest number are from the 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 & Roy; and the Pokémon universe adding Mewtwo & Pichu to its two existing characters. The three other characters added are Falco, a second character from the Star Fox series, and Mr. Game & Watch & the Ice Climbers from two highly venerable Nintendo series.

Starter characters

File:MarioSymbol(preBrawl).png Bowser
File:FZeroSymbol.png Captain Falcon
File:DKSymbol(preBrawl).png Donkey Kong
File:StarFoxSymbol(preBrawl).png Fox
File:IceClimbersSymbol.png Ice Climbers
File:KirbySymbol.png Kirby
File:ZeldaSymbol.png Link
File:MarioSymbol(preBrawl).png Mario
File:EarthboundSymbol.png Ness
File:PokemonSymbol(preBrawl).png Pikachu
File:MarioSymbol(preBrawl).png Peach
File:MetroidSymbol(preBrawl).png Samus
File:YoshiSymbol(preBrawl).png Yoshi
File:ZeldaSymbol.png Zelda/Sheik

Unlockable characters

File:MarioSymbol(preBrawl).png Dr. Mario*
File:StarFoxSymbol(preBrawl).png Falco
File:ZeldaSymbol.png Ganondorf
File:PokemonSymbol(preBrawl).png Jigglypuff
File:MarioSymbol(preBrawl).png Luigi
File:FireEmblemSymbol.png Marth
File:PokemonSymbol(preBrawl).png Mewtwo*
File:Game&WatchSymbol(preBrawl).png Mr. Game & Watch
File:PokemonSymbol(preBrawl).png Pichu*
File:FireEmblemSymbol.png Roy*
File:ZeldaSymbol.png Young Link*

Non-Playable Characters (all playable using Action Replay)

File:SmashBrosSymbol.png Giga Bowser
File:SmashBrosSymbol.png Master Hand (Except by glitch)
File:SmashBrosSymbol.png Crazy Hand
File:SmashBrosSymbol.png Sandbag
File:SmashBrosSymbol.png Fighting Wire Frames*

* Characters that did not return in Super Smash Bros. Brawl.

Stages

There are eighteen starter stages and eleven more which can be unlocked.

Default stages

File:MetroidSymbol(preBrawl).png Brinstar*
File:StarFoxSymbol(preBrawl).png Corneria*
File:KirbySymbol.png Fountain of Dreams
File:ZeldaSymbol.png Great Bay
File:KirbySymbol.png Green Greens*
File:IceClimbersSymbol.png Icicle Mountain
File:DKSymbol(preBrawl).png Jungle Japes*
File:DKSymbol(preBrawl).png Kongo Jungle
File:MarioSymbol(preBrawl).png Mushroom Kingdom
File:FZeroSymbol.png Mute City
File:EarthboundSymbol.png Onett*
File:PokemonSymbol(preBrawl).png Pokémon Stadium*
File:MarioSymbol(preBrawl).png Princess Peach's Castle
File:MarioSymbol(preBrawl).png Rainbow Cruise*
File:ZeldaSymbol.png Temple*
File:StarFoxSymbol(preBrawl).png Venom
File:YoshiSymbol(preBrawl).png Yoshi's Island*
File:YoshiSymbol(preBrawl).png Yoshi's Story

Unlockable stages

File:SmashBrosSymbol.png Battlefield
File:FZeroSymbol.png Big Blue*
File:MetroidSymbol(preBrawl).png Brinstar Depths
File:KirbySymbol.png Dream Land**
File:SmashBrosSymbol.png Final Destination
File:Game&WatchSymbol(preBrawl).png Flat Zone
File:EarthboundSymbol.png Fourside
File:MarioSymbol(preBrawl).png Mushroom Kingdom II
File:DKSymbol(preBrawl).png Kongo Jungle**
File:PokemonSymbol(preBrawl).png Poké Floats
File:YoshiSymbol(preBrawl).png Yoshi's Island**

* stages return in Super Smash Bros. Brawl.

** stages return from Super Smash Bros..

Single-Player stages

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

Debug-Only Stages

These stages can only be used when the game is hacked. Some are functional; most are not.

Functional

Non-Functional

* Can be activated with other hacks, but not Debug Mode.

Modes

File:MenuScreen.jpg
The main menu screen for Melee.

1-Player

Multi-player

Action Replay

Unlockables

The game features 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).

Reception

Melee reviews
Publication Score
Edge Magazine 6/10
Eurogamer 10/10[1]
Famitsu 37/40
GameSpot 8.9/10[2]
IGN 9.6/10[3]
Nintendo Power 5/5 [4][5]
Official Nintendo Magazine 95%
Compilations of multiple reviews
Metacritic 92/100[4]
Game Rankings 90.30%[5]

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

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".[6] 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".[3] 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".[2] Planet GameCube's Mike Sklens also rated it as "one of the best sounding games ever",[7] while GameSpot's Greg Kasavin commented that "it all sounds brilliant".[2]

Common criticisms of gameplay included the controls' over-sensitivity[6] and "hyper-responsiveness", with characters easily dashing and precise movements difficult to perform,[2], as well as the fast-paced gameplay, with Nintendo Spin's Clark Nielson stating that "Melee was too fast for its own good".[8] 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".[9] Super Smash Bros. Melee has received many gaming awards. GameSpy chose it as Best Fighting GameCube Game in their "Best of 2001" awards[10], IGN's reader choice chose it as Game of the Year,[11], Electronic Gaming Monthly chose it as Best Multiplayer and Best GameCube Game,[12], and GameSpot chose Melee as the Best GameCube Game and tenth best game of the year.[13][14].

Changes from the original

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.

  • The general pacing of the game has been increased; freeze frames have been reduced, KOs off the top blast line finish sooner, and characters move faster in general (especially vertically).
  • Attack physics now use spheres and tubes instead of cubes.
  • Damage is now dealt and tracked with decimal numbers instead of integers, making moves of any damage equally vulnerable to staleness.
  • Angle indicators have been removed.
  • Stale-move negation has been redesigned; moves now feature a gradual drop in power if used repeatedly instead of a single large drop in power when used once, and using a move less frequently but still often gives less of a penalty then using the move the same number of times consecutively.
  • Weight is approximately half as important to the knockback characters receive; the lighter characters from SSB sustain less knockback (Jigglypuff and Kirby are examples of this). The heavier characters from SSB sustain more knockback (Donkey Kong is an example of this as well).
  • The amount of hitstun a character suffers has been slightly decreased. Reduced from .5 to .46.
  • Smash attacks can now be charged for extra damage and knockback. Most smash attacks have received a power decrease to balance this out (Captain Falcon, Pikachu, and Jigglypuff are the only characters to have at least one or two smash attacks' power increased; Falcon is the only character to have all three smash attacks' power increased).
  • Meteor smashes can now be cancelled, though certain moves "fall through the cracks" and cannot be. Most meteor smashes now take longer to execute.
  • 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 gain a new neutral special, with their old one becoming the side special.
  • Characters can now sidestep dodge and air dodge, which results in the removal of shield platform dropping and the addition of wavedashing.
  • Characters can now powershield and lightshield.
  • Characters can now tech on walls and ceilings.
  • Characters now have a unique animation for running grabs, which is generally slower and further-reaching than their standing/walking grab.
  • Jump-canceled grabs are implemented. These are similar to dash grabs, but are faster, has bigger hitboxes, and depends on how high or low the character's traction is.
  • Grabs can now be escaped should the grabber wait too long before throwing, depending on the victim's damage.
  • 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, and they gained new forward throws).
  • Throws are weaker in general, with less damage and knockback. This introduces many chain throws.
  • Certain characters can now use their extended grab in midair and wall grapple.
  • Certain characters can now wall jump.
  • Moonwalking is possible (characters like C. Falcon and Link are notable for having this).
  • 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.
  • Maxim Tomatoes now only heal 50%; Heart Containers now only heal 100%.
  • The Board the Platforms bonus game has been replaced with the Snag the Trophies bonus game.
  • Unique On-Screen Appearances have been removed; all characters share the same animation of a trophy coming to life.
  • A stock match can now have a maximum time limit set.
  • Bonuses can now be earned in both single-player modes and multiplayer matches.
  • Statistics are not saved if a game is quit.
  • The camera controls on the pause screen have been extended to allow freedom of focusing on other characters and moving about the stage.
  • 1P Game is now known as Classic Mode, and various other single-player modes (such as Adventure Mode and All-Star Mode) have been added.

Tournament play

Melee is widely known for its large and intricate tournament scene. The generally accepted birth of the tournament scene was caused by the creation of the Tournament Go series. Recently, the tournament scene has been bolstered by grand-scale tournaments such as the MLG series.

The community has constructed a set of standard tournament rules to regulate tournament play. All matches are played with timed stock (usually four lives and eight minutes), with items turned off and restrictions on legal stages. These regulations are enacted to ensure that gameplay at the highest level remains fair and interesting.

Gallery

  • Super Smash Bros. Melee Japanese box art E

  • Super Smash Bros. Melee European box art

Trivia

  • Super Smash Bros. Melee marks the first playable appearance on the Nintendo GameCube for 25 out of the 26 playable characters. The only character who had been playable on the GameCube beforehand was Luigi in Luigi's Mansion.
    • This also marked the first playable appearance of Sheik, Ganondorf, and Roy in any series.
  • Despite there being 5 "?"-marked character boxes initially, there are a total of 11 unlockable characters, with the ones not marked by a "?" being clones. Given that Melee directly identifies these characters as clones by how they're presented on the selection screen, this raises interesting questions about how they were treated by the development team.
    • Oddly enough, when Luigi becomes unlocked, he takes his place beside Mario and bumps Pikachu down into a "?" box. Pikachu being sandwiched in the Mario section in the first place appears to have been done so the bottom-row placement of the "?" boxes is aesthetically pleasing without having to move anything else around.
  • Melee became the best-selling game for the GameCube.
  • Melee is the only game in the series where Ness and Captain Falcon are starter characters. They were unlockable characters for the rest of the games in the series.

References

  1. ^ http://www.eurogamer.net/articles/r_ssbm_gc
  2. ^ a b c d http://uk.gamespot.com/gamecube/action/supersmashbrosmelee/ Cite error: Invalid <ref> tag; name "Gamespot" defined multiple times with different content
  3. ^ a b http://uk.cube.ign.com/articles/166/166387p1.html Cite error: Invalid <ref> tag; name "IGN" defined multiple times with different content
  4. ^ a b http://www.metacritic.com/game/gamecube/super-smash-bros-melee
  5. ^ a b http://www.gamerankings.com/gamecube/516492-super-smash-bros-melee/index.html
  6. ^ a b Williams, Bryn (2001-12-03). Super GameSpy: Smash Bros Melee review. GameSpy. Retrieved on 2013-06-05.
  7. ^ Sklens, Mike (2001-12-18). Nintendo World Report: Smash Bros Melee review. Nintendo World Report. Retrieved on 2013-06-05.
  8. ^ Nielsen, Clark (2007-05-27). The Games We Hate. Nintendo Spin. Retrieved on 2013-06-05.
  9. ^ 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.
  10. ^ GameCube Fighting Game of the Year: Super Smash Bros. Melee. GameSpy. Archived from the original on December 20, 2007. Retrieved on 2013-06-05.
  11. ^ Insider: Reader's Choice awards. IGN (2001-01-19). Archived from the original on 2004-08-13. Retrieved on 2013-06-05.
  12. ^ 2001 "Gamers' Choice Awards". Ziff Davis, Electronic Gaming Monthly (April 2002). Archived from the original on 2008-03-06.
  13. ^ The Best and Worst of 2001: Best GameCube Game. GameSpot. Retrieved on 2007-12-23.
  14. ^ The Best and Worst of 2001: The Top Ten Video Games of the Year. GameSpot. Retrieved on 2013-06-05.

External links

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