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Super Smash Bros.: Melee

aka: Dairantou Smash Brothers DX, SSB:M, Smash
Moby ID: 5575
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Description official descriptions

The sequel to HAL Laboratory's Super Smash Bros., which pitted Nintendo characters against each other, ups the ante by including more levels, more characters, and more game modes.

The game is a Nintendo fighting game with different rules to it. Instead of knocking your opponent's health down, you knock him or her out of the battle field. You choose from the wealth of Nintendo characters like Mario, Bowser, Yoshi, different Pokémon, and even Link and then either fight through the single-player portion, featuring modes like Classic, Adventure, and Event Mode or battle it out with your friends in a four-player frenzy. More characters and stages are unlocked as hidden objectives are met, and coins rewarded for playing in all modes can be spent on a capsule toy machine. The toys in the machine represent games from Nintendo's entire video game history, and each can be viewed in 3D with a brief description. Also, with the simplified fighting controls, it's pretty easy for even your non-gaming friends to just pick-up and play.

Playable characters come from the following games:

Spellings

  • 大乱闘スマッシュブラザーズDX - Japanese spelling
  • 대난투 스매시 브라더스 DX - Korean spelling

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Credits (GameCube version)

293 People (261 developers, 32 thanks) · View all

Reviews

Critics

Average score: 87% (based on 43 ratings)

Players

Average score: 4.2 out of 5 (based on 184 ratings with 15 reviews)

A great sequel that left creativity in the 90's.

The Good
Did you think that SSB was an awesome game? Well, just wait until you play this, because this will blow your freakin' mind!!!

The gameplay for SSBM is basically like SSB: fight as and against your favorite Nintendo characters. Simple, but very well pulled off. What is different in this game, though, is there is twice as much in it. Not just more characters and stages, but new modes such as "Adventure", which is basically Classic but a scripted version. You know, like an action movie. lol But there is much more than that, such as "Multi-man Melee" and "Homerun Contest".

The music in the game is, in one word, good. When I say that, I mean that some tracks are freakin' awesome (such as the Fire Emblem track) and some I don't really care for (such as Green Greens). But over all, the sound track in this game is something I would definitely buy, a feat that most games can't make me want to do.

The graphics, I have to say, are amazing. What makes them even better is that SSBM was one of the first GC games (I think). I love how detailed some stages are. For instance, in the background of Rainbow Cruise, you can see a small town on the cliff. It even has a dirt path in it! Now THAT is attention to detail in my book.

The Bad
Despite how awesome this game is, there are a few problems. For example, in the camera mode, if you use NPC's, you will NOT get a good picture!

Also, on a small note, I don't like the announcer in SSBM as much as the SSB one. And I don't like how the match is started with "Ready? GO!" instead of "3...2...1...GO!". But these is only a small complaint.

Finally, something kind "personal" I guess is the fact that this game isn't as creative as the first title in the series (IMO). When I say that, I don't mean the graphics. They're excellent. What I mean is how "unique" the original was compared to this. Think about it for a sec:

SSB: The characters were literately stuffed dolls from a toy chest. The stages were supposedly made from common house hold objects (cardboard, pencil holders, blocks). Almost every stage is supposed to be taking place in the sky and/or is floating. Also, if you completed the 1-player mode, when the camera blacks out, you here a door slam, implying that the whole time, the fighting and violence was controlled by a child! And Master Hand was the child's hand!

The main point is that the original showed a child playing with their toys from their point of view. But in SSBM, they are clearly trophies coming to life. Even the intros of the characters are kind of lame. To me, it all seems slightly lazy.

The Bottom Line
Despite the fact that I think this game heavily lacks in creativity, this is a great addition to your GameCube collection.

GameCube · by Deleted (197) · 2010

I used to dream about a game like this when I was a kid. Thank you Nintendo for making it come true (again)!

The Good
This game is a zany cross-over of all of your favorite Nintendo characters. Link, Samus, Mario, Kirby... they're all here and ready to play a super-simplistic game that also happens to be a lot of fun. The goal is simple. Hit, wack, throw, pummel, nudge, smash, bounce, launch to try to knock them off the edge. Even if you don't succeed, you might just hurt your opponent causing their damage meter to go up making them fly farther and jump less... between the two effects, the next attack you make has a better chance of knocking your opponent out of the arena!

Now, add the fact that 4 players can play... and the fact that the levels are gorgeous!, even the single player ones (which is greatly improved over the N64 single player modes) and tons of unlockable features and "collecting items"... and you have yourself one fun game!

The Bad
Not very much. If there's one complaint I have with the game it's clone characters. That is the characters that play suspiciously similar to one another... these include Mario & Luigi, Ganondorf & Captain Falcon, Link and Young Link, Pikatchu and Pitchu (although in this case there's enough of a difference to be forgiven instantly).

That and the game is hard to put down! =)

The Bottom Line
Zany cartoon Violence Fun for the whole family... that features lots and lots of Nintendo characters. Almost no skill is required... just pick-up and play! And thank you Nintendo for making my zany cross-over dreams come true!

GameCube · by Shoddyan (15006) · 2004

Incomparable

The Good
Super Smash Bros.: Melee sports some of the most astounding graphics ever. After 2.5 years, the crisp and vibrant graphics still leave you in awe. The gameplay is simplistic enough that beginners can have great fun with it, while at the same time the level of depth which you can play with can keeps it fresh for veterans. The variety of characters spanning over the entire Nintendo dynasty also makes for very fun and wacky matches (there's nothing like seeing Donkey Kong smashing Samus Aran off of a floating tree-island from Kirby's Dreamland). The replay value of this game is tremendous with its incomparably addictive four-player smash-fest.

The Bad
While there are plenty of well-designed stages that are perfect for 1-on-1 matches which can, theoretically, be played with 4 players, the only flawless level for 4 player mode is the Hyrule level. More larger levels would have been nice. Also, some characters are too similar to each other for my taste. For example, Ganondorf is really just a heavier version of Captain Falcon, with different colored attacks and sounds. This is not terrible, but it just seems like a cheap way to throw in an extra character.

The Bottom Line
SSB:M is an insanely addictive game which pits Nintendo characters in a deathmatch. It's great controls/fight mechanics coupled with its great graphics, sounds, design, and replay value, makes this an almost obligatory title for any Gamecube owner. The pro's of this title outweigh the con's without contest warranting this title with a spot as one of the greatest games ever released.

GameCube · by Jon Collins (24) · 2004

[ View all 15 player reviews ]

Discussion

Subject By Date
Colon (or, rather, lack thereof) in title Michael Cassidy (21287) Dec 13, 2015

Trivia

1001 Video Games

Super Smash Bros. Melee appears in the book 1001 Video Games You Must Play Before You Die by General Editor Tony Mott.

Fire Emblem

Prior to this game's release, no game in Nintendo's Fire Emblem series had ever received an official North American release, which caused some confusion among western gamers who were introduced to Marth and Roy (two Fire Emblem characters) via Super Smash Bros. Melee. Initially they were going to be exclusive to the Japanese version of the game. However, when the developers were working on the North American version, they received favorable attention, so they were kept in the Western version.

Mr. Game and Watch

Even though the secret character Mr. Game and Watch is stylized as a 2D character, he is actually a 3D model of his 2D form. The Mr. Game and Watch model is flattened and his shading is different. This can be especially noticed when he's thrown or picking up an item box.

Ness

The character Ness was going to be replaced by Lucas, the main protagonist of Mother 3. However, due to the delay of Mother 3, the developers kept Ness.

Ratings

This was Mario's very first appearance in a game with an ESRB rating higher than E (Everyone).

Snake

Apparently, Hideo Kojima, director of the Metal Gear Solid series, "begged" Nintendo to include Solid Snake as playable character in Melee. However, the game was too into development for this to happen, but Snake appears in Brawl.

Soundtrack

  • There exists a re-recorded soundtrack for this game, released solely as a bonus for Nintendo Power readers. It features all of the "arranged" tracks as played in a concert. Unfortunately, the orchestra is poor, and virtually none of the renditions are as good as the ones within the game.
  • The Final Destination's sound track, if you listen closely enough, has some arrangements from the original Smash Bros. theme near the end.

Trophies

A trophy from the Japanese version of the game was removed for the US release: The trophy of Tamagon, a character from the Japanese-only Famicom (NES) title, Devil World was taken out due to the use of the word "Devil" in the game's title. His description read:

Tamagon

This is the main character of a Japanese NES game never released in North America. In this quirky maze game, your goal was to work your way through a series of scrolling mazes while battling the cyclopean henchmen of a large, winged demon. Tamagon not only had to worry about the evil creatures, but also the walls, which were extremely harmful.

Demon World

Japan Only

Some of the trophies have a few oddities when examined up close. The Barrel Cannon trophy reads "2L84ME" on the bottom. The Daisy trophy also has a third eye if you zoom in and rotate until you clip through her hair on the back of her head.

In addition, two trophies were changed for the US release. Topi was changed from a Seal (as he appears in the Japanese version of Ice Climber) to the Yeti-like creature in the Amercian version. The Proximity Mine was also changed from the Perfect Dark version in the Japanese release to the Goldeneye version (which was also used in the original Super Smash Bros.) for the US release with the game title mysteriously labeled "TOP SECRET."

Awards

  • 4Players
    • 2002 – #8 Best GameCube Game of the Year (Readers' Vote)
  • EGM
    • February 2006 (Issue 200) - #92 on the "Greatest Games of Their Time" list
  • GameSpy
    • 2001 – GameCube Fighting Game of the Year

Information also contributed by Big John WV, Bob the Stickman, colm52, Mark Ennis, Nelson340, Tiago Jaques and WizardX

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Contributors to this Entry

Game added by JPaterson.

Additional contributors: Terok Nor, Warlock, BigJKO, Guy Chapman, Exodia85, FloodSpectre, LordRM, Patrick Bregger, Rik Hideto, FatherJack.

Game added January 11, 2002. Last modified March 27, 2024.