RPGamers Network > Reviews > Game Reviews > Super Smash Bros. Melee
Super Smash Bros., the multiplayer gem and worldwide hit on the Nintendo 64, changed all that. It delivered fighting mechanics that were simple but all the better for it, and the action, especially in four-player, was blazing fast. Sure, the one-player mode was lacking, but this was forgivable. Needless to say, HAL Laboratories are at it again, and this time the ante has been bumped up considerably. Super Smash Bros. Melee, an early release for Nintendo GameCube, delivers everything that the original offered and much, much more. The developers have taken an 'if it ain't broke, don't fix it' approach to this anticipated sequel, and instead focused on adding and tweaking as much as they can. The result, quite simply, is one of the best titles on GameCube and an absolute must-own for any Nintendo fan.
Gameplay:
Knowing where to start in terms of what the game offers is a daunting concept, so perhaps it's best to start by saying what the title DOESN'T offer. Unlike most fighting games, there is no real 'story' featured in the game. The characters are just presented, ready to fight, which probably suits this game quite well. There is, in a way, a story to go with one of the new one-player modes, but it isn't exactly complex. Anyway, it's a good area to discuss first.
The mode I'm talking about is the Adventure mode, one of the numerous additions to a much more fleshed out single-player experience. In it, your character of choice moves through various levels, engaging in fights in the traditional Smash Bros. style, while also enjoying a few platform elements, leading up to a final battle with Bowser. The first level, for example, has your character dodging Goombas and jumping platforms in the Mushroom Kingdom, before leading in to a fight against a team of Yoshis. After clearing the level (and being rewarded any bonus points, you go up in a more Classic-style battle against Mario and Peach. This mode is enjoyable from time to time, though the levels don't change at all, which hampers things slightly and can begin to feel stale after a while. It's also worth noting that the platform elements, which liven the mode up a lot, aren't offered as much as hey could be, and Adventure mode does sometimes begin to feel like the Classic mode from the original game. Speaking of which, Classic mode is back again, this time made a bit more interesting by the randomization of the foes you face up against.
Probably the most engaging addition to the one-player section is the new Event Mode, in which you are presented with over 50 different challenges to take on (though only the first 10 are available to you to begin with). Some will allow you to choose your character, others don't, and the difficulty ramps up considerably. One challenge requires you to KO Captain Falcon in just seven seconds. Another has Link up against his own shadow form. One of the later challenges pits you against three opponents atop a giant replica of Majora's Mask. The challenges are varied, interesting and quite clever - one of the best additions to the game.
There's more, too: new modes in which you can pit your character against fighting wire frames (like the polygon fighters from the original game) in survival matches where you may be forced to battle against 10 or 100 opponents, or against however many opponents you take on in 3 or 15 minutes - all of this on just one life. Some of these are insanely challenging, but finishing them is often worth it: various rewards await you if you complete them. Another mode, Home Run Contest, allows you to pick a player and send a sandbag flying as far as possible after 10 seconds, with the aid of the baseball bat. It sounds simple, but it's fun and surprisingly tricky, as hitting the sandbag far requires you to hone your smashing techniques. Again, rewards await you if you can hit it far enough.
Speaking of rewards, there's a hell of a lot on offer here. For one, fourteen characters (Mario, Yoshi, DK, Pikachu, Link, Fox, Samus, Captain Falcon, Kirby, Ness and the newcomers Peach, Bowser, Ice Climbers and Zelda/Sheik) are available from the get-go but 11 more can be unlocked. There are numerous extra battle arenas to unlock, new modes of play (such as the challenging All-Star Mode, which I'll touch upon in a moment) and trophies. Trophies, I hear you ask? This is another one of the new touches in SSBM, and it is most likely a Nintendo buff's wet dream. There are almost 300 trophies in all to collect by playing all of the different modes, including at least three of each of the 25 playable characters, and trophies centered on the games that each of the characters have starred in. There are more as well, like Gretel MK II from Custom Robo and the Hate Giant from Doshin the Giant. Each of the trophies can be rotated, viewed in different lighting, presented with information on the item/character's history, or viewed as a part of your growing trophy collection. You can even gamble for new trophies in a lottery, by using coins earned from playing the other modes.
There really is so much to do that it becomes mind-boggling, though the one-player mode still has a way to go before it competes with the multiplayer mode. Like I said, the Adventure mode tends to get repetitive, and Classic mode, while improved, will still only hold your attention for so long. Even the new Event Mode and the All-Star mode (which places you in successive battles against every character - sort of like classic mode, but with accumulating damage and limited health items) will still only hold your attention for so long after you've unlocked everything, because in the end, it's still all about the multiplayer.
This was where the original shone, and the sequel comes through, too. With 25 characters and even more arenas (most of which, are incredibly impressive and fun to play), the multiplayer is hard to go past, especially when you look at what's been added. There's a new coin mode, in which winner is based on the number of coins collected by attacking other enemies. Bonus mode determines the winner based on bonus points, like those from the original game's classic mode, only the bonuses are now much more varied (there are well over 200 in all). There's a slo-mo mode, and a high speed melee for rather intense battles. You can even play with all characters rendered invisible, which is a lot more fun than it sounds.
The controls remain, for the best part, unchanged, though there are some new touches - the ability to deflect items while in mid-air being a significant one - done by pressing L or R while a projectile is coming at you in mid-air. You can also do extra damage when grabbing a foe now - pressing Z repeatedly after grabbing someone with the Z button allows you to continually punch, chew or pummel the enemy before throwing them. These may seem like small touches but they go a great way towards deepening the already excellent control system. The rest of the controls remain, for the most part, unchanged.
All this and I still have more I could talk about, like the expanded range of items, other modes (like the awesome Snapshot Mode - really, if you have space on your memory card you must check this one out) and mini-games, the bonus system and the vast range of statistics you can track on each character. As the crowning achievement, the title takes only 11 blocks of space on your memory card - a sweet deal given everything on offer.
Graphics:
Like the original, the graphics here focus on speed and not detail, though the game is certainly a lot prettier than the original. Character models are more detailed (though naturally not as detailed as they have been in other games), and the arenas have a lot of nice touches to them (such as Kraid flailing about in the background of the unlockable Brinstar Depths or the panoramic view of Final Destination). As with all things, some arenas are prettier than others, but for the most part they are wonderfully detailed, especially given how much can be happening on screen at once. The game also runs in progressive scan for those that like it, and even has a deflicker option that allows you to view the game in a sharper aliased format or a softer, anti-aliased display.
Sound:
This is definitely a highlight of the game, with a huge variety of sound effects and tunes on offer (also available to listen to in the unlockable Sound Test, like in the original). The voice effects are often hilarious, especially when you've just taken a hammer or Bob-omb and used it to jettison Pikachu or Jigglypuff off into the distance, and the music is great. A variety of classic Nintendo themes are remixed to perfection (or not - some are presented in their original format), and while some are more memorable than others, the aural experience is generally excellent, despite being mostly based on old themes.
Closing Comments:
Like the original, this is a game truly meant to be enjoyed with a group of friends - possibly a very big group of friends, given the new Tournament Mode - but unlike the original, there's plenty on offer for the lone player as well, and the entire game drips with polish. From the tightened battle mechanics to the insane number of modes of play, all of which have their appeal, and the vast unlockables, this is one of those game which you'll play - and still be savoring a year later. Trust me, you're almost guaranteed to enjoy this game thoroughly, unless you REALLY don't like Nintendo. And if that's the case, well, shame on you. Go and sit in the corner.
Summary:
Presentation
All of your favourite Nintendo characters featured together in one very, very big game. There's enough on offer to just about blow your brain clean open, whether you're a Nintendo buff or not.
Graphics
Good, but not utterly amazing, though the environments are mostly pretty and the character models are hugely improved. The emphasis has clearly been put on speed.
Sound
Great work. A soundtrack that will suit Nintendo buffs the most, and some hilarious sound effects.
Gameplay
Improved over the original, with a huge amount to see and do, tightened controls, and more on offer for the lone player. Some modes will hold your attention longer than others.
Lasting Appeal
Stock, Coin Mode, Bonus Mode, Slo-mo, Invisible Melee, Snapshots, Training, Target, Adventure, Classic, All-Star, Event Mode, Home Run, Trophies, 25 characters and tons of arenas... need I go on?
My Overall Score: 9.3/10 (Not an average)
| Game Stats | |
|---|---|
| Genre | Fighting |
| Platform | GameCube |
| Format | DVD |
| # of Players | 4 |
| Released Jap | 11.21.2001 |
| Released US | 12.02.2001 |
| Released EU | 05.24.2002 |
| Aprox. Length | 25-75 hrs. |
| Reviewer Rankings | |
| Battle System | 9.0 |
| Gameplay | 9.0 |
| Music | 10.0 |
| Originality | 8.0 |
| Plot | 6.0 |
| Replay Value | 11.0 |
| Sound | 9.0 |
| Visuals | 8.0 |
| Difficulty | Medium |
| Overall | |
| 8.8 | |
Super Smash Bros. Melee
By: HAL Laboratory, NintendoReviewed By: AtomicBlue
Remember the old days of title like Sega's Street Fighter games, or even more so, the SNES' Mortal Kombat series? Where the method of play was often something like "Up, A, A, A, Left, Down, B, X, Y, X, X, Select" as you got prepped to perform your Super-Triple-Whammy-Mega-Crazy-Kick-And-Whistle-While-Reading-Shakespeare-In-Pig-Latin combo? Okay, so maybe I made that bit up, but you get the idea. Fighting games were all too often a case of resorting to insane 30-button combination, and while they were still a lot of fun (most of the time), a lot of them lost the sense of franticness that you'd expect of any sort of fight.Super Smash Bros., the multiplayer gem and worldwide hit on the Nintendo 64, changed all that. It delivered fighting mechanics that were simple but all the better for it, and the action, especially in four-player, was blazing fast. Sure, the one-player mode was lacking, but this was forgivable. Needless to say, HAL Laboratories are at it again, and this time the ante has been bumped up considerably. Super Smash Bros. Melee, an early release for Nintendo GameCube, delivers everything that the original offered and much, much more. The developers have taken an 'if it ain't broke, don't fix it' approach to this anticipated sequel, and instead focused on adding and tweaking as much as they can. The result, quite simply, is one of the best titles on GameCube and an absolute must-own for any Nintendo fan.
Gameplay:
Knowing where to start in terms of what the game offers is a daunting concept, so perhaps it's best to start by saying what the title DOESN'T offer. Unlike most fighting games, there is no real 'story' featured in the game. The characters are just presented, ready to fight, which probably suits this game quite well. There is, in a way, a story to go with one of the new one-player modes, but it isn't exactly complex. Anyway, it's a good area to discuss first.
The mode I'm talking about is the Adventure mode, one of the numerous additions to a much more fleshed out single-player experience. In it, your character of choice moves through various levels, engaging in fights in the traditional Smash Bros. style, while also enjoying a few platform elements, leading up to a final battle with Bowser. The first level, for example, has your character dodging Goombas and jumping platforms in the Mushroom Kingdom, before leading in to a fight against a team of Yoshis. After clearing the level (and being rewarded any bonus points, you go up in a more Classic-style battle against Mario and Peach. This mode is enjoyable from time to time, though the levels don't change at all, which hampers things slightly and can begin to feel stale after a while. It's also worth noting that the platform elements, which liven the mode up a lot, aren't offered as much as hey could be, and Adventure mode does sometimes begin to feel like the Classic mode from the original game. Speaking of which, Classic mode is back again, this time made a bit more interesting by the randomization of the foes you face up against.
Probably the most engaging addition to the one-player section is the new Event Mode, in which you are presented with over 50 different challenges to take on (though only the first 10 are available to you to begin with). Some will allow you to choose your character, others don't, and the difficulty ramps up considerably. One challenge requires you to KO Captain Falcon in just seven seconds. Another has Link up against his own shadow form. One of the later challenges pits you against three opponents atop a giant replica of Majora's Mask. The challenges are varied, interesting and quite clever - one of the best additions to the game.
There's more, too: new modes in which you can pit your character against fighting wire frames (like the polygon fighters from the original game) in survival matches where you may be forced to battle against 10 or 100 opponents, or against however many opponents you take on in 3 or 15 minutes - all of this on just one life. Some of these are insanely challenging, but finishing them is often worth it: various rewards await you if you complete them. Another mode, Home Run Contest, allows you to pick a player and send a sandbag flying as far as possible after 10 seconds, with the aid of the baseball bat. It sounds simple, but it's fun and surprisingly tricky, as hitting the sandbag far requires you to hone your smashing techniques. Again, rewards await you if you can hit it far enough.
Speaking of rewards, there's a hell of a lot on offer here. For one, fourteen characters (Mario, Yoshi, DK, Pikachu, Link, Fox, Samus, Captain Falcon, Kirby, Ness and the newcomers Peach, Bowser, Ice Climbers and Zelda/Sheik) are available from the get-go but 11 more can be unlocked. There are numerous extra battle arenas to unlock, new modes of play (such as the challenging All-Star Mode, which I'll touch upon in a moment) and trophies. Trophies, I hear you ask? This is another one of the new touches in SSBM, and it is most likely a Nintendo buff's wet dream. There are almost 300 trophies in all to collect by playing all of the different modes, including at least three of each of the 25 playable characters, and trophies centered on the games that each of the characters have starred in. There are more as well, like Gretel MK II from Custom Robo and the Hate Giant from Doshin the Giant. Each of the trophies can be rotated, viewed in different lighting, presented with information on the item/character's history, or viewed as a part of your growing trophy collection. You can even gamble for new trophies in a lottery, by using coins earned from playing the other modes.
There really is so much to do that it becomes mind-boggling, though the one-player mode still has a way to go before it competes with the multiplayer mode. Like I said, the Adventure mode tends to get repetitive, and Classic mode, while improved, will still only hold your attention for so long. Even the new Event Mode and the All-Star mode (which places you in successive battles against every character - sort of like classic mode, but with accumulating damage and limited health items) will still only hold your attention for so long after you've unlocked everything, because in the end, it's still all about the multiplayer.
This was where the original shone, and the sequel comes through, too. With 25 characters and even more arenas (most of which, are incredibly impressive and fun to play), the multiplayer is hard to go past, especially when you look at what's been added. There's a new coin mode, in which winner is based on the number of coins collected by attacking other enemies. Bonus mode determines the winner based on bonus points, like those from the original game's classic mode, only the bonuses are now much more varied (there are well over 200 in all). There's a slo-mo mode, and a high speed melee for rather intense battles. You can even play with all characters rendered invisible, which is a lot more fun than it sounds.
The controls remain, for the best part, unchanged, though there are some new touches - the ability to deflect items while in mid-air being a significant one - done by pressing L or R while a projectile is coming at you in mid-air. You can also do extra damage when grabbing a foe now - pressing Z repeatedly after grabbing someone with the Z button allows you to continually punch, chew or pummel the enemy before throwing them. These may seem like small touches but they go a great way towards deepening the already excellent control system. The rest of the controls remain, for the most part, unchanged.
All this and I still have more I could talk about, like the expanded range of items, other modes (like the awesome Snapshot Mode - really, if you have space on your memory card you must check this one out) and mini-games, the bonus system and the vast range of statistics you can track on each character. As the crowning achievement, the title takes only 11 blocks of space on your memory card - a sweet deal given everything on offer.
Graphics:
Like the original, the graphics here focus on speed and not detail, though the game is certainly a lot prettier than the original. Character models are more detailed (though naturally not as detailed as they have been in other games), and the arenas have a lot of nice touches to them (such as Kraid flailing about in the background of the unlockable Brinstar Depths or the panoramic view of Final Destination). As with all things, some arenas are prettier than others, but for the most part they are wonderfully detailed, especially given how much can be happening on screen at once. The game also runs in progressive scan for those that like it, and even has a deflicker option that allows you to view the game in a sharper aliased format or a softer, anti-aliased display.
Sound:
This is definitely a highlight of the game, with a huge variety of sound effects and tunes on offer (also available to listen to in the unlockable Sound Test, like in the original). The voice effects are often hilarious, especially when you've just taken a hammer or Bob-omb and used it to jettison Pikachu or Jigglypuff off into the distance, and the music is great. A variety of classic Nintendo themes are remixed to perfection (or not - some are presented in their original format), and while some are more memorable than others, the aural experience is generally excellent, despite being mostly based on old themes.
Closing Comments:
Like the original, this is a game truly meant to be enjoyed with a group of friends - possibly a very big group of friends, given the new Tournament Mode - but unlike the original, there's plenty on offer for the lone player as well, and the entire game drips with polish. From the tightened battle mechanics to the insane number of modes of play, all of which have their appeal, and the vast unlockables, this is one of those game which you'll play - and still be savoring a year later. Trust me, you're almost guaranteed to enjoy this game thoroughly, unless you REALLY don't like Nintendo. And if that's the case, well, shame on you. Go and sit in the corner.
Summary:
Presentation
All of your favourite Nintendo characters featured together in one very, very big game. There's enough on offer to just about blow your brain clean open, whether you're a Nintendo buff or not.
Graphics
Good, but not utterly amazing, though the environments are mostly pretty and the character models are hugely improved. The emphasis has clearly been put on speed.
Sound
Great work. A soundtrack that will suit Nintendo buffs the most, and some hilarious sound effects.
Gameplay
Improved over the original, with a huge amount to see and do, tightened controls, and more on offer for the lone player. Some modes will hold your attention longer than others.
Lasting Appeal
Stock, Coin Mode, Bonus Mode, Slo-mo, Invisible Melee, Snapshots, Training, Target, Adventure, Classic, All-Star, Event Mode, Home Run, Trophies, 25 characters and tons of arenas... need I go on?
My Overall Score: 9.3/10 (Not an average)
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