Super Smash Bros. Melee (2001) Review

As an avid Gamecube owner, Super Smash Bros. Melee was THE game that made me want to purchase the system. It was a true successor to the Nintendo 64 original, and today I'll be sharing my own summary and review.





Story

Well I can't really place anything together on this one, but from what I can gather from the introduction of the game, a bunch of trophies displaying Nintendo characters all come to life and beat the living stuffing out of each other in a fight to the death.


Game Modes

As you go through the menus, there are a slew of game modes that you can choose to play. Though I won't cover the multiplayer features, I can give out what you get in the single player experience.

Adventure - In this mode you go through different sidescrolling stages and do a bit of platforming. On the way you'll be fighting some familiar characters, as well as going through bonus rounds to collect trophies, while making it to the end to face Bowser.

Classic - Play through stages in the old fashion of the N64's Super Smash Bros. title and play through bonus stages such as "target test" and "race to the finish", and defeat Master Hand.

All Star - In this mode you fight every last Super Smash Bros. Melee character once you unlock everyone. You'll have to use healing items sparingly.

Event Matches - Here you go through different tasks to complete a match, each with a unique objective to complete. Sort of like a more creative take on the Weapon Master missions from Soul Calibur.

Target Test - Use your platforming skill to break ten targets while dealing with moving platforms.

Stadium Section - Two modes are available in this section as follows:

Home Run - As a chosen character, your goal is to knock a sandbag around and then use a powerful bat to knock it as far as it can reach from the damage incurred.

Multi-Man Melee - Fight and survive as you beat down a huge number of wireframed foes, or go for a true test as you see how many you can defeat in Cruel Melee.




Gameplay

As far as the engine for this game goes, the game is fast and frantic and definitely keeps the tension going when playing through the modes. You have the option to change your stock of lives and the difficulty to your liking for Adventure, Classic, and All Star. Fighting throughout the stages nets you items that may help, or cause trouble. You can find food and other recovery items to help you restore your energy, or use weapons such as a bo-bomb, a beam sword, or projectile weapons like the ray gun to aid you for an ongoing battle. Some items come in boxes as well.

And just like the original Super Smash Bros., your characters don't rely on health, but rather a percentage system, as which you need to keep it low, while attacking enemies to make their percentage high, as so they'll get knocked into the stratosphere. Each character has their own strengths and weaknesses in tiers, so choose yours wisely!

While going through the game, you'll unlock trophies by the conditions of finding them through Adventure Mode levels, or by purchasing them with coins, which you can get from going through single player modes.


Graphics

For this being an early Nintendo Gamecube title, the environments and characters look crisp and detailed, as well as the items. The food items are all 2D cutouts, but they aren't really that bad, right?

The stages that you fight on each have their own graphical substance, such as the Pok'emon Stadium changing to different forms, while others such as the Star Fox Lylat stage give off a great aerial atmosphere.


Sound

The high quality sound effects of punches and swords clashing together really adds a nice touch to the gameplay, as well as the grunts and sounds of the characters playing. There's even some sound effects used for the stages alone, and many that are appropriate for the gameplay.

The music has a great orchestrated score of familiar Nintendo tunes, as well as some catchy remixes.




Control

Taking effort into controlling the characters as well as their movesets shouldn't take much time at all to master for newbies, but once you get the hang of it the controls will be as smooth as butter.


Final Verdict

With a fresh new coat of paint and a handful of game modes, this game is impossible to put down. Although I didn't cover multiplayer, you may find that feature to be where the game really shines, as you can fight up to three friends. This is definitely worthy for a purchase for those with a Nintendo Gamecube or ones that plan on buying one. And hey, they're dirt cheap nowadays!

Well, I hope you guys enjoyed this review. See ya on the flipside!