Super Smash Bros. Melee

Super Smash Bros. Melee (Japanese: å¤§ä¹±é—˜ã‚¹ãƒžãƒƒã‚·ãƒ¥ãƒ–ãƒ©ã‚¶ãƒ¼ã‚ºDX, DairantÅ Smash Brothers Deluxe) is a colorful fighting game released for the Nintendo GameCube shortly after its launch in 2001. It is the sequel to the 1999 Nintendo 64 fighting game Super Smash Bros. and builds on that game's broad appeal and involved multiplayer mode, adding new features. A very popular title, it is considered the definitive killer game for the GameCube and is the GameCube's best-selling title. It is usually referred to by its acronym, SSBM, or, more informally, Smash or Melee.

As was the case in the original Super Smash Bros., Super Smash Bros. Melee does not have a true story behind it and merely features a scenario in which many of the most famous characters from the different universes of Nintendo converge in one dimension to do battle with each other for unexplained reasons. As was the case in the original, the game's story is never made clear.

Gameplay
Super Smash Bros. Melee, like its predecessor, is different from most traditional fighting games in that simply inflicting damage does not guarantee victory. In normal play, a player must force the opponent off the stage's boundaries, termed as a "KO"; this can be likened to a ring out in standard fighting games. Attacks both inflict damage and knock back the enemy; inflicted damage increases that distance, so sufficient damage must be accumulated before one attempts to KO an opponent. If the opponent is insufficiently damaged, he or she can "recover" (through mid-air jumps or certain attacks) from off-stage and resume normal combat. During the game, items fall in the game field, like Super Mushrooms (the character grows), PokÃ© Balls (release PokÃ©mon), Koopa shells (to be kicked at foes) and Heart Containers (replenish 100% damage).

The controls for Melee are simple: almost every single move in the game can be accessed via one button press and a joystick direction. This control scheme contrasts to that of standard fighting games which often require the player to memorize complicated and sometimes lengthy sequences of button inputs to perform effective attack combos. Different attacks can be accessed depending on which button is pressed or whether the control stick is tilted or tapped. Each character has unique special moves, such as Link's arrows or Mario's fireballs.

Single player mode provides the player with a variety of fighting and side-scrolling challenges. One can also practice in Training mode, or use the Stadium to play various minigames: Target Test, Home Run Contest, and Multi Man Melee. The Event Match mode allows the player to attempt to negotiate various scripted challenges (fighting a PokÃ©mon-themed match, for instance, or defeating an enemy in less than seven seconds).

Versus
In versus mode, up to four characters may fight, either in a free-for-all or on teams. All characters may be controlled either by humans or AIs of varying difficulty. The victor may be determined in any of four ways, the most popular of which are "stock" mode, in which the last player (or team) still alive is declared the winner, and "time" mode, in which the winner is the player with the most KOs and fewest falls at the end of a certain time limit. A variety of other options are available, such as determining the number and kind of items that appear during the battle.

As with other fighting games, the game's versus mode is used for competitive gaming. There have been many tournaments throughout the years, most following the format of four or five-stock, eight to ten-minute time limit, no items battle on one of a limited selection of fair stages. Major League Gaming added Super Smash Bros. Melee to its roster of tournament games in 2004.

Trophies
Trophies of various Nintendo characters and objects can be collected in the game. These trophies include statuettes of various 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. Super Smash Bros. had a similar system of plush dolls.

There are 293 trophies in NTSC versions of Super Smash Bros. Melee. The three additional trophies are the character Tamagon from Devil World released only in Japan, and two trophies that were awarded at a promotional event in Japan: Samus without her helmet, and Mario riding Yoshi. Tamagon was removed from the PAL version. Contrary to popular belief, it is in the American version.

Characters
All eight original and four secret characters from Super Smash Bros. return along with four new characters available from the start of the game. Two of the secret characters from the original game are now automatically available from the start in Melee. Nine new secret characters have been added in addition to the two remaining secret characters for a total of 25 playable characters.

In addition, there are also 3 non-playable boss characters: Master Hand, Crazy Hand and Giga Bowser, a heavily enlarged version of Bowser. Also, there are male and female wire frame fighters that cannot be selected.

Hoaxes
Due to the popularity of this game, a number of hoaxes have appeared and have become extremely popular.

Sonic and Tails
In 2002, the April edition of the video game magazine Electronic Gaming Monthly listed a "cheat" for the game that would baffle many players. The issue claimed that the Sega characters Sonic the Hedgehog and Miles "Tails" Prower were hidden characters in the game. In order to be able to unlock them, the player was required to eliminate 20 of the wire-frame characters in the Cruel Melee mode. Then, both Sonic and Tails would supposedly fight the player simultaneously. If defeated, they would then become playable. EGM also stated that if a player completed Classic mode with either character, they would be given "a special surprise". To convince readers, EGM included some "screenshots" of Sonic and Tails in play. However, the rumor was revealed to be an April Fool's joke, reminiscent of EGM ' s similarly executed Sheng Long joke for Street Fighter II. Many have cleared this challenge but found Sonic and Tails were not unlocked. Starting in 2002, EGM April Fool's Jokes have been appearing annually.

Toad
Toad is a retainer of Princess Peach found throughout the Super Mario Bros. series. Toad appears briefly in Super Smash Bros. Melee as one of Princess Peach's attacks and in the Mushroom Kingdom stage in Adventure Mode. The Toad Hoax described a method to "unlock" Toad &mdash; complete Adventure mode and shoot all the ending credits. However, this has been disproven: Toad cannot be reached using this method, the Debug menu (accessible with Action Replay) finds no evidence of Toad being a playable character, and the supposed screenshots of Toad in action were edited. It is also noted that there is a Toad trophy that is obtained via normal means, unlike any of the actual playable characters (this was commonly used as a method to disprove many other, lesser known hoax characters, such as Wario, Waluigi, Koopa, Paper Mario, Diddy Kong and Balloon Fighter).

Prior to the release of SSBM, Toad was also listed on many fansites 'confirmed lists' as they attempted to acquire knowledge of all playable characters. This error was due to early screenshots of Peach using the attack which draws out Toad.

Tournaments
The depth of this game has led to the development of a large, devoted tournament community. Smash World Forums, or Smashboards, slowly grew into the home for these competitive players. In 2002 and 2003, the first tournaments began appearing on Smashboards. Many of these tournaments were held in a member's basement, and open invitations were placed on the website. Early on, some people would drive 5-6 hours to get to a location where there might only be 10 players.

The scene began to transform with the arrival of the Tournament Go (TG) series of tournaments, hosted by a moderator with the handle of "MattDeezie". At the time, MattDeezie had been placing very high in California tournaments, and also placed in the Top 3 at the IGVF Seattle Smash national tournament. He invited anyone who would attend to come out to California, and he both rented out the building for the tournament out of his own pocket and allowed everyone who came to stay at his personal residence. The series quickly grew, and soon, one of the top 2 smashers in the Midwest, Eddie, traveled from Chicago to California for it, setting the precedent for the TG series as the unofficial national championships of Super Smash Bros. Melee.

The TG series had six incarnations, the last being in the summer of 2004. In addition to Midwest players such as Eddie, TG tournaments attracted players from the East Coast such as members of H2yl and DA. The TG series has contributed much to the development of the nationwide community. The community has grown from perhaps 100 traveling members to over 1500. The end of this tournament series was not the end of competitive Smash by far, though.

In the same summer as TG6, the Ship of Fools, a crew located in Mishawaka, Indiana, hosted MELEE-FC&mdash;Misunderstood Enthusiasts Living an Extraordinary Existence, For Cash. Though the name was humorous in nature, the tournament was promoted heavily due to the fact that TG5 was supposed to be the last of the series. Even the late announcement of TG6 did not prevent this tournament from being the largest to date. Its central location and hospitable environment attracted players from all over the country. Around the same time, Major League Gaming (MLG) added Smash to its tournament line-up, offering thousands of dollars in prize money.

The first and second MLG seasons have concluded successfully, with Ken Huong, the generally acknowledged best player in the world, winning both titles, over notable players such as Isai, Chu Dat, PC Chris, Azen, and even over Captain Jack from Japan. The second FC, hosted in July 2005, was the largest tournament to date, at 186 entrants for singles. It also was the site for the first Regional Crew Battle, when the East Coast, West Coast, South, and Midwest brought some of their top players and competed. Even with Ken (winner of FC's singles tournament) on the West Coast team, the East Coast managed to squeek by their rivals in the crew battles, beating the West Coast by a very close 2 stock and winning the first Regional Crew Battle. The second annual Regional Crew Battle is set to take place at MELEE-FC6. Although FC6 was intended to be the tournament of the summer, Ken Huong's "OC2" has been portrayed as much more promising and popular. The attendance of this tournament could devastate that of FC6, possibly forcing the kishes into bankruptcy.

MLG continues to run corporately sponsored Smash tournaments, with USA Network carrying their events this coming season. It was confirmed at MLG NY 2006, that SSBM will be aired. The independent scene also thrives, with many regions hosting monthly tournaments, and the next incarnation of MELEE-FC on the horizon.

Reaction
Super Smash Bros. Melee currently has an aggregate score of 89% at GameRankings. Many reviewers felt that the game was vastly improved over its predecessor with more customization and characters as well as more polished graphics and improved gameplay. Fran Mirabella of IGN in particular noted the additions of the Event and Adventure modes, which he said added hours and hours of single-player gameplay. However, Miguel Lopez of GameSpot described the controls as "hyper-responsive", but only noticably so when making precise movements

This game has been consistenly hailed as one of the best games of all time. Super Smash Bros. Melee placed sixth in two GameFAQs events: the "Best Game Ever" contest, and a poll about the 100 best games ever. In the 200th issue of Electronic Gaming Monthly, the editors published a list of the "Top 200 Games Of Their Time," which compared games based on their influence and popularity at release. Super Smash Bros. Melee was the 92nd most influential game of its time. Nintendo Power named it the 16th best game ever to appear on a Nintendo console (Nintendo Power #200), though a poll based on player opinions held by Nintendo Power had SSBM placing in fourth.

Future
At E3 2005, the President of Nintendo, Satoru Iwata, announced a third game in the Super Smash Bros. series which is currently in development for the Wii (formerly code-named Nintendo Revolution) as a launch title. The game is planned to be playable online by taking advantage of the system's Wi-Fi capabilities.

On November 16, 2005, Nintendo announced that Masahiro Sakurai, the director of previous Smash Bros outings, will once again be at the helm as director and game designer. The move came as somewhat of a surprise as Sakurai left HAL Laboratory to head his own independent company, Sora.

Soundtrack
Nintendo released a special musical album in 2004 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 was released for sale only in Japan. It is not music taken directly from the game like most video game soundtracks but, rather, a live, orchestrated performance of many of the songs from the game.