GameCube

Super Smash Bros.: Melee

Overall it's an exotic cocktail of entertainment for Nintendo fans, who will slurp up every last drop, and if you want to talk about longevity, I've had this game on import for about six months and I still haven't finished it. People talk about killer apps and games that sell systems, and if you can put aside any preconceptions of this as a kiddie title or a game for beat 'em up virgins only, then you will have one of the finest videogames ever to issue forth from the caring hands of a developer. One to be remembered, and definitely one to own.

Super Smash Bros. Melee is definately the best GameCube game, as well as possibly the best multiplayer game of all time (until the next one, at least). This sequel delivers where the first was weak and is a must for any GameCube owner. Grab a couple controllers, a couple of friends and get ready for hours of fun with this winner.

Released in the United States in 1999, Super Smash Bros. went on to sell over five million copies worldwide. It should be no surprise that Nintendo has zealously readied its sequel Super Smash Bros. Melee for release just shortly after GameCube launch. Originally thought to be a minor upgrade to the original, SSB Melee returns chock full of so many options and features it will make you dizzy. It is easily in an entirely different league than the N64 version and is equally one of the most impressive GameCube titles to date. Unlike the launch titles before it, SSB Melee is polished and nearly perfect for what it is.

SSBM is one of the best games I've seen in a while. The fact that it is for Gamecube only makes it better. the graphics, the sound, and the overall gameplay combine to make it the best it can possibly be.

Super Smash Bros. Melee also sports music and sound effects of the highest calibre, with many tunes being orchestrated versions of old classics. Every track has a unique quality and is either impressive on its own or brings back fond memories of days past, or both. I can assure you that there are not many who will be disappointed with the musical score. Sound effects won’t dissatisfy many either, constantly being executed with perfect timing and always appropriate.

Anyway, the multiplayer mode is very fun if you have human opponents, but with computer opponents, it gets old real fast. The one player modes will last you only as long as it takes you to beat all of them, or, most likely, until you've unlocked everything you can unlock from them. Beyond characters, more arenas can be unlocked and there are also two hundred ninety trophies to get, mostly by luck and patience, although some have to be earned. In conclusion, this is a very fun game, but it is not really worth getting for the single player options. Get this game only if you have a lot of friends to play it with.

This is one game that won't collect dust. However if you buy this game for someone you love, don't expect to see them for a while and before you give it to them, put some ice cubes in the fridge for those sore thumbs.

SSBM combines a deep multiplayer experience with a fulfilling single player romp. The game has an enormous amount of charm, and it mixes old school with new school almost seamlessly. Older gamers such as myself will be taken back to the NES days of gaming, while young whippersnappers will find themselves sucked into the excellent mechanics of the game. Either way, you're sure to enjoy SSBM.

All in all Super Smash Bros. Melee is the game to have for you GameCube owners. The game lacks in nothing but the fact that there’s 100 other Nintendo charcters that would be great in the game. Some hardcore fighting fans will over look this as a great fighter but this is no regular fighter. It’s in a genre of it’s own. If you have a GameCube you should have this game.

As with the recent GameCube "update" of Wave Race, you'll immediately notice that Super Smash Bros. Melee's core elements--including characters, moves, levels, rules, and the strictly 2D controls--have been ripped directly from the N64 version and run through the graphical-improvement wringer. Melee, however, goes the extra mile that Blue Storm didn't by including an entire game's worth of new stuff along with all the GameCube-enhanced old. That means there's tons more characters (14 to start with, and nearly a dozen hiding in the shadows), more levels, more secrets, more variety of things to do in single-player mode, more bizarre customization options, and just more absurdist multiplayer cross-genre carnage in general.

There is no doubt that Super Smash Bros. Melee is one the top games on the GameCube and will be a huge hit this Christmas. But does it really do that much more than the original N64 title? In terms of design, control and gameplay, it doesn't. Instead, Super Smash Bros. Melee adds, adds and adds some more fun to the already superb original game. The extra attention to detail, characters, sights and sounds are a Nintendo enthusiasts' wet dream.

Super Smash Bros. Melee has clearly been designed to appeal, foremost, to Nintendo's die-hard fans. Those who are familiar with the company's long and illustrious history will no doubt enjoy the game much more than the casual passerby. Judged on its own merits, though, Nintendo's spastic tribute to itself stands quite strong as one of the most engaging multiplayer games available for any console platform. Nintendo's last console was especially strong in the multiplayer department, and, if games like Melee are any indication, the GameCube seems like it will be too. Super Smash Bros. Melee is simply a huge game that, while best enjoyed in the company of others, will also keep the lone, die-hard fan busy for a good, long while.

Für Nintendo-Fans führt kaum ein Weg an Super Smash Bros. Melee vorbei. Die Motivation wird dank der leichten Steuerung, der abwechslungsreichen Spielmodi, der scheinbar zahllosen Extras und der zu findenden Trophäen auf einem beständig hohen Niveau gehalten. Und den Rest erledigen die 25 Nintendo-Charaktere und der Multiplayer-Modus, der im Vergleich zum Vorgänger in den Hintergrund gerückt ist und der dem Einzelspielererlebnis auch definitiv den Vortritt lassen muss, ohne jedoch an Reiz zu verlieren. Da auch Grafik und Sound in jeder Hinsicht überdurchschnittlich sind, sollte sich jeder, der ein unkompliziertes, aber dennoch permanent motivierendes Spielerlebnis sucht, die Prügeleskapaden einmal anschauen.

Die Entwickler haben einen ausgezeichneten Job gemacht und mit Super Smash Bros. Melee einen würdigen Nachfolger des erfolgreichen N64-Spiels geschaffen. Grafik und Sound sind über jeden Zweifel erhaben und die zahlreichen Geheimnisse sowie der ausgezeichnete Multiplayer-Modus halten monatelang bei Laune. Allerdings bezweifle ich, dass Tekken- und Virtua-Fighter-Fans mit Super Smash Bros. Melee ihre Freude haben werden.

Although the heart of the game has changed very little, Super Smash Bros. Melee offers enough new modes and characters to be considered a worthy sequel. Fans of the original simply must own it, and I'd recommend newbie Gamecube owners to give it a shot. Even if you hate Pikachu with a passion, take solace in knowing you get to kick his ass a little.

Singleplayer has an Adventure mode that returns to the sidescrolling platform genre. Here, various tasks are set that require stomping the enemy into submission as well as solving puzzles. Singleplayer Classic mode has bonus levels based around beating the clock rather than an angry opponent. Be warned, not all fights are fair - you're more than likely to find yourself suffering an onslaught with an army of opponents attacking your one fighter. Each battle is bound to be a little different, with loads of game modes and the ability to customise the rules. If you want to get really confused, up to 64 entrants can battle at the same time in Tournament mode.

There is very little not to like about this game. It feature characters that are almost as recognizable as Mickey Mouse, and getting players together for some multi-player battles is a priceless experience. The games atmosphere is impeccable and the name Nintendo has never been better represented. The gameplay could be a bit tighter with some more strategy involved, and that seems to be saved for next sequel. Gamers who weren't big fans of the first game may not like the gameplay, though the challenge of collecting all of the trophies and completing challenges that lie before them may just be enough to lure them in.

Overall, Melee is every bit as good as its Nintendo 64 predecessor. The game doesn't expand much past that point, though. In short, if you've played the original Smash Bros., you have a more than adequate idea of what to expect from the GameCube incarnation. Yet, with so many classic Nintendo characters in one place, there's always room for one more round. Consider Melee to be the teddy bear, after it's been cleaned and had the eye sewn back on. It still isn't the coolest toy in the closet, but it does represent something special to gamers willing to admit it.