Super Smash Bros. Melee
Cover of Super Smash Bros. Melee.
Developer(s)	HAL Laboratory
Publisher(s)	Nintendo
Designer(s)	Masahiro Sakurai
Platform(s)	Nintendo GameCube
Release	November 21, 2001 December 3, 2001 May 24, 2002
Genre(s)	Fighting game
Mode(s)	Single player, multiplayer

Super Smash Bros. Melee (Japanese: 大乱闘スマッシュブラザーズDX, Dairantō 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, while improving overall quality and adding new features. A very popular title, it is considered the definitive killer game for the GameCube and is the GameCube's highest-selling game.

Story

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. However, some hints are given as to a storyline. From these hints, some fans have concieved a story in which the Master Hand, a mysterious being with supernatural powers, uses its powers to bring several statues which resemble some of Nintendo's star characters to life, and then has them do battle with each other and, eventually, with itself, as a means of amusement. However, this is just one idea of many however and has not been officially confirmed as the game's true story, something which likely will never happen.

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; 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) from off-stage and resume normal combat.

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 Pokémon-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.

Versus mode remains by far the most popular part of the game, and has created a devoted fanbase. 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.

Stages

Available at the start

• Corneria: On top of the Great Fox where another battle occurs between the Star Fox and Star Wolf teams.
• Jungle Japes: Outside Cranky Kong's lab above a fast-flowing river.
• Icicle Mountain: A 3D version of the Ice Climber world.
• Fountain of Dreams: The legendary Fountain of Dreams.
• Green Greens: In front of Whispy Woods, who can blow players away with a powerful gust of wind and drop apples on them.
• Kongo Jungle: A small wooden island above a raging waterfall.
• Mushroom Kingdom: A stage based on the original Super Mario Bros.
• Mute City: The race course of Mute City.
• Onett: Ness's home town, with dangerous traffic.
• Pokémon Stadium: A terrain-switching stadium.
• Venom: The Great Fox as it flies through the planet Venom.
• Princess Peach's Castle: The rooftop of Peach's castle, site of Super Mario 64.
• Rainbow Cruise: Fighters begin on a flying boat, before continuing the fight on various platforms.
• Hyrule Temple: Derived from the Legend of Zelda II for the NES.
• Great Bay: The Great Bay surrounded by several familiar faces from Majora's Mask including Tingle, Four Giants, a menacing Moon, and the Giant Island Turtle.
• Yoshi's Island: The island itself, with a deadly drop in the middle of the field.
• Yoshi's Story: A mid-sized island with Shy Guys flying overhead carrying food.
• Brinstar: The underground depths of Brinstar. The magma-acid rises occasionally, hurting the characters it touches. An object believed to be Mother Brain can be seen in the background.

Unlockable stages

• Battlefield: The stage where players battle the Fighting Wire Frames and the Metal Mario Bros.
• Kongo Jungle N64: Classic Kongo Jungle stage from the N64 version.
• Fourside: A 3D version of the EarthBound city Fourside.
• Final Destination: The stage where players fight Master Hand.
• Big Blue: Battle atop F-Zero racers.
• Flat Zone: Fight inside a Game & Watch handheld.
• Dream Land N64: Classic Dream Land stage from the N64 version.
• Poké Floats: Battle atop floating Pokémon baloons.
• Mushroom Kingdom II: A 3D version of Subcon.
• Classic Yoshi's Island: Classic Yoshi's Island stage from the N64 version.
• Brinstar Depths: A rotating level with Kraid in the background.

It is of note that the name Mushroom Kingdom II is something of a misnomer. That stage is derived from Super Mario Bros. 2, the events of which took place in Subcon and not in the Mushroom Kingdom.

Non-Playable stages

These stages are only found in certain circumstances, and cannot be played in Vs. mode unless Debug mode is used (Note: Goomba, Entei, and Majora's Mask cannot be played even with debug mode, though they can be via other hacks).

None of these names are official.

• Mushroom Kingdom Adventure (This is played as the first level of Adventure Mode.)
• Underground Maze (This is played as the third level of Adventure Mode.)
• Escape Shaft (This is played as the eighth level of Adventure Mode.)
• Race to the Finish (This is played as the ninth level of Classic Mode.)
• Target Test (This is played as the third level of Classic Mode and varies from character to character.)
• Goomba (This is played in Event Match #14 "Trophy Tussle".)
• Entei (This is played in Event Match #26 "Trophy Tussle 2".)
• Majora's Mask (This is played in Event Match #47 "Trophy Tussle 3".)
• Trophy Collector (This is played as the sixth level of Classic Mode)
• All-Star Teleporter (This is played between every stage of All-Star)
• F-Zero Raceway (This is played as either the fifteenth or fourteenth level of Adventure Mode, depending on whether or not the player fought Giant Kirby. This is also played in Event Match #33 "Lethal Marathon".)
• Homerun Stadium (This is played in the Homerun Contest.)
• Test Stage (Apparently a stage designed for testing the Super Smash Brothers: Melee beta. Some say it may be the beginnings of a dumped Fire Embelem stage, and that may be true)

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Items

Items typically appear randomly around the arena, where they may be picked up and used by anyone. The items are derived from a number of Nintendo games and peripheral accessories.

In some stages special items are provided like apples in Green Greens, and Birdo's (flat 2D) eggs in Mushroom Kingdom II.

There are also bombs, thrown by Link and Young Link, and turnips, which can be caught when Peach throws them.

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 (26 if Zelda and Sheik are counted as two different players).

Playable

Initially available

• Bowser – from the Mario series
• Captain Falcon – from the F-Zero series²
• Donkey Kong – from the Donkey Kong and Donkey Kong Country series¹
• Fox McCloud – from the Star Fox series¹
• Ice Climbers – from Ice Climber
• Kirby – from the Kirby series¹
• Link – from the Legend of Zelda series¹
• Mario – from the Mario series¹
• Ness – from the Mother/EarthBound series²
• Pikachu – from the Pokémon series¹
• Princess Peach/Princess Daisy – from the Mario series
• Samus Aran – from the Metroid series¹
• Yoshi – from the Mario series¹
• Princess Zelda/Sheik – from the Legend of Zelda series

¹ These characters appeared as starter characters in the original Super Smash Bros. ² Captain Falcon and Ness were available as unlockable characters in the original Super Smash Bros.

Unlockable

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• Dr. Mario – from the Dr. Mario series
• Falco Lombardi – from the Star Fox series
• Ganondorf – from the Legend of Zelda series
• Jigglypuff (Purin) – from the Pokémon series³
• Luigi – from the Mario series³
• Marth – from the Fire Emblem series
• Mewtwo – from the Pokémon series
• Mr. Game & Watch – from the Game & Watch games
• Pichu – from the Pokémon series
• Roy – from the Fire Emblem series
• Young Link – from the Legend of Zelda series

³ These characters, Luigi and Jigglypuff, also appeared as unlockable characters in the original Super Smash Bros. Template:Endspoiler

Non-playable

There are many non-playable characters in Super Smash Bros. Melee, though through usage of a Debug menu or Action Replay, these characters may become playable:

• Master Hand
• Crazy Hand
• Giga Bowser
• Fighting Wire Frames
• Sandbag
• Dark Link (fightable in an event battle)

Note: Another character found in Debug Mode is Single Ice Climber, who can normally be played by killing the secondary, CPU-controlled Climber, but cannot start battles alone.

Enemies

Note: These are non-playable also, but very easy to KO. They are mostly found in Adventure Mode.

• Goomba¹ (Mushroom Kingdom Adventure)
• Koopa¹ (Mushroom Kingdom Adventure)
• Paratroopa (Mushroom Kingdom Adventure)
• Red Paratroopa (Mushroom Kingdom Adventure)
• Red Koopa (Mushroom Kingdom Adventure. You must damage a Red Paratroopa for this enemy to appear)
• Octorok¹ (Underground Maze)
• Like Like¹ (Underground Maze)
• ReDead¹ (Underground Maze)
• Shy Guy (Yoshi's Story)
• Polar Bear (Icicle Mountain Adventure)
• Topi¹ (Icicle Mountain Adventure)

¹ These enemies have a little chance to be found in crates or barrels.

Trophies

As another way to incorporate retro references into the game, "trophies" of various Nintendo characters and objects can be collected. These trophies include statuettes of various characters, accessories and items associated with them, and secondary characters not otherwise included in the game. The trophies range from the well-known to the obscure, and include many references that are lost on international (not Japanese) gamers. Super Smash Bros. had a similar system, but they were plush dolls and not trophies.

There are 290 trophies in non-Japanese versions of Super Smash Bros. Melee. The Japanese version has three more.

• One trophy, the character Tamagon from Devil World that was released only in Japan, was removed likely because of the religious reference.
• Two trophies were awarded at a promotional event in Japan (Mario riding Yoshi, and Samus Aran without her helmet) that are not available in other versions.

All three of the missing trophies can be unlocked with use of the Action Replay cheating device (except in the PAL version, in which Tamagon cannot be obtained at all).

The Motion-Sensor Bomb trophy originally bore a resemblance to the proximity mine in the game Perfect Dark. In the North American version, however, it was changed to resemble a proximity mine from GoldenEye 007 for unknown reasons. Its name was also changed to "TOP SECRET", a reference to the Cloaking Device. Some have speculated that the change was because Perfect Dark was given an M rating or the fact that Perfect Dark's parent company, Rareware was sold to Microsoft soon after the release of the GameCube and Xbox. It is interesting to note that the ending credits clearly states that "Certain characters and items from Perfect Dark [...]" implies the original source of the trophy. There is no way to obtain the original Motion-Sensor Bomb trophy outside of Japan; setting the U.S. version's language to Japanese will not work.

Trophy errata

• Samus Aran (trophy number 10) appeared in Metroid for NES when it first came out in North America in 1987, but Super Smash Bros. Melee erroneously lists 1989 in the description and other trophies where the character or thing first appeared in Metroid.
• Meta Knight (trophy number 240) first appeared in Kirby's Adventure, not Kirby Super Star. However, he was not mentioned by name in Kirby's Adventure, which may have caused this oversight.
• Ayumi Tachibana (trophy number 286) was the protagonist of the original Detective Club game, even though the trophy description states that she originated in the sequel.
• The "Coin" trophy description speculates that they may be the currency of the Mushroom Kingdom; however, this was confirmed in Super Mario RPG and again in Paper Mario.
• The Master Sword is listed as first appearing in The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time, although it was first seen in The Legend of Zelda: A Link to the Past. This was corrected in SSBM's PAL version. Incidentally, Ocarina of Time is the first game in the Zelda chronology to introduce the Master Sword.
• Princess Daisy's reintroduction was in Mario Tennis, not in Mario Golf as her trophy claims. In Mario Golf, she was neither a playable character (available or unlockable) nor a cameo appearance.
• Birdo was not "long missing from the Nintendo scene" since her Super Mario Bros. 2 debut; she had also appeared in Wario's Woods and Super Mario RPG: Legend of the Seven Stars. In Japan, she first appeared in Doki Doki Panic, but Super Smash Bros. Melee erroneously lists Super Mario USA in the description of her first appearance in the Japanese references.
• The Great Fox first appeared in Star Fox 64, not in the original Star Fox.
• The Mario & Yoshi trophy that can be gotten by the Action Replay codes, Super Mario World first came out in North America in August 1991, but Super Smash Bros. Melee erroneously lists September in the description of that trophy.
• It lists both Link AND Young Link as being in the original Legend of Zelda, though those Link incarnations were BOTH released in Ocarina of Time. One of them could have been credited for LoZ, though, Young Link. And the other Link have been listed as Zelda II.

Other details

• Many people say that the poison mushroom trophy has a mistake due to the fact it claims it first appeared in Super Mario All-Stars and not in the Japanese-only game Super Mario Bros. 2 (not to be confused with the American release). This is not a mistake, as all the dates and names given for trophies' games are for American releases (aside from those which specifically say Japan Only).
• Ness first appeared in EarthBound (Mother 2 in Japan) for SNES in North America in 1995. Some people claim that this is an error, claiming that he appeared in Mother for the Nintendo Famicom in Japan in 1989. Ness, however, never appeared in that game, since the main charcter in Mother is called Ninten who, despite being similar to Ness, is a totally different character. Plotwise, Mother and EarthBound are unrelated.
• Some people say the Birdo trophy description contains an error - it claims she most recently reappeared in Super Mario Advance instead of Mario Tennis - and that since Super Mario Advance is a remake of Super Mario Bros. 2, her appearance in that game was not legitimate. However, since HAL determines the criteria for what constitutes an appearance (in the trophy descriptions), and there is no pattern of other characters' appearances not including remakes, one cannot assume that the trophy contains an error.

Hoaxes

There have been a number of hoaxes that were created and have since 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.

Once players started fulfilling the supposed requirements, 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. Several other factors also indicated the false nature of the rumor, such as Nintendo's lack of collaboration with Sega during the game's production, a screen that tells the player that he or she has unlocked all the characters (without having unlocked Sonic and Tails), and the lack of any acknowledgement of the two characters in any strategy guide.

Nintendo Power recently released the results of a poll for the character subscribers most wanted in the next Super Smash Bros. It is interesting to note that two of the most popular choices were Sonic and Tails. They were followed closely by Tekken's Jin Kazama, Crash Bandicoot, Spyro the Dragon, Street Fighter hero Ryu, Cloud Strife from Final Fantasy VII, and Mortal Kombat's hero Liu Kang and the four armed enforcer, Goro, Nightmare, Pac-Man, and Viewtiful Joe.

None of these characters are licensed by Nintendo. All of the in-game characters are, making it unlikely (but not impossible) that they will be included.

Toad

Toad is a small servant or advisor of Princess Peach found throughout the Super Mario Bros. series. Toad appears briefly in Super Smash Bros. Melee as one of Princess Peach's special attacks and in the Mushroom Kingdom stage in Adventure Mode. The Toad Hoax described a method to "unlock" Toad - complete Adventure mode and shoot all the ending credits. However, this has been disproved: Toad cannot be reached using this method, the Debug menu 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, and Balloon Fighter).

Dragon Temple

Unlike the other two hoaxes, this was about a Stage, not a character. The Dragon Temple was supposedly a Fire Embelem-themed stage. It was found to be a hoax. However, if one were to activate debug mode, they would be able to play a stage that could not be played under any other circumstances, and it is believed that it is either a testing stage or the beginnings of a dumped Dragon Temple (Or other Fire Embelem-themed stage).

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 Brothers 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 - 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 universally 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. MELEE-FC had another incarnation in July 2005, and is the largest independent 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 their top 10 players and competed. Even with Ken (winner of FC's singles tournament) on the West Coast team, the East Coast won by an overwhelming margin, defeating every opponent.

MLG continues to run corporately sponsored Smash tournaments, with a good chance that ESPN will be carrying their events this coming season. The independent scene also thrives, with many small tournaments appearing consistently and the next tournament in the MELEE-FC series already planned. In October 2005, the Smash Power Rankings, a widely accepted ranking list of top U.S. Smash players, was started. This listing is voted upon by nine respected Smash players from a variety of different regions. For all of its simple appearances, there is no end in sight to competitive tournament play for this fighting game.

Top Players

The legendary names of smash will always be Ken, Isai, and Azen, who for the longest time dominated (2002-2004) as the top 3 players in America. Today, Ken still remains as the undefeated King of Smash, however new names have caught up with Isai and Azen such as Chu Dat, Neo, P.C. Chris, and Chillindude.

Future

At E3 2005, the President of Nintendo, Satoru Iwata, announced a third game in the Super Smash Bros. series that is currently in development for the Nintendo Revolution. The game was confirmed to be playable online by taking advantage of the system's Wi-Fi capabilities. This title could be seen as early as the second half of 2006 as a launch title for the Revolution, but the release date is currently unannounced.

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.

See also

• Super Smash Bros. (Nintendo 64, original)
• Super Smash Bros. Revolution (Nintendo Revolution, forthcoming sequel to Super Smash Bros. Melee)
• List of stages in Super Smash Bros. Melee

External links

• Template:Nintendo.com
• Super Smash Bros. Melee at MobyGames
• Super Smash Bros. Melee at IMDb (The IMDb uses the Japanese titles for video games of Japanese origin.)
• Super Smash Bros. Melee guide: Nintendorks.com
• Super Smash Bros. Melee - GameFAQs.com
• Smash World Forums
• Description of the Debug Menu
• Super Smash Bros. Melee website
• Super Smash Bros. Melee at The Mushroom Kingdom
• Super Smash Bros. Melee at DetStar.com