Smash Bros on N64 made itself famous as being the only good 4-player fighting game while still being different and bizarre with its original twist on the fighting genre. But now the trademark easy moves and "ring out is the only way to win" rules are back in Smash Bros. Melee. Can it be called a sequel or just another rehashed N64 game on Gamecube?
Let me kill any suspense from the start by saying this is NOT just a rehash of the N64 game with prettier graphics! Where do I start with the changes?
First of all,
each of the characters has an expanded set of moves that actually make it a deeper game. Plus now you can charge up your "smash attacks" by holding the A button. That also helps you land more of them because you can just let go of A at the proper time. Also, you can pinpoint where you throw your enemy after a grab (or you can choose to punch them a few times and let em go). And thankfully, those throws don't do as much damage as before.
There are so many new modes and options that I'm bound to miss a lot but I'll just say what comes to mind first. Let's see, there's Stamina mode (makes it a regular "fight until your energy is gone" fighting game), Adventure mode (a story mode with both side-scrolling retro levels and regular fights), and then you have the Melee modes, where you fight against a new Polygon fighting team made up of wire-frame models that try to gang up on you Shenmue-style.
Then you have all-new Break the Targets and Race to the Finish levels and (oh yes!) the Home Run Mode, where you practice that Smash Home Run attack on a sandbag dummy!
As far as the environments, they have everything covered. If you're into the Power Stone 2 style of "the background will kill you so you'll never have a chance to actually fight anybody" you will be happy. And if you're into the Marvel vs Capcom 2 style of "the graphics look nice but I'd rather focus on combat" you won't be mad either. Plus there are all variations of the two (with some of the original N64 levels unlockable as well).
As much as I love Melee, I can't lie and tell you that it's perfect, and I'm going to be really critical because this game is so good. First of all, Captain Falcon has been weakened and his bat attack is the most difficult and easiest to defend. You MUST charge it to the max to get a home run swing, and even then the purely vertical swing won't kill smaller characters many times and is rendered completely useless in the Home Run Contest. Booo!
Next, while I admire the game having 25 characters to play with after all is said and done, many of the hidden ones really aren't worth fighting for. For the most part, they're from Pokemon or from Japanese-only games so we know and care nothing about them. Wario sure would've been nice. But hidden guys like Ganondorf (Capt. Falcon with more power), Luigi (distinctly better than Mario this time!), and Mr. Game & Watch (makes little beeps and has primitive animation like those old Tiger-style Nintendo handhelds) are cool additions.
As far as graphics, they're really good but not perfect. I'm nitpicking here, but you may find a seam or two on the polygons. However I must comment on the "anti-flicker" option, in which Nintendo openly mocks the Playstation 2. With this option, you can select whether you want jagged polygon edges or not! But on the secret F-Zero Big Blue level (where you're jumping from different F-Zero vehicles during a full-speed race) with 4 large players you'll get some huge slowdown (like on the N64 game if you open too many Pokeballs at once).
If you've ever played a Nintendo-made game in your life, you'll find something nostalgic in Melee. Not only does it feature remixed and orchestrated versions of classic NES, Super NES, N64, and even Game Boy tunes, but the more you play, the more plaques you earn of various characters in Nintendo's history, creating a virtual museum/encyclopedia of everything Nintendo! With 300 to collect, beating the game once won't end your experience!
Whether you like fast action, fighting or side-scrolling games, if you've ever liked a Nintendo game, you NEED to get up now and buy a Gamecube to put Melee in. You might as well Krazy Glue the lid shut, because it's easily the best Gamecube game out and probably will be for quite a while!
