Super Smash Bros. Melee

A review by Adam Barron

Buy this game! I don't even need to review this game since it has a huge fan following and won a number of NP Awards in the past. However for those of you who haven't played the game I'll give you a nice review and some background info on the game. Super Smash Bros. Melee is the most addicting fighting game I have ever played, and even 10 times better than the original. It has 29 levels, all with classic tracks from their respective games, 25 classic characters, great graphics, and insanely addicting multiplayer. It also has great replay value, variable difficulty levels, and tons of things to unlock.

SSB:M has some of the best gameplay I have ever seen in a fighting game. It has a great fighting system that's easy to learn, and fun to use. Each character has his/her own attacks, special moves, grabs, etc. There's so many strategies you can use it's not funny. It's multiplayer is also very addicting. My friends and I used to have tons of tournaments on end, and play till our thumbs were numb. (95% of which I won btw.) There are also a lot of outrageous multiplayer modes too such as Giant Melee, Invisible Melee, and Super Sudden Death (which is a personal favorite). There are also three different one player modes that you can jump into. Adventure Mode combines side scrolling levels, with some special melees, such as Giant DK, or two mini DKs. Classic Mode is the same one player mode that was in the original Super Smash Bros. You fight one battle per stage with a bonus round after every three levels. For the hardcore players there's All-Star Mode which is unlocked after unlocking all 25 characters.

The graphics in SSB:M are great, although they aren't perfect. The players are very smooth with great animations, and cool effects on the special moves, although it does get very repetitive. There are also a few flaws. For example in the Pokemon Stadium stage, the transitions from stage to stage are very sketchy. All in all however the graphics in this game are great.

This game also has one of the best soundtracks ever. It has plenty of your favorite Nintendo tunes such as Zelda's Saria's Song, a few F-Zero themes, DK themes and many more. It even has plenty of classic themes from the past from games such as Super Mario Bros. 1, 2, and 3, Balloon Fight, Mach Rider and more. The game also has great sound effects and voice acting. Whether it be Dr. Mario's Megavitamins, or Mr. Game and Watch's LED blips, the sounds in this game are great.

This is also a good game even if you just want to brush up on your Nintendo history as it has trophies and descriptions for almost 300 items from Nintendo's past and present. For example, did you know there was a Starman in a game besides the Mario series? There's also plenty of cool ones too collect including over 60 Pokemon, Earthbound trophies, Zelda trophies, and many other trophies from different series. There's also a bunch that tell you of games released only in Japan such as Sherrif, Mario and Wario, Doshin the Giant, and Super Famicom Detective Club.

Besides the nearly 300 trophies there are to collect, there are many, many levels, characters, and play modes to unlock. Mewtwo alone takes 20 hours in versus mode to unlock. That is one of the main reasons the game will keep you going for hours on end.

Another reason the game is so wild is because of the plethora of items availible at your disposal. Many of these are classic items for different series. Take Kirby for example. His Warp Star, Star Rod, and Maxim Tomato are all top notch items. There's also plenty that'll change the way you look and move. The Cloaking Device courtesy of Perfect Dark allows you to become invisible for a period of time. The Metal Box gives you super weight, but it is very hard to jump and recover from falls. There are also a number that at times will just plain annoy you such as the Fan, the Red Shell, and the Flipper. And you can't forget about Pokeballs, since sometimes they can change the whole match with a single hit.

The game also has 29 levels, most of them that are great. Every charcter has their own level, in some cases two or three. They are all very different and a lot of them give certain characters advantages. The levels range from inside the dark underground of Planet Zebes, to the peaks of the Ice Cimber's Infinite Mountain. Some of the levels make staying alive very difficult as they move around quite a bit. For example Poke Floats is a very difficult level because at times there is very little to stand on. They also make for good battles in some cases. As a matter of fact, the best fight I ever had against a human player was in that very level.

There are also 25 characters, all with pros and cons. There are plenty of Mario, Pokemon, and Zelda characters, but there's also many of your favorite characters such as Ness, DK, Ice Climbers, Marth, Roy and more. Each character has their own set of moves and different weight, jumping ability, speed, and power, which all makes for great variety in battles. Even the best of characters such as Marth for example, has his weaknesses. He has very poor throwing ability and is quite light and easy to knock away. Bowser on the other hand is a character who has a very extreme set of pros and cons. He is very slow and has little to no jumping ability. He is however the strongest character and the heaviest which makes him hard to knock around.

Alltogether, this is one awesome game. It's fun to play with friends, or alone for hours on end. It has great graphics, music and ultra fun gameplay. Combined with tons of things to unlock, it is one of my favorite games of all time. My suggestion would be if you don't already own this game go and buy it.

Graphics: 8.5/10
Sound: 9/10
Control: 8/10
Gameplay: 10/10
Adam's Rating: 9/10