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Super Smash Bros. Melee (SSBM) is at first glance often mistaken for the Super Smash Bros for N64, but once you peel back that upper layer, there really is a whole new world waiting underneath. Just wait and see...
There is an extremely high amount of info about this game to unravel, so I will try not to spoil it for you. If you remember the Super Smash Bros. for N64, if you got together 4 friends, there were hours and hours of gameplay and fun, but the single-player game wasn't all that fun at all. One of the first things the makers of SSBM changed was the fun factor of the single player mode. This time, it is divided up into Adventure Mode, and Classic Mode.
Classic mode is a more fleshed out version of the original single-player mode. You move from arena to arena fighting a semi-random set of characters until you reach the final boss. Interleaved between the fights are bonus stages such as Break the Targets, Race to the Finish, and the all-new challenge that has players attempting to knock falling trophies into a container in the center of the ring. Indeed it feels very classic and true to the N64 version.
Adventure mode is definitely a retro gamer's dream come true. Basically, this mode combines side-scrolling exploration with arena fights. Everything falls under a specific theme, so you'll pounce on Goomba's heads and perform lots of platform jumping to reach Princess Peach's Castle (taken from Super Mario 64), where you will have to duel with Mario and Princess Peach to advance forward. As you progress you'll explore a dungeon from Zelda, race out of the self-destructing Planet Zebes, and fight over the Green Greens of Kirby's Dreamland. It still has plenty of arena based fighting, but the exploration and platforming aspects are a refreshing departure from the more limited Classic mode.
Event Match: Over 50 goal-based matches. You begin with only 10 available matches and unlock up to 30 as you complete the goals. To unlock the total 51 matches you'll need to uncover the secret characters and levels first. So in this mode alone you can clock a lot of hours. Goals range from fighting the bomb-happy Samus and Link where explosive Bob-ombs and Pokeballs rain from the sky to dueling on top of a giant Goomba for the trophy.
The heart of Super Smash Bros. Melee is of course the multiplayer mode. Here you will have access to 25 Nintendo characters. From the get-go 14 characters will be selectable, these include the following:
Mario
Bowser
Peach
Yoshi
Donkey Kong
Captain Falcon
Link
Zelda
Samus
Kirby
Ice Climbers
Ness
Fox
Pikachu
Like in Super Smash Bros. on the N64 you can create a custom set of rules for multiplayer matches. You can play Time and Stock (lives) based matches, but there are now all-new Coin and Bonus settings for a more unique type of play. Of course, the game wouldn't be complete without a set of completely off-the-wall Special Melee modes. You can duel with friends in slow motion, fight as giants, and even face off in a unique Stamina Mode which is based on hit points, making for a completely different type of match. There are a total of 10 melee types and they're all one-of-a-kind.
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. -- Anonym. Contributor, PGNx Media
---- May 14, 2002
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