Super Smash Bros Melee Review (Gamecube) By Marink

9 / 10
11 Apr 2006 at 13:42

Review by: Marink

As soon as a company like Nintendo decide to pit a select few of their most loved Nintendo characters against each other, you know the outcome will be something great! Who would honestly want to let the opportunity to beat up on the pathetic Pikachu as the merciless(and unbeatable) Mario in his own level pass? Following the success of the superb Super Smash Bros on the Nintendo 64, it came as no surprise that it’s Gamecube instalment, Super Smash Bros Melee, was just as fantastic! If you missed your chance the first time, then this is exactly why you should get it- those of you with the original game will already know why.

Obviously, the idea of the game is to beat the snot out of your Nintendo opponents. There is a large variety of well known, playable characters for you to choose from- ranging from the adorable Ness to the heroic Link. Each with their own unique attacks and moves, everyone will soon, undoubtedly, have a favourite character. Unfortunately, fans will surely miss the lovely character entrances of the previous game. Although, this is forgiven thanks the considerable amount of new levels for you to have your nice little brawls in. Every character has at least one stage of their own- taken from whatever game it is that they are from. Almost every level also has some form of interactivity to ensure that the player is entertained throughout. However, the levels would not be half as great without the game’s items…

The Nintendo made items really do a good job of helping to improve on the rather frantic feel that any Super Smash Bros game should have! Players beat each other up to get a single poke ball- race for the hammer. You will all jump around the place like mad to avoid the groups of Unknown that are called with a pokeball. Choose whether to be able to use every single item in the game, or just pick your favourites in the item selection screen. Alternatively, one could turn off all the items completely and have melee scraps.

Getting a few friends over is definitely a great experience for the game‘s Melee mode, but the single player mode is alright as well. Classic mode is basically a regular single match. The player fights both alone, and with a random computer generated character against a series of other characters with a random effect- such as being a giant character. Until the final bout with the quite familiar Master Hand.

Other than the Classic mode, players will now have the option of many new one player modes. Adventure mode does what it says on the tin. Here, you will automatically be dropped into a side scrolling adventure- requiring you to make it to the end goal in the set time period. As you approach the end, characters will appear in attempt to block your way. There are some areas that you will not be able to move past without KO’ing all the enemies that block your path. Then there’s the Event Match section where one must carry out the expected task. The character you use is set on some events and left to your preference on others. Certain event matches could earn you a new character to play as, or trophy to marvel at.

No Gamecube owner should be caught dead without this title in their collection. Without Super Smash Bros. Melee, anyone that has missed out on the predecessor would not know what a brilliant multiplayer fighter is! Now that it is cheap, there is NO good reason for anybody(especially a Nintendo fan) not to be this multiplayer classic!

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