Super Smash Bros. Melee

Summary

Genre: Fighting
Number of players: 1-4
Rumble Feature: Yes

Review

The original Smash Bros. game for the N64 was a unique and most enjoyable title, and went down very well with gamers, particularly its manic multiplayer mode. However, most players acknowledged that it wasn't perfect, with the single-player mode in particular being the most-criticised as being rather repetitive, even though it was unique in its own way from the crowd of fighters. Now that Nintendo's new console has been released, one of the first games for it is this new Smash Brothers title, with the extremely imaginitive name of Super Smash Bros. Melee. Does SSBM live up to the standard set by its predecessor, or not?


Gameplay: The first thing that strikes you about the gameplay is that it is very similar to the original. All 12 of the original characters are present in SSBM, and they each have exactly the same moves that they had in the original. Each character has a number of basic attacks which are executed with the A button, plus special attacks used with the B button. All of the moves are ones which the characters have performed in previous Nintendo games, such as Mario's fireballs and Kirby's copy ability. The only difference in terms of each character's arsenal of moves from SSB is that they now have four special abilities rather than three. A small change, it might seem, although actually a major one, since the distinction between characters is seen most clearly in their moves, and the special moves are the most different, so expanding these by a third does contribute to variety.

And it's variety that really is the trademark of this game. Adding to the 12 carried-over characters are a further 13 new ones, with such familiar faces as Bowser and Peach from the Mario series, Zelda and Ganondorf from the Zelda games, and Mewtwo and Pichu from Pokemon, together with more minor Nintendo characters such as Roy and Marth from Fire Emblem, and the Ice Climbers from Ice Climber. Six of the new characters are 'clone' characters of existing ones, which means that they share the same moves and special moves as their prototype, but even this fact doesn't prevent them being unique, since they are all very different to their originals - for instance, Ganondorf may be a 'clone' of Captain Falcon, but the two play very differently, since Falcon is by far the faster and higher-jumping character, while Ganondorf is immensely powerful. The clones also execute attacks and wield items in different ways from their copies. Suffice to say that there is huge variety between the 25 characters. This both allows players to find a character, or even several, who suits their playing style, as well as giving a huge number of combinations for multiplayer mode.

The one thing which really could have been improved with character design is balance between the characters. It's not a huge thing, and indeed most of the characters are balanced well, but there are one or two who should have been balanced better - the wretched Jigglypuff springs to mind, with her amazing number of useless moves, like the 'nap' move which is truly pathetic, the 'sing' move which leaves her open to attack if it misses and which doesn't really help her even if it hits, and the 'rollout' move which is more likely to send her flying off the edge than it is to hit opponents. Other than Jigglypuff and one or two others, though, the characters do all measure up well against each other, and it's nice to see the very different play styles which they each allow for - Bowser is slow and ponderous but with unequalled hitting power, Kirby has great recovery skills but is easy to knock away, Mewtwo has a host of strategic moves, while Jigglypuff has the challenge of not losing by too many points.

Basic gameplay is different from most fighters, in that you get points not for beating opponents into submission, but rather for knocking them off the side or bottom of the screen. The more damage they've sustained, the further they get knocked when hit, and, compared with the original SSB, you need to inflict quite a lot more damage than before in order to finish off an opponent, and this, when coupled with the fact that throws - the cheapest moves, at least in my opinion - have been toned down a little in power, makes destroying an opponent a lot tougher, making for a more combat-oriented game. However, players can simply increase the 'damage ratio' option if they prefer the harder-hitting style of SSB. One other change from the original is the excellent idea of 'charging' up each character's most powerful attacks: hold the A button and the attack will freeze and become stronger the longer you hold it, being unleashed when power reaches a maximum or when you let go of A. A nice idea, though the only minor gripe I have is that a fully charged attack really doesn't do much more damage than a non-charged one, perhaps 5 to 8% more. Even so, holding off an attack until the perfect time is very tactical.

The single-player version of the game is excellent. Instead of the one main game and two minigame modes of SSB, there are now three completely-different main modes - Classic, Adventure and All-Star, plus several very different supplementary modes, such as the multi-man melee, where you are pitted against a vast number of wireframe characters to destroy; the break-the-targets game, returning from the original, where you must tackle a stage designed especially for your character and destroy ten cleverly-placed targets within the time limit; the Home-Run contest where you have ten seconds to inflict the most damage to a sandbag without knocking it off a podium, and then hitting it with a home-run bat; and the excellent Event Match mode, where you are pitted against a series of challenges set in the various multiplayer arenas and must complete the objectives within a time limit or with a set number of lives - these objectives varying from defeating a gigantic Yoshi, to using specific items to kill opponents, to running a race against a team of F-Zero racers, and so on.

Classic mode is the most like the original, in that you tackle eight battles, broken up by three different bonus rounds, against the other characters, culminating in a battle against a familiar white glove named the Master Hand, although there is more variety this time in that there is no set order of opponents to fight. Adventure mode is very different, in that you must not only battle against enemies but also take on challenges such as journeying across Mario-themed levels with Goombas and Koopa Troopas, or search for the Triforce in an underground dungeon, or race against a tight time limit to escape from Planet Zebes before it explodes, or take on a gang of Kirbies, each with a special power, and so on. This mode is also great fun, although the fact that it is always in a set order does make it slightly repetitive. Finally, All-Star mode is a battle against all 25 characters in the game, who attack you in groups of one, two or three, with only one life and only three recovery items which you can choose to use after a bout.

Finally, the gameplay in general is terrific fun, and all-the-more-endearing because of the familiar characters and the huge variety mentioned above. An unusually-good single-player mode for a fighting game, without a doubt.


Challenge: In terms of challenge, the computer opponents in this game are much, much better than they were in SSB, with the medium-level difficulty setting in Melee being comparable with the highest-difficulty setting in the original. This is a definite plus and makes taking on the computer a much more rewarding and skilful challenge. The three main single-player modes change dramatically with a change in difficulty setting: this time, 'Very Easy' means only 'Quite Easy'; 'Normal' means 'Pretty Darn Hard', and 'Very Hard' means 'You Won't Beat This One Without Using Several Continues'.

In terms of longevity, leaving aside the multiplayer mode for now, there are a massive amount of things to do in one-player - firstly, unlocking all 13 secret characters will take quite a lot of time and perseverance, as will uncovering all 11 secret battle arenas for multiplayer. And even once all this is done, there is the excellent 'trophy' idea which encourages further play: the game features 290 different trophies to collect in the various single-player mode, which can be viewed once they are collected. The trophies are based on all sorts of characters and items from past Nintendo games, and each has a lengthy text description of the character or game that the trophy depicts. Some trophies can only be obtained by completing tasks like achieving a certain distance in the Home-Run Contest or finishing a single-player mode with all 25 characters, while to collect those last few trophies you can spend the coins you earn in single-player and multiplayer mode in playing a lottery game for new trophies. Suffice to say that collecting all the trophies is a mammoth challenge, and one that is very rewarding, and this extends the game's longevity for a single player considerably.


Graphics: In that SSBM is the first game I have played on any of the next-generation consoles, it's hard to compare its graphics to other recent games, but as they stand alone, the graphics are very impressive indeed. Characters are detailed and very well animated, with a variety of nice touches like hair blowing in the wind and clothes swaying realistically as the characters move. The levels are all drawn well and full of detail, and some of the backgrounds, particularly on stages such as the Venom level, are very engrossing. Given that SSBM is a very early Gamecube title, it's exciting to think of what the graphics on later titles will be like, considering the solid graphical standard of this game.


Sounds: The game's sound is excellent, to put it simply. The musical score is terrific, with a number of great and very-familiar tunes from the classic titles that the game draws on. Many of the music tunes are orchestral, and it's impressive to hear them in this way, really adding to the experience. Sound effects are also great, with distinct and good-quality voices for the main characters - although you have to wonder whether it would really have blown the budget to hire the guys who did the original Peppy and Slippy voices for Starfox 64 instead of some guy who sounds nothing like them - while the various weapon and attack noises are similarly good. The beam sword sounds a lot more like a lightsabre this time, anyway, which is always a good thing...


Multiplayer: All the single-player modes in SSBM are very good, but of course the game is, first and foremost, a multiplayer game, and thankfully the multiplayer mode in SSBM is the strongest part of the title. As in the original, four players can play at once, with computer players being drafted in to fill up the numbers if you want to add them. With 25 different characters to use and 29 totally different arenas to fight in, the combinations possible are huge, and everything comes together very well.

Unlike the original, the various levels are much more varied, and there are several levels which feature scrolling battles, either up and down, left and right, forward and back, or all over the place, which makes for a completely different experience and gives the feeling of taking on the arena as well as the opponents. Even the stationary levels seem more dynamic, though, with some dramatically changing shape as the battle progresses, and others with varied moving ledges or hostile forces such as Arwings. There are even three secret arenas which are direct copies of N64 Smash Bros levels, although they seemed to pick some of the less-impressive ones, particularly since some of the new levels are very similar to some of the old. It would have been nice to see Hyrule Castle or Saffron City again instead. Even so, it's nice to have the ones that are included.

It's options that usually make for a more fulfilling multiplayer match, however, and it was certainly options that set games like Perfect Dark apart from the crowd of shooters on the N64. While SSBM certainly doesn't have as many options as that masterpiece game, it does have a large variety of them, and has some very welcome ones - such as an option to exclude stages from being selected when you choose a random arena, the ability to turn off any item from appearing during a fight, setting a handicap, picking one of four totally-different battle modes, and the ability to set how many points are lost when a player suicides - the last of which being particularly welcome, in that it stops sneaky players (like Mr Cheese, for instance) who elect to throw themselves off a chasm when their damage level gets too high, in order to avoid giving an opponent a point for killing them. But I have to mention here a very annoying bug in the game, which is that sometimes, at random it seems, the computer will record a suicide as both a suicide and a standard fall, docking you points for both! I've frequently lost a game which should by rights have gone to a sudden-death playoff as a result of losing three points after being hit by a wayward Bob-omb when my opponent has only lost two for a similar calamity. It's downright annoying, to say the least.

Besides the regular modes of play, there are also ten 'special melees' with some unique ways of playing, such as all characters being giant, or everyone starting on 300% damage. Other special melees include fast or slow-motion combat, and an endurance-type mode where you get a fixed number of hit points (which, in a surprising omission, you are unable to change). One mode even allows you to rotate the camera with comtroller 4 and take 'photographs' of the combat to save to the memory card. There's also a tournament mode where up to 64 players can take part to find the champion, which is a great addition. Finally, there's an option to enter and save your player-name for multiplayer matches, which is also a nice touch.

As to the multiplayer gameplay itself: it's fantastic! With the excellent computer AI, even one player can have a great time playing this mode, but it really needs a group of people to make the game take off. The more players the better, and the action is intense. Teams mode is just as enjoyable as free-for-all, though perhaps even better if there are two equally-matched teams with completely different strategies. There isn't enough space here to say enough about multiplayer (even though I have gone on a bit so far...) but suffice to say that it's every bit as enthralling as the original was to start with, which is praise indeed - and it should continue to be fun to play for many years, if not forever!


Summing up: I think I've said more than enough about Super Smash Bros. Melee already, but it really is a terrific title this early on in the Gamecube's life, and unless you truly loathed the original, you will find SSBM an excellent multiplayer title with a massive lifespan, and with very generous serves of gaming nostalgia to boot!


Gamesmark: 95%


Reviewer: Maverik



Tangycheese's opinion: To be honest when I first played this game, I wasn't too impressed. It has grown on me over time though and is certainly worth a look. Personally in terms of gameplay I thought the original slightly has the edge, purely because Nintendo has tried to complicate the gameplay somewhat. There are too few buttons on the controller for all the moves they try to give the characters, and I'm entirely unimpressed with the ridiculous B button attacks. Pushing towards your opponent and attacking with B is an entirely different attack from standing still and pushing B. Doesn't sound too bad on paper but in the game it doesn't work - and I'm both surprised and disappointed that Nintendo didn't realise this. The game's not too bad but unless Nintendo pick up the pace a bit with their quality of games (considering the whole drawcard of the Gamecube, over the Xbox, is game quality) then their new console is doomed to failure.