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> Super Smash Bros. Melee: Written
by: Stephan Roche
 Publisher: Nintendo Price: 19.99 Genre: Fighting T for Teen
Nintendo successfully launched Super Smash Brothers
on the N64 and it quickly became a hit. Now they have released a sequel that surpassed it in every way.
First of all,
I’d like to note that this game is huge, so I wont get into too much detail about everything, because if I do, you’ll
have to read a short story instead of a review. I’ll start off by explaining the different game modes. There is a story
mode that consists of selecting a character and going through different battles and challenges etcetera. “Adventure
mode” follows the same rules as the story mode, but it’s more like a side-scroller 3-D type of Mario, due to the
fact that you go around killing turtles, zombies, goombas, like-likes, octopuses etc., the only difference is that they can
be killed with swords, items, punches, etcetera.
Some levels have side battles, while others have mini-mazes and escape missions. Levels are divided
by worlds like Hyrule, Mushroom Kingdom, and Dreamland etcetera. Trophies are scattered throughout different worlds (read
on for more details). Each mission grows in difficulty as you progress. There are also unlockables by completing certain events.
Trophies are special gifts that the game includes, there are approximately 300 trophies and they all must be unlocked or
won in the lottery. How can I use the lottery? Simple, you battle, win coins then go to the lottery and gamble coins, to see
if a new trophy comes out. To see the trophies that are available just go to the gallery.
The game truly shines during the Multiplayer mode. You can duke it out with 3 bots, 2 bots and a friend, 3 friends you
name it. At first there are only a small handful of characters, but as you progress throughout the game you can unlock more.
Characters have smash attacks, special attacks and grab attacks. The object here is to beat the crap out of your opponent
until you knock him out of the ring. However, there’s a catch, there is a special ability that every character has to
prevent themselves from falling down, so it’s going to take more than just mindless fighting. There are plenty of items/powers
you can use such as: bomb-ombs, beam swords, homerun bats, proximity mines, poisonous mushrooms, a ray gun, and much more.
There are handfuls of vs. modes to, giant melee, tiny melee, time, stock, super sudden death, coin battle etc. Almost everything
is customizable. The only flaw here is some characters that have the same attacks, they just change in speed, strength and
colors.
In the graphics department, the game improved greatly. The characters and stages are now full of color and fully animated.
The stage design has a lot of variety and never made me think that I was in the same piece of land all the time. The opening
cut-scene is gorgeous, and pretty much introduces the main characters and some of the attacks.
Music is decent, and even so, repetitive. There’s obviously no voice acting, but there is your occasional grunt and
moan. The sound effects on the other hand are very good.
Controls are responsive, but do take time to get use to. Seeing that the fighting is so fast, you may find yourself pressing
the wrong button sometimes.
I have mixed feelings here. Even though there’s so much to collect and do in the single player mode, it can get tedious
and boring. If you have friends however, you may find yourself playing this game for months, and I dare say, even years to
come.
In conclusion, this title has numerous unlockables like stages, characters, trophies, modes, you name it. There’s
loads of replay value with friends, but the single player mode can get boring after some time. Furthermore, the control takes
time to get used to, but after that, it becomes second nature.
Graphics: 10 | Sound: 8.0 | Control: 9.0
| Replay: 9.0 | Overall Game Score: 9.7/10
                   
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