Super Smash Bros Melee

Super Smash Bros Melee is a 2001 crossover fighting video game developed by HAL Laboratory and published by Nintendo for the GameCube. It is the second installment in the Super Smash Bros. series. It features characters from Nintendo video game franchises such as Mario, The Legend of Zelda, Star Fox and Pokémon, and Donkey Kong among others. The stages and gameplay modes reference or take designs from these franchises as well.

Super Smash Bros Melee includes all playable characters from the first game and also adds characters from additional franchises such as Fire Emblem, of which no games had been released outside Japan at the time, in addition to new stages and gameplay modes. Like other games in the Smash Bros. series, Melee‘s gameplay system offers an unorthodox approach to the fighting game genre, with a counter that measures damage with increasing percentages, representing the knockback the character will experience, rather than a depleting health bar seen in most fighting games.

Super Smash Bros Melee was first released in Japan in November 2001, in the Americas in December 2001, and in Europe and Australia in May 2002. The game received widespread acclaim from critics, earning praise for its visuals, simple controls, gameplay, and orchestrated soundtrack, as well as several awards and acknowledgments from various publications; it is now considered one of the greatest video games ever made.

It achieved strong sales upon its release, becoming the GameCube’s best-selling title, with over seven million copies sold by 2008. Considered one of the most competitively viable Smash Bros. games due to its fast-paced and aggressive gameplay, Melee has been featured in many competitive gaming tournaments, boasting a dedicated grassroots fan community which has kept its competitive scene alive well beyond the game’s original lifespan. It was followed by Super Smash Bros. Brawl for the Wii in 2008.

Gameplay – Super Smash Bros Melee

Like its predecessor, Super Smash Bros Melee is a platform fighter that differs from traditional fighting games as the objective is to force their opponents beyond the boundaries of the stage.^[2] Most attacks inflict damage and can, if enough damage is dealt, knock back the enemy. Each character’s health is measured by a meter that represents damage as a percentage.^[3] The higher the percentage value, the farther the player gets knocked back, and the easier they are to knock off the stage, which will result in the character’s death and the loss of a stock, or life.^[4] 

Unlike other games of the same genre, in which moves are entered by button-input combinations, most moves in Super Smash Bros Melee can be accessed via one-button presses and a joystick direction.^[5] For example, by tilting the joystick to the side and pressing the “B” button, the character will use their “side special” attack. Tilting the joystick up, down, or not tilting it at all while pressing B will use the up, down, or neutral special, respectively.

During battles, items related to Nintendo games or merchandise fall onto the game field.^[6] These items have purposes ranging from inflicting damage on the opponent to restoring health to the player.^[6] Some items are throwable (ranged items), some do melee damage (battering items), and some have an instant effect on the player (transforming items).

Most stages have a theme relating to a Nintendo franchise or a specific Nintendo game and are interactive to the player.^[7] For example, the Mushroom Kingdom stage is from Super Mario Bros, and the Temple stage is from The Legend of Zelda. Although the stages are rendered in three dimensions, players can only move on a two-dimensional plane.

Not all stages are available immediately; some stages must be “unlocked” by achieving particular requirements.^[7] Some stages feature moving elements and platforms and hazards that harm players, while others lack these elements