Nintendo has a pretty good idea with the original Super Smash Bros. game, simply get all of their most loved characters together in one area and let them all beat the snot out of each other. Smash Bros. was an instant hit that allowed gamers the chance to create fanboy fantasy match ups like a Mario vs. Luigi fight to see who the better brother was. Or who’s the better mercenary: Fox McCloud or Samus? The original four player brawler was a multiplayer masterpiece that is deserving of great recognition. However, then Nintendo released Super Smash Bros. Melee and it turned out to be a dismal sequel that lacked the originality that the first game had. Melee just could not match the original Smash Bros. in terms of character diversity, level design and the aggravating character changes; it simply felt boring when compared to the original.
The Pokemon arena was a prime example of distracting backgrounds.
To start off; Melee had a lot of good additions to the originals game model such as the addition of more usable items and vastly better graphics. But all of the best graphics cards in the world cannot make up for a lack of originality when it comes to new characters. Sure, there were some cool new characters like Boswer, Mewtwo, and the lovale Ice Climbers. However, there were also several clone characters, in which the attributes of one character are slightly changed and given a new character model in order to be considered a different character. Ganondorf was just a slightly slower version of Captain Falcon, Falco is almost exactly like Fox McCloud, and Mario and Dr. Mario is the same person with the exception of his lab coat and megavitamins.
One of the biggest problems with Smash Bros. Melee was the level designs. The battle areas in Melee are nice and detailed, and that’s the problem: there is so much going on in the background that it takes away from the impact of the actual fights taking place. It’s frustrating to see such a busy battle arena since it’s a huge distraction; I couldn’t count how many times I died because I was looking at the background instead of which character was hitting me. The original Smash Bros. had a simple background that still had some hazards, and that was what made fights seem so good. It always seem cheap, to me anyway, when a level has the highest kill count in a multiplayer brawler type game.
Some of the original characters seemed to get the short end of the developers stick in Melee.
And finally, the last problem with Smash Bros. Melee are the strange changes that were made to the characters that made them feel completely different from the original game’s mechanics. Sure, control changes are always welcome in games; however the changes made some characters seem slower and also weaker. In the first game, Kirby was arguably one of the strongest characters with decently fast moves. However, in Melee it seems like they made Kirby slower, weaker and basically an almost unusable character. These types of changes are pretty much meant to balance out attributes between all of the characters, but it’s very annoying that the character’s fighting styles would be changed so drastically to the point where they almost seem like a different character all together.
When it came down to the final verdict; Super Smash Bros. Melee should have been much better. Melee was just a speed bump in the road, and most of these problems were fixed for the sequel Super Smash Bros. Brawl. However, that still does not excuse the fact that Melee had some pretty annoying problems.
March 7, 2010
#1
I had fun with Melee, but I see your points. I never owned SSB, and only played it a few times. I didn’t like that the themed entrances were taken out, and that there were clone characters, but it was overall, an improvement. The one thing that I have to disagree with you is the stages. The stages were fine (NEVER MENTION ICICLE MOUNTAIN) and I never got distracted by them. Brawl was amazing, but I wish they included all the stages from the past 2 games as a bonus. And with the option of original graphics for the N64 stages.
March 7, 2010
#2
If the problems were fixed for the sequel, why in the hell did you bother writing this article?
Personally, I liked Melee and reckon you are full of shit. That is all.
March 7, 2010
#3
For many people,like me, the more complex the game becomes the better it gets. It’s a matter of brain potential.
March 7, 2010
#4
I disagree.
March 7, 2010
#5
LOL
Honestly, though, do you undesrtand wtf did you just wrote???
Melee has arguably one of the most healthy and popular competitive communities EVER, and thats after 10 years or whatever…. that gives you and idea of how “boring” it is.
Before you erase this article out of shame:
1.Go here http://www.smashboards.com/forumdisplay.php?f=12
2. Understand that only a noob would say things like ” the background distracted me”.
3. Yes, some characters were made much worse, mainly pikachu, ness and kirby, and others better, it happens. Captain falcon is not a copy of Ganondorf and actually much better because of his L-cancelled knees and speed.
4.” Melee was just a speed bump in the road, and most of these problems were fixed for the sequel Super Smash Bros. Braw”–> this made me cringe.
The truth is that the community is divided around Melee/Brawl, but it is accepted that melee is the most competitive one: it’s faster and has loads of hidden techniques, like wavedash, moonwalk or whatever. And it doesn’t have the insanely overpowered Metaknight.
I know you wrote this article as a “casual player” of the game, but given that so many years have passed and almost everybody who plays it now is on some level of competition, this PURE bullshit.
It’s almost like saying Super Street Fighter II could have been so much better!
March 7, 2010
#6
Just like to say you obviously have no understanding of the game whatsoever.
Admitting you’re getting distracted by the background is as good as saying you have ADD. It’s your own problem if you lack the concentration.
Complaining about stage “hazards” is obviously something you didn’t think about. The stage list is vast, and if you’re not enjoying one stage, move to another or learn to use the stages to your advantage to win.
Having a fit over character diversity seems like you’re picking a bone over nothing. The original had 12 characters? Melee had 26! Saying that the whole total of (depending on who you decide to include) SEVEN clone characters was enough to say the game lacked originality is a joke. You’re calling Smash 64 a gem compared to Melee, but Melee only had 7 “clone” characters out of 26. Drawing your attention back to Smash 64, a game with a miniscule 12 characters still managed to have a clone character, Luigi.
Now let’s talk about what the clones actually are. You describe them as characters with very small changes, making them practically the same character. Hate to disagree…but well I disagree, the changes were quite vast. Whether it be speed, strength, range or just general move “properties”, the changes were enough to make characters feel very different in the hands of a competitive player. I’d say that on this subject, your knowledge levels aren’t up to a level where you’re qualified to be talking about this game negatively.
Being able to use items is a pure preference. Melee, is considered by most to be a competitive fighter game. Items are unbalanced in this setting and are generally turned off for that reason.
You’re analysing this game under a “party” game genre, but when it comes down to fact it’s not the correct perspective a reviewer should have of a crystal such as Melee.
Comparing Kirby (Melee) to Kirby (64) is a cop out for a lack of true material to talk about. Smash 64 and Melee have completely different game engines, on different consoles. They are different games. They aren’t meant to be similar. Granted Kirby IS one of the worst in the game, that alone isn’t reason enough to be dissing such an overall good game. It sounds like some personal grudge you have towards the developers because you have some underlying feelings towards Kirby you can’t express openly.
I daresay I’ve spent far too much time picking apart your Blog review, but I feel satisfied.
March 7, 2010
#7
What a hater. You must be some fanboy. Seriously. This game rocked. Any one can tell you that. It was much better than the original.
March 7, 2010
#8
Really?
It’s pretty obvious to me that you’re just not that good at the game haha.
The clones are surprisingly different (except for mario and the doc), the game is much faster in general, it’s a more challenging game to play competitively, and there ARE levels without hazards.
And it’s ok if some of the original characters are different cause it’s a very different game. And don’t tell me that the characters are more balanced in Brawl.
March 7, 2010
#9
You have no idea what you are talking about. Melee is by far the best title in the series and one of the best Fighting games ever. Melee is a game that when mastered can be hours of fun I still play it today. Also unlike brawl every character in melee can be deadly if used properly. Knowing when to down smash or back kick with fox at the perfect time is key. Horrible article.
March 7, 2010
#10
Do you have ADD or something? That backrounds are distracting at all. I’ve never felt distracted by the backrounds, but I guess that varies between person to person.
Still it seemed like you were trying to find reason to dislike that game.
Although everything else you said, has valid points and pretty much agree. Except the part where you said brawl fixed most of these. Heck even I liked melee more than brawl.
March 7, 2010
#11
…is this a joke blog?
Melee was great man, like, really great. IMO it’s one of the best multiplayer games of all time, better than the original and Brawl…
I’ve been thinking about getting a new gamecube just for Melee…
March 7, 2010
#12
I think the only reason you didn’t like this game was because kirby was bad. butt hurt much?
March 7, 2010
#13
this is the lousiest excuse for an article! Seriously? “The Pokemon arena was a prime example of distracting backgrounds.” wow just wow terrible man go back to school
March 7, 2010
#14
lol youre funny
March 7, 2010
#15
I’m sorry, but Brawl has many more problems than Melee.
March 7, 2010
#16
Rofl, Melee was vastly better than Brawl and the Original, you’re just terrible at the game.
March 7, 2010
#17
One thing….. I disagree with everything you said. I think you made a mistake and switched the words Melee with Brawl. Proofread your things before you post them.
March 8, 2010
#18
Enjoy noob http://www.smashboards.com/showthread.php?t=267987
March 8, 2010
#19
Melee is the most competitive game in the series. It is without doubt less n00b-friendly, which seems to be the only thing the author of this article is looking for in a game.
March 8, 2010
#20
You clearly have zero knowledge of how Smash Brothers is played. This article disgusts me. I can safely say that the whole Smash community is most likely laughing at this. Great job!
March 8, 2010
#21
uuhmm, ya right, you clearly know what you are talking about =). if you are dying because of of the backgrounds are “distracting” it isnt the games fault, is you failing as a gamer
March 9, 2010
#22
Beware!
He might be a troll! He have many of the symptoms, for example his post makes no sense. Dont feed him, he might be able to grow teeth with time and actually bite you so it hurts.
March 10, 2010
#23
Wow. You’re going to complain about Melee’s backgrounds (something clearly based on your own ability of sight) and then say that Brawl fixed those problems? HAHAHA Brawl’s backgrounds are a lot more distracting, and yet i’ve never had problems with any of the three games. Because I am not a retard. Hey I’m playing a fighting game! Let me look at the BACKGROUND! Wtf, how stupid can you be. And yes, Kirby was one of the best characters in the first one. The reason he’s weaker in the second one, is because the game developers tried to balance the game. They were trying to fix the problems of the first one.
March 11, 2010
#24
Whoa, Melee is the best of all the three, especially competitive-wise. it´s been almost 10 years since the game came out and people are still learning new stuff about it (Like effective usage of moonwalking in tournament play has begun probably around 2-3 years ago, at earliest. Just to name one) and the metagame is still evolving… bah like you´d read this anyway.
Melee Rocks \,,/
March 11, 2010
#25
You, distracted by the backgrounds? Then by jove, you must’ve hated Brawl; that thing was chalk-FULL of distracting backgrounds. From intervening Pokemon, to shifting stages, to bombs exploding, tornadoes whirling, and rain falling… Yeah, I’d love to see you review that. (Melee’s nowhere near as distractive, but with today’s “technological graphic enhancers”, NOW it is. XD )
Not a bad review, I suppose, and this coming from a hardcore Melee player. At least you didn’t flat-out BASH the game.
But, since everyone else’s gotten to this before I have, I suppose all I can do is echo their words…
If you’re distracted by simple, rather lacking-in-detail backgrounds, then the Smash series isn’t for you.
While the game has clones, they are all given different attributes — slower Ganon vs. fast Captain Falcon, powerful Falco vs. swift-to-attack Fox, you know the drill. In comparison, Brawl feels like ALL characters are the same; everyone seems to jump the same height, get knocked around as fast, fall the same… Smash 64 is obviously the most “balanced” in the sense, though, due to it being the first with so few characters and all.
Yeah… Pretty much it.
Now, if you TRULY want to play a “all characters feel the same” game, pick up something that uses a 3-D surrounding, but has all the players grounded… like, I dunno… the GCN Mortal Kombat games or something? Just a thought.
Peace.
March 11, 2010
#26
What is this article supposed to be? This is why brawl is so terrible compared to Melee. They had to cater to the casual crowd (author of this article) who don’t even know what they are doing half the time. Please go play Halo or CoD:MW and leave the fighting games to people who actually play them longer then a month after there release.
March 14, 2010
#27
ever heard of an l-cancel or wavedash?
March 15, 2010
#28
Hey there….
It appears to me that your understanding of the Super Smash Brothers series (and, perhaps, this statement could be extended to your understanding of video game mechanics/design in general) is as shallow as the juice in my fruit cup. Your powers of observation regarding character movesets, nuances, and basic tasks such as tracking moving sprites on screen, are very lacking. Seeing as how you have authored numerous articles concerning video games, I would expect critical, rewarding observation and scrutiny as opposed to ignorance and incompetence in understanding mechanics considering your apparent heavy interest in them.
I suggest that you revisit SSBM (Super Smash Brothers Melee to you), and any other games you have dismissed as “boring”, “cheap”, or that have a “lack of originality” with the sole goal of understanding fully the nuances, subtleties, and complexities of them.
I hope that if you give Super Smash Brothers Melee another chance, you will uncover some insight into video game design in general and have a rewarding experience at the same time. This game is very deep, complex, and competitive. I hope one day you can see why.
March 17, 2010
#29
It’s funny when you look at the comments on the articles before this. All of ‘em have like 1-6 comments.
You make some sense and at some points you don’t make sense at all. Like guy above said, try this game once more with someone who can actually play this game. Melee can be fun to play just casually but it’s meant to be a competitive not by nintendo but generally. You’ll get the most of it when you fight guys who’re better than you and go to actual smashfests and torneys.
Please destroy this text with an a-bomb or something
June 6, 2010
#30
what were you smoking when you wrote this?