Game Statistics

• 14 starting fighters.
• 11 secret fighters.
• 25 total fighters.
• 18 starting battle arenas.
• 11 secret battle arenas.
• 29 total battle areas.
• At least 292 trophies to collect.
• Single disk 1.35 gigabytes.

Game Design
Super Smash Bros. Melee is essentially a supped-up version of the original Super Smash Bros. While the gameplay engine remains almost identical to the original. There are more gameplay options, more gameplay modes; there is more of everything. The single player mode has been greatly improved. There are a whopping eight single player modes. The Classic mode is just like the single player modes in the original SSB where you fight though 11 levels until you reach the big hand. In the Adventure mode, you fight your way though many different types of levels, truly an interesting mode. In the All-Star mode, you fight all 25 characters in the game in a long match to test your stamina. In the Event Match mode, you pick from a bunch of pre-designed battles, some are easy and many are challenging. Just like the original SSB a break the targets mode is available. This time it is called "Target Test." There is the fun, Homerun Contest where you hit a punching bag as far as you can with a baseball bat. Finally, there is the Multi-Man-Melee mode where you can fight a set number of opponents in a specific amount of time. Also, there is a training mode where you can practice each character's different moves. There are more multiplayer modes as well. There is a Tournament Melee where a tournament can be created. There are also many Special Melee modes. A Giant Melee can be played where every character is huge. Furthermore, a Stamina Melee can be played where each character has a set amount of HP. Almost all of the elements that were missing in the original SSB are in this version.

Graphics
This game looks great but it is not the best-looking GameCube game. Some of the battle arenas could look better specifically the F-Zero levels. These levels contain models of F-Zero racers from the N64 racer F-Zero X. The models of the vehicles have not been improved from the N64 version. Their extremely low polygon count makes them look out of place. All off the characters look great; none of the characters in these games have ever looked better. With the immense power of the GameCube, the framarate shouldn't take a hit. It doesn't, it is perfect all the time.

Sound
The audio is much improved over the N64 version. While the voice samples may be the same for some characters, the audio quality is much better. Just like the previous version, all of the crowd noises are back. There are many high-quality music tracks in this game. This is made possible because of the storage medium the GameCube uses. The music loses a half-point because there are no new tracks evident in battle. Almost every song in the game has been taken from other Nintendo games.

Control
HAL has done an excellent job of transferring the Nintendo 64's control scheme to the GameCube controller. The A button still performs generic attacks. The B button performs special attacks. The X and Y buttons are used to jump. The L and R buttons are used to activate a shield. The Z button is used to grab and throw enemies. The C stick can also be used to quickly perform smash attacks. There have been some new control additions as well. It is possible to hold (and charge up) a smash attack. Once the A button is released, a stronger smash attack can be preformed. Special moves can also be preformed when pressing B + LEFT or B + RIGHT. These special moves vary in nature per character. Also when Z is pressed to grab a character, the character can be attacked in the grab. Also, unlike SSB, every fighter can throw enemies upwards. HAL did a miraculous job improving on an already excellent control scheme.

Satisfaction
Fans of the original will not be disappointed. There are many challenges in this game, which make it harder then the original. With so many modes of play and seemingly unlimited replay value everyone will like this game!

Replay Value/Game Length
The single player in SSB was short. In this game, it is very long. With a great single player and the best multiplayer currently available for the Nintendo GameCube, you will be playing this game for years.

Overall
In my opinion, Super Smash Bros. Melee is the greatest fighting game ever made.

Game Design	8.9
Mechanics	9.5
Innovation	7.0
Originality	7.0
Extras	10
Depth	10
Graphics	9.3
Character/Animation	9.0
Environment	9.0
Framerate	10
Sound	9.8
Music	9.5
Sound FX/Voice	10
Control	10
During Play	10
Menus	10
Functionality	10
Satisfaction	9.3
Challenge	8.5
Fun-Factor	10
Replay Value/Game Length	10
Multiplayer	10
FINAL SCORE	9.4

Review by Player Guy Forever

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