Super Smash Bros. Melee - The Perfect Launch Title

Perfectly echoing the GameCube's propensity for being Nintendo's oddest home console, the system's biggest selling point at launch didn't even arrive on day one. Super Smash Bros. Melee had everything a Nintendo fan could want - fast and furious multiplayer, more core franchise characters and an addictive trophy collection system that reached to the far corners of Nintendo lore. In every way imaginable, other launch titles like Luigi's Mansion and Rogue Squadron forever lived in the shadow of Nintendo's relatively new fighting game franchise. Even a new concept from Shigeru Miyamoto, Pikmin, paled in comparison.

There was just one catch - gamers couldn't get their hands on the highly anticipated Super Smash sequel for two weeks after launch. Indeed, buying Nintendo's new system was almost a down payment on the game that many would argue ended up being the best in Cube's library. Though it's odd that such an early title would claim that honor, it speaks to the polished, detailed nature of the game.

No doubt many of you recall Nintendo's roll out of Super Smash Bros. Brawl through its Dojo website, which revealed new concepts, characters and stages on an almost-daily basis. The hunt for information on Melee was more of a scramble, featuring leaked documents, secret test sessions across the nation and, of course, translations from Japanese websites. (Some things never seem to change.) Indeed, before the game even hit shelves, details about all of the secret characters and stages had been revealed. Much like Brawl, nothing was hidden to those who wanted to know everything.

Melee radically expanded its roster from 12 characters to 26. While the original Nintendo 64 game featured relatively obvious mascots, its sequel expanded its reach while retaining the entire original cast. Fire Emblem, a franchise that had only been featured in Japan up until that point, found its way into Melee with not one but two characters. Two new Pokemon, Mewtwo and Pichu, entered the fray. Significant foes and allies of Mario and Link finally arrived as well - Ganondorf, Peach, Young Link, Princess Zelda and Bowser were all now playable. Rather unconventional franchises were tapped, bringing characters like Ice Climbers and Mr. Game & Watch back into the spotlight after decades away.

The original game's rather paltry selection of nine stages boosted dramatically up to an incredible 29 locations, some of which were carbon copies of previous creations. Melee's settings were far more dynamic and interactive, some even scrolling vertically and horizontally like classic platforming stages might. Final Destination, a staple of veteran players looking to focus on skill rather than tricks and traps, also made its debut here.

While key game attributes like stages, characters and items are critical to any Smash Bros. title, it's worth pointing out another critical element of the game - trophies. These collectible figurines were first introduced in Melee, able to be acquired through a lottery driven by the acquisition of coins in battle. Though completely optional and removed from the core battle mechanics, these items were incredibly addictive, as the included characters and items spanned Nintendo's entire history. True fans would attempt to collect all 290 trophies, and each would come with its own biography, including a listing of its first appearance. Brawl would take this concept to an entirely different level, almost doubling the available collectibles.


Melee was bigger than its predecessor in every way, but it managed to find a gameplay balance that might best be described as sitting between the original game and Brawl. Character move sets were diverse and powerful, yet didn't necessarily go to the extremes that Smash Moves did with Brawl. Melee also featured a more nuanced shield system that suited the GameCube's analog shoulder buttons, and didn't go to extremes to weaken advanced techniques like wave-dashing. Does anyone like Brawl's tripping mechanic? And while a pro player scene certainly emerged, no characters like Meta Knight, have been banned from competitive play - the roster might be smaller than Brawl, but it seems to have proven more balanced. All in all, Melee built upon the Smash Bros. formula while not taking things too far. More remarkable was that the game was made in record time - just 13 months - with director Masahiro Sakurai working stretches of 40 hours at a time. In fact looking back, Sakurai still regards Melee as the "sharpest" entry in the series.

December 3 marks the 10th anniversary of Melee here in the United States. The title still stands as the GameCube's best-selling game, with over 7 million copies being purchased during the system's lifespan. Despite not arriving at launch, it was clear Melee was the title everyone anticipated as Nintendo's first disc-based console approached. If you were anything like the IGN Nintendo team, you thoroughly enjoyed titles like Luigi's Mansion and Rogue Squadron, but continuously checked your calendar, ticking off the days until Nintendo's fighter arrived.

What are your memories of Super Smash Bros. Melee? What aspects of the game do you appreciate the most? What concepts do you hope continue to the Wii U and 3DS versions of the title? How do you think Brawl improved upon the experience?

Rich is an Executive Editor of IGN.com and the leader of the IGN Nintendo team. Follow IGN on Twitter, and keep track of Rich's ridiculous adventures through MyIGN and Twitter. Keep it cool, Koopalings.

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