WEM 06 - Super Smash Bros Melee
Updated the banner to show how my new links system will work. Also the blinking has been aligned properly. Just to make each of those links open a URL in a new window.
Anyway as promised here is my Super Smash Bros Melee review. 2 days late but it's done.
I've also coloured Shadow in my 3 Shadows PSP wallpaper.
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Super Smash Brothers Melee
During the first couple of months of the Gamecube’s life one of its biggest games was the brilliant Super Smash Bros Melee. Generally praised and loved, you’ll find it hard to find a gamer that doesn’t have a favourite character they play as. It’ll be remembered as one of this generation’s greats, but why?
For those who don’t know (which I’m guessing isn’t many), Super Smash Bros is a quite unique concept. Every fighter has a damage meter. Hit them at the damage meter goes up. The higher the meter the further they will fly when they’re hit. The aim of the game is to smash your opponent off the stage to get a point. The winner is the person with the most points. Did I mention that up to four people fight at the same time?
Turbo charge its speed to insane speeds, add power ups and fill it with loads of modes and characters and what you have is SSBM. A unique, frantic, beat-em up that simply rules in multiplayer.
At first though it’s very different. It can seem to fast with little more than button bashing needed to finish a mode. Yes finishing the basic modes doesn’t take long, if by that you mean reaching the credits.
There are three main one player modes with an extra one to unlock. These are called Classic, Adventure and Event.
Classic is an updated version of the game you got with the N64 version. You’ll go through a set path of enemies, where who you meet and where you fight will change every time. You’ll face special versions of that character from giant, loads of weak clones, metal version and basic team play. In between these are basic 1 on 1 fights and mini games finishing with the final fight against a floating hand.
Adventure has you doing some light Platforming in between fights, starting from a little remake of classic Mario levels, finishing with a fight against Bowser and fighting characters in between by their rules. For example before facing Captain Falcon you’ll have to run across a small section of a race track during an F-zero race. If you don’t get out of the way from the cars as they speed through the track you’ll probably end up losing a life.
Event mode has you fighting with different rules every time, with challenges is getting harder as you progress. The latter half in particular takes much mastery of the game to accomplish.
You also have the ability to play the mini games you’ve unlocked. These range from hitting a sandbag as far as possible, to breaking a series of plate targets.
There is also a trophy collecting feature that will soon become your main objective. Collecting them all requires doing secret challenges, finding them during the Platforming stages, reaching certain targets in the many modes, completing the game with each character in each mode, and winning them in a lottery system.
All of which can seem to be nothing more than hours of button bashing, but you’d be wrong. Increase the difficulty in any one player mode or raise the ability level of CPU fighters in versus and you’ll see how deep it goes. Within the frantic nature of the game you’ll need to master evading, defending, rolling, and basically learning every characters attacks and recovery abilities.
Each character has their advantages and disadvantages. Heavy characters are harder to smash off the screen and generally have harder attacks, but generally move much slowly or have poor recovery. You’ll need to master them all to complete the game properly. You’ll need to know how affective each individual move is and what its weakness. For example Kirby can turn himself into a heavy weight which smashes into the ground with plenty of force, causing heavy damage to those in the way. Though it leaves him open to throw attacks in the couple of seconds he’s frozen.
Try and button bash through the harder difficulties and you’ll be KO’ed a lot. You’ll be expected to have lightning fast reactions as you counter your opponent’s attacks. Not only that you’ll have to do it with two other fighters at the same time. It’s the ultimate test of mastering skills and reflexes and the more you play the more you’ll realise who deep it really is.
Graphically the game is superb considering it was more or less a launch title. Ok so Samus looks better in Metroid Prime, Fox looks better in Starfox Adventures and link looks better in Twilight Princess (though oddly in my opinion Mario still looks his best here). But overall the graphics are nice and with Rogue Leader showed the potential of the machine early on.
The soundtrack is typical Nintendo. Each stage has remixed or remade versions of classic Nintendo tracks from all the different universes. The sound effects also fit each character well. Overall the game looks good and sounds great.
But it’s the lasting appeal of the game the will win you over. There are loads of challenges in 1 player that’ll keep you going for several weeks, as filling that trophy collection will that ages testing you all the way. And with the frantic unique multiplayer perfect for parties it’ll last an age.
The multiplayer really brings this game to life as all that mastery is still there. With plenty of options for rules and the frantic nature of the game it rarely gets boring. Few games can claim to have an awesome 1 player and multiplayer experience but Super Smash Bros Melee can.
A lot of what makes SSBM so great is the way it makes you feel. There’s generally a character for everyone and they’ll feel like an extension of how you like to play, that tactics you use, etc. It’s something that’s pretty difficult to put into words, but if you visit a gaming message board, particularly one that’s been going for quite some time, and search for Super Smash Bros Melee, you may just see what I mean.
Overall Super Smash Bros Melee is a game loaded with challenges that’ll keep you going for ages. While it may seem like a button basher at first, the more you play the more complex it will seem. And with this translating perfectly from one player into multiplayer and vice versa, it all adds up to a genuinely unique and frantic experience.
And best of all it doesn’t matter whether you still hooked on the game or whether you’re just reliving it from some quick stress relief, the feeling you get is always the same. The only thing missing is online play and that’s very likely to appear in the sequel.
+ Frantic, high charged fun in both one player and multiplayer
+ The more you play the more complex it seems
+ Awesome soundtrack filled with well known themes.
- Feels like a button basher with no real challenge at first
- May be too frantic for some
- No online play
9 out of ten
Anyway as promised here is my Super Smash Bros Melee review. 2 days late but it's done.
I've also coloured Shadow in my 3 Shadows PSP wallpaper.
-----------------------------------
Super Smash Brothers Melee
During the first couple of months of the Gamecube’s life one of its biggest games was the brilliant Super Smash Bros Melee. Generally praised and loved, you’ll find it hard to find a gamer that doesn’t have a favourite character they play as. It’ll be remembered as one of this generation’s greats, but why?
For those who don’t know (which I’m guessing isn’t many), Super Smash Bros is a quite unique concept. Every fighter has a damage meter. Hit them at the damage meter goes up. The higher the meter the further they will fly when they’re hit. The aim of the game is to smash your opponent off the stage to get a point. The winner is the person with the most points. Did I mention that up to four people fight at the same time?
Turbo charge its speed to insane speeds, add power ups and fill it with loads of modes and characters and what you have is SSBM. A unique, frantic, beat-em up that simply rules in multiplayer.
At first though it’s very different. It can seem to fast with little more than button bashing needed to finish a mode. Yes finishing the basic modes doesn’t take long, if by that you mean reaching the credits.
There are three main one player modes with an extra one to unlock. These are called Classic, Adventure and Event.
Classic is an updated version of the game you got with the N64 version. You’ll go through a set path of enemies, where who you meet and where you fight will change every time. You’ll face special versions of that character from giant, loads of weak clones, metal version and basic team play. In between these are basic 1 on 1 fights and mini games finishing with the final fight against a floating hand.
Adventure has you doing some light Platforming in between fights, starting from a little remake of classic Mario levels, finishing with a fight against Bowser and fighting characters in between by their rules. For example before facing Captain Falcon you’ll have to run across a small section of a race track during an F-zero race. If you don’t get out of the way from the cars as they speed through the track you’ll probably end up losing a life.
Event mode has you fighting with different rules every time, with challenges is getting harder as you progress. The latter half in particular takes much mastery of the game to accomplish.
You also have the ability to play the mini games you’ve unlocked. These range from hitting a sandbag as far as possible, to breaking a series of plate targets.
There is also a trophy collecting feature that will soon become your main objective. Collecting them all requires doing secret challenges, finding them during the Platforming stages, reaching certain targets in the many modes, completing the game with each character in each mode, and winning them in a lottery system.
All of which can seem to be nothing more than hours of button bashing, but you’d be wrong. Increase the difficulty in any one player mode or raise the ability level of CPU fighters in versus and you’ll see how deep it goes. Within the frantic nature of the game you’ll need to master evading, defending, rolling, and basically learning every characters attacks and recovery abilities.
Each character has their advantages and disadvantages. Heavy characters are harder to smash off the screen and generally have harder attacks, but generally move much slowly or have poor recovery. You’ll need to master them all to complete the game properly. You’ll need to know how affective each individual move is and what its weakness. For example Kirby can turn himself into a heavy weight which smashes into the ground with plenty of force, causing heavy damage to those in the way. Though it leaves him open to throw attacks in the couple of seconds he’s frozen.
Try and button bash through the harder difficulties and you’ll be KO’ed a lot. You’ll be expected to have lightning fast reactions as you counter your opponent’s attacks. Not only that you’ll have to do it with two other fighters at the same time. It’s the ultimate test of mastering skills and reflexes and the more you play the more you’ll realise who deep it really is.
Graphically the game is superb considering it was more or less a launch title. Ok so Samus looks better in Metroid Prime, Fox looks better in Starfox Adventures and link looks better in Twilight Princess (though oddly in my opinion Mario still looks his best here). But overall the graphics are nice and with Rogue Leader showed the potential of the machine early on.
The soundtrack is typical Nintendo. Each stage has remixed or remade versions of classic Nintendo tracks from all the different universes. The sound effects also fit each character well. Overall the game looks good and sounds great.
But it’s the lasting appeal of the game the will win you over. There are loads of challenges in 1 player that’ll keep you going for several weeks, as filling that trophy collection will that ages testing you all the way. And with the frantic unique multiplayer perfect for parties it’ll last an age.
The multiplayer really brings this game to life as all that mastery is still there. With plenty of options for rules and the frantic nature of the game it rarely gets boring. Few games can claim to have an awesome 1 player and multiplayer experience but Super Smash Bros Melee can.
A lot of what makes SSBM so great is the way it makes you feel. There’s generally a character for everyone and they’ll feel like an extension of how you like to play, that tactics you use, etc. It’s something that’s pretty difficult to put into words, but if you visit a gaming message board, particularly one that’s been going for quite some time, and search for Super Smash Bros Melee, you may just see what I mean.
Overall Super Smash Bros Melee is a game loaded with challenges that’ll keep you going for ages. While it may seem like a button basher at first, the more you play the more complex it will seem. And with this translating perfectly from one player into multiplayer and vice versa, it all adds up to a genuinely unique and frantic experience.
And best of all it doesn’t matter whether you still hooked on the game or whether you’re just reliving it from some quick stress relief, the feeling you get is always the same. The only thing missing is online play and that’s very likely to appear in the sequel.
+ Frantic, high charged fun in both one player and multiplayer
+ The more you play the more complex it seems
+ Awesome soundtrack filled with well known themes.
- Feels like a button basher with no real challenge at first
- May be too frantic for some
- No online play
9 out of ten
posted by Master hunter at 1:11 am
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