Super Smash Brothers Melee

Publisher: Nintendo
Developer: HAL Laboratory

ESRB: Teen

Preview by miffo

I remember when I first heard about Super Smash Bros. back when the N64 was living. Eagerly waiting day after day for it to come out so I could finally beat the crap out of Mario with Link...yeah, that was fun. I was disappointed somewhat, mainly for the lack of one-player (I'm a loser and don't have a lot of friends) but it was fun nevertheless.

For the unintiated, Super Smash Bros. is a 2.5D (3D animation) fighter where you pit all the Mario brothers against each other. There's a little-known NES game called Kart Fighter that works in a similar fashion. Not a whole lot has changed in the Gamecube version for gameplay, but they did add a lot of new features for the multiplayer aspect.

There's the old Stock mode and Time mode, but new to this are the Coin and Decision modes. Coin mode has you collecting the most cash while knocking opponents away from the treasure. Decision has you trying to rack up points from doing unique combos. Sounds cool so far! There is also a tournament mode where even more players can compete for the ultimate prize.

New players have been added, of course, and they all have new moves. Not only that, but you now have a varied defense with different block moves and shields! Plus there are tons of new items (the old ones are still there though) for you to toy around with. Have fun!

The one-player mode is much, much deeper now (thank God) and it appears more Power Stone 2-style. You have to jump and work your way through the level while keeping the same kind of controls. It's more like a platformer this time around, which is definetly a good thing when you're bored.

The graphics are great, the sound is good, and it's a blast with friends. The ultimate party game? It may very well be. Don't miss it this November!

.:. miffo - October 30, 2001