Have you ever seen Mario fight Peach, or Link vs. Zelda? Well, that's possible because the newest beat 'em up on the Nintendo Gamecube is released. Super smash bros. melee, the sequel to the best N64 game ever(in my opinion).
The game
The objective of the game is to kick your opponent off the map, if you do this more times than your opponent, you will win. The game consists of 2 types of games, single and multiplayer. The single player mode is a bit dull. It consists of a classic match or an adventure, the first is the same as its N64 counterpart, some opponents (I believe 8) and the bonus missions like "hit the targets" and "run to the finish". The big boss is the same as in the N64 game, namely the "big hand". The adventure match is new; it's a side scrolling game, just like the good old games like Mario. You walk, run, jump and fight against multiple adversaries. At the end of the level you will meet a boss. The best single player mode is the event match. These matches are like a story, Peach is trapped by Bowser and Mario has to save her or one of the other 51 matches. They begin quite easy, but when you progress to the top, the matches will be more difficult. One of those matches is to kill one of the ice climbers, this is very difficult because they are linked to each other. In the stadium you can test your abilities of breaking targets, or hitting homeruns (one of my favourites) and multi-man melee. The last one is a game in which you have to beat, 10 or 100 enemies, hold on for 3 or 10 minutes or you can beat an endless amount of enemies or cruel enemies. It's very difficult because the enemies are in a greater number than before, but it's fun to see how long, or how many enemies you can destroy. Some improvements in the game are:
Multiplayer mode
The game is made for this mode. It's a party game, and its no party with only you playing. The multiplayer mode is based on four types, time, stock (lives), coins and bonus. The last two are new and fun to explore. The coin type is very spectacular, because if you hit someone, coins will fly around and the object of the game is to get more coins than your opponent. The bonus game is very fun to see how your fighting skills are, the computer will judge the moves you make, so if you only attack with one move you don't get very many points. You can also choose team or solo. The melee types are the most fun. You can play as a giant, in slow motion, lighting (very fast) or stamina. The stamina mode is based on hit points, you begin with 150% and it ends if you reach 0%, this is the normal Tekken, or other fighting game style. There are ten special melee types, and they are all very different.
Fighters
The fourteen characters you can choose from the start are:
Addiction
A new addiction has arisen, the trophy addiction. These trophies can be won in a one-armed bandit. The coins for the machine can be won throughout the game and with these coins trophies can be won. You will be addicted to this machine, because it's very fun to get all the trophies, approximately 300. I don't know what will happen when you get all the trophies, but it will be a relief to know you have them all. It's like pokémon, you gotte catch them all. Speaking of pokémon, most of the trophies are pokémon.
Gameplay
One of the most brilliant things of the game is the gameplay, it's easy to use and easy to learn. All the characters have the same button combo's. The gameplay hasn't changed, it's still the same as on the N64, the only thing which is different is jumping. I normally jumped with the c pad, but this has changed, you can only jump by pushing the left analog stick up or push X or Y, so I had to change my jump skills. I was jumping after a few minutes so things turned out for the best for me.
Sound
One of the main things which have changed is sound. In some levels you will hear people shouting and screaming (the donky kong levels) you can't see them, but they are there. The smashes and other sound effects are thoroughly astounding they really fill the air with fighting power and screaming people who are thrown off the map. Even when they hit the front screen you will hear the sound of something hitting the glass. There's not more to talk about, because you have to hear it for yourself.
Graphics
The graphics have really improved, this is not very spectacular because the cube has more polygones. The characters all have an extra black line around them for the cartoon look. This is a very cool adition. The characters are walking a bit on clouds, but who's looking at the way they walk, no one except me. I know it's very difficult for producers and graphical engineers to make a good walking computer figure. It's almost impossible. On the other hand, the dresses of Peach and Zelda are moving when they walk, the other clothes are also moving.
Memory block: 11 without snapshots
Graphics
The graphics have changed for the better. Even in the far backgrounds object are moving. The combo's and blasts look very real, even clothes are moving. Little flaw in making people walk.
87/100
Sound
The sounds are very good, it's like sitting in between of the fighters. All the characters can speak and the music in some levels is just awesome.
90/100
Gameplay
This is one of the really fantastic things of the game, it's easy to use and very similar to the N64 game. In a few minutes anyone can play and beat you.
95/100
Innovation
The game isn't original, it's just a better version of the N64 game. In my opinion sequels are always bad or worse than their predecessor is. Exceptions excluded.
75/100
Overall
For now it's the best party game on the cube, and just perfect for spending lonely hours when you're sick and tired of work and school
87/100