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Super Smash Bros. Melee (大乱闘スマッシュブラザーズDX Nintendo All-Star Dairantou Smash Brothers Deluxe in Japan) is a colorful fighting game for the Nintendo GameCube with many modes of play. It stars many Nintendo characters, including Mario, Link, Samus Aran, Pikachu, Yoshi, and Donkey Kong. It is the sequel to the Nintendo 64 fighting game Super Smash Bros., and includes all the characters from the previous game plus new ones. Super Smash Bros. Melee is a Player's Choice title and the first GameCube title to appear on the cover of Nintendo Power. The T rating is a level up from Super Smash Bros.'s E rating.

Like its predecessor, Super Smash Bros. Melee is an easy-to-learn game that, while being child-friendly, can provide enjoyment for the adult gamer.

Super Smash Bros. Melee also has orchestrated tracks of classic Nintendo themes and victory fanfares, conducted by the aptly-named Orchestra Melee.

Playable characters

Characters available from the start of the game

• Bowser – from the Mario series
• Captain Falcon – from F-Zero (appeared in the original Super Smash Bros. as an unlockable character)
• Donkey Kong – from the Donkey Kong and Donkey Kong Country series (appeared in the original Super Smash Bros.)
• Fox – from the Star Fox series (appeared in the original Super Smash Bros.)
• Ice Climbers – from Ice Climber
• Kirby – from the Kirby series (appeared in the original Super Smash Bros.)
• Link – from the Legend of Zelda series (appeared in the original Super Smash Bros.)
• Mario – from the Mario series (appeared in the original Super Smash Bros.)
• Ness – from the Mother and EarthBound series (appeared in the original Super Smash Bros. as an unlockable character)
• Pikachu – from the Pokémon series (appeared in the original Super Smash Bros.)
• Peach – from the Mario series
• Samus – from the Metroid series (appeared in the original Super Smash Bros.)
• Yoshi – from the Mario series (appeared in the original Super Smash Bros.)
• Zelda/Sheik – from the Legend of Zelda series, Sheik from Ocarina of Time

Unlockable characters

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• Dr. Mario – from Dr. Mario
• Falco – from the Star Fox series
• Ganondorf – from the Legend of Zelda series
• Jigglypuff (Purin) – from the Pokémon series (appeared in the original Super Smash Bros.)
• Luigi – from the Mario series (appeared in the original Super Smash Bros.)
• Marth – from the Fire Emblem series
• Mewtwo – from the Pokémon series
• Mr. Game & Watch – from Game & Watch games
• Pichu – from the Pokémon series
• Roy – from the Fire Emblem series
• Young Link – from the Legend of Zelda series

Non-playable characters

Master Hand - A giant, floating, white glove, similar to Mario's, that first appeared in the original Super Smash Bros. at the end of the 1 Player game.

Crazy Hand - Crazy Hand is almost identical to Master Hand, but is more difficult and is a left glove (Master Hand is a right glove).

Crazy Hand only shows itself when certain requirements are met; that is, when the player proceeds through Classic Mode without using continues on at least the Normal difficulty, and gets Master Hand down to at least half of its HP. Additionally, it can be found in one of the latter Event stages.

Its behavior is more random than Master Hand's. Its attacks are more devastating, and overall it is more difficult to defeat than Master Hand.

Fighting Wire Frame - The wire frames are wires in the shapes of men and women, apparently wrought from the power of Master Hand. They bear its symbol beneath the "skin" of their face. (Of course, they are a tribute to the wire frame models used in the early stages of character creation.)

They appear in Adventure Mode and the Multi-Man Melee challenge, replacing the polygon team from Super Smash Bros. Like the polygon team, they are the game's standard anonymous weak opponents. It takes a group of many to even stand a chance against a reasonably skilled human player. (However, in Endless and Cruel Melee modes they are much stronger and do pose a danger.) You fight them on a stage called the Battle Field.

Giga Bowser - Giga Bowser is a possible final boss in the game's Adventure Mode, and can only be fought when the player beats the Adventure mode on a difficulty rating of Normal or greater, without using any continues, and in under eighteen minutes. At this point, where the credits would normally begin, Bowser returns from the abyss surrounding the Final Destination field and transforms. He becomes far larger, quicker and more powerful than Bowser was, and is quite a challenge. Additionally, he can be found in the last Event stage, alongside Mewtwo and Gannondorf.

Sandbag - The Sandbag appears only in the Home Run Contest (see "Stadium" section below). In the Home Run Contest, the player's goal is to hit Sandbag as far as possible. According to the game's trophy description, "Getting hit doesn't hurt Sandbag at all", which is fortunate, as the only way to make Sandbag go very far at all is to beat it up first. In order to get the Sandbag Trophy, the player must hit Sandbag 984 feet (300 m). The player has 10 seconds in which to beat the Sandbag to a pulp and smash it off the screen as far as possible with a provided Homerun Bat. The more damaged Sandbag is, the farther it will go.

Yoshi is often said to be the best choice of character for the challenge, however, the player should choose a character whose attacks they are familiar with. When Kirby uses his copy ability on copies Sandbag, he does not receive any abilities. if Sandbag is hit over 1,350 feet, the Yoshi's Island past stage will be unlocked.

Trophies

Trophies of various Nintendo characters and objects can be collected. There are 290 of them in the U.S. version of SSBM, and 291 in the Japanese version. One trophy, the character Tamagon from a game called Devil World released only in Japan, was locked out of the U.S. version possibly because of the title of the game in which he appeared. Additionally, the Motion-Sensor Bomb trophy originally bore a resemblance to the Proximity Mine in the game Perfect Dark; the trophy was altered in the U.S. version to resemble a proximity mine from the N64 game GoldenEye 007 for unknown reasons, and its game of origin was changed to "TOP SECRET." There were also 2 trophies that could be won in a contest at Japan. One featured Mario and Yoshi, and the other one showed Samus Aran without her helmet on. However, all three of the locked-out trophies can be unlocked with use of the Action Replay, a cheat-code tool on the Gamecube. There is no way to obtain the original Motion-Sensor Bomb trophy outside of the Japanese version, however, and setting the U.S. version's language to Japanese will not work either.

Trophy errata

Samus Aran (trophy number 10) appeared in Metroid when it first came out in August 1986. Super Smash Bros. Melee chose a later release date (1989) for the Samus Aran trophy description.

Meta Knight (trophy number 240) first appeared in Kirby's Adventure (later enhanced-remade as Kirby: Nightmare in Dream Land), not in Kirby Super Star. However, he was not mentioned by name in Kirby's Adventure, which probably caused this overlooked fact.

Ayuma Tachibana (trophy number 286) was the protagonist of the original Detective Club game, even though the trophy description states that she appeared only in the second Detective Club game.

Items

There are 31 items in Super Smash Bros. Melee:

• Barrel Cannon - a barrel with a white arrow. From the Donkey Kong Country series. Traps a playable character inside itself; the fighter is immobile while inside the cannon, which itself will roll in whatever direction it was moving when thrown. However, after a short delay, the fighter can shoot itself out, in whatever direction the arrow points at that time.

• Beam Sword - a sword with a neon pink glow for a blade. Basic weapon. Original to the Nintendo 64 Super Smash Bros.. Makes an electric sound when swung. The length of the blade changes based on wielder and strength of attack. According to popular myth, this was originally named lightsaber, from the Star Wars series, but LucasArts would not allow it.

• Bob-omb - the black walking bombs from the Mario series. Immobile but holdable (and throwable) for approximately 5 seconds. After that time, the Bob-omb will walk back and forth along the platform it's on and explode on contact with any player. After about 10 seconds of walking, the Bob-omb will pulsate and explode. A bonus is available if a player can grab the Bob-omb while pulsating and throw it away before it explodes. FoxMcCloud and Falco can deflect a Bob-omb walking towards them with their Down + B moves.

• Bunny Hood - a pair of fake bunny ears, from The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time. When worn in Super Smash Bros. Melee, the player jumps, runs, attacks, and falls much faster than normal. A player can wear this item and hold another item at the same time.

• Cloaking Device - a futuristic pod-like object. Considered by some to be borrowed from Perfect Dark, although this is unconfirmed. When equipped, the player is nearly invisible. A spontaneous rippling effect may occur, and when attacking, the player loses his or her invisibility for a short time. While attacks can still knock a player out of the arena, no further damage can be incurred by a player when invisible. A player can be cloaked and hold another item at the same time.

• Fan - a paper fan, bound at one end with red paper, original to the Super Nintendo game Earthbound. Strikes with this weapon are weak, but very rapid. The Fan has a 'vacuum' effect; once the player hits, their opponent will be drawn closer to them. The Fan breaks shields more easily than other melee weapons.

• Fire Flower - a flower with light orange petals and a pair of eyes in the center of the bloom. From the Mario series, with an appearance closer to the first game. Attacking (A-button attacks only) while holding this item causes the flower to spew fire for about 10 (not necessarily consecutive) seconds, after which it spews harmless smoke and is largely useless. When thrown, the Fire Flower burns one character for minor damage.

• Flipper - a pair of large rubber balls connected by a styled arm on an unseen axis. Borrowed from Balloon Fight. When thrown, the flipper will hover in place where it was thrown. Coming in contact with a flipper will stun the player for a short time.

• Food - small pictures of various food items of many types. Each piece of food restores about 5% of the player's health. A player can grab any health item, such as food, while holding another item.

• Freezie - a piece of jagged ice with a face (seen here). Borrowed from Mario Bros. (arcade). When thrown at a player, that player is frozen on contact, launched into the air, and immobile for a sizable amount of time. When a player is encased in ice, a fire-based attack will immediately thaw the ice. Freezies are fragile and can be broken by the slightest attack.

• Green Shell - a green Koopa Troopa shell, from the Mario series. Continues in the direction thrown until it hits a wall or falls off the stage. Can be stopped by jumping on it, like in the original Super Mario Bros. game. Compare to Red Shell.

• Hammer - a large sledgehammer with a large black head, from Donkey Kong. While equipped, the player is slowed, loses his/her double jump ability, and is generally less mobile. However, anyone who comes in contact with the head of the hammer during its use is knocked high into the air; this weapon generally results in at least one KO every time it appears. The head of the hammer may fly off shortly after use, unlike in the original Super Smash Bros.; the player with the handle is still stuck in the motion of using the hammer. The head can be thrown like a normal weapon, and retains much of the incredible power it had while unbroken. It is possible, although difficult, to throw the hammer while wielding it.

• Heart Container - a translucent heart shape, in a silver frame, from the Legend of Zelda series. In most modes, grabbing a Heart Container will remove 100 points of damage from a player, giving him a much better situation than he was in. In Stamina mode, where all players start with 150 HP, this item instead restores 100 units of health (up to a maximum of 150 HP); in All-Star mode, it removes all damage from the player.

• Home Run Bat - a wooden baseball bat, based on similar weapons from EarthBound. Can be swung for moderate damage; a Smash Attack with a Home Run Bat is a guaranteed knockout in all but the largest stages. A Home Run Bat is supplied at the beginning of the Home Run Contest. When Captain Falcon, if you hold longer than normal, Captain performs an uppercut attack that automatically kills.

• Lip's Stick - a long stick with a reddish flower at the end, from Panel de Pon (predecessor to Tetris Attack). When a player is hit with this weapon, a flower sprouts from his or her head, causing slow but steady damage while it remains there. Further hits with the stick make the flower grow and cause more damage. Quick movement of the Control Stick shakes the flower off.

• Maxim Tomato - a large tomato with an "M" printed on it, from the Kirby series. Restores 50 points of damage to the player that takes it.

• Metal Box - a green box with a white exclamation point on it, from Super Mario 64. When a player grabs this box, the fighter becomes metallic. While metallic, the player falls faster, jumps shorter, runs slower, is moved and interrupted less by opponent attacks, and becomes silent. A player can be metallic and hold another item at the same time.

• Motion Sensor Bomb - a gray land mine with green lights. Thought by some to be from GoldenEye 007 or Perfect Dark, but this is unconfirmed. When thrown, it sticks to the first stage surface it comes in contact with. It explodes on proximity to any player or on contact by any weapon blast.

• Mr. Saturn - a short alien being with large whiskers and a large nose, from EarthBound. Walks after a short delay, much like a slow Bob-omb. Can push other items around. If thrown, any damage done to it during it's presence on the battlefield will be dealt to whoever it hits. A muted trumpet plays on contact.

• Parasol - a red and white umbrella, from the Kirby series. Can be swung as a weapon; any player holding the Parasol will open it up automatically when falling, greatly reducing his falling speed and enabling easier returns to the stage.

• Party Ball - a large tan ball with a string, resembling a geodesic dome. When thrown, or hit enough, it rises from the point of contact, and opens up with a fanfare about 6 seconds later. The Party Ball will either release 4 Bob-ombs, about 15 pieces of Food, or 3 random items (including food and Bob-ombs).

• Poison Mushroom - red and white-capped mushroom with eyes on its stem; the Poison Mushroom is slightly darker than the Super Mushroom. It originates from Super Mario Bros.: The Lost Levels. The Poison Mushroom causes the player to shrink about one quarter his/her original size, making it easier to be knocked out of the arena. Merely walking over this item will cause the player to grab it. A player can be small and hold other items.

• Pokéball - a red and white ball with a gray button. Borrowed from Pokémon. Will release one of many Pokémon, each with its own attack. Computer players swarm to Pokéballs as soon as they appear on a stage.

• Ray Gun - a futuristic looking gun. Original to the Nintendo 64 Super Smash Bros. game. Fires green bolts of energy. Clicks when out of energy.

• Red Shell - a red turtle shell. From the Mario series, more specifically from Mario Kart. On first contact, the red shell travels back and forth on the platform it lands on, homing in on the nearest player. It disappears after about 15 seconds, and cannot be stopped.

• Screw Attack - a ball with a stylized S design. Borrowed from the Metroid series. Any player holding the Screw Attack will perform Samus Aran's Screw Attack with every jump. Throwing the item at an enemy will cause him or her to spontaneously perform the attack. A point bonus can be received by KOing the opponent with a throw of this item, usually done by hitting the opponent as they attempt to jump back to the main platform.

• Star Rod - a pink and white striped rod with a yellow star at the end, from the Kirby series. The rod can be swung as a weapon; more powerful swings will launch a large projectile star from the tip. When Captain Falcon uses the Star Rod, a Smash Attack will unleash three smaller sized stars; when Sheik does, it launches two stars. When thrown, the Star Rod sends any player it strikes diagonally downward, making it difficult to return to the platform.

• Starman - a flashing star with eyes from the Mario series. Renders the player who grabs it impervious to attack and damage. Merely touching the Starman will cause the player to grab it. Computer players immediately run away from a player who has touched a Starman.

• Super Mushroom - a red and white-capped mushroom with eyes on its stem, from the Mario series. This mushroom causes the player to grow to 4 times the original size, with increased attack power and defense to suit. Grabbing one of each kind of mushroom cancels out the effect of the first mushroom grabbed. Merely walking over this item will cause the player to grab it. A player can be large and hold other items.

• Super Scope - a small bazooka-like item that is a rendering of the SNES peripheral of the same name. Can fire small rapid balls of energy or be charged to fire a ball of greater size. The gun has the energy to fire about 20 small balls or 3 large ones, after which it is useless.

• Warp Star - a large yellow star, from the Kirby series. Grabbing the Warp Star will cause the user to hover wildly around the spot it was grabbed (causing no damage), rocket off the screen, and crash wildly to a spot determined by the player (either in the spot the item was grabbed, or about 5 player-lengths to either side). This attack causes sizable damage.

There are no items from the Fire Emblem series.

Although the games the Land Mine and Cloaking Device are from is listed as "TOP SECRET" one of the ending credits clearly states that "Certain characters and items from Perfect Dark", implying if not outright stating the source of these items.

Pokémon

The Pokéball item can unleash one of several possible Pokémon onto the battlefield. Unless otherwise mentioned, contact with the Pokémon itself causes damage.

The Pokémon, and the attacks their motions are based on, are:

Note: A move followed by (?) indicates that this is the possible name for the attack, but not the definite one.

In one Event Mode fight, the player must fight against a set of Wire Frame fighters and one Jigglypuff. The only items given are Pokéballs that release either Wobbuffet or one of the Legendary Pokémon (Articuno, Zapdos, Moltres, Lugia, Ho-oh, Raikou, Suicune, or Entei).

Of all the Pokémon, Chansey, Marill and Cyndaquil can be destroyed (even by the one who released them) by attacks before completing their attack

Stages

Unlocking secret characters

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Jigglypuff is the easiest to unlock. To unlock Jigglypuff, one must complete the Classic Mode or Adventure Mode once, or play 50 Versus Mode matches.

To unlock Dr. Mario, one must beat the Classic Mode or Adventure Mode using Mario, or play 100 Versus Mode matches. Dr. Mario is very similar to Mario, but throws capsules instead of fireballs and wields a white sheet instead of a gold cape.

To unlock Pichu, Pikachu's evolutionary predecessor, one must clear Event Match #37 or play 200 Versus Mode matches. Unlike Pikachu, Pichu's electrical attacks do damage to itself.

To unlock Falco, one must beat the 100-Man Melee, or play 300 Versus Mode matches. Falco's blasters are not as rapid as Fox's, but they cause opponents to flinch.

To unlock Marth, a character from the Fire Emblem series, one must use all of the initial (non-secret) characters in Regular Match mode or Versus mode at least once, or play 400 Versus Mode matches. Marth is a "magnificent swordsman", according to the his trophy description. Like Samus, his standing B-button attack is chargeable. His Down-B move serves as a counterattack move.

To unlock Young Link, one must complete Classic Mode ten times, or play 500 Versus Mode matches. Young Link is faster but weaker than adult Link. He shoots fire arrows, but his grab maneuver is shorter than adult Link's grab maneuver. Young Link's Kokiri Sword and bombs inflict less damage than adult Link's Master Sword and bombs. He can do wall jumps.

To unlock Ganondorf, one must complete Event Match #29, or play 600 Versus Mode matches. Ganondorf is a slower, more powerful copy of Captain Falcon.

To unlock Mewtwo, one must play 700 Versus Mode matches or 20 total hours of Versus Mode. Mewtwo uses mainly its mental powers to fight.

To unlock Luigi, one must finish the first level of Adventure Mode with the time limit seconds ones digit being a "2" (e.g. 1:32:87). After that one must finish the Adventure Mode in order to fulfill the goal, then Luigi is unlocked. Another way is to play 800 Versus Mode matches. Unlike Mario, Luigi's cyclone and uppercut attacks hit once per attack, and his fireballs defy gravity. His Green Missile move is similar to Pikachu's Skull Bash move.

To unlock Roy, another character from Fire Emblem, one must complete Classic or Adventure Mode using Marth without using continues (or Smash tokens), or play 900 Versus Mode matches. Roy's and Marth's B-button moves are nearly identical, but Roy is stronger and slower, and does more damage with the center of his blade where Marth operates best with the tip.

To unlock Mr. Game & Watch, one must complete Classic or Adventure Mode with the other characters, or complete the Target Test for all the other characters, or play 1000 Versus Mode matches.

Stadium

In the single player mode, there is an option to go to the Stadium. In the Stadium, players can choose between three mini-games: Target Test, Home Run Contest, and Multi Man Melee.

Target Test

This mode provides easy access to the target-breaking mini-game found in Classic Mode. The object is to destroy all ten targets within a certain timeframe; completing the Target Test within certain timeframes unlocks things. Each Target Test level is tailored to a particular character's attacks.

Completing the Target Test under certain time contraints can unlock things.

Home Run Contest

In the Home Run Contest, the player's goal is to hit a character named Sandbag as far as possible. Only 10 seconds are allowed and the more Sandbag is beaten before time's up, the farther it will go when hit. This all has to be done on a small platform, though, and if Sandbag goes off one will have to restart. The player can choose any character to beat up Sandbag.

Hitting the Sandbag certain distances, at once and as a combined total of all the characters' records, unlocks things. For example, if Sandbag is hit over 1,350 feet, the Yoshi's Island past stage will be unlocked.

Multi-man Melee

Multi-man Melee mode stars the Fighting Wire Frames. There are five types of Multi-man Melee modes: 10-Man Melee, 100-Man Melee, 3-Minute Melee, 15-Minute Melee, Endless Melee, and Cruel Melee.

Meeting certain requirements in the Multi-man Melee modes unlocks things.

Character "clones"

There are six character pairs that each contain two characters that resemble each other a lot (having similar moves). Although the moves of the characters may appear similar at first glance, there are very subtle differences between the characters that keep them distinct, especially to more advanced players.

• Mario and Dr. Mario (and Luigi, to a lesser degree)
• Link and Young Link
• Pikachu and Pichu
• Fox and Falco
• Captain Falcon and Ganondorf
• Marth and Roy

Luigi was more of a clone of Mario in the original Super Smash Bros. game. Falco is an adaptation of Fox as he appeared in the original Super Smash Bros. game.

Voice actors (seiyus)

• Narrator - Dean Harrington
• DK rap performance - James W. Norwood Jr.
• Captain Falcon - Ryo Horikawa
• Chikorita (Chicorita) - Mika Kanai
• Falco Lombardi - Hisao Egawa (Japanese version), Ben Cullum (English version)
• Fox McCloud - Shinobu Satouchi (Japanese version), Steve Malpass (English version)
• Ganondorf "Ganon" Dragmire - Takashi Nagasako
• Jigglypuff (Purin) - Mika Kanai (Japanese version), Rachael Lillis (English version)
• Kirby - Maiko Okamoto
• Link - Nobuyuki Hiyama
• Luigi - Charles Martinet
• Mario - Charles Martinet
• Marth - Hikaru Midorikawa
• Mewtwo - Masachika Ichimura
• Ness - Maiko Okamoto
• Peach - Jen Taylor
• Peppy Hare - Chris Seavor
• Pikachu - Ikue Otani (credited as Ikue Ohtani)
• Pichu - Satomi Kourogi (credited as Satomi Kohrogi)
• Popo of the Ice Climbers - Sanae Kobayashi
• Roy - Jun Fukuyama
• Slippy Toad - Chris Seavor
• Yoshi - Kazumi Totaka
• Young Link - Fujiko Takimoto
• Zelda/Sheik - Jun Mizusawa

Future

The future of Super Smash Bros. series currently lies in the balance. It has been widely speculated across Internet forums. Masahiro Sakurai, the creator of Super Smash Bros. and Kirby video game franchises, resigned from HAL Laboratory, Inc. in June 2003. He said that he left of his own free will and neither because of poor relationships nor because of a desire to establish a new corporation. Some other sources said that Sakurai felt that he was unable to develop the games he desired for Nintendo to publish. He eventually decided to resign on this basis, and engage in freelance work that befits his skills and talents. Sakurai said that even though the Kirby video game franchise will still be developed by HAL Laboratory, he has not said a word about the future of the Super Smash Bros. video game franchise. New additions to the Super Smash Bros. series have been widely speculated to be in development for the Nintendo DS and the upcoming Nintendo Revolution.

External links

• Super Smash Bros. Melee guide: Nintendorks.com
• Super Smash Bros. Melee - GameFAQs.com
• Smash World Forums
• IMDb entry for Super Smash Bros. Melee - Entered under the game's Japanese title (The Internet Movie Database uses the Japanese titles for video games of Japanese origin.)

• GameCube games
• HAL Laboratory games
• Versus fighting games
• 2001 computer and video games