Super Smash Bros. Melee GC Review (Super Mario All-Stars (N64))

Member Name: ps2update

Product:	Super Mario All-Stars (N64)
Date:	12/12/02 (1173 review reads)
Rating:

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When Nintendo released Super Smash Bros. in 1999 it put a fun spin on all things Nintendo as well as the fighting game genre. With 12 Nintendo characters to choose from, one could pick their favourite character and bash their way through all the others in 1-player mode or have a 4-player all out free for all (by far the games best feature). With moves so simple even the most inexperienced player can play it, it was fun for everyone. Now not only have Nintendo recreated this fun fighting frenzy but it has also drastically improved it, promising a treat for all!

GRAPHICS

This game has a beautiful display of graphics. While it's true that most fighting games are more realistic as far as graphics go, the drawback is after so many "realistic" fighting games they all start to look the same. Not so for Smash Bros. Melee though. This game throws away realism while at the same time renders everything in bright, colourful 3D graphics. With just enough "eye candy" to keep any gamer pleased while still keeping a light, fun feel this is a delight for all.
The characters are as crisp and bright no matter who is picked as the playable character. Samus's suit is shiny and metallic and her electric blast looks sharp, Link is dressed down to the last detail and even his sword gleams in the sun as he lunges at his opponent. Pikachu is as cute as ever and even lesser known old school characters such as the Ice Climbers are looking great, right down to their fluffy parkas! This really shows how much care and attention was put into each Nintendo fighter.
Brilliantly designed worlds really set the mood for the battles in this game. From the wide flowing stage of Hyrulean Temple, to the classic Mario Bros. stage, each one offers something special and unique to the fight. For the poke'mon lover there is Poke'mon Stadium and Saffron City, while for the nostalgia lover there is Mario Bros. I and II stage as well as a stage for the
Ice Climbers. With 18 original levels and 11 unlockable ones to choose from there's something for everyone.
Battles take place at an unbelievable fast pace and even with 4 players there is no slowdown whatsoever. Even when items are raining from the heavens and everyone's making a mad dash for that heart container it doesn't slow down. The only thing that might be a problem is when the battle spreads too far apart the camera has a hard time keeping all the players on screen in wide levels or it may back up too far in an effort to catch the action. However since this only seems to happen on wide levels it's a flaw that can be overlooked.

19/20

SOUND

In fighting games aside from controls and graphics, sound can make or break a game like this but once again Nintendo came through. This game has an awesome array of music for every level that fit wonderfully with this game.
Whether its Star Fox's theme song as the fight takes place on his ship to the NES Zelda II dungeon music remake as Link and Gannondorf battle it out in the Hyrulean Temple, it all comes through beautifully, perfectly complimenting each level. This gives that special feel to each stage, giving the gamer the feeling that they just stepped back in time to the game each stage represents.
Even the sound effects are great. The comical sound effects for the various weapons give a certain feel as it's played, such as the rush and feeling of powerful as you wield the mighty hammer about. The voices are a fun treat, from the lil' Yoshi's yelling as they're whacked out of the ring to the poke'mon attacking as they emerge from the pokeballs! Although many tunes and effects have already been done on the previous game, all in all Super Smash Bro. Melee is top notch in the sound department.

17/20


LIFESPAN

When people tend to think of fighting games, the thought is they're
generally short, with no
t much to offer other than a few unlockable secrets and multiplayer fun. That's where this game really excels in it's class. While the first game was really only good as a 4-player game this one is a whole new ballgame entirely! This game will keep any gamer busy for hours on end whether alone or with friends.
For those playing one player, there is a "Classic Mode", which is a mode where gamers fight one opponent after another until they fight and beat Master Hand. For something a little different from the traditional "Classic Mode" try "Adventure Mode" where not only does the gamer fight opponents but tries to fulfil specific requirements, such as finding the Triforce in an underground maze while fighting off Link each time a false Triforce is touched or trying to escape from the planet Zebes before time runs out after the fearsome fight with Samus.
There's an unlockable "All Star Mode" in which players go head to head with different opponents with the only chance to recover health being between matches. One must be careful though, as there are only so many heart containers to heal with. "Melee Mode" is just like it sounds, swarms of polygon fighters attack relentlessly and the goal is simply to see how long one can last without healing. There are various lengths of Melee Mode as well as a "100 Man Melee" in which the player is pitted against 100 polygon fighter and finally
"Cruel Melee", where gamers are challenged to defeat polygons programmed by Nintendo's finest gamers - don't expect to last long there!
Last but certainly not least are Event Battles, a real treat. Event battles test the gamer's skill to his/her extreme by challenging the gamer to win the battles by completing specific requirements. For example one challenge called "Slippy's Invention" forces the contender to knock out the Star Fox crew on their ship. Sounds easy enough,
right? Not so because Slippy's invention allows the entire Star Fox crew to fight while being infinitely invisible!
And with 51 Event Battles there's plenty of insane challenges to beat!
One final note for all those who just like to collect things, there's a Trophy Collection to try to complete. With a whopping 290 trophies to collect this will take quite some time to finish. Trophies are collected by various methods such as: beating all modes with every playable character, scattered throughout the different modes as well as by putting coins won by playing the game into a gumball like machine to receive new trophies. Though not the main focus of the game, a fun past time nonetheless.

25/25

GAMEPLAY

We've all played fighting games before, but somehow this game strays from that same old Tekken, Street Fighter stereotype. The theme is simple, the controls are simple and yet while one can quickly get bored with all the other fighting games this one is very addictive. It's easy to get frustrated at this game, with all its insane challenges, but no matter the level of frustration, sooner or later that controller will be picked back up, the console turned on and that "one more try" in progress! One of the main things that separates this game from the typical fighting game is the fact that is pure fun all the time and never becomes tiresome or tedious. Unlike the more serious storylines of most fighting games, this takes a much lighter tone, in fact there is little plot or story at all. The story just consists of a bunch of Nintendo character action figures trying to defeat the Master Hand to free themselves from the toy box (Ed - gripping stuff)! This detachment from seriousness is actually refreshing to the fighting genre, much like Earthbound (SNES) and Okage: Shadow King (PS2) was to RPG's.
The battle system is unlike any fighting game thus far. In a typical fighting game, the goal is to simply
pound away at the opponent until their life meter is depleted or to throw the opponent from the ring this game gives an entirely different approach. The main goal is to throw the challenger off the stage....sounds easy right? This is where the battle system takes a twist unlike any fighting system thus far. Although attacks do damage, neither the gamer nor the opponent can be KO'd this way. The damage inflicted makes the challenger weaker and easier to throw off the ring, so the key isn't to pound the foe into oblivion, simply to do enough damage to throw them successfully from the ring...a task easier said than done.

The larger the character, the more difficult it is to throw them out of the ring. This also plays a role in the player picked to fight the large foe. While Bowser might not have as much trouble tossing D.K. off the stage (Ed - tossing D.K off?), a light character such as Young Link will have to pound away at D.K. quite some time to be able to throw the big lug off, while D.K. could throw Young Link off quite easily.
This gives it almost a strategic element to it, something not seen in most fighting games. Let's not forget the items! The arsenal of things to attack your opponent with is astounding, from Japanese fans, ray guns, beam swords, baseball bats to the mighty hammer, the possibilities are endless! The falling items also give a frantic feel to the game. The need to dive for that gun before the opponent gets his grubby mitts on it adds that urgency and getting it first makes the battle all the more fun!
Finally the sheer variety of the game speaks volumes. As mentioned before there are numerous things to do on this game: invite over friends and have a free for all or team up with a buddy and do a team match, or go it solo and try out the Adventure, Classic, Melee and the unlockable All Star, or, or, or the possibilities really are endless. All in all the many options should keep any gamer of any level busy for a go
od long while. Not to mention the Event Battles, the Trophy collection, and the unlockable characters and levels. All in all this is a gem of a game.

25/25

ORIGINALITY

Although the concept behind Super Smash Bros. is quite original in its own right, since this is a sequel it really boils down to more of the same. Not that this is a bad thing, after all "if it ain't broke don't fix it" but since this section concentrates on "originality" the game falls down a little here although not as many as one would expect as there are many new additions to the game. A very excellent sequel though and a wonderful display of what Nintendo is capable of creating.

6/10

OVERALL

Well, after reading all of the above, it should be clear what's coming now! This is a brilliant, simple to play yet hard to beat, fun and EXTREMELY addictive game that anyone of any age can (and probably will) enjoy. For all those yet to experience this game, it's a shame because you've been missing out on something spectacular! So go on, turn off this computer, get your tail up and at the very least head off to the nearest rental shop and rent this baby!

92%

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