Super Smash Bros. Melee

1: Fox McCloud is geared and ready for battle! 2: "The roster has indeed changed a bit since 1999" 3: Mario's signature fireball. 4: A classic hero/villain duel: Mario & Bowser. 5: As a battle ensues, Toad somehow winds up in the fray. 6: Ness sneaks up on a mysterious character dubbed Mr. Saturn.

For those who haven't already heard, a sequel for Super Smash Bros. is in the works! It will be called Super Smash Bros. Melee( of course, it's in huge lettering at the top of the page) and will be formatted for the Gamecube. Melee will sell for $49.99(Wow, that's cheap!), and the Gamecube will sell for $199, so start saving! Melee will be in stores November 5, the same day Gamecube hits stores, making it a "launch title". Post your ideas in the Message Board.

At E3( Electronic Entertainment Expo), the first Gamecube software was released to the public. At the Nintendo booth, many games were highly popular, but the one game that was the most popular and the most completed was none other than Super Smash Brothers Melee. Unlike most of the next-generation fighters, Melee would stay with 2-D gameplay rather than switching to 3-D fighting. Along with the gameplay, another feature also wowed the crowds, and that was the graphics. Melee was one of the rare games that actually had graphics in actual gameplay as good as the movies. Game Informer Magazine quotes, "To give an idea of the amazing graphics in the game, one can actually see the stitching on Mario's pants, reflections on Bowser's shell, and thousands of individual hairs on Fox McCloud."

Speaking of characters, the roster has indeed changed a bit since 1999. Most of (not all) the old class will return, and they've brought some new faces with them. Some of the new characters confirmed were Bowser, Ice Climber, Zelda as Shiek, Princess Peach, and others. Also, you can play as the Ice Climber Bobo, and Nana will follow you around as a sidekick! She can take damage separately, and if she takes too much, she will disappear from the match. Over 30 new items will also be included in the game, including a laser machine gun! In addition to new characters and new items, Nintendo will also add new moves to all the returning fighters, as well as new signature special moves. For example, one of Pikachu's moves summons a swarm of Unown, similar to the Beedrill in the original. Nintendo will also have new levels, such as the F-Zero racetrack (in which cars fly under the arena), a supposed Pokemon gym, Ness' hometown, Kirby's new Dreamland, and more. And also, Melee will feature an entirely new 1 Player mode, filled with battles, hidden characters, secrets, and surprises. Another new mode is the Coin Mode, in which doing tasks in each level, like beating on your opponent, will cause coins to shower from the sky. At the end of the match, the player who caught the most coins is the winner. And of course, the familiar VS. Mode will be just the same.

More new moves have made their way to the public. Samus returns with a missile attack! If you lightly tap B, Samus will release a weak missile, but if you press down B hardly, she will fire off a powerful missile. Nintendo claims that our beloved Kirby was too strong in Smash Bros. (and they were probably right!), so they have toned down Kirby for Melee. But Kirby has returned with a sledgehammer! If Kirby is in the air, he will swing it downward; if he's on the ground, he will swing it 360 degrees. Captain Falcon has returned basically the same, until you pick up a item that fires something! When you perform a Smash attack with a projectile item, for example, the star rod, Falcon will shoot not one, not two, but four projectiles at the same time! Falcon fans will be whooping with joy. Ness fans don't go away disappointed either. Most of Ness' attacks have revolved around his yo-yo, and the concept stays the same for Melee. For example, Ness now has the ability to Walk the Dog, which according to what we've heard, will be similar to Pikachu's electric attack in the first game. If anyone wants to win the game with rather cheap moves than pure skill, Bowser is your man. King Koopa comes to the game with a move called the Koopa Press, where Bowser jumps on his opponent, smothering them. Also, Bowser has the ability to lay on the ground and spin. Even more horrific is that Bowser can be controlled while he's spinning simply by moving normally. People will have to have exceptional skill to defeat him. Fox might just have the saving move we need. A.k.a.: his new and improved blaster. The new concept is: the farther away Fox is, the more damage it deals. DK however, has a new close up move: a headbutt. However, DK's headbutt slams the opponent into the ground, rendering him or her immobile for a few seconds. Peach has a rather strange saving move. Press Up+B and Peach will bring out...a parasol. While she's floating however, she can maneuver herself by holding left or right. An easy equal to Kirby's float power. Mario comes to Melee as a superhero, and has the cape to prove it. Mario's cape can reflect projectiles, as well as spin an opponent in the opposite direction if they happened to be charging. Yoshi's egg shield makes a return appearance, but as an attack. Yoshi can roll around while he's in his egg, similar to Bowser's Spin attack, but less deadly. And finally, we have Link, who has ditched his boomerang for a bow and arrow! If you hold down B, his arrow will do more damage, as well as fly farther. Everyone will be pleased at all the impressive moves in Melee.

The way Nintendo blew the crowds away at E3 symbolizes that Nintendo may finally be gaining back it's reputation as the king of video games. And with titles like Super Smash Bros. Melee, who can blame 'em? It seems 2001 and 2002 may be the years of Nintendo's return. Isn't it great to be an American? Anyways, we can seriously look forward to adding something on our Christmas lists. Here's a hint: It starts with S and rhymes with Buper Smash Bros. Melee( and possibly a Gamecube.) We children have dreams again.

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7: The super Smash Bros. Melee home picture.