SUPER SMASH BROS. MELEE

Reviewed By: Jon Cook
VOLUNTEER GUEST REVIEWER

GAME TECH INFO

Computer Platform: Game Cube (Nintendo)
Produced by: Nintendo
Price Range: $41-50
Learning curve time: under 30 mins.
Age level: Older Child to Adult
ESRB Rating: Teen

Genre: Action/adventure
Christian Rating: 4 of 5
   (slightly offensive)
Gameplay: 5 of 5
   (excellent)
Violence: 3 of 5
   (mild)
Adult Content: 5 of 5
   (none)

Ever since the debut of “Super Smash Bros.” on the N64 gamers have eagerly awaited word of a sequel for it. Now that sequel has finally arrived on Nintendo's next generation system, the Gamecube.

"Super Smash Bros. Melee" was one of the most anticipated games in recent memory, and rightly so. From the excellent opening--to each stage--it is one of the best multi-player games to date. "Super Smash Bros. Melee" is a fighting game which puts Nintendo characters against each other in king-of-the-hill type battles in which your goal is to use your various techniques to knock the other character off the level. There are 14 default characters to choose from including:

Mario - Everyone's favorite plumber
Princess Peach - Princess of the Mushroom Kingdom
Bowser - Mario's archenemy
Yoshi - Mario's dinosaur friend
Link - The young hero from Zelda
Princess Zelda - Namesake of the Zelda series who can transform into her alterego Shiek during battle
Pikachu - The cute electric mouse from Pokémon
Samus - The intergalactic bounty hunter from Metroid
Fox Mccloud - The daring Arwing pilot from Star Fox
Kirby - The pink balloon who can swallow his opponent
Ness - The psychic boy from Earthbound
Donkey Kong - The ape with the powerful punch
Captain Falcon - The daredevil racecar driver from F-Zero
Ice Climbers - The eskimo duo Popo and Nana

Screenshot from 'Super Smash Bros. Melee'

In addition to these characters, there are also 11 secret characters to unlock by accomplishing various goals. There is 18 default stages with locations like "Princess Peach's Castle", "Corneria", and "Great Bay". Eleven stages are waiting for you to unlock them and enjoy.

In 1-p mode there is “Regular Match” (choose from Classic, Adventure, or the unlockable All-Star); Event Matches (special situation matches), and Stadium (three mini-games: Target Test, Home Run Contest, and Multi-Man Melee).

In VS mode there is standard Melee, Tournament Melee, and Special Melee with special rules. Another great feature is the Trophy Gallery which showcases trophies you've unlocked. The trophies are characters, items, places, and things in Nintendo's past from the Game and Watch to the Gamecube which adds some interesting tidbits about Nintendo's history.

As a Christian there is nothing really offensive although someone who doesn't like fighting games wouldn't like it. Several characters have attacks considered magical or psychic but it shouldn't be a problem. It is a great alternative to more brutal and violent fighting games like "Mortal Kombat". Actually I'm not really sure why it got a “T” rating. I highly recommend this game. This is a must have for any Nintendo fan.

Year of Release—2001

Comments from Young People…

Positive—I find nothing wrong with S.S.B.M. and I enjoy it a lot. I play it for hours on weekends and have fun playing against/with my friends. My Ratings: [5/5]
   —Kevin Dickerson, age 17

Positive—While this game is a fighting game and inevitably will have violence I feel that it is a very mild amount when compared to such games as Halo, Resident evil, Mortal Combat,and Perfect Dark. All of the games listed above have a dark serious and morbid theme while super smash brothers melee is good clean fun. Though this game is a fighting game it isn't what one would expect. It has no blood, gore, or visible sign of people getting hurt. You lose the game by simply getting knocked off the screen. If any of your kids have ever played zelda, mario, yoshi, pokemon, or any other mascot game for Nintendo they will love knocking the socks off other mascot character. (the Nintendo 64 version is considerably less graphic if you determine that this is not for your child). My Ratings: [4/5]
   —Timothy Hall, age 14

Positive—This game is for Gamecube. The storyline is for the player to win a battle against 1 or more opponents until he/she wins. For 1 player, You must defeat 1 opponent almost every time. For the exception is Mario Bros., Kirby team, Fighting polygon team, and when you fight the Ice-climbers. Some items may seem violent but they do not produce blood or any undesired features. One is the classic Mario's Hammer. The user turns red and swings it, trying to hit the opponent and send him flying into the air. After around 30 sec. the Hammer disappears and the character can grab and throw things again. Most people don't fight each other but they like trying different difficulties on one player and earning new characters. In a Christian point of view, S.S.B.M. Is a fun and neat game, not intended to become a source of violence. I find nothing wrong with S.S.B.M. and I enjoy it a lot. I play it for hours on weekends and have fun playing against/with my friends. My Ratings: [4/5]
   —Kevin, age 13

Positive—I think this game is awesome! People who are easily offended by violence wouldn't like this game, but I think the punching is no worse than the kind you see in PG movies. When you knock someone off the screen you can taunt them, but I didn't take any offense off this either. I think that you have to be ages 10+ to really enjoy this game, though. I can't get any morals off this game, but it definitely encourages teamwork. I didn't catch any swear words in the time that I've played this. Since I am a Christian, I especially enjoy that this game has no occultic material. This is such a neat game! My Ratings: [4/5]
   —Allie Etter, age 12

Positive—This is a very cool and fun game!!! The kicking and punching isn't bad at all, and no blood or guts or other gorey stuff. No cuss words either. The characters don't even speak full sentences except for Captain Falcon. When he taunts he says, “Show me your moves.” That's all though. There is one part that would scare little kids, though. In 1 player mode if you chose adventure, there is one hard and and creepy stage called,"Underground Maze" It looks a lot like a dungeon and there are creepy zombies that you must kick and punch, or they'll grab on to your character. My 8 year old sister was scared of that at first, but overall this is a great clean game! My Ratings: [4/5]
   —Krysten, age 11

Disclaimer: The opinions expressed in this Christian Spotlight review are those of the reviewer (both ratings and recommendations), and do not necessarily reflect the opinions of Films for Christ or the Christian Answers Network.