Single-player mode provides the player with a variety of side-scrolling fighting challenges. Not all stages are available immediately some stages must be "unlocked" by achieving particular requirements. Although the stages are rendered in three dimensions, players can only move on a two-dimensional plane. Additionally, most stages have a theme relating to a Nintendo franchise or a specific Nintendo game and are interactive to the player. These items have purposes ranging from inflicting damage on the opponent to restoring health to the player. ĭuring battles, items related to Nintendo games or merchandise fall onto the game field. Melee can be accessed via one-button presses and a joystick direction. Unlike other games of the same genre, in which moves are entered by button-input combinations, most moves in Super Smash Bros. The higher the percentage value, the farther the player gets knocked back, and the easier they are to knock off the stage. Each character's health is measured by a meter that represents the damage received as a percentage. Most attacks inflict damage and can, if enough damage is dealt, knock back the enemy. Instead, opposing players must force their opponents beyond the boundaries of the stage. Melee differs from traditional fighting games in that inflicting the most damage does not guarantee victory. See also: Gameplay of the Super Smash Bros. It achieved strong sales upon release, and is the GameCube's best-selling game, with more than seven-million copies sold as of March 10, 2008. The game received a generally positive reception from the media, as well as awards and acknowledgements from gaming publications. Following the popularity of its multiplayer gameplay, Melee has been featured in several multiplayer gaming tournaments. It builds on the first game's broad appeal by adding new features related to gameplay and playable characters. Melee's gameplay system offers an unorthodox approach to the "fighter" genre as percentage counters measure the level of damage received, rather than the health bar traditionally seen in most fighting games. The stages and gameplay modes make references to, or take their designs from, popular games released by Nintendo. The game is centered on characters from Nintendo's video gaming franchises such as Mario, The Legend of Zelda, and Pokémon.
HAL Laboratory developed the game, with Masahiro Sakurai as head of production. It is the successor to the 1999 Nintendo 64 game Super Smash Bros., and the predecessor to the 2008 Wii game Super Smash Bros. "Great Melee Smash Brothers Deluxe"), often abbreviated as SSBM or simply as Melee, is a crossover fighting game released for the Nintendo GameCube shortly after its launch in 2001 ( 2002 in the PAL region). Melee, known in Japan as Dairantō Smash Brothers DX ( 大乱闘スマッシュブラザーズDX Dairantō Sumasshu Burazāzu Derakkusu ?, lit.