- Super Smash Bros. Melee
Imagine being Nintendo and HAL Laboratory in late 1999, basking in the glory that was Super Smash Bros. After performing the miracle of bringing all of Nintendo’s beloved characters together for a 3D free-for-all fighting game that was fun, colorful, and successful beyond expectation. Just as their popping champagne and soaking in the glory, there must’ve been a moment where they all stopped for a second and asked themselves:
“Now what?”
Because no matter how good the first Smash Bros. was, there was always more possibility to it. Two years later, more of that possibility was fulfilled with Super Smash Bros. Melee. It’s not only the Gamecube’s best-selling work (7 million), but one of Nintendo’s definitive titles in its entire catalogue and one of the most outstanding titles in the fighting genre. Everything the first game laid the groundwork for, Melee expanded on: More characters, richer graphics, bigger stages, epic music. Gameplay was cleaner and more fluid, which makes it all the better to watch Kirby drop a brick onto the Ice Climbers. Stages popped off the screen and could host battles on multiple areas, like the iconic Hyrule Temple. Smash Bros. represents the best of what the GameCube represented: taking possibility and expanding it to it’s full potential. – Jon Winkler
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