It's finally here; the year's hottest GameCube title has just recently made its way to into the hands of thousands of gleeful GameCube owners everywhere. Super Smash Bros. Melee is certainly the most anticipated GameCube game thus far, and it lives up to all the hype. Building on everything that made the first Smash Bros. great, Melee is perhaps the most polished and downright fun game out on Nintendo's new system. There is no one word that sums up Super Smash Bros. Melee, but there are a few: Nostalgic, polished, beautiful, fun. The game has everything a Nintendo fan could want, and more.

Put simply, developer HAL has outdone itself. The first thing gamers will see, after the glorious intro movie, is the menu screen. From there players can pick from One player mode, VS. Mode, Trophies, Options, and Data. There are so many things to do in this game it is difficult, almost impossible, to sum it up in one review. The amount of features and options in Melee is downright insane, from Special Melees to Classic Mode, everything from the original Smash Bros. Is here, and much, much more.

The most significant improvement Melee has over it's predecessor is the addition of several new One player modes. The two most prominent modes in single player are Classic and Adventure. Classic mode is very similar to the original Smash Bros. one player game, gamers choose a character and participate in different verse matches in order to reach the final boss, the dreaded giant glove. The Adventure game is something new, allowing players to engage in classic side scrolling action, from jumping on the heads of Goombas Mario style to slashing redeads, ala Zelda.

Adventure mode is an awesome source of nostalgia for Nintendo fans. Along with Adventure comes another new addition to the single player experience, Event mode. Event modes are basically versus matches with unique scenarios, like destroying 128 mini-Marios or protecting Peach from Bowser. Each Event has it's own set of rules, some allow players to choose a character, some have a preset character to play, some are timed, some are not. This all boils down to a game featuring plenty of gameplay options for a lonesome gamer to enjoy.

One-player modes are great, but ask any Smash Bros. fan what is so good about the game and they'll say Multiplayer. Have friends? Smash Bros. Melee is the game for you. Perhaps THE best multiplayer/party fighting ever conceived, Melee offers tons of ways to battle it out with up to four comrades. There are three types of multiplayer modes, Melee, Tournament Melee, and Special Melee. Melee is a standard Smash Bros. VS. Match with Stock, Coin, Time, or Bonus settings. Tournament Melee is a tournament set up for VS. Matches with up to 64 players. Special Melee is home to unique types of Melee, such as Invisible Melee or Giant Melee. All the rules in the different Melee modes are completely customizable, offering endless number of ways to fight your friends, or the revamped computer players. And then there is the new Trophy mode, where players can marvel at detailed "trophies" they have collected through single player games or the lottery.

If the sheer fun of playing Melee isn't enough to get gamers coming back for more, obtaining all the secret characters and levels sure will. There are a total of 11 playable secret characters, and some of them can be very difficult to win. Surviving the 100 Man Melee
to get Falco Lombardi (the cocky pilot from Star Fox) is no task for softies. The secret characters range from popular Nintendo figureheads like Luigi to obscure characters like Marth and Roy from the Japan-only Fire Emblem series.

The controls in Melee are very similar to the original Smash Bros. game, although they are admittedly a little trickier to master. The most troublesome new control technique is using the Z-Button or R/L + A to grab and throw, but with a little bit of practice using these buttons becomes second nature. Other than that, the controls will feel very similar to Smash Bros. 64. Veteran Smash players should find themselves pummeling the competition in no time.

The gameplay in Smash Bros. Melee is enough to make a great game, but the amazing graphics are the icing on the cake. Player models are exquisitely detailed, from the flowing capes of Marth and Roy right down to the black fingernails on Ganondorf, the attention to detail will make any GameCube owner proud. The background detail is not up to par with the amazing character models all the time, but it is still a sight to behold. Take for instance the unique level Brinstar Depths, aside from the fact that the level itself rotates constantly, it also boasts some beautiful visuals. A boss from Super Metroid, a giant monster called Kraid, is alive and well in the background of Brinstar depths, slashing and roaring with life, and also very detailed. There is no doubt Super Smash Bros. Melee boasts some of the best visuals yet on the GameCube.

Melee has awesome gameplay and awesome visuals, but what about sound? Yep, it's got awesome sound too. All the sound effects from the old Smash Bros. have been revamped, but that's nothing. The music in Smash Bros. Melee is outstanding. Melee comes equipped with fully remastered versions of Nintendo classics like the Zelda, Mario, and Kirby theme songs, along with many more.

In the end, Super Smash Bros. Melee spares no expense, everything in the game has been polished to nth degree, (a little pun for you Conker fans) and it definitely shows. Melee deserves nothing short of the revered "killer app" label, simple as that. The only reason any 'Cube owner should consider not picking up this title is if they did not enjoy the original Smash Bros. at all, and if that's the case-j00 must be crazy.