Fans of a certain videogame title can let it continue to become relevant for as long as they want, especially when Super Smash Bros. Melee is the one being talked about here. Daniel Lee, editor in chief of Melee It On Me, spoke within the Game Developers Conference in San Francisco recently about the roots of the community that is the popular brawler of a Nintendo title. The editor was also a formerly competitive player in Melee and he went by the name of Takofints. Now he runs the online community and podcast known as “Melee It On Me,” which is dedicated to the series. The game originally debuted in 2001, and it still holds a special place in the hearts of many gamers of today. In fact, the title is even active within the tournament scene.
Super Smash Bros. Melee Can Still be Seen Within the Tournament Scene
Even though there are already two Smash titles that have been released after Super Smash Bros. Melee, there are many who stayed with the title to continuously hone their skills in beating their opponents while using iconic characters such as Mario, Kirby, Pikachu, and the like. The game has already sold over 7.09-million copies, and two of the reasons why many still stick with it is because it has faster combat that largely relies on combo-based strategies and tactics.
Many fighting games, such as the Street Fighter and Tekken franchises, are quickly overshadowed by their sequels. In other words, when a sequel to the current installment has been released, many gamers immediately “forget” about the old game and move on to the next. But this is not the case with Super Smash Bros. Melee (Gamecube) as there are still many brawlers that are seen today, even more so in the tournament scene, that duke it out with each other.
What’s surprising here is not that the title is still being made to be relevant today, but it is being done with virtually no support from Nintendo. While there are games such as Counter-Strike and League of Legends that are supported by their developers with tournaments, Melee competitions are being held in more modest settings. While these contests don’t have much leadership, the feeling of joy to be a part of it is still very real amongst many players.
With the rise of live-streaming, the community surrounding Super Smash Bros. Melee continues to rise even further. Websites like Twitch and YouTube are key players in continuously making the title relevant for more years to come.