The Bizarre Case of Super Smash Bros. Melee

[@DuoStuff]

Correction: Wave-dashing and L-canceling aren't glitches. Anyways- Hope you enjoy the video and have a good day.

[@Quackra]

Anyone who says L-canceling is a glitch is actually just wrong entirely, it is a feature that was just a nerfed version of z-canceling from Smash 64. Wavedashing is just an exploit that was left in the game because no one developing the game thought it would be as useful as it actually is. Anyone calling either a glitch are just uninformed about a lot of stuff about gaming or the mechanics of the game.

[@prodMAggs]

​@@Quackra exploit = glitch 🤣 you didn't choose your words correctly

[@neetdemon]

@@prodMAggs Exploit =/= Glitch. A glitch is an unintended and an unknown hiccup within the game during development, whether it be through UI or the physics of the game.

[@ms.aelanwyr.ilaicos]

the line between glitch and exploit tends to reside in the eye of the beholder

[@anothenblue2630]

@@ms.aelanwyr.ilaicos no, it's very clear. Glitch is when something goes wrong, e.g. 2+2=5. An exploit is when something works perfectly fine, but has unforseen applications or effects. Wavedashing is just momentum from air dodge being carried into landing, it's not even exclusive to air dodge since ANY burst movement causes it, air dodge is simply universal and efficient.

[@gtothee5723]

This game is top 10 of all time. As a kid, playing this one the GameCube it seemed incredibly modern and futuristic. From the model gallery, to the scoring system after story fights… amazing mechanics that blew my mind as a kid

[@DuoStuff]

Actually yeah, that is a good way to describe the vibe of the game. Like even to this day, the UI design is just so... "Futuristic."

[@user-lv8lt8gu4g]

Where are the tiktok gen whiners on this comment lol. Let me help, Brawl was slow and awful after playing 🙌 Melee 🙌, even with all the glitches.

[@isambo400]

Top 2

[@MC-bd5ub]

It's definitely a solid game, and I enjoyed many hours of playing it, and it has replay value, but it isn't top ten or even close.

[@gtothee5723]

@@MC-bd5ub what’s your top 10 video games of all time then

[@izecjaxn9971]

When he said "I'm a Poke Floats....kinda guy," my heart smiled. This guy gets it.

[@Quackra]

I love poke floats as well, it is my favorite casual stage

[@AlaskaBoyAlex]

I've watched countless videos about why melee is so unique and cool, but I was delighted to see one come in my inbox and loved the video. Bravo man

[@DuoStuff]

Well I'm glad you enjoyed it, and I hope you continue to enjoy my future content as well.

[@LiquidPr1d3]

teared up at the end ngl. melee means everything. from goofing around with friends, to playing high level games at local tournaments, i'll nver stop playing melee. its the best game of all time

[@matiaspereyra9375]

I grew up with melee in a world without guides or internet wiki's so everything about melee was an absolute surprise I knew nothing about and my imagination and folk tales from older friends was all I had. So more than just organic, all the charactersm trophies, modes and secrets that I discovered along the way from the secret star fox codec conversations, getting Mew to unlocking sound test, thinking that Sonic and Daisy were legitimatley in the game, getting to fight crazy hand, It didnt feel like I was finding unlockables It felt like i had somehow accessed a nintendo nexus that was activley evloving or creating new content as i went along with it and it made this game feel limitless in every way. This was reinforced when the first thing you see in brawls trailer are the melee models literally evolving, almost like my gamecube disc was going to magically morph into a brawl disc at some point. But when I saw giga bowser im not gonna lie. I thought satan himself had corrupted my gamecube because there was 0% chances that the developers who had set a tone for the entire game were responsible for this contrasting anomaly design which was so brute and demonic I thought it was going to rip right out of my screen. It was just so edgy, ugly, sickly looking and beastly that it almost felt like some sort of glitch in the system had accidentally created it

[@viscountrainbows2857]

I just about pissed myself on first seeing Giga Bowser. I don't know how I beat him first try but I felt like "...What the hell was THAT all about?!"

[@handolo1266]

*THIS* OH YES MY FRIEND, MANY MAY NOT UNDERSTAND...BUT I DO.

[@HistoryandReviews]

Uhh there were MANY guides and internet walkthroughs. Did you live in a barn?

[@matiaspereyra9375]

@@HistoryandReviews I did have a desktop. I just didnt know those things were available on the internet

[@Scharfster]

@@HistoryandReviews my brother in christ not a lot of people had access to internet mid 2000s

[@joeysummers8830]

This game was such an important and special part of my childhood. I played it all throughout elementary and high school. There were so many secrets and unlockables that made the game unique and fun. Fighting Giga Bowser, trying to unlock all the characters, trying to unlock all the trophies, all the characters, stages, modes and music. There was never anything to get bored with. I still play to this day. My favourite play session is going to temple and the Fire Emblem theme plays. That was my favourite song from the game. We're lucky this game came out when it did. Nowadays all the characters and unlockables would be spoiled on twitter day one. It was a great time to be a 10+ year old playing melee. Love those days!

[@DuoStuff]

For real though. It was kinda magical getting to discover all of this stuff on my own. It lent the game a sense of mystery the later games (4 and Ultimate specifically) didn't have, even if I did enjoy the character speculation that came with the later games.

[@fluffcake]

I only played Melee after Brawl and even with the scaled down graphics and less characters, I found myself really enjoying its quirky and special manner. This game is a treasure.

[@DuoStuff]

It definitely has a style that's uniquely its own, and I mean that in a good way.

[@Alph4Falc0]

In terms of artistic choice, melee wins out in the graphics department for me, the characters may have less polygons but I prefer it over brawls dirty realism

[@DuoStuff]

@@Alph4Falc0 I think both have their charm. It's kinda like the Wind Waker vs. Twilight Princess thing where one definitely ages better, but there's a certain rustic charm to Brawl's visual design that can't really be replicated because it's entirely a product of its time.

[@viscountrainbows2857]

Brawl in some ways just felt sorta borked The phycics were a little off, the random slipping, the colour palette looked a little washed out and leaning too grimdark, they took out MewTwo, and the level editor was so bare bones that it may as well have not been there, for me at least. So yep, I was content to keep playing Melee even when my mom did get a Wii eventually.

[@LeetTron5000]

young link is a clone but he feels immensely different to Link. They did a solid job at making the clones not feel the same at all to paly.

[@peregrinecovington4138]

They really did. Even doctor Mario plays different from Mario

[@AF-nb1ry]

The intro and art style of the cutscenes is a good reflection of the time.

[@mambo2982]

Great video! Two underrated aspects of the game are the end credits for the modes where you shoot the names that pop up. Absolutely mind blowing as a kid, never had I seen an interactive credits sequence like that. And two being the post victory screen, where it shows the characters clapping and the scores with the winning characters celebration. That was so unique and added such charm to the game. I could honestly talk about this game forever, I’ve been a part of the competitive scene since 2013, but this video brought back so many memories from playing the game during my childhood. When I first got the game I remember being like awe-struck that I finally owned it.

[@HotelMari0Maker]

I'm glad I watched the video to the very end because I haven't heard that little jingle at 34:14 in I don't know how many years and it brought me right back to my childhood. Made me teary-eyed 🥲

[@flippant_foe]

(8:43) Marth's design in Super Smash Bros. Melee is based on his design in Fire Emblem: Mystery of the Emblem (Fire Emblem 3). Melee decided to go with Marth's most modern design at the time which was from that game meaning we were "spared" for Fire Emblem 1's pantless Marth

[@DuoStuff]

Trust me, I'm glad. His old design was... Odd. Whereas his design from 3 (which from my awareness is pretty much his design from the remakes as well) looks much more distinct. That's my opinion at least.

[@Itstime1231]

sounds like we were robbed

[@xboxgamer474246]

I spend so much time in comp melee that it’s refreshing to hear a review of the game from outside that space. This is how most of us played it in 2004 :)

[@DuoStuff]

Yeah I like watching comp Melee from time to time, but I'm definitely more of a casual player. It's been "interesting" to see how the more dedicated sides of the Smash community take these retrospectives. (So far comp Melee fans have been mostly chill with a couple odd angry outsiders, whereas the small group of comp 64 fans were quite unhappy with *any* critique I made of the game, no matter how insignificant. lol)

[@minizimi3790]

@@DuoStuff You should go check out the competitive homerun contest and break the targets (and all the other modes).

[@connorking1386]

My childhood feels so validated by this video

[@iamafish7]

That home run hit was *chef kiss* glorious.

[@DuoStuff]

Glad you liked it.

[@ThePlopem]

My favorite part about the roster was that it had question marks to make you think there was only a few characters to unlock but then hidden ones started appearing and it made me feel like I never knew who might come next. Discovering the roster was my favorite part about this game and its just not possible to go in that blind with modern games anymore.

[@mrgreenboy644]

Honestly I'm amazed by the quality of this video. You deserve way more subscribers

[@DuoStuff]

Thank you! Glad you enjoyed it!

[@Toniooo1700]

23:47 this description was so vivid I got pretty emotional from it, being one of my favorite gaming memories

[@DuoStuff]

Wow, that's nice to hear actually.

[@lindblumpickles3407]

I get the clone argument, but as a kid I was SO FREAKING EXCITED hearing that Young Link was in the game. I always connected with him more as I was like 4 when Ocarina of Time came out. So glad they brought him back in Ultimate 😁

[@sofotheramensoup7521]

I have every single noise, music, and sound effect burned into my heart, brain and soul this game means a lot to me and reminds me of old good times with my cousins in my old house and all those days of fun, making up stories with the characters like they were toys... I used to main Peach and Kirby (I was little girl so I went for the cute ones) I didn't have internet so I never knew It was a such beloved game. Thanks to my dad the one that bought me the GameCube

[@HistoryandReviews]

Heart burn? Take medication. The heart remembers nothing

[@playc.holder6432]

20:38 Trophy's were an underrated aspect of SSBM and should have carried over to every future iteration

[@DuoStuff]

For real. Even if they didn't, at least a description would've been nice. *glares at spirits*

[@lloydirving6209]

I like that it didn't carry over, as now it is a unique thing that gives melee some of its charm.

[@King_Luigi]

@@lloydirving6209 How is it unique when literally every Smash game has them, except for 64/Ultimate?

[@davidvkimball]

Pretty good overview of the game. Melee is such a masterpiece - from the visual design, to the sound design, to the gameplay... every bit of it is wonderful. And I feel you captured that, so thank you. Especially the wonder of wanting to explore everything Melee had to offer. The best casual and competitive Smash experience you can get. ♥ My critiques of your video: wavedashing is not a glitch. It's a physics exploit, and was known by the developers prior to release, Sakurai even claiming it was a utility that could be used "as a kind of backdash."

[@aurora_x86]

What did he mean by “a kind of backdash”? I mean you could use it that way, but you’re better of just das dancing instead

[@davidvkimball]

@@aurora_x86 hard to say. He didn't expound on that from what I've seen.

[@Michael_Dominic]

oh hi david >:)

[@davidvkimball]

@@Michael_Dominic Hey!

[@Alph4Falc0]

Not to mention in smash 64 L cancelling is officially titled “smooth landing” on the website and the move got carried over into melee without documentation on melees webpage

[@TetraCrystal]

Loved this. Amazing work. So nice to see a fond perspective of melee from a non competitive lense for once

[@ariesomega2487]

best smash game by far last smash game with actual movement

[@lapplandkun9273]

Last smash game with actual movement? Not really. Smash 64 was kind of slow as well. Melee was the only one with fast movement. You must've only played melee

[@ariesomega2487]

@@lapplandkun9273 first of all no good movement is not all about speed. 64 has pivots, z canceling low input lag. if you play smash 4 or ultimate you will quickly realise what not free movement means. no dash dancing, huge input lag, no shield drop (in ultimates case), sluggish movement from ledge in few words everything is a commitment and on top of that is is also slow

[@theviewer9363]

They were sleep deprived, no wonder the game feels like a feverish day dream, and turned into everyones favorite feverish daydream

[@ShonieBoy]

14:46 😂😂

[@DuoStuff]

Legit my favorite part of the video right there.

[@TheUltimateStooges]

Thank you for the video! The ending made me tear up a little bit remembering all the good times playing this game growing up. Definitely one of my top games ever, still to this day!

[@TrueYankeeFan]

This is the first video of yours I've seen, and it's very well-made. I just have a few nitpicks: While it's true that clone characters share the same animations, they do NOT simply feel slightly different to play. Most of them feel significantly different from each other, and actually I think the strongest example is the one you mentioned in the video: Ganondorf plays like, nothing like Captain Falcon. Other people have already commented this, but L-Cancelling and Wavedashing are not glitches - the former is 100% an intended mechanic and the latter is more of an engine exploit than a glitch. The main reason us Melee fans are so adamant about that correction is because a lot of anti-Melee people like to shit-talk it on the grounds that everything we like about it comes from glitches, which is a little true but not completely. I also lowkey disagree that 64's SFX were better, but that's such a small subjective thing lol. Anyway, nice video!

[@Alph4Falc0]

Very nice video! It’s always nice to see someone’s perspective of melee from a casual standpoint but I would like to make some notes. Wavedashing and L-cancelling are not glitches, they are part of the games engine, Sakurai even speaks in an online Japanese forum about Luigi’s long wavedash due to his low traction, and L cancelling was documented on smash 64s website known officially as “smooth landing,” and the technique was brought over into melee

[@OGKidMelee]

As a competitive melee player too, i think he used those to stretch the point across but you are right

[@DuoStuff]

Yeah I already corrected that in a pinned comment. Glad you enjoyed the video though.

[@mastahbutlah]

Got teary eyed a bit there at the end bud

[@bradsbrickpost]

Great video! Watching this was so nostalgic for me!

[@tonysoprano4883]

"Characters that play the same as each other" - Shows Fox and Falco. TRIGGERED

[@Favk21]

I expected copper but found gold. Absolutely excellent video!

[@DuoStuff]

Glad you enjoyed it!

[@WildlandsGG]

Thanks for bringing me back to being a kid. As a melee player to this day, I had to watch this on a faster speed, but was not expecting it to unlock so many memories of it's beginning years. Cheers!

[@catboygremlin]

I keep having to pause the vid to stop laughing, 10/10

[@DuoStuff]

Glad to hear it! Glad you enjoyed it.

[@theinktician]

Damn. Pichu catching strays 10 seconds in...

[@lloydirving6209]

the "clone characters" in melee, in all cases, feel and play completely different from their "clones" (yes even mario and dr mario). their speed, weight, hitboxes, power, combo strings, etc etc, are totally different. visually their kits look basically the same but the properties of each move are entirely different.

[@anothenblue2630]

Meanwhile, most "echoes"

[@gokufromfortnite867]

@@anothenblue2630 old smash completely trumps new smash when it comes to characters based on each other for sure. The fact that jigglypuff and ganondorf were clones to Kirby and captain falcon but still aren’t disappointing as daisy almost 17 years later is crazy.

[@anothenblue2630]

@@gokufromfortnite867 modern Ganon is still very disappointing because he's nothing like Ganon and awful in general. Puff never was a real clone either even with reused assets, all of her specials were entirely different from day 1.

[@esthersmith3056]

this is true for competitive players, but the average casual player absolutely does not notice when hitboxes, combo routes, and character weights are different. dramatic differences in knockback will be noticed, and character speed will be, but yeah overall these characters seem very similar to casual audiences.

[@anothenblue2630]

@@esthersmith3056 you don't need to be a competitive player to notice that Ganondorf is way slower, Falco's lasers and Up B are different, Dr Mario hits harder and Young Link has different size. There's an actual difference if you were to choose which one to main.

[@lowpolysunrise]

I never got the chance to play Melee growing up. I had Brawl. But, getting melee a few years ago, I can see why it's so special to everyone. It's a very fun game, and deserves its crown jewel status. Mad respect beyond belief to the dev team and everyone who worked on this game.

[@DuoStuff]

Kinda interesting to see that you still can appreciate it despite starting with a later one. I personally have a lot of trouble doing that myself sometimes. lol

[@DaveGrean]

JRPG with 'Fire' in the title and red-haired protag: *lmao who are you* JRPG with 'Fire' in the title and blue-haired protag: *long detailed explanation* Meanwhile I still can't even tell the two apart

[@outlawscar3328]

Your editing is beautiful. Great aesthetic and tasteful transitions. And the upload is clean af, don't know how you manage that. No visible artifacts but still loads quickly.

[@harleyjk6031]

I watched the Pokémon anime as a kid and I remember misty throwing out goldeen and saying that she’s only good in water. And I tried so hard as a kid to get goldeen in the water too

[@naejimba]

Never got into competitive, but we played the CRAP out of this game and loved it so much. There was so much to do and you could just feel the love and attention to detail that went into all of it.

[@RonBruce]

Dude, have you ever played as Captain Falcon or Ganondorf in Super Smash Bros? They might look alike in their stance, but trust me, they're totally different when you actually start playing. Ganon hits like a freaking truck, but he's slower than a tortoise. Meanwhile, Falcon is as quick as lightning, but he's not as strong as Ganon. And it's the same deal with Young Link and regular Link. Young Link is like a little ninja - super fast, but his moves don't pack as much of a punch as older Link's.

[@darkninjafirefox]

BRRRREAK THE TARGETS! Mele was one of my favorite video games ever as a kid, mostly because it had pikachu, but my friends and I spent hours messing around back in the day. The hyrule temple stage in adventure mode used to scare me so I'd have to get my sister to beat it for me

[@iamLI3]

little known fact , wave dashing is not a glitch , it is an intended designed mechanic of the game that sakurai made a post about in a smash forum

[@Lionwoman]

I have very fond memories of playing this with a friend in her house on summer days so many years ago. Years later I bought her NGC for this very same reason and still enjoyed melee a couple of years. Still keeping that NGC and of course the game.

[@arena7656]

I love the aesthetic of this game so much, it really is a special piece of work

[@DuoStuff]

It has a very particular "Gamecube era" feel, which I love.

[@LBVocals]

Melee will always have a special place in my heart

[@Hollowdude15]

Super Smash Bros. Melee and great video man :]

[@zakkonieczka6811]

I was never competitive, very rarely fought human players but I still put hundreds of hours into this game. Thanks for this video, it gave me an amazing blast to the past!

[@lapplandkun9273]

No shit. It's way too time consuming and committal.

[@fc2rs]

@@lapplandkun9273 a child's perspective

[@PhoenixRoseYT]

Melee is such a special game to me. When I was a little kid I had a best friend named Nathan. We would always hang out and have sleepovers, and we’d play Melee CONSTANTLY. So much so that it’s the reason I got a Gamecube and developed a love for Smash and many other Nintendo franchises. I can’t tell you how many hours I played this game, and played all the modes, and read every description for every trophy. I still have my original disc and memory card with save data. Also Marth’s taunt does actually keep me up at night so that part killed me

[@aurora_x86]

Yo Armada (greatest melee player of all time for those who didn't know) just reacted to this video! I think that's awesome.

[@DuoStuff]

THAT'S AWESOME

[@turtles38x19]

Super Smash Bros melee was a master piece. Top 5 game of all time for sure. The amount of passion the designers put into this game was incredible. You will NOT, and I repeat WILL NOT, have a game in modern time with so much passion and effort put into a game.

[@DuoStuff]

Hmmm... I'm actually not sure about that. Passion isn't really quantifiable. There are tons of games with passion pouring out of them, and Melee is one of them.

[@justinfriedman2039]

Been a fan of the series since I first saw the commercial for the original Smash 64 series and made my dad get it for my birthday, but none have left an impression on me quite like Melee.

[@christianoneal380]

This video was put together so good

[@caioleite5579]

Amazing video. Melee was one the most remarkable games I ever played, and I think a huge reason for that which most people overlook is the unlockable characters. Let me explain. My dad bought me Melee in 2002, when I was only 4 years old. At first I didnt like the game very much, I thought it was too complicated and I would keep dying over and over again. But my dad and my older cousins used to play it a lot, so I got into it, even if at the beginning I would only play Kirby. I guess I didnt know how to use Up B to recover, and that didnt matter as much when you played as Kirby. As the years went by, my dad and my older cousins managed to unlock every character, besides 4: Falco, Pichu, Mewtwo and Mr Game and Watch. So kid me thought that those were all the characters available, even because I used to reset save files over and over so I could unlock the characters again. I guess I liked unlocking stuff, so when I had unlocked everyone again (besides those 4), I would reset so I could unlock them again. That was my time with melee until late 2006, when my dad said he looked on the internet how to unlock other characters (I live in South America, internet took time to get here, my parents only had a computer with internet at home in late 2006 and I barely knew how to use it). So my dad played 100 man melee and when the "challenger aproaching" showed up and the fight against Falco began, it was mind blowing to 8 years old me since I thought there were no more characters to unlock. Later we unlocked Pichu, which was super cool too, but Mewtwo and Mr Game were beyond mind blowing since they were so different from every other character. On top of that, a new game mode was unlocked: all star. All of that made me get obsessed with melee. I thought that maybe there were even more things hiding and waiting to be unlocked. Maybe even Giga Bowser was unlockable. This mystery of great unlockables was also cool in Brawl but is lacking in smash 4 and Ultimate, sadly. It was a big reason why Melee felt so special to me as a kid. I wonder how many people played with even realizing Mewtwo and Mr Game were in the game since they were so hard to unlock. And guess what, there were more things to find out about melee! I only discovered competitive melee in 2013. When I watched those videos I was amazed by all the advanced techs like wavedash, even more because I would think "damn, I played this game so much as a kid and I never knew about any of these". Melee keept surprsing me so many years later

[@RealChaseman17]

Outstanding. Great editing. U got a sub from me

[@homebaked1731]

"What if Zelda.. was a girl" Got a good laugh out of me.

[@SirChadofWick]

My friends and I put in literally thousands of hours into this game. We even made up a drinking game in college we called “super smashed bros” where we’d set a timed match for an hour and take a swig at every minute. By the end, no one really cared who was winning

[@andreiurizar]

Wow. That giga-bowser thing. For me it was almost exactly as you mentioned. I did not have internet at the time and I thought I knew the game inside out. It scared the hell out of me 😂 great video

[@annaisntcool]

melee (and brawl, sue me) are such childhood gems. i’ll always love them both

[@Hyushi_sama]

My childhood was melee . My brother and I played this game endlessly . Single player and vs mode was amazing. Also discovering that there was a tournament scene made it even more cooler as a child . Melee, and smash as a whole is a legendary franchise. Brawl story is amazing .. I hope the next smash they make an amazing story, modes, a new mechanic .

[@darlingj.canela]

So many shared emotions. You just described me as a kid playing this game. Great content.

[@Dee_micl]

Melee is sick, sick vid, I love seeing these kind of videos about my favorite video game, I love hearing ur opinions about single player mode. I mainly had to play that mode for years until slippi, so I love seeing this! Thank you.

[@DuoStuff]

Glad someone appreciated the singleplayer discussion.

[@lovemancrashburn6514]

Can't wait for the brawl video!

[@blues03]

I used to think of the Trohpy Machine music while sitting in Social Studies class back in the day. Good times.

[@CurlyMcNulty]

I’m surprised you didn’t talk about the infamous Master Hand glitch where you could play as him.

[@sav3133]

This video is great, I'm surprised it only has a thousand likes so far.

[@GodWorksOut]

Unfortunately people are more likely to click dislike on a video than like on a video they actually like.

[@DuoStuff]

@GodWorksOut I have noticed that actually, but honestly I'm just glad people are enjoying the video to begin with.

[@eggabacon]

I remember going to a summer camp that had video games and one of them was a GameCube with Smash Melee. I loved it and I remember when they had a Melee tournament and I spammed Kirby's down special winning several matches until one guy destroyed me by up smashing whenever I would down special. Loved that game.

[@DuoStuff]

It's really funny how Kirby and Pikachu are "OP" when you're a kid, primarily because of their down B. Well, at least until people learn how to actually play the game. lol

[@mersunarytigre]

@23:28 Super Smash Bros for 3DS almost perfected what would make an amazing Adventure Mode with Smash Run. Beating up enemy monsters each with their own gimmicks was fun, all they had to do was give us actual Nintendo levels to explore and an easy to follow story. I'm disappointed that they didn't expand on such an easy concept fro Wii U or Ultimate

[@EWOODJ]

Pushing your luck with the Pichu slander

[@jonathanhoffmansanchez2723]

I agree with almost everything you said. Such a good video. Hope you get more views on it some day soon

[@DuoStuff]

I mean honestly, I think it did really well personally. Still, glad you enjoyed it!

[@Malkierian]

Break the Targets getting the best track in Melee is like the pause menu getting the best track in Goldeneye. Neither one had any business going that hard.

[@Agent7300]

i remember that door on temple too! drove me crazy as a kid haha

[@DuoStuff]

I WASN'T THE ONLY ONE

[@viscountrainbows2857]

That and the little hole on the the back of the Great Fox in the Corneria stage. Once I glitched a CPU through it with a Falcon Punch. Once. Near every stage has such fascinating bits of flavor and background elements that make it feel so alive.

[@Michael_Dominic]

this truly is melee hell

[@krizpyclips9270]

The Melee community is what happens when you get the GOAT video game. That game turned them into a very dedicated group of people. The game is too good to let go.

[@Shoxpyre]

A few years ago My 100% memory card got corrupted so I had no choice but to play through the game and unlock everything again nothing prepared me for how treacherous that was actually going to be I can't even tell you how long that s*** took

[@DuoStuff]

It's definitely difficult, but I think that's what made the unlock process so memorable.

[@Shoxpyre]

@@DuoStuff oh it's the best 🥲 tbf I think unlocking the stages was the only big hurdle. Speaking of memorable, reading the gaming magazines back in the day learning all the tricky ways you could unlock things like leaving the console on for hours, staying up all night playing with friends for literally years.. it was such a tradition no matter what the new popular game was. Without a doubt my favorite game of all time.. no game gave me the amount of memories with friends, and better it was all in person sprawled out on a floor or couch and skateboarding in-between or goofing off. Ah the greatest.

[@KissMyAstmha]

Just like everyone else, this game is locked away in my heart for life. I was 10 when I saw my cousin playing as Mario in a multiman melee and I was hooked from that moment. I waited till she got bored of it and I stole it off her and played it none stop. This game was unlike another game I've ever played. It just kept giving, it had classic mode, adventure mode, all star mode, event matchs, vs mode, special matches and collectable trophies. Not to mention the game looked hot as hell and the music was beautiful. I didnt know much about Nintendo when I was 10, I thought Samus was called metroid and link was Zelda but this introduced me to an amazing gaming world, the history is so rich. To this day I'm a massive nintendo fan. Great video bro

[@DuoStuff]

Thanks. And yeah, as a kid the crazy thing about it was it truly felt endless. No matter how much time you spent with it, there was always something else to do or see. It's kinda wild that this 2001 multiplayer game has more singleplayer content than the series' current entry. lol

[@calebbuck331]

Your takes on the clone characters make sense, but your take on ice climbers and Mr game & watch could maybe be a bit more nuanced. The appeal there, is the nostalgia felt by the people old enough to remember these characters when their respective games were new. Back in the day shorter games that ramped the difficulty gave a sense of accomplishment that's kinda missing from the modern-era of gaming. Nostalgia's gonna get you too some day, it comes for all of us eventually lol

[@DuoStuff]

I'm not sure if people are really that nostalgic for either though, or at least for Ice Climber, which didn't exactly light the world on fire sales-wise or reception-wise. Game & Watch has slightly more of an argument, but I'd argue he still feels like a "weird" pick, and purposely so. The handhelds were popular and all, but I kinda doubt anyone was specifically asking for the character. lol But eh, at the end of the day, this video was more about my perspective, and as a kid they were "weird" and so that's how they were discussed in the video.

[@calebbuck331]

@@DuoStuff Yeah I hear ya man not trying to knock ya or anything. Ice Climbers was a great co-op game back in the NES days, mind you this was a time when co-op was less common. Balloon fight was another great one, but really with slim pickin's that adds to the rose-tinting a lot. Game and watch missed me as a kid, but I can see how at the time kids might have loved having them. I'm sure if had my hands on 'em I'd look back fondly on the memories. Try a co-op ice climbers some time, you might see it in a bit of a different light if you're chilling with a buddy and don't mind the insane difficulty.

[@happymonkeyfish]

Melee was such a fun game as a kid, i loved playing against my friends trying to figure out new ways to win, coming back as an adult its still super fun, even moreso now that more of the technical stuff is out there, solid game whether you play coin mode with items on or competitively on battlefield

[@InkyGhoul]

L cancelling is CERTAINLY not a glitch, it was in 64, it is intentional, even wavedashing Sakurai spoke of on his blog, Wavedashing is also in Ultimate, it just sucks.

[@DuoStuff]

This has been corrected in the pinned comment, thank you.

[@prayerblack]

Melee Has The Best OST Out Of All Smash Bros

[@thatguymiggle9958]

They need to bring game cube to the switch because I missed most of the melee area by like 2-3 years and I need to experience it fully

[@TheJadeFist]

Nintendo sees people playing their old games as competition to their new ones, I think that's why they are bothered by it. Although I'm pretty sure most of those people going to smash tournaments have a Switch now and probably bought Smash Ultimate, maybe even the 3ds or wii u games too. So instead of taking advantage of it, by have merchandise or special versions of the games being reprinted with like Sakurai's signature on the disk or something neat along those lines, they come not bring to bring joy and merriment but with a sword in hand (much like Smash Ultimate's character roster).

[@DuoStuff]

Yeah it's so weird. There are probably tons of people who've gotten into Smash (and more Nintendo properties by proxy) purely because of their excitement surrounding Melee. You'd think they'd take advantage of that: make a big deal of the community. But nah, they just do petty stuff to get in its way all the time.

[@xenogen372]

That and Nintendo isn't big on their games being considered hardcore competitive games. Specifically Smash. Nintendo sees Smash as a fun 4 player party game that shouldn't try to be put in the same vein as Street Fighter or Tekken

[@mrgreenboy644]

@@DuoStuffhonestly I think the ideal way to do it would be to make a Melee DX edition. A handful of the characters Sakurai wanted but couldn't add, a buffed lower tier roster with the top tiers intact, and an online mode, and Bada bing Bada boom you have a free $60 game to sell. I think it would be a lot more justified to oppose the old game in that scenario since they are reselling it in this hypothetical situation. They'd just have to take care to leave the completive exploits intact

[@dexi6111]

Yes Nintendo does have a monetary incentive to stop people from playing old games, but I think Nintendo wanting to not lose their ips is the real reason. A very long time ago, Nintendo was in a lawsuit with Universal Studios over Donkey Kong, since It was similar to King Kong. Universal not only lost the case, but the rights to King Kong in general, meaning anyone can make a King Kong as long as it wasn't Universal's version of King Kong. Nintendo is basically scared to lose their ip like that and it's almost happened before, due to people calling every console that's not even Nintendo's, a "Nintendo" and lawyers trying to make Nintendo lose their rights to a "Nintendo" console. They are not scared of fan games and emulation, they are scared that lawyers will try to loophole their way to make Nintendo lose their ips. That's why games like coromon and tunic still exist because they brand themselves as something other than a "Nintendo" game while still being almost a clone of Pokemon and Zelda.

[@cowblast_]

Melee is kinda held together by duct tape in some aspects, but still, it’s such a good game

[@Random_Geek_J]

Wicked, a video on Smash Bros Melee.

[@DuoStuff]

It is indeed. Be sure to tell me how you felt once you finish it!

[@Random_Geek_J]

@@DuoStuff Will do.

[@Random_Geek_J]

31:18 👀😱

[@Random_Geek_J]

Interesting video. I hadn't really thought that much about the Smash Bros games before Brawl, probably because I never had a means to play them before. Sounds like an experience that would have blown anyone's mind when they were kids.

[@DuoStuff]

Had to use the opportunity for a DDLC reference lol

[@jakec3172]

I’m glad they added young link. Ocarina of time and majoras mask were huge and people were attached to both versions of the character. I especially love their design in this game. They are both by far the closest iterations to official ocarina of time artwork. We’ve seen HD OoT links a handful of times but I’ve not seen a more accurate representation outside of this game. Was great seeing an HD version of my favorite characters!

[@weepingdalek2568]

Fire Emblem is the bane of every Smash fan's existence and the thing that keeps good boys and girls up at night? Guess I'm not a good boy then

[@joeysummers8830]

Side note bring back poke floats!! It's the best chaotic stage they've ever done!

[@DuoStuff]

I'm still sad that they didn't bring it back for Ultimate.

[@hihowareya4004]

It’s also noted that some of the trophies in melee have wrong dates in the description box, wrong info on characters etc, because of the short time they had to develop it.

[@Big_Human]

i've been naming Link "Zelda" lately. because of this inside joke, it makes it more sentimental. like you parent's calling your console a nintendo even tho you have a gamesphere

[@Ozzianman]

Mum was the one that initially told me Zelda was not the name of the main character. My stubborn Non English speaking 8 year old ass did not believe her and I continued calling him Zelda until my friends started telling me he is not named Zelda.

[@Big_Human]

@@Ozzianman it's okay. I used to call game and watch gallery, "Gatorade"when I was a child

[@chriskaleta9906]

Super solid video 🔥 Keep up the good work 👍🏼

[@kingsyrex]

I literally spent hours on this game as a kid! Even when I got to high school I still played this just cause I couldn’t get enough of it and i graduated in 2017 😂 definitely my all time favorite game

[@prizm9515]

Temple is to this day the best smash bros stage ever.

[@Judex1963]

I agree on the Target track being ace. If you know good remixes of it I'm interested.

[@DuoStuff]

Sadly the track doesn't seem to get many remixes, which is sad.

[@obliviouslynormal3664]

Love to see you coming back, super excited

[@DuoStuff]

Glad you're excited. Though technically I already uploaded earlier this year.

[@rg975]

As someone who’s been playing melee competitively for a while now, the “clones” everyone talks about actually play completely differently from one another. There’s a reason Dr. Mario is much better than standard Mario, or C. Falcon being infinitely better than Ganon. Their gravity, momentum, movement, and move set make you tackle combos and neutral game completely differently. Just watch a pro set of melee between Falco and Fox. The way they play are completely unique.

[@DuoStuff]

I mean that's all completely true, but something I think a lot of competitive players don't seem to realize is that a lot of people don't play the series at that level, or even want to watch pro play. They just play the series for fun with friends. If you play on a casual level, they feel the same.

[@rg975]

@@DuoStuff That’s the thing though, even if you’re a casual player you’re able to feel the differences in their gravity and speed. Anyone can realize how slow Gannon is compared to Falcon just by simply moving the stick, something my friends who are casual players picked up on immediately. You don’t need a competitive understanding of the game to know it. Fox and Falco are much more nuanced for sure, something my casual friends definitely don’t pick up on which I totally understand. Not trying to downplay the quality your video, I think you did a great job! 😁

[@DuoStuff]

Yeah, there is a difference in weight and speed, but when I was a kid, the main thing I noticed was that they used the same moves. Still, glad you enjoyed the video.

[@qwertyfinger]

Delightful, thank you for sharing!

[@DuoStuff]

You're welcome. Glad you enjoyed it.

[@handolo1266]

Bro! Everytime the guns shoot at Pichu I fall OUTTA MY FUCKING SEAT! ,🤣🤣🤣🤣😭👏🏽👏🏽👏🏽