When the original Super Smash Bros. was released on the Nintendo 64, it was a complete surprise. Nintendo…making a fighting game? It was unheard of, even if the gameplay was simplistic compared to the likes of Tekken and Virtua Fighter. It had its detractors, but in multiplayer sessions, Super Smash Bros. was one of the most frenzied experiences the Nintendo 64 had. When the sequel, Super Smash Bros. Melee, was announced, it raised some eyebrows over whether Nintendo could avoid the pitfall of a mere rehash. Besides adding new levels and character, upgrading the visuals and the like, how could they possibly enhance the game? Thankfully, Nintendo has surprised us in more ways than one, producing one of the most entertaining fighting titles, simplistic or not.

The most common misconception about the series is that it is a pure button masher. Any fighting game can be considered that, whether it’s the godly worshiped Soul Calibur or the latest incarnation of Street Fighter. The key is looking beneath the surface, which is the case with Super Smash Bros. Melee, as well. There is no doubting that the game is one of the most easily accessible fighters out there; this reviewer has seen five-year-olds pick up a GameCube controller and have the basics down in no time. But whacking on the A button does not show players how to execute throws, dodge a move in mid-air or tumble on the ground to avoid all but a few moves in the entire game. Mastering these can make a character virtually untouchable to all but those familiar with the same techniques. Admittedly, the depth of Super Smash Bros. Melee does not reach as far as some of the more respected games in the genre, but it certainly lends credit to the phrase “more than meets the eye.”

When participating in a hazardous four-player battle, strategy has little to do with the outcome. Knowing what you are doing is advantageous, but making calculated moves is next to impossible when there are projectiles flying from all directions. One on one matches are a much more serious affair, with each strike being watched by the other, each waiting for the moment to counterattack. Needless to say, two-player situations are a heck of a lot tenser and more enjoyable much of the time. But four-player battles have their place and many times it is fun to just let loose with pounding on the A button, hoping to have a spare moment to execute a smash move.

As much as straight on fighting can be, it can have a tendency to wear thin, which is why Nintendo decided to include a massive amount of modes and features for gamers. Namco is well known for including extra goodies on their home console ports of arcade games, but in terms of a sheer number of entertaining modes, Super Smash Bros. Melee overshadows nearly everything. Instead of dissecting the dozens included, highlighting some of the better ones might be more beneficial. Adventure is basically a 2D side scroller in a 3D world with numerous fights mixed in. Gamers can pick any character and explore a high-resolution version of the Mushroom Kingdom and stomp on gigantic Goombas while Green Koopa Paratroopa hover overhead, escape from a futuristic space station before it explodes ala Super Metroid or explore a mysterious cavern full of enemies from The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time.

Since the Adventure mode is the same for every character it can become a little boring after a while, so Nintendo made sure to include Event Mode. Each event has a specific goal to be met, whether it’s to take a thousand miniaturized enemies in 60 seconds or survive a series of Mario-related characters with only one life. With over 50 events (more become available as players unlock new characters) and plenty of challenging moments, Event Mode provides hours of play. Lastly for the single player aficionados are the hundreds of trophies that Nintendo has hidden in the game. These are no cheap 2D sprite trophies, either. Nintendo’s artists have combed through Nintendo’s enormous catalog of games (some of them Japan-only releases) and plucked out characters, vehicles and environments and turned them into fully 3D models that can be viewed (rotated, zoomed in and out on) in the trophy section. Some can randomly found in the Adventure mode, some are unlocked through hours of play, but most come from the slot machine found in the game. Whenever you collect coins during a battle, the game keeps track of it, and allows you to spend them at the slot machine. The catch being that the more coins used, the better chance that a unique trophy will be yielded. The more trophies earned via the slot machine, the more coins that must be used to obtain a high percentage.

And finally, when it comes to multiplayer options, Nintendo has bundled more than there is space to talk about. There are nearly two-dozen variations on straightforward fighting, ranging from giant and midget battles, to ones where everything takes place in slow motion. Many of them are there for pure amusement value, but experiencing them is certainly worthwhile. Nintendo has even included an option where certain items can be turned off (try playing a match with only Donkey Kong Hammers – it is insane).

At a glance, Super Smash Bros. Melee doesn’t exactly seem like the ultimate polygon pusher. In fact, it is not. But there is more happening on-screen than one might think. The amount of detail that has been shoved onto all of the game’s character models is fantastic – some of them it would be hard to differentiate from FMV models. Consider the fact that four of them are frantically attacking each other at a constant 60 frames per second (there was never, ever a frame rate dip in any of my gameplay experiences) with projectile flinging items being used simultaneously in a 3D environment and suddenly Super Smash Bros. Melee seems much more impressive. Out of simple nitpicking, the game’s environments do not contain as much detail as they could have benefited from – the Star Fox-based stages being the worst offenders.

There are paragraphs upon paragraphs more that could be used to talk about the goodness that is Super Smash Bros. Melee. So far, GameCube games seem to have been missing that special “something” that gives you that “no other company but Nintendo could have made this” feeling, but Super Smash Bros. Melee and Miyamoto’s recent Pikmin certainly have that feeling all over them. GameCube owners have no reason to pass this one up, especially seeing as how nothing all that exciting is coming down the road for a few months yet.