<s>
Super	B-Application
Smash	I-Application
Bros	I-Application
.	I-Application
Melee	I-Application
is	O
a	O
2001	O
crossover	O
fighting	O
video	O
game	O
developed	O
by	O
HAL	O
Laboratory	O
and	O
published	O
by	O
Nintendo	O
for	O
the	O
GameCube	B-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
It	O
is	O
the	O
second	O
installment	O
in	O
the	O
Super	B-Application
Smash	I-Application
Bros	I-Application
.	I-Application
series	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
It	O
features	O
characters	O
from	O
Nintendo	O
video	O
game	O
franchises	O
such	O
as	O
Mario	B-Application
,	O
The	B-Application
Legend	I-Application
of	I-Application
Zelda	I-Application
,	O
Star	B-Application
Fox	I-Application
and	O
Pokémon	O
,	O
and	O
Donkey	B-Application
Kong	I-Application
among	O
others	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Melee	O
includes	O
all	O
playable	O
characters	O
from	O
the	B-Application
first	I-Application
game	I-Application
and	O
also	O
adds	O
characters	O
from	O
additional	O
franchises	O
such	O
as	O
Fire	B-Application
Emblem	I-Application
,	O
of	O
which	O
no	O
games	O
had	O
been	O
released	O
outside	O
Japan	O
at	O
the	O
time	O
,	O
in	O
addition	O
to	O
new	O
stages	O
and	O
gameplay	O
modes	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
It	O
achieved	O
strong	O
sales	O
upon	O
its	O
release	O
,	O
becoming	O
the	O
GameCube	B-Device
's	I-Device
best-selling	I-Device
title	I-Device
,	O
with	O
over	O
seven	O
million	O
copies	O
sold	O
by	O
2008	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
It	O
was	O
followed	O
by	O
Super	B-Application
Smash	I-Application
Bros	I-Application
.	I-Application
Brawl	I-Application
for	O
the	B-Operating_System
Wii	I-Operating_System
in	O
2008	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Like	O
its	O
predecessor	B-Application
,	O
Super	B-Application
Smash	I-Application
Bros	I-Application
.	I-Application
Melee	I-Application
is	O
a	O
platform	O
fighter	O
that	O
differs	O
from	O
traditional	O
fighting	O
games	O
as	O
the	O
objective	O
is	O
to	O
force	O
their	O
opponents	O
beyond	O
the	O
boundaries	O
of	O
the	O
stage	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Unlike	O
other	O
games	O
of	O
the	O
same	O
genre	O
,	O
in	O
which	O
moves	O
are	O
entered	O
by	O
button-input	O
combinations	O
,	O
most	O
moves	O
in	O
Super	B-Application
Smash	I-Application
Bros	I-Application
.	I-Application
Melee	I-Application
can	O
be	O
accessed	O
via	O
one-button	O
presses	O
and	O
a	O
joystick	O
direction	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
For	O
example	O
,	O
the	O
Mushroom	O
Kingdom	O
stage	O
is	O
from	O
Super	B-Application
Mario	I-Application
Bros	O
,	O
and	O
the	O
Temple	O
stage	O
is	O
from	O
The	B-Application
Legend	I-Application
of	I-Application
Zelda	I-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
"	O
Board	O
the	O
Platforms	O
"	O
minigame	O
from	O
the	B-Application
first	I-Application
game	I-Application
was	O
not	O
included	O
in	O
Melee	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
central	B-General_Concept
processing	I-General_Concept
unit	I-General_Concept
(	O
CPU	O
)	O
characters	O
 '	O
artificial	B-Application
intelligence	I-Application
(	O
AI	B-Application
)	O
difficulty	O
is	O
ranked	O
from	O
one	O
to	O
nine	O
in	O
ascending	O
order	O
of	O
difficulty	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Super	B-Application
Smash	I-Application
Bros	I-Application
.	I-Application
had	O
a	O
similar	O
system	O
of	O
plush	O
dolls	O
;	O
however	O
,	O
it	O
only	O
included	O
the	O
12	O
playable	O
characters	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Super	B-Application
Smash	I-Application
Bros	I-Application
.	I-Application
Melee	I-Application
features	O
25	O
(	O
26	O
if	O
Zelda	O
and	O
Sheik	O
are	O
considered	O
separate	O
)	O
characters	O
,	O
13	O
(	O
14	O
with	O
Zelda	O
and	O
Sheik	O
separate	O
)	O
more	O
than	O
its	O
predecessor	B-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
All	O
characters	O
have	O
a	O
symbol	O
that	O
appears	O
behind	O
their	O
damage	O
meter	O
which	O
represents	O
their	O
series	O
,	O
such	O
as	O
a	O
Triforce	B-Device
symbol	O
behind	O
Link	O
's	O
damage	O
meter	O
and	O
a	O
Poké	O
Ball	O
behind	O
a	O
Pokémon	O
species	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Some	O
characters	O
represent	O
popular	O
franchises	O
,	O
while	O
others	O
were	O
less-known	O
at	O
the	O
time	O
of	O
the	O
release	O
;	O
Marth	O
and	O
Roy	O
represent	O
the	O
Fire	B-Application
Emblem	I-Application
series	O
,	O
which	O
was	O
not	O
released	O
outside	O
Japan	O
at	O
the	O
time	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
characters	O
 '	O
appearance	O
in	O
Super	B-Application
Smash	I-Application
Bros	I-Application
.	I-Application
Melee	I-Application
led	O
to	O
a	O
rise	O
in	O
the	O
popularity	O
of	O
the	O
series	O
,	O
including	O
releasing	O
it	O
outside	O
of	O
Japan	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
References	O
are	O
made	O
throughout	O
the	O
game	O
to	O
the	O
relationship	O
between	O
characters	O
of	O
the	O
same	O
universe	O
;	O
in	O
one	O
of	O
the	O
events	O
from	O
"	O
Event	O
mode	O
"	O
,	O
Mario	B-Application
must	O
defeat	O
his	O
enemy	O
Bowser	O
to	O
rescue	O
Princess	O
Peach	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Furthermore	O
,	O
each	O
character	O
has	O
recognizable	O
moves	O
from	O
their	O
original	O
series	O
,	O
such	O
as	O
Samus	O
's	O
firearms	O
from	O
the	O
Metroid	B-Device
series	O
and	O
Link	O
's	O
arsenal	O
of	O
weapons	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Super	B-Application
Smash	I-Application
Bros	I-Application
.	I-Application
Melee	I-Application
was	O
developed	O
by	O
HAL	O
Laboratory	O
,	O
with	O
Masahiro	O
Sakurai	O
as	O
the	O
head	O
of	O
production	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Mario	B-Application
creator	O
Shigeru	O
Miyamoto	O
served	O
as	O
co-producer	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
game	O
was	O
one	O
of	O
the	O
first	O
games	O
released	O
on	O
the	O
GameCube	B-Application
and	O
highlighted	O
the	O
advancement	O
in	O
graphics	O
over	O
the	O
Nintendo	B-Operating_System
64	I-Operating_System
.	O
</s>
<s>
Sakurai	O
wanted	O
to	O
make	O
an	O
opening	O
FMV	B-Application
sequence	O
to	O
pay	O
homage	O
to	O
the	O
debut	O
of	O
the	O
GameCube	B-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
On	O
their	O
official	O
website	O
,	O
the	O
developers	O
posted	O
screenshots	O
and	O
information	O
highlighting	O
and	O
explaining	O
the	O
attention	O
to	O
physics	O
and	O
detail	O
in	O
the	O
game	O
,	O
with	O
references	O
to	O
changes	O
from	O
its	O
predecessor	B-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
Despite	O
the	O
stressful	O
development	O
cycle	O
,	O
in	O
a	O
2010	O
interview	O
,	O
Sakurai	O
proudly	O
called	O
Melee	O
"	O
the	O
sharpest	O
game	O
in	O
the	O
series	O
...	O
it	O
just	O
felt	O
really	O
good	O
to	O
play	O
"	O
,	O
even	O
compared	O
to	O
its	O
successor	O
,	O
Super	B-Application
Smash	I-Application
Bros	I-Application
.	I-Application
Brawl	I-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
Initially	O
,	O
the	O
development	O
team	O
wanted	O
to	O
replace	O
Ness	O
with	O
Lucas	B-Application
,	O
the	O
main	O
character	O
of	O
Mother	B-Application
3	I-Application
,	O
but	O
retained	O
Ness	O
in	O
consideration	O
of	O
delays	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Marth	O
and	O
Roy	O
were	O
initially	O
intended	O
to	O
be	O
playable	O
exclusively	O
in	O
the	O
Japanese	O
version	O
of	O
Super	B-Application
Smash	I-Application
Bros	I-Application
.	I-Application
Melee	I-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
Sakurai	O
stated	O
that	O
the	O
development	O
team	O
had	O
suggested	O
characters	O
from	O
four	O
other	O
games	O
to	O
represent	O
the	O
Famicom/NES	O
era	O
,	O
until	O
the	O
developers	O
eventually	O
chose	O
the	B-Application
Ice	I-Application
Climbers	I-Application
to	O
fulfill	O
this	O
role	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Additionally	O
,	O
Ayumi	O
Tachibana	O
from	O
Famicom	B-Application
Detective	I-Application
Club	I-Application
was	O
considered	O
as	O
a	O
playable	O
character	O
,	O
but	O
was	O
ultimately	O
relegated	O
to	O
a	O
cameo	O
role	O
as	O
a	O
trophy	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Nintendo	O
offered	O
a	O
playable	O
tournament	O
of	O
the	O
games	O
for	O
fans	O
in	O
which	O
a	O
GameCube	B-Application
and	O
Super	B-Application
Smash	I-Application
Bros	I-Application
.	I-Application
Melee	I-Application
were	O
prizes	O
for	O
the	O
winner	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Nintendo	O
followed	O
this	O
trend	O
with	O
Super	B-Application
Smash	I-Application
Bros	I-Application
.	I-Application
Brawl	I-Application
,	O
in	O
which	O
there	O
were	O
daily	O
updates	O
by	O
the	O
game	O
's	O
developer	O
,	O
Masahiro	O
Sakurai	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
August	O
2005	O
,	O
Nintendo	O
bundled	O
the	O
game	O
with	O
the	O
GameCube	B-Application
for	O
$99.99	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Super	B-Application
Smash	I-Application
Bros	I-Application
.	I-Application
Melee	I-Application
features	O
both	O
new	O
and	O
re-arranged	O
music	O
from	O
many	O
of	O
Nintendo	O
's	O
popular	O
gaming	O
franchises	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
as	O
a	O
bonus	O
for	O
subscribing	O
to	O
Nintendo	B-Application
Power	I-Application
magazine	O
in	O
North	O
America	O
,	O
and	O
also	O
as	O
a	O
free	O
gift	O
in	O
an	O
issue	O
of	O
the	O
British	O
Official	O
Nintendo	O
Magazine	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Super	B-Application
Smash	I-Application
Bros	I-Application
.	I-Application
Melee	I-Application
received	O
critical	O
acclaim	O
from	O
reviewers	O
,	O
most	O
of	O
whom	O
credited	O
Melees	O
expansion	O
of	O
gameplay	O
features	O
from	O
Super	B-Application
Smash	I-Application
Bros	I-Application
.	I-Application
</s>
<s>
Reviewers	O
compared	O
the	O
game	O
favorably	O
to	O
Super	B-Application
Smash	I-Application
Bros	I-Application
.	I-Application
IGN	O
's	O
Fran	O
Mirabella	O
III	O
stated	O
that	O
it	O
was	O
"	O
in	O
an	O
entirely	O
different	O
league	O
than	O
the	O
N64	B-Operating_System
version	O
"	O
;	O
GameSpot	O
's	O
Miguel	O
Lopez	O
praised	O
the	O
game	O
for	O
offering	O
a	O
more	O
advanced	O
"	O
classic-mode	O
"	O
compared	O
to	O
its	O
predecessor	B-Application
,	O
while	O
detailing	O
the	O
Adventure	O
Mode	O
as	O
"	O
really	O
a	O
hit-or-miss	O
experience	O
"	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Despite	O
the	O
new	O
features	O
added	O
to	O
the	O
game	O
,	O
some	O
reviews	O
criticized	O
Melee	O
for	O
a	O
lack	O
of	O
originality	O
and	O
for	O
being	O
too	O
similar	O
to	O
its	O
predecessor	B-Application
,	O
Super	B-Application
Smash	I-Application
Bros	I-Application
.	I-Application
Caleb	O
Hale	O
from	O
GameCritics.com	O
noted	O
that	O
while	O
it	O
was	O
"	O
every	O
bit	O
as	O
good	O
as	O
its	O
Nintendo	B-Operating_System
64	I-Operating_System
predecessor	B-Application
"	O
he	O
also	O
felt	O
"	O
the	O
game	O
does	O
n't	O
expand	O
much	O
past	O
that	O
point	O
"	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
When	O
released	O
in	O
Japan	O
,	O
it	O
became	O
the	O
fastest	O
selling	O
GameCube	B-Application
game	O
with	O
358,525	O
units	O
sold	O
in	O
the	O
week	O
ending	O
November	O
25	O
,	O
2001	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
This	O
success	O
continued	O
as	O
the	O
game	O
sold	O
more	O
than	O
a	O
million	O
units	O
only	O
two	O
months	O
after	O
its	O
release	O
,	O
making	O
it	O
the	O
first	O
GameCube	B-Application
title	O
to	O
reach	O
a	O
million	O
copies	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
the	O
United	O
States	O
,	O
Super	B-Application
Smash	I-Application
Bros	I-Application
.	I-Application
Melee	I-Application
was	O
the	O
19th	O
best-selling	O
video	O
game	O
in	O
2001	O
according	O
to	O
the	O
NPD	O
Group	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Next	O
Generation	O
ranked	O
it	O
as	O
the	O
fifth	O
highest-selling	O
game	O
launched	O
for	O
the	O
PlayStation	B-Device
2	I-Device
,	O
Xbox	B-Application
or	O
GameCube	B-Application
between	O
January	O
2000	O
and	O
July	O
2006	O
in	O
that	O
country	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
With	O
a	O
software-to-hardware	O
ratio	O
of	O
3:4	O
at	O
one	O
time	O
,	O
some	O
have	O
attributed	O
the	O
increasing	O
sales	O
of	O
the	O
GameCube	B-Application
near	O
the	O
launch	O
date	O
to	O
Melee	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
As	O
of	O
March	O
10	O
,	O
2008	O
,	O
Super	B-Application
Smash	I-Application
Bros	I-Application
.	I-Application
Melee	I-Application
is	O
the	O
best-selling	B-Device
GameCube	I-Device
game	I-Device
,	O
with	O
more	O
than	O
sevenmillion	O
copies	O
sold	O
worldwide	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
It	O
has	O
been	O
estimated	O
that	O
at	O
one	O
point	O
in	O
time	O
70%	O
of	O
all	O
GameCube	B-Application
owners	O
also	O
owned	O
Melee	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Several	O
publications	O
have	O
acknowledged	O
Super	B-Application
Smash	I-Application
Bros	I-Application
.	I-Application
Melee	I-Application
in	O
competitions	O
and	O
awards	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
their	O
"	O
Best	O
of	O
2001	O
"	O
awards	O
,	O
GameSpy	O
chose	O
it	O
as	O
Best	O
Fighting	O
GameCube	B-Application
Game	O
,	O
IGN	O
's	O
reader	O
choice	O
chose	O
it	O
as	O
Game	O
of	O
the	O
Year	O
,	O
Electronic	O
Gaming	O
Monthly	O
chose	O
it	O
as	O
Best	O
Multiplayer	O
and	O
Best	O
GameCube	B-Application
Game	O
,	O
and	O
GameSpot	O
chose	O
it	O
as	O
the	O
Best	O
GameCube	B-Application
Game	O
and	O
tenth	O
best	O
game	O
of	O
the	O
year	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
game	O
received	O
a	O
nomination	O
for	O
"	O
Console	O
Fighting	O
Game	O
of	O
the	O
Year	O
"	O
and	O
"	O
Outstanding	O
Achievement	O
in	O
Animation	O
"	O
by	O
the	O
Academy	O
of	O
Interactive	O
Arts	O
&	O
Sciences	O
,	O
which	O
went	O
to	O
Dead	B-Application
or	I-Application
Alive	I-Application
3	I-Application
and	O
Oddworld	B-Application
:	I-Application
Munch	I-Application
's	I-Application
Oddysee	I-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
the	O
200th	O
issue	O
of	O
Electronic	O
Gaming	O
Monthly	O
,	O
the	O
editors	O
selected	O
Melee	O
as	O
the	O
92nd	O
most	O
influential	O
game	O
in	O
their	O
"	O
Top	O
200	O
Games	O
of	O
Their	O
Time	O
"	O
list	O
,	O
defining	O
Melee	O
as	O
"	O
Billions	O
of	O
things	O
to	O
unlock	O
,	O
plus	O
Yoshi	B-Application
pummeling	O
Pikachu	O
with	O
a	O
bat	O
"	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
a	O
similar	O
competition	O
,	O
Nintendo	B-Application
Power	I-Application
named	O
Super	B-Application
Smash	I-Application
Bros	I-Application
.	I-Application
Melee	I-Application
the	O
16th	O
best	O
game	O
ever	O
to	O
appear	O
on	O
a	O
Nintendo	O
console	O
,	O
and	O
selected	O
it	O
as	O
the	O
2001	O
"	O
Game	O
of	O
the	O
Year	O
"	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
IGN	O
named	O
it	O
the	O
third	O
best	O
GameCube	B-Application
game	O
of	O
all-time	O
in	O
2007	O
as	O
a	O
part	O
of	O
a	O
feature	O
reflecting	O
on	O
the	O
GameCube	B-Application
's	O
long	O
lifespan	O
,	O
citing	O
it	O
as	O
"	O
the	O
grand	O
stage	O
of	O
fighters	O
,	O
much	O
like	O
Mario	B-Application
Kart	O
is	O
for	O
racing	O
fans	O
"	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
GameSpy	O
chose	O
it	O
as	O
fourth	O
in	O
a	O
similar	O
list	O
,	O
citing	O
that	O
it	O
had	O
"	O
better	O
graphics	O
,	O
better	O
music	O
,	O
more	O
characters	O
,	O
more	O
gameplay	O
modes	O
,	O
more	O
secrets	O
to	O
discover	O
"	O
in	O
comparison	O
to	O
its	O
predecessor	B-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
Super	B-Application
Smash	I-Application
Bros	I-Application
.	I-Application
Melee	I-Application
is	O
a	O
widely	O
played	O
competitive	O
video	O
game	O
and	O
has	O
been	O
featured	O
in	O
several	O
high-profile	O
tournaments	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Melee	O
version	O
NTSC	O
was	O
first	O
released	O
on	O
the	O
GameCube	B-Application
in	O
2001	O
in	O
Japan	O
and	O
later	O
North	O
America	O
,	O
Nintendo	O
ran	O
the	O
first	O
ever	O
Melee	O
tournament	O
named	O
Premium	O
Fight	O
most	O
likely	O
from	O
August	O
25	O
to	O
August	O
27	O
,	O
2001	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
2020	O
,	O
Project	O
Slippi	O
,	O
a	O
fork	O
of	O
the	O
Dolphin	B-Application
emulator	I-Application
for	O
Melee	O
designed	O
to	O
introduce	O
quality-of-life	O
features	O
such	O
as	O
replays	O
and	O
online	O
play	O
,	O
was	O
updated	O
to	O
support	O
rollback	O
netcode	O
and	O
integrated	O
matchmaking	O
,	O
allowing	O
netplay	O
across	O
large	O
distances	O
with	O
little	O
latency	O
.	O
</s>
