The Melee prong of the Smash World Tour has been a somewhat troubled series. Overshadowed by Smash Summit 12 in the previous weekend, the world series that ended on Sunday Dec. 19 was missing many of Melee’s biggest names. Mango and Zain, who still are generally considered the games best…

A win from a perennial runner-up changed SSBM’s narrative this weekend Smash Summit 12 is finally finished after four days of events and competitions in Super Smash Bros. Melee. …

In 2006 and at age 12, I was a day one adopter of the Wii. The console has a mixed reputation, but years later seems to finally be getting the respect it deserved. While the Wii never had the big budget tentpole releases of its competitors, it helped reshape the…

At Smash Summit 8, a new champion emerged. Tempo Storm Axe, the world’s greatest Pikachu main, took home his first major tournament win ever. Axe is an unusual Melee player for many reasons. He plays Pikachu at a level far beyond anyone else in the game; his region is underrepresented…

It’s not just the humanoid teeth! The trailer for the Sonic the Hedgehog movie is out, and the verdict is in: it looks bad. More specifically, Sonic himself looks bad. Rendered in the kind of faux-realistic style that is now extremely popular in big-budget films, the eponymous Hedgehog’s cinematic design…

“Counter culture? Capital will commodify it, instigate it, reproduce it and sell it. There is no outside the loop.” — Monsieur Dupont Back in the Dreamcast era, Crazy Taxi was a breakout hit. The Sega arcade racer captured the attention of generation X with a campy mix of fast-paced driving…

In the shadow of a Super Bowl and the biggest yet Super Smash Bros. Ultimate tournament, a new star has risen. While many came together for Super Bowl Sunday, a more riveting game was occurring in Oakland, at the Super Smash Bros. Supermajor Genesis 6. While much attention for that…

A Wii Shop Channel Post-Mortem On January 29, Nintendo fans rejoiced as Piranha Plant was added to Super Smash Bros. Ultimate. The character, first revealed before the game’s release, was a free DLC release, and to many fans initially a baffling character choice compared to fan-favorites like Geno or Bandana…

I know I’m not in the majority when I say I loved my Wii — I didn’t get my Wii at midnight, but I was close. My dad and I woke up at around 5 AM and roved out to all the retailers we could think of. It was November 19, 2006. A Sunday. I got it with Rayman: Raving Rabbids instead of Zelda. I’d…