Why Super Smash Bros. Melee is My Favorite Game of All Time
The Competitive Scene and Friendships for Life
Singing the praises of Super Smash Bros. Melee is not exactly a hot take, as it has become an internet darling over the years.
What sets my experience apart, is my active involvement since the game’s launch and what it has meant for me as I came of age.
Big Fish in a Small Pond
At the beginning of this century, I was in high school and had already been playing video games since the early 1990s. I almost exclusively played Nintendo games, as a school kid’s budget only goes so far.
One game I had enjoyed quite a bit in elementary school was Super Smash Bros. for Nintendo 64. It is best defined as a platform fighting game, with characters from different franchises duking it out.
I discovered early on that I had a competitive streak, and dominated in games against friends and family members.
In my high school class, I found a friend who had the same fond memories of Smash 64, and we played it together in eager anticipation of its sequel: Super Smash Bros. Melee (SSBM or just Melee for short) for Nintendo GameCube.
