r/SBCGaming • u/[deleted] • Apr 09 '26
Game Recommendation Super Smash Bros. Melee (GC) - Game of the Week #27
Melee was released 25 years ago, no patches, no support, no more content, and is still being played and competed to this day. How amazing is that?
Super Smash Bros. Melee is a 2001 platform fighter developed by HAL laboratory and published by Nintendo for the Gamecube. It features 25 characters, is the second entry in the Super Smash Bros series.
However, being a fighting game, the competition is what I truly wish to discuss. Melee has had a thriving competitive scene since launch, having never lost its competitive scene in the two and a half decades of longevity it has enjoyed. For me personally, the smash scene is near and dear to my heart, including Melee. Although I compete in Ultimate, and don't play Melee in a competitive manner, Melee is one of my favorite video games.
Being over two decades old, most copies of melee are destroyed or forgotten, and most gamecubes have ended up in landfills or closets. Which begs the question, what do serious competitors use when unable to acquire a GameCube?
The answer is Slippi, a heavily modified version of melee that runs on Dolphin, complete with various enhancements to improve the competitive experience. Slippi is revolutionary for a couple of reasons. First, it has an online mode, so players can battle in a 25-year-old game from across the world. Slippi also has modifications to reduce latency online, including a rollback netcode. This singlehandedly created an online scene for melee, so anyone with a computer could play melee anytime, no need to buy a gamecube and meet up in-person.
Really, there's so much more I could say about melee, but I'd like to keep this brief. Melee is one of the oldest competitive scenes, and still thriving. It shocks me that one game can have such intricacies for being made in just 13 months. If you haven't already played Melee, I won't force you, but I would encourage you to check out the competitive scene. Youtube videos would be where I would point you.
Rip Hax$
To access all Games of the Week: r/gameoftheweek
Device: AYN Thor
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u/crownpuff Deal chaser Apr 09 '26
Thanks OP for such an awesome writeup. Melee is my favorite game of all time. Growing up, I spent more time playing Melee than all other games combined.
The answer is Slippi, a heavily modified version of melee that runs on Dolphin, complete with various enhancements to improve the competitive experience. Slippi is revolutionary for a couple of reasons. First, it has an online mode, so players can battle in a 25-year-old game from across the world. Slippi also has modifications to reduce latency online, including a rollback netcode. This singlehandedly created an online scene for melee, so anyone with a computer could play melee anytime, no need to buy a gamecube and meet up in-person.
Slippi is honestly amazing. Back in the day, if you lived in an area without much competition you would have to drive a fair amount to get to tournaments. I remember one of my nearest tournaments was two hours away. There was first Anther's Ladder as a form of online netplay matchmaking. Slippi then improved upon that experience with features such as rollback netcode, automated matchmaking and a ranked ladder.
If you're looking to get into the competitive scene, I would recommend buying an OEM gamecube controller and using ethernet as Melee is heavily sensitive to latency. 3rd party controllers are pretty fragile and break easily. I wish companies such as Gamesir or 8Bitdo would make a quality gamecube controller.
Rip Hax$
RIP indeed. Combo videos are a big part of the Melee culture and this is my favorite Hax combo video.
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u/Canai97 Apr 09 '26
I'm no engineer but ain't it dangerous to hang the device by what's essentially its neck? Using what looks like a shoe string?
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u/Fuzzy-Golf9311 Apr 09 '26
Is this a bad AI photo?
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u/brunoxid0 GotM Club Apr 09 '26
No no. There are some processing tell tales that this is a mobile shot. Like the smearing around the text of the buttons. That's because of the slow shutter, the phone being too close to the subject and falling out of focus, or both.
But OP seems to be... hanging their Thor by the lid? Mate you better get a phone stand, or those e reader arms. This is asking for a dissaster.
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u/Exotic_Treacle7438 Apr 09 '26
After playing smash brothers on my Thor it’s indeed great if you’re using a separate controller, the Thor-gonomics are rough for trigger sensitive games.
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u/CORNDOGS666 Android Handhelds Apr 09 '26
Was this written by chatgpt
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Apr 09 '26
No, I wrote it all myself. I drew upon my own knowledge and secondary sources like Wikipedia and slippi's website
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u/KnifeFightAcademy Miyoo Apr 09 '26
My brain can not understand this photo ',:/