Super Smash Bros. Melee
The unexpectedly competitive fighting game
The diverse cast of fighters prepare for battle
Super Smash Bros. Melee, despite having been released in 2001, continues to enjoy a thriving competitive community now in 2017, a rarity for video games, as they usually give way to newer updates and series.
A Brief Timeline of Competitive Play:
- 2001 - Nintendo releases Super Smash Bros. Melee
- 2002 - Matt Deezie hosts first Tournament Go competition in Northern California
- 2004 - Tournament Go 6, last of the series, first tournament to reach 100 entrants. Major League Gaming (MLG) adds Melee as a featured event.
- 2006 - PC Chris wins $10,000 at MLG Las Vegas
- 2007 - MLG drops Melee from tournaments, EVO picks it up. Ken, "The King of Smash," retires, foreshadowing end of "Golden Age"
- 2008 - Super Smash Bros. Brawl is released, starting "Dark Age" where Melee stagnates from lack of attention
- 2009 - First US national Melee competition since release of Brawl, indicating start of resurging scene
- 2013 - EVO hosts donation drive for breast cancer research to feature an additional title at their event; Melee wins the spot with close to $95,000 raised. "The Smash Brothers" documentary released
- 2014 - Melee featured on three of largest fighting game tournaments in the summer: MLG, CEO, and EVO. EVO 2014 attracts nearly 1000 entrants.
- 2015 - Apex 2015 reaches 1000 entrants, EVO 2015 hits 1,869 entrants
- 2016 - EVO 2016 nets 2,372 entrants
"Smash is jazz. Everything else is classical music. You can have the sheet music in front of you and it's all about your execution because you know what sound is going to come out. Jazz, you got to play some improv in there. You know those scales. You know what notes you want to hit. Can you hit them on time and if not what can you do with it."
If you're interested in learning more, read the wiki article maintained by the Smash community.
The diverse cast of fighters prepare for battle
Super Smash Bros. Melee, despite having been released in 2001, continues to enjoy a thriving competitive community now in 2017, a rarity for video games, as they usually give way to newer updates and series.
A Brief Timeline of Competitive Play:
- 2001 - Nintendo releases Super Smash Bros. Melee
- 2002 - Matt Deezie hosts first Tournament Go competition in Northern California
- 2004 - Tournament Go 6, last of the series, first tournament to reach 100 entrants. Major League Gaming (MLG) adds Melee as a featured event.
- 2006 - PC Chris wins $10,000 at MLG Las Vegas
- 2007 - MLG drops Melee from tournaments, EVO picks it up. Ken, "The King of Smash," retires, foreshadowing end of "Golden Age"
- 2008 - Super Smash Bros. Brawl is released, starting "Dark Age" where Melee stagnates from lack of attention
- 2009 - First US national Melee competition since release of Brawl, indicating start of resurging scene
- 2013 - EVO hosts donation drive for breast cancer research to feature an additional title at their event; Melee wins the spot with close to $95,000 raised. "The Smash Brothers" documentary released
- 2014 - Melee featured on three of largest fighting game tournaments in the summer: MLG, CEO, and EVO. EVO 2014 attracts nearly 1000 entrants.
- 2015 - Apex 2015 reaches 1000 entrants, EVO 2015 hits 1,869 entrants
- 2016 - EVO 2016 nets 2,372 entrants
"Smash is jazz. Everything else is classical music. You can have the sheet music in front of you and it's all about your execution because you know what sound is going to come out. Jazz, you got to play some improv in there. You know those scales. You know what notes you want to hit. Can you hit them on time and if not what can you do with it."
If you're interested in learning more, read the wiki article maintained by the Smash community.