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Super Smash Bros. Melee

From The Cutting Room Floor
Revision as of 20:28, 12 December 2013 by Thomas1up (talk | contribs) (Added a new video for playable giga bowser)
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Title Screen

Super Smash Bros. Melee

Also known as: Dairantou Smash Brothers DX (JP)
Developer: Nintendo
Publisher: Nintendo
Platform: GameCube
Released in JP: November 21, 2001
Released in US: December 2, 2001
Released in EU: May 24, 2002
Released in AU: May 31, 2002
Released in KR: 2002


AreasIcon.png This game has unused areas.
CharacterIcon.png This game has unused playable characters.
GraphicsIcon.png This game has unused graphics.
MusicIcon.png This game has unused music.
SoundIcon.png This game has unused sounds.
TextIcon.png This game has unused text.
DebugIcon.png This game has debugging material.
LevelSelectIcon.png This game has a hidden level select.
RegionIcon.png This game has regional differences.
Carts.png This game has revisional differences.


PrereleaseIcon.png This game has a prerelease article

Super Smash Bros. Melee is the hugely popular GameCube sequel to the hugely popular Nintendo 64 game Super Smash Bros., featuring new characters, new stages, improved gameplay mechanics, and greatly enhanced graphics and sound.

Sub-Pages

Melee masterdebug.png
Master Debug Menu
There's a lot here. A. Lot. You can even save all the changes you've made...or wipe out your Memory Card.

Unused Audio

Hmmm...
To do:
Add a sound file for the Mewtwo and Sheik voice clips, "SFXNR_AND", "SFX_CS_HR_ZANNEN", and a ~3-to-5-second sample of "SFX_IT_CLOCKBOMB_COUNT". Also, translate what Sheik says in the voice clip documented. There are also numerous voice clips for Fox and Falco which are exclusive to the Japanese version of the game, as well as another Mewtwo clip which is missing.
  • FAMIDEMO.HPS

The same as the sound used in the "Special Movie", except that the Ice Climber theme plays in the beginning, followed by a short piece of the fairy fountain music from The Legend of Zelda: A Link to the Past.

  • FF_BAD.HPS

A fanfare that remains unused. It might have been used when a Bonus Stage was lost. Note that the prefix "FF" probably means "fanfare".

  • FF_GOOD.HPS

Another fanfare that remains unused. Was probably used at one point in development for when a Bonus Stage was won.

  • FF_STEP1.HPS

A fanfare.

  • FF_STEP2.HPS

Another fanfare.

  • FF_STEP3.HPS

Yet another fanfare.

  • HOWTO_S.HPS

The "How to Play" song without any excess sounds or voices. It is in the Sound Test as "How to Play".

  • S_NEW2.HPS and SFX_FPON_NEWFANF2

Can be accessed in the Sound Test as "Rare Trophy!", but is still unused. Take note that a remastered version of this fanfare is used in Brawl.

  • SFX_V_SELECTVOICE_(Character Debug Name)

One for every character exists, but they are all empty. However, Captain Falcon's plays one of his in-game voices, but very quietly.

  • SFX_CS_HR_ZANNEN

An odd sound that doesn't really fit anywhere.

  • SFX_PKV_METAMAN

Ditto crying "Meta!" (the Japanese name for Ditto is Metamon), who would've come out of a Poké Ball. This can be listened to via debug mode when forced to spawn a Poké Ball with Ditto.

  • SFX_IT_CLOCKBOMB_COUNT

A looping ticking sound. Its file name suggests it was for an early item that would have exploded after some sort of countdown.

  • SFXNR_NINTENDOHALLSTAR

The announcer saying "Nintendo All-Star". Note that the name of the file says "Hall-Star". Not even in the Japanese version is this used.

  • SFXNR_DAIRANTOH

The announcer saying "Dairantō", part of the Japanese name of the game.

  • SFXNR_SMAAASHBROS

The announcer frantically yelling "Smaaaaaaash Brotheerrrrs!" Not to be confused with the announcer saying "Super Smash Bros. Melee!" in the opening of the game (that has a file name of SFXNR_SMASHBROSMELEE). As a side note, this and "SFXNR_DAIRANTOH" are used in the Japanese version, so the announcer says "Dairantō Smash Brothers!". They're either simply a leftover from the Japanese version, or the US version set to Japanese was to use the same title as the Japanese version (大乱闘スマッシュブラザーズDX), rather than the international title (Super Smash Bros. Melee).

  • SFXNR_TITLE_SAKURAI

Nothing. Possibly a placeholder for the announciation of the game's name (i.e. "Dairantō Smash Brothers!" or "Super Smash Bros. Melee!").

  • SFXNR_HOWTOPLY

The announcer saying "How to Play!" This can be listened to in the Sound Test, not requiring any debugging.

  • SFXNR_AND

The announcer saying "And!" It can be listened to in the Sound Test, not requiring any debugging.

  • SFXNR_WINS

The announcer saying "Wins". It can be listened to in the Sound Test, not requiring any debugging.

  • SFXV_CAPTAIN_BLUEF

Captain Falcon saying "Blue Falcon!" This would later be used in his Final Smash in the sequel. Maybe the developers were experimenting with Final Smashes again?

  • SFXV_CAPTAIN_COMEON

Captain Falcon saying "Come on!" This would later be used as a taunt in the sequel.

  • SFXV_DRMARIO_2BIG

Clone leftovers. It's Mario's getting big sound.

  • SFXV_DRMARIOB_2BIG

A lower-pitched version of the above.

  • SFXV_LUIGI_2BIG

Guess what this is. I dare you.

  • SFXV_MARIO_KIRIFUDA

Mario's signature "Let's-a-go" (when you load a file in Super Mario 64) which was pitched up for Luigi in this game. "Kirifuda" (Japanese: 切り札 or 切札) means a "trump card" or "last resort" in Japanese. It could've been for a Final Smash.

  • SFXV_MARS_LETSDANCE

Marth saying "Let's dance!" Sounds like something that would be used for a Final Smash. Even if it was used, it wouldn't fit as all of Marth's lines in the game are in Japanese.

  • SFXV_MEWTWO_OROKANA

Mewtwo talking in Japanese, specifically saying "orokana", which translates to "fool.". This is exclusive to the Japanese version of the game.

  • SFXV_MEWTWO_WATASIWA

Mewtwo saying "Watashi wa makeru wake niwa ikanai!", vaguely translating to "The outcome in which I lose cannot happen", or more accurately, "I cannot lose!" Also exclusive to the Japanese version.

  • SFXV_ZS_SEAK_MORATTA

Sheik saying something in Japanese. Again, Japanese exclusive.

  • SFXNR_ZAKOTEAM

The announcer saying "Fighting Wire Frames!". It can be listened to in the Sound Test, not requiring any debugging.

  • SFXNR_GIGAKOOPA

The announcer says "Giga Koopa". It can be listened to in the Sound Test if the language is set to English, not requiring any debugging.

  • SFXNR_GIGABOUCER

The announcer says "Giga Bowser". It can be listened to in the Sound Test if the language is set to Japanese, not requiring any debugging.

  • SFXNR_MASTERHANDS

The announcer saying "Master Hand". It can be listened to in the Sound Test, not requiring any debugging.

  • SFXEND

Crashes the game.

Playable Giga Bowser

Hmmm...
To do:
Rewrite this section; it is quite unorganized. Additionally, try to replace the video below with a video with the following attributes: It demonstrates Giga Bowser actually being played as (with the same cheat code and without the game crashing, if possible), and that it was either recorded with a capture card or with Dolphin, not a camera.

The video on the left shows that Giga Bowser was in fact playable at some point in development, albeit likely only for AI testing or to see if Bowser's files were successfully copied for Giga Bowser. The latter is probably more accurate, as all boss characters are playable in some form using the debug mode.

The below codes are only for v1.2 of Melee:

NTSC-US
P1 Must be on - Vs. Char Mod:
  1. CV6R-VY20-TUUQ0
  2. B617-11AU-5KXK9
  3. B9RX-21T6-0F28X
Replace Jigglypuff with Giga Bowser:
  1. WETK-XBZM-VC4K3
  2. NGDE-0ATA-MDPK0
NTSC-US - If you want Giga Bowser playable to all players
P2 Must be on - Vs. Char Mod:
  1. BA3Y-28JK-3MD4M
  2. B5Y1-3MZT-E6PRC
  3. Q293-P594-Z2WJ9
P3 Must be on - Vs. Char Mod:
  1. FT2H-Z3U2-N3CN7
  2. P1Y3-JNVW-7YV1Q
  3. 488A-G0WZ-6CMPZ
P4 Must be on - Vs. Char Mod:
  1. 4RV7-J9YU-5EYQR
  2. H3HF-MW4T-HYW3H
  3. 8DZB-1H42-PFAEN

Unused Stages

There are six "unused" entries in the debug menu's level select for Versus matches, but only two work properly.

10-2

Crashes the game, though further codes can force it to load. Basically Icicle Mountain without music. Possibly an unfinished stage for the tenth stage in Adventure Mode, as if "10-2" meant that this level would come after Infinite Glacier: Icicle Mountain.

AKANEIA

Crashes the game, though there's rumors that parts of it have been salvaged from the disc via hacking. Name suggests it was Fire Emblem-themed, as Akaneia is the name of a country in the series.

DUMMY

Crashes the game, though further codes can force it to load. Just an invisible platform in the center and an empty black space around the platform. It's impossible to get KO'd here, as there are no blast lines, unlike all other stages in the game.

ICETOP

Crashes the game, though further codes can force it to load. Exactly the same as 10-2.

TEST

A large stage with untextured platforms, a few pits and floating platforms (some move vertically, some horizontally). The music that plays on this stage is the one from the Corneria stage. It also features a backdrop of a coffee shop (therefore giving the stage nicknames such as "The Coffee Shop", "The Bar", "The Pub", and many more); said backdrop is commonly used in 3D graphics, such as early editions of the OpenGL Programming Guide.

Teaser for "Mario Teaches Fine Dining".

TSEAK

A test stage for "Break the Targets". It was reserved for Sheik, who ended up sharing the level with Zelda. It's also possible that rather than a test stage, this was a template leftover that would soon become one's Target Test.

The easiest "Break the Targets" ever.

Unused Intros

Also inside the debug menu is a cool little unused second-long intro sequence for all 25 characters, presumably intended for All-Star Mode. Go to MODE TEST TEAM > KIM and highlight ALLSTAR ENEMY, then press Left and Right to switch characters and A to view the intro. This is also the only way to view the opponent portraits for Sheik, Ganondorf, and Roy, who are never fought as opponents in Classic Mode and thus the portraits are left unused.

Unused Pokémon

SSBM Metamon.png

With one of the tools of the debug mode, you can choose any object including the Poké Ball (listed as M BALL). With the same tool, you can determine what Pokémon will come out of a Poké Ball. A Pokémon you can choose to be released is listed as METAMON (Ditto's Japanese name); when you throw a Poké Ball when you have selected "METAMON", Ditto pops out, and it uses "SFX_PKV_METAMON" as its sound effect. As for the attack, it does not seem to do anything because it disappears quickly. It was removed a bit late in development, as it is mentioned in the official Super Smash Bros. Melee strategy guide.

Unused Graphics

Hmmm...
To do:
A few more are to be found. A detailed though by no means comprehensive collection can be found here: http://www.textures-resource.com/gamecube/supersmashbrosmelee/

Inside Great Bay's laboratory

SSBM GBLaboratory1.png

SSBM GBLaboratory3.png SSBM GBLaboratory2.png

In earlier versions of the game, the lab in Termina: Great Bay could be entered (it contained openings on the left and right sides) and stood on top of. This idea was eventually canned and the laboratory was closed and moved to the background, no longer being part of the arena. However, the lab still has some textures and models of some pipes inside of it, likely remnants from the initial idea.

(Source: Dark Linkaël)

TEST's Textures

SSBM TEST Textures1.png SSBM TEST Textures2.png SSBM TEST Textures3.png SSBM TEST Textures4.png SSBM TEST Textures5.png

The textures of the test stage "TEST", seen above.

Hidden Rice Ball

In Eagleland: Onett, inside the vases in front of the drugstore, is a small rice ball. It can be seen with a hacked camera. This oddity is also present in Super Smash Bros. Brawl's version of the stage, and can also be seen with a hacked camera there.

Plum's Gun

Among Plum's trophy's textures is a picture of a gun.

Sushi Board

Anyone up for some Blooper sushi?

Among the textures of the Mushroom Kingdom stage is a sushi board.

Pokémon Stadium Dummy Textures

GrdPStadiumOVTest GrdPStadiumDummy

These two textures are included with the files for Pokémon Stadium. The one on the left says "test" and was likely used to test the display on the big screen, while the tiny texture on the right says "dummy" and is used as a placeholder for the screen. The files are named GrdPStadiumOVTest and GrdPStadiumDummy, respectively. These textures are also present in Super Smash Bros. Brawl's version of the stage.

HAL Copyright

Guess they were REALLY proud of this texture.
One of Roy's textures has some hidden text that reads ©HAL LABRATORY.INC. Once again, HAL demonstrates that they're not very good at spelling their own name.

Reflections

Several trophies have odd images for reflections that are barely noticeable in-game.

Ssbm ayumicat.png

The Ayumi Tachibana trophy has a heavily embossed cat's face.

Is it a sloth? Is it a baby wrapped in a blanket? Is it anything?

The Fire Kirby trophy has an inverted baby face.

The last Metroid is in captivity. The galaxy is at peace.

The Metroid trophy has the title screen of Super Metroid.

Ssbm metalmarioreflect.png

The Metal Mario trophy has a reflection of the Yoshi's Island stage.

Ssbm ocarinaskyreflect.png

The Ocarina of Time trophy has a small reflection of the sky.

Ssbm lakereflect.png

Several trophies use this reflection. It is a screenshot of Osohe Castle from the cancelled Earthbound 64.


(Source: Earthbound 64 Promo site)

Random Stage Preview

The Mystery Pillar

When you hover the token over a stage on the stage select screen, a small 3D preview render appears behind the name on the lower-left. The "random stage" token, on the other hand, shows no preview... except it does have one, albeit just off-screen to the right.

The preview render itself is just a simple tilted and tall structure.

Unused Special Messages

SSBMGC-Yougotthedummy.png

These can all be accessed (except the last two) via the debug menu under MODE TEAM TEST > KIM > GOHUBI ID or GOHUBI FIGURE. However in the PAL version, none of these can be accessed with the exception of the Trophy ID 292 to 299 (which is exclusive to it). There are a few messages that are left unused:

Message ID(s) Note
You got the OOO Trophy! 299 The "OOO"s are oddly shaped; they are more like very thin circles.
You got the 000 Trophy! 292 to 299 It's exclusive to the PAL version, therefore the Trophy ID 299 isn't in this version's files.
You got the Proximity Mine Trophy! 295
You got the Dummy Trophy! 293
You beat All-Star Mode on Very Hard with a stock of one! 46 Most likely unused because it's not possible to set stock in All-Star Mode.
You have all trophies, including gift trophies! 61
You got the Mario and Yoshi trophy! They're pals again! Can't be accessed via debug menu.
You got the Samus Unmasked trophy! Lucky you! Can't be accessed via debug menu.

Boot-Up Message Log

This game sends a few debug logs to GameCube hardware during the startup process, but this is never seen from the player when using a retail GameCube. A GameCube/Wii emulator named Dolphin can receive and display these logs by enabling the logging feature (View --> Show Log). Note that some parts of the log are based on the system the log was retrieved from, such as the system's set date and time when it was accessed ("GC Calendar Year"). Below is an example of such a log:

# ---------------------------------------------
#    Super Smash Bros. Melee
#
# Distribution 1
# Language 1
# DbLevel 0
# Arena Size 19 MB
# ARAM Free Size 9 MB
# DATE Nov 22 2001  TIME 13:22:57
# GC Calendar Year 2013 Month 10 Day 1
#             Hour 0 Min 0 Sec 29 
#

Regional/Revisional Differences

Character Names

Japanese English
Ssbm iceclimbercon.png
Ssbm iceclimberscon.png

Ice Climber was changed to Ice Climbers, either due to the Japanese name coming from the game itself, or the fact that the Japanese language doesn't care so much about plurals.

Japanese English
D. Kong sounds really awkward. Ssbm dkcon.png

DK's icon was changed for the international release, but his narration is still "Donkey Kong".

Several other characters have different names and narrations depending on the language, but that's more of just localization.

Narrator

The narrator says a few things differently in the Japanese version than the international versions.

Japan International
300px "Battle Royale!"
"Melee!"
Japan International
"Get the coins!"
"Grab the coins!"

Trophies

Tamagon, from the obscure NES game Devil World (which was never released in America), is only obtainable in the Japanese version. It is still present in the US versions, but cannot be acquired without cheat devices and does not exist at all in the PAL version.

More famously, two trophies are completely unobtainable by normal means in any non-Japanese version because they were only distributed at certain Nintendo events in Japan: Samus Unmasked and Mario & Yoshi. Notably, all three had their descriptions translated into English. Devil World is referred to as "Demon World" for whatever reason.

More surprisingly, Mario's Japanese trophy description states him to be "about 26 years old".

Gallery

Switching the language from English to Japanese changes what's in the background of the trophy gallery.

English Japanese
Ssbm ustrophyroom.png I guess the Virtual Boy was just too embarrassing for the US.

When set to Japanese, the NES becomes a Famicom, the SNES becomes a rather dark Super Famicom, the picture above the shelf changes from reading "Super Smash Bros." to reading "Dairantō Smash Brothers" (the Super Smash Bros. series' name in Japan), and a Virtual Boy appears next to the plant.

English Japanese
Ssbm usn64.png Super Famicom Smash Bros.

The box and cartridge with the N64 also become the Japanese version of Super Smash Bros. Interestingly as well, the Super Famicom seems to have a Super Smash Bros. cartridge as well.

Daisy's Third Eye

Hmmm...
To do:
What US version was the extra eye removed from?
Dig into that model.

In the Japanese and early American versions, positioning the camera through the hair in the back of the Daisy trophy reveals a third eye which looks different from her other two.

Home-Run Contest

Japan/Europe USA
Ssbm homerunjap.png Ssbm homerunus.png

The Japanese and PAL version have a slightly more zoomed-in camera, making it appear as if the platform is a bit larger, and earlier versions had a relatively small stadium. The size cap was increased after players were able to hit Sandbag over the limit, causing it to fall into an endless void.

Lottery

Japan International
Wow! I would've been stuck if I wasn't told to push the A button! Thanks, game! What do I do? How do I get a trophy? What button do I press?!

The Japanese trophy machine informs you to push the A button, while the international version leaves you helpless. The logo was also changed from "FiguPon" to "Lottery".

Sensor Bomb/Motion-Sensor Bomb/Proximity Mine

Each version of Melee has a slightly different take on the infamous mine item. In the Japanese version, it's the Sensor Bomb (センサー爆弾), in the North American version it's the Motion-Sensor Bomb, and in Europe it's the Proximity Mine.

The design used in the North American and European versions is based off the Proximity Mine from GoldenEye 007, just like the previous game in the series. However, the Japanese version takes its design from the Perfect Dark Proximity Mine; additionally, the text below the trophy description (where the game of origin's name goes) translates to "Perfect Dark (N64)". The North American and European versions, instead of attributing its game of origin to GoldenEye 007, say "TOP SECRET" instead.

Why this change was made is unknown, since Perfect Dark and Rare are mentioned at the end of the credits anyway.

Japan North America Europe
SSBM Proximity Mine NTSC.png SSBM Proximity Mine NTSC American.png SSBM Proximity Mine PAL.png

Interestingly, the European description contains a typo that is unique to it; it's missing a chunk of text that splurges two sentences into each other.

US Europe
The perfect accessory for ambushes, the Motion-Sensor Bomb has been a favorite covert weapon of spies and other stealthy operatives. It adheres to any surface, and once armed, detonates with incredible force once it detects motion in its range. In the frantic world of Super Smash Bros., it doesn't take long for it to go. The perfect accessory for ambushes, the proximity mine has long been a favorite covert weapon of the Carrington Institute _____________ any surface, and once armed, detonates with incredible force once it detects motion in its range. In the frantic world of Super Smash Bros., it doesn't take long for it to go.

Topis

In the Japanese version, the Ice Climber Topis were seals as in the original Famicom version. In other releases, they are yeti. Interestingly, the English Trophy description is exactly the same due to its ambiguous wording. The seal model was also relatively poor in comparison.

Japan International
Ssbm sealtrophy.png Ssbm topitrophy.png

PAL Differences

The PAL version is essentially the American 1.2 with further differences:

  • The ability to select Japanese as a language (and the Japanese language itself in the game files, too) and the 15-minute-long "Special Movie" were completely removed in order to fit other languages.
  • The Tamagon trophy was completely eliminated, while the two other Japan-only trophies (which were otherwise only available via hacking) were still unavailable but translated into the other languages available in the PAL version, strangely.
  • The playable characters were also slightly rebalanced.
    • Some attacks were weakened or strengthened in power.
      • Captain Falcon's forward aerial (knee) attack deals less damage and less knockback.
      • Fox's up smash, down smash and up special deal less damage. Fire Fox (his up special) also gains less distance than it did in the all of the NTSC versions.
      • Ganondorf's forward aerial deals less knockback and his down aerial does less damage.
      • Kirby's dash attack deals slightly more damage.
      • Marth's down aerial, when "tipped" (when he hits an enemy with the tip of his sword), was changed from a powerful spike to a less powerful meteor smash (meaning that its knockback can now be negated).
      • Sheik's up smash deals less damage and her up aerial deals both less damage and knockback. Her down throw's effectiveness has been slightly reduced as well, meaning that she cannot chain throw with her down throw.
      • Yoshi's forward smash and up smash deal more damage, but his down aerial deals significantly less damage if all hits connect.
    • Weights have also been altered.
      • Bowser, Fox, Mario and Marth's weights have been reduced slightly.
      • Kirby and Yoshi's weights have been increased. (Interestingly, the PAL version made Kirby very slightly heavier than Fox; Fox has a weight of 73 and Kirby has a weight of 74.)
    • Some glitches have been fixed, and other things have been altered.
      • Bowser's down throw can now hurt Jigglypuff and Mr. Game & Watch; in all non-PAL versions of Melee, it did not hurt them.
      • The freeze glitch has been fixed.
      • If Donkey Kong has been hit whilst using Spinning Kong (his up special), he does not lose his charge from Giant Punch (his neutral special) in the PAL version.
      • Samus cannot extend her grappling beam in the PAL version. Also, she isn't able to use her bomb (down special) as a jump after using the grapple beam mid-air. She could in all the other NTSC versions.
      • Falco's down aerial behaves differently from how it does in the NTSC versions; in the NTSC versions, Falco's down aerial acts as a spike for its whole duration. In the PAL version, this was changed: The attack can only spike for the first half of its duration; after that, the attack hits at the "Sakurai angle".
(Falco's down air properties: SmashWiki)