Lately we’ve had a number of posts regarding balance. Are items balanced? (Depends.) Characters? (More so than other games.) Do tiers exist? (Yes.) Are all levels fair? (No.)
Smash Melee is one of the deepest shallow games you will ever play. It ranks with Ikaruga and Megaman for taking a simple formula and adding layer upon layer of complexity. Movesets are a fraction of the size of those found in Soul Caliber — and they all require <em>one button</em>. Take that, Street Fighter!
Despite this, Melee is far from balanced. Fox annihilates Pichu. If you play Bowser, well, have fun against Sheik. Flatzone is absurd, and yeesh, who thought heart containers were a good idea?
What you might not know is that <em>this is a good thing</em>. Necessary, in fact, to the health of Melee and Brawl.
While reading <a href="http://glancevalve.com/2007/07/01/imbalanced-and-unfair-why-we-secretly-love-these-games.aspx">GlanceValve’s article about game imbalance</a> I found myself constantly nodding in agreement. Would Kirbykid be as passionate about the game if he didn’t have an underdog character? Maybe. But the game would lose its draw. Think of Gimpyfish, Bum, Direvulcan, and Taj. These talented players snub tier lists by playing a dangerous Bowser, Donkey Kong, Game and Watch and Mewtwo, respectively.
Be sure to check out GlanceValve’s article, and then adopt a low-tier.
Smash Melee is one of the deepest shallow games you will ever play. It ranks with Ikaruga and Megaman for taking a simple formula and adding layer upon layer of complexity. Movesets are a fraction of the size of those found in Soul Caliber — and they all require <em>one button</em>. Take that, Street Fighter!
Despite this, Melee is far from balanced. Fox annihilates Pichu. If you play Bowser, well, have fun against Sheik. Flatzone is absurd, and yeesh, who thought heart containers were a good idea?
What you might not know is that <em>this is a good thing</em>. Necessary, in fact, to the health of Melee and Brawl.
While reading <a href="http://glancevalve.com/2007/07/01/imbalanced-and-unfair-why-we-secretly-love-these-games.aspx">GlanceValve’s article about game imbalance</a> I found myself constantly nodding in agreement. Would Kirbykid be as passionate about the game if he didn’t have an underdog character? Maybe. But the game would lose its draw. Think of Gimpyfish, Bum, Direvulcan, and Taj. These talented players snub tier lists by playing a dangerous Bowser, Donkey Kong, Game and Watch and Mewtwo, respectively.
Be sure to check out GlanceValve’s article, and then adopt a low-tier.