The first Super Smash Bros., released in 1999, was a success. It combined the style of
a conventional fighting game like Street Fighter 2, and the platform style of Super Mario.
The first game, although successful, was criticized for it's lack of content, as it only
featured 12 characters, and a simple single player mode that was often repetitive. So in
the year 2000, Creator Masahiro Sakurai set out to make the next game in the series. In what
he called a "painful one-year development cycle", he managed to produce the next title, Super
Smash Bros. Melee, in time for the launch of their upcoming system, the Nintendo Gamecube.
This game was (and still is) a commercial success, being the most sold game for the system,
improving on the original game in many ways while adding it's own content. It's huge success
has given it a spot in one of the most competitive games made, with it's competitive scene
outlasting those of later entries in the series. The game is also well-received for the fact
that its controls are perfectly tight and responsive, and that the single player mode is full
of content. Overall, Melee, is the definition of one of the best fighting games of all time,
with it often being debated on if it is better than the Street Fighter or Killer Instinct
series.