Masahiro Sakurai is at it once again. His “Creating Games” series has been a hit on YouTube and features all sorts of topics for gamers and creators to look into for advice. Plus, there are elements of gaming history sprinkled throughout the videos. The “Game Concepts” category was on the docket in the latest video, and it features Sakurai talking about one of his biggest successes in Super Smash Bros Melee! While the N64 title was revolutionary in its own right, the sequel would be the one to elevate the series to new levels.
One of the first things Sakurai admits in the video was that the “game concept” for the title was to take the N64 title and make it better in every way possible. By his own admission, he felt the N64 title was incredibly restrictive, and the Gamecube was much easier to work on. He went into detail about how they made the character models for the N64 version and how they were forced to make them as “low-poly” as possible to let the machine be able to run it. But when the Gamecube came along, they had much better technology and thus could make better character models to work with and animate.
Another thing that Sakurai could use via the Gamecube was streaming playback. That meant he could use a live orchestra to record tracks for his games for the first time in his career. Sakurai admitted he was “a bit late to the party,” but he made the most of it. We know he loved doing this, as all future Smash Bros games had live orchestra arrangements, including a track with lyrics for the most recent game!
Super Smash Bros Melee was also the title that birthed the fan-beloved feature of trophies. Sakurai knew they couldn’t fit everyone they wanted into the game. But, by having the trophies, they could fill it up with Nintendo references and information that diehard gamers would love and casual gamers would like to learn more about.
The legacy of the title is well-known. It was one of the best-selling games on the Nintendo Gamecube, further growing the hype for the franchise. Moreover, the fast-paced gameplay and improvements over the N64 version made it hailed even today as the best game in the franchise. Of course, some will debate that, but some tournaments only play Super Smash Bros Melee, and that’s quite a compliment.
You can watch the full video below:
Source: YouTube