EVO 2019 Drops Super Smash Bros. Melee

This is so sad

Alexa, play "Night Walker (Linne Theme)"

Wait what!!? As a huge smash bros competitive fan this baffles me, I understand they want ultimate but seriously melee is waaay more suited for competitive play. They had smash 4 and melee at the same time why couldn’t they have both now? Whatever I don’t really like watching melee as much as ultimate but still it has tons of players and a big fan base.

RIP Marvel and Melee, both of you will be miss. Nice to finally see SNK at EVO again.

THANK GOD!!!!
Casual Melee>Competitive Melee.

At least Ultimate it's not the same six characters winning every tourney.

Good riddance. Melee is rubbish.

There. I said it.

Melee was broken but you have to admit, it was nostalgic

Thank goodness that we don't have to see the rubbish known as competitive Melee

Finally! Ultimate is ridiculously better.

About freaking time, Melee is overrated

Well since a lot of Melee players are giving Ultimate a shot this seems like the perfect opportunity to unite the community under one game.

On one side, I feel bad for the ones who enjoy playing Melee and wanted to continue seeing it in EVO and on the other side, I do understand why it was replaced. Ultimate has more things that are also in Melee than any previous Smash had, so I can see the reasons behind not putting it in this year's EVO.

@Bigmuc

So does Street Fighter II Turbo and Mortal Kombat II. They have their fanbases but they're relics now especially when compared to their modern franchise update. They can be featured in retro tournaments now.

Melee was great at the time but it was woefully unbalanced. Ultimate is just superior on every level. And it has the added advantage of getting patched, in the infrequent event where a character may be overpowered or fans discover a character move specific exploit.

I felt the Wii U version was superior to Melee but Ultimate gives it its well deserved final nail in the coffin.

@Turbo857 yeah but it’s a vastly different case with melee still having a very active competitive scene.

Time to move on... let's just hope SSBU remains competitive.

Also, is it time for a new Bushido Blade, yet?

I have to question the move to include games that aren't out yet. I feel like you really can't know for certain they are going to generate enough of a competitive scene.

Then again, this has basically zero effect on my life so... Whatever. lol

I know a few people who are upset by this news. Not saying I’m happy or sad to see Melee go, I don’t care for the competitive scene much, but the whole “appeal” of Melee seemed to be that there were a select few people who were so use to playing a broken game that couldn’t be fixed and therefore altering gameplay, via updates.

I don't get the comments above.
So what if melee is 20+ years old? People have the right to enjoy whatever game they want regardless of its age. Just look at the sales of the NES and SNES mini, people can still appreciate the classics.
Just because Ultimate is out doesn't mean you have to force every melee player to play your game, they been passionately playing their games for over 2 decades, I don't see any reason for them to stop.
So please don't be so toxic about your game just because it's new. We all have preferences.
This is coming from someone who owns and loves Ultimate.

Not surprising after all this time. It's the biggest tourney there is for fighting games, ideally you really only want one game from a franchise and Melee is definitely getting long in the tooth.

It's not like the Melee scene is just going to evaporate, anyway. It's just not going to be in this event. You don't see Street Fighter II up there, but people are still going to play SFII.

I'm kind of surprised that BB:CTB is in the lineup. I didn't think CTB got much love from serious fighting game enthusiasts. It's a good game, but my impression was that it was not considered a "serious" fighter.

Samsho!!!! Aww I need to go to evo next year. Trying to do 3 conferences a year anyway.

@AlternateButtons

I don't see the problem when this game has been running for decades on old TVs the crowd doesn't mind at all. Especially when Smash 4 and Melee were both featured together in evo before Ultimate.

Before Ultimate's debut, Brawl was the best selling game of the franchise and it was considered the worst in terms of competitive gameplay. Sales mean much.
Gameplay and physics are subjective, some would prefer the faster pace of melee with it's washdaving L cancelling etc.
Smash Ultimate may be more polished but when it comes down to enjoyment it's all subjective.

So much needles downvoting against Melee fans here as I expected. Disappointing.

I wish they'd have at least one year with both Melee and Ultimate. Did last years Smash 4 GF fiasco had anything to do with this decision? Now I'm not THAT sad about Melee EVO spot. I myself much prefer playing Rivals of Aether, a similar platform fighter with wavedash mechanics. The big difference is though the fact that RoA is an indie title and judging from the views it got from last weekends tournament on Twitch, it will never be one of the 9 titles played at EVO.

EVO should've removed Melee a long time ago. Better late than never I suppose.

Cue all the "Durr... melee sucks.... durrr, hurrr, hurrr" comments.

@GothicZM

It doesn't suck. It's just absurdly overrated. To be fair, it's a really good game, but still at EVO mainstage, while being stupidly broken and older than most of the viewers? Time to put the horse down on this one.

The melee community is big enough where this is not a huge deal to them. It sucks but not a huge deal.

@AlternateButtons You tagged the wrong person lol

If people can still find enjoyment in playing or spectating, then I couldn't care less. SF2, Tetris etc. are games older than you and me yet people to this day still play them passionately.

If you were to pay attention to my comment you would see the reason I brought up brawl to was refute the argument of bringing up sales, since that was one of your reasons why people should "move on". Using that logic every melee player should've dropped their game for brawl or with the N64 version of the game. You could apply this to any sequel really.

Thats nice that Ultimate is attracting old and new players. But don't have to drop the game they loved to flock to Ultimate just for the sole reason of being new and reminiscent of melee.
Each smash game is unique in it's own way and they all play much different from each other.

Another point to add is that you can't expect players that invested years of time to suddenly drop melee just because the next smash iteration is out. Melee isn't just a game to them, it's their passion and their source of income. Of course they're going to play the next smash though.
Armada is taking a break from melee singles to play ultimate and Leffen recently made top 17 in genesis.
You can't guarantee they'll keep playing though as they make clear they prefer melee (at least Leffen has made it clearer).

@Luffymcduck I couldn't agree more the hate really seems undeserved, you can speak for yourself about the community but the game itself does not deserve this.

I too would of wished for melee to at least spend a year side by side with Ultimate in evo as well. Smash 4 and Melee coexisted so I don't see why not.

@AlternateButtons

Point still stands. And the competitive scene may not be what melee fans are looking for. Every smash game is unique in their own way. Melee is the most competitive of the smash games after all.

Nope. The fans don't care, the game still generates great viewership, other old games are still played. Doesn't matter.

Maybe you should realize they don't have to migrate cause because the game is new like I already said.
They're not gonna budge because you feel entitled for them to. Thats just being inconsiderate of their time spent and you just want them to throw it all away cause "muh new game."

It’s about time. Also this made me with that Tekken would come to the Switch!!!

@iLikeUrAttitude I don’t see a problem with the organizers of the tournament getting to decide what gets to be played on their tournament? If they feel it’s the right thing to do cause it’s less hassle and it costs less to organise, that’s fine, right?

I don’t see them hosting Mortal Kombat X, while MK 11 isn’t even out yet.

Well Melee, thanks for setting the stage for Ultimate, great modes, Giga Bowser, kickstarting Fire Emblem, and keeping Fox in the limelight with a pretty stellar design!

Okay, Nintendo, now you have to make an actual Star Fox game without Melee to fall back on!

Good riddance! Everyone that failed to evolve with the times like Melee. It was good for it’s time, now shut it and move on. Time to get good on ultimate the best smash to date.

Out with the old, in with the new.

I for one am glad they have streamlined it to have one from each of the major franchises and to only have their most recent iteration. (Although they are missing Dead or Alive 6?)

If they kept old games there would be lots of debate as to which ones to keep as there are more iconic games than Melee, such as Street Fighter II Turbo.

You never know though, they could bring back some retro tournaments in the future as special one off events. But I support this move.

@iLikeUrAttitude "So please don't be so toxic about your game"

...are you familiar with the concept of irony?

Let me get this straight... so we can assume the Melee crowd would rather drop EVO just as things went the other way around?

Because at this point I'm pretty convinced, sadly, there is not even such thing as a "competitive Smash community": it's mostly just "the Melee crowd".

I'll be more than happy to be proven wrong when Evo 2019 happens.

Ha, worst comment section ever. What a bunch of bitter people. It's one thing not to care about Melee but it's another entirely to be so openly ecstatic about it and its large community getting the boot. Petty.

It's sad about them dropping the game for EVO, but it'll continue to thrive in many other tournaments anyway. Things have changed since a few years back and there are so many other big events. I keep tuning in now and then for the biggest matches, so keep it up guys.

@Charlie_Girl Yes, and I haven't displayed it anywhere in this comment section.
I'm not making comments just blindly hating on a game that I don't like and calling it trash etc.
I just had a simple discussion with someone.
Maybe you should relearn the concept before you falsely accuse people of it.

@iLikeUrAttitude
I mean, the irony of expecting a modern gaming tournament to continue catering to an outdated game (that runs on outdated hardware AND uses outdated displays), while calling a modern scene "toxic," is pretty staggering.

@LinkSword Its sad really. I may prefer Ultimate but I'm not going to trash on the other games I don't like.
I certainly didn't expect to see cases of this in here of all places?

I always liked the idea that it featured an old game, like a blast from the past. And there clearly was an audience for it. I'm not sure how much room there is for it, and whether they have the resources, but it would be cool to have a retro section with a couple of older games.

@Charlie_Girl No where in this comment section did I call any game toxic. I was obviously pointing out the behavior of the people above in the comment section trashing on a game they didn't like.
I pointed that I love Ultimate but I'm not going to call the other smash games trash, and say how much better my version of the game is.

Melee has been at evo years so yes it is surprisingly that it is now being dropped. The hardware and displays don't matter to the fans or the players and the viewership was still strong.

@iLikeUrAttitude bottom line:
just like how Mortal Kombat 9 or Street Fighter II aren't at Evo, Melee shouldn't be at Evo either.
Evo gotta stay with the times to stay relevant.
✌

@Charlie_Girl
Evo is the biggest fighting game tournament event of the year period, having one old game featured isn't going to hurt it, especially when it has had no problem doing it for years prior.
Melee has more popularity and viewership than those two games you mentioned iirc.

Melee was and is a fantastic game but i think it has had its time the switch to ultimate will probably take some people some time to get used to but i feel like it needed to be done especially considering official gc controllers are getting harder and harder to find (and more expensive) in perfect working order

But...
how can something old be good???

@smithpa01 I don't see gamecube controllers disappearing as long as smash is still relevant. There basically the go to controllers for competitive play and maybe casual.
Whats the difference between using an orignal gamecube controller and a third party one in terms of quality and working order? Price is understandable though

@Sabroni What kind of flawed logic is that?

@iLikeUrAttitude the switch to ultimate may allow them to use modern official versions of the controller with the switch rather than having to stick with the original gc official controller is my point

@smithpa01 Well I don't see how that would give them an advantage either way. Isn't the controller design the same?
Can't they just use an adapter instead of having to buy a whole new controller?

So they finally realized nothing but Fox vs Marth gets just a little bit dull after almost 20 years?

@iLikeUrAttitude the issue is the controllers are old and no longer being produced so they will run out of them at some point

Why are people freaking out about this?

@smithpa01 Ah I see

@Friendly Because people like the game?

@iLikeUrAttitude it's called being facetious!
Some of the comments were just literally "it's 20 years old so has to go!"

Welp, this is a huge surprise to me since the game managed to hold on for quite a while...and it pains me too since it's my favorite game in the series (and not because of buggy/glitchy, nostalgia, and competitive reasons), though I liked Ultimate as well. Hopefully one of these days, I can play Melee again on Switch...

"Samurai Shodown"
...who?

Finally, I hate melee fanbase and how the keep bashing every new smash entry since.

After seen fox winning so many tournaments for 10 years it sure gets repetitive

@Anti-Guy I love Melee, but I agree with this 100%. If a newcomer wants to come into competitive Melee at this point, they can look forward to putting thousands of hours into becoming frame perfect with one of three Melee characters (Fox, Falco, Marth), and having to pretend the other 20 don’t exist. It’s really de-evolved in recent years to just Fox vs Fox. That’s not exactly fun. The blessing of our times is that Nintendo can hopefully keep tweaking Ultimate until many, many characters are viable. Unfortunately, Melee is now stuck in a three-character historical mire.

I knew this would happen eventually. I love Melee, like I do all the Smash games (except 64, it’s just OK), but it’s about time.

Of course, the competitive Melee scene will obviously live past this. For how long, only time will tell.

Finally! Out with this old game and its overdone meta. It's time to move on, boys!

I understand why some people favor Melee, but I just can’t get past how ridiculously unbalanced and broken that game is. There are only like five viable characters in competitive play and high level play relies heavily on tricks and exploits like wavedashing, which were never meant to exist and look so unnatural. Melee is an accidental freak of nature.

@AlternateButtons I wouldn't say "every way" but okay.

This community is a cancer.

Really wish Soulcalibur VI comes to the switch!

Wait.....there's a brand new Samurai Shodown? And it's coming to the Switch this summer? Holy crap! This is my favorite fighting game series ever! https://youtu.be/HHxLYLwwQVY

Probably for hygiene reasons.

@DockEllisD I never camp the game demo lines at a show, in general, but I WILL be on that Samurai Shodown line for every reasonable minute of the 2 days I'll be there! (and I really hope Ukyo is playable!)

(And shout-out to me 3 months ago who splurged for a 2nd day at PAX for "no reason", even though I've been ok with 1 day passes for years and hotels in the area are all pricey. You did good, bro! LOL)

@StephenYap3 https://www.nintendolife.com/games/neogeo/samurai_shodown
https://www.nintendolife.com/games/neogeo/samurai_shodown_ii
https://www.nintendolife.com/games/neogeo/samurai_shodown_iii
https://www.nintendolife.com/games/neogeo/samurai_shodown_iv
https://www.nintendolife.com/games/neogeo/samurai_shodown_v

But seriously, it's the 2nd oldest fighting game franchise from those 9 featured. Key arcade game devs from Capcom jumped ship, shortly after Street Fighter II Champion Edition, to join SNK, who gave them more creative freedom. The game they made was the first Samurai Shodown in 1993. It's pretty much the first weapons-based fighting game whose claim to fame was the incredible amount of damage the weapons were able to inflict (most characters can potentially kill with 3 heavy attacks, if the conditions are right) and its brutality approaching that of Mortal Kombat. For example, the slash that finishes the match, if heavy, will either cause a fountain of blood to spew out (like in old Samurai films) or the opponent's body gets chopped in half (while frozen in shock, the top half will slide off onto the floor, or in the air both halves will just fall down separately) while money or other point items cascade out of body halves as a bonus.

Samurai Shodown's biggest contribution to fighting games is the first appearance of a meter that charges up as your character takes damage, the "Rage Gauge". When the meter maxes out, characters deal extra damage for a short period of time, but also receives extra damage at the same time.

UNIST fans stay winning

it's not that surprising they dropped melee, ultimate has a tournament mode which hasn't been seen since melee.

Part of the reason why Melee stayed in tournaments like this is because Brawl alienated the competitive fan base enough to stick with it. I guess it was a matter of time but its kind of sad to see regardless.

I'm more interested in what is Under Night In-Birth and why is it taking up a spot at EVO?

@Bigmuc Keep up with the times Elitist.

@masterLEON Thanks. This is actually the first I'm hearing of this "Samurai Shodown", to be honest.

Didn't even a know a new Samurai Showdown was coming. I'm pretty pumped now!

Makes sense considering Ultimate has every character from Melee plus plenty of competitive options available. From EVOs perspective, something had to give and Melee probably made the most sense. I think they're taking a bit of a risk though with putting their eggs in the un-released games basket.

One thing I will say though is that the whole "CRT" and "Outdated display" argument isn't entirely correct.... Melee fans have recently started moving on to HDTVs using some of the new adapters and such that have been made available. The reason I know this is because In my community, I often help set-up the equipment and I've been noticing as of late that more and more Melee tournaments are using HDTVs. I don't know for sure if EVO itself has ever used anything but a CRT for Melee, but in most of the tournaments I helped set up, we've been using other methods to get Melee running on an HDTV with no lag, such as HDMI adaptors, Wii consoles with component, etc. The fanciest I've seen so far was a setup that used an older model GC with some kind of HDMI Adapter that hooked into that unused port. Pretty cool stuff! If the only thing EVO uses is CRT though, then yeah, that's definitely another notch against Melee. Those things are a bit of a pain and they're getting harder to find. I'm a collector so I love me a good CRT, but they're becoming more and more rare here in the US, and they're quite heavy. Not to mention many of them are starting to suffer busted caps and other problems.

The reason Melee is dropped is because EVO wants Ultimate to shine on its own. That's fair.

But most of you all are rejoicing and acting like Melee was the worst game ever made. If you really are a fan of the series, shouldn't you be happy that Melee made it this far? Or have you forgotten that Melee revived the competitive Smash scene???

@thesilverbrick you're right. But it's fun. Like, really fun once you understand what's going on.

Ultimate is fun too, just in a different way. I respect players like Leffen and M2K who are great at both games.

@Anti-Guy

See how old Bayonetta vs. Bayonetta gets after a couple of years.

@StephenWolf Because they clearly tweaked Smash Wii U until all characters were viable.

Good idea. Heck, they've moved onto latest Street Fighter V and MK11, so it seems stupid to persist with the old Smash when the current one being so good and a clear advance.

@GothicZM Can and will aren’t the same word

@GothicZM Bayonetta is not even top tier in Ultimate, there is a ton of variety of playstyles to enjoy in Ultimate unlike in Melee, which I love the latter, I adore the freaking game, but not in the competitive scene as @StephenWolf explained.