Topic: What are the notable differences between SSB and Melee?

I'm considering getting SSB come Christmas, but was wondering how different it is from Melee. I know that Brawl is far more complex than Melee (let alone SSB), but is SSB significantly different from Melee?

YES! Big time. Melee is my favorite one so far, and this is coming from someone who was obsessed with SSB when it came out. SSB has arcade mode, team battle and free-for-all. Also, there is a break the targets and board the platforms minigame, and that's about it. There are only 12 characters, I think, and all that was a lot for 1999.

Melee is about 101% better than the original.

SSB->Melee was the biggest step for the series.
I loved SSB's stages but Melee just had so much more content.

Although Melee did introduce clone characters. I don't care how many times people say "Fox and Falco are totally different! One dashes 10% faster while the other jumps 5% higher!" or something stupid like that, I don't care. They're the same character.

There are 14 more characters (26 vs. 12), 19 more stages (29 vs. 10).
Also added are Adventure mode (platformer), All-star mode (single-player, 1 vs. 26, 1 stock).
Special Melee, Home Run Derby, trophies, ...

Yes in a bad way. SSB has overall less content than Melee and the speed of the game is decreased by almost half. I'd go with brawl if you don't have it. However, if you are only deciding between the two, then stick with Melee. Overall much better.

YA IF U HAVENT PLAYED IT PLAY IT BUT Ima pass i had it for n64 [sorry lost the caps lock button]

Don't. If you think Brawl is a huge step from Melee, SSB is like a step back to the stone age compared to melee. Don't get me wrong, SSB was a great game, but it has been surpassed twice over. The one thing I did enjoy was Ness, I found I had a greater degree of control of his PK Thunder due to the slower game speed. A lot of people say that Brawl was a disappointment, this is mostly due to it not being nearly as large an upgrade as SSB to Melee was. I do still miss a few of the stages from SSB, but when I went back (after Melee came out but before Brawl) it was not nearly as fun and I couldn't go back to control stick snap to jump.

SSB64 also doesn't have a side special attack, just neutral special, up special, and down special. The first time I tried SSB64, I was wondering why I couldn't get Pikachu to use Skull Bash.

Really there's no reason to play the older SSBs.
Every new iteration is just an upgrade/update to the previous game.
Each one adds more content but not much has changed beyond that.

That statement completely contradicts reality.

SSB is great it's the simplest, but it has combos and stuff, also the items were awesome (Unlike Melee which had meh items, and more unlike Brawl which had terrible items), also there are some pretty sweet stages (and there weren't bad ones, like some in Melee, and like half of them in Brawl).

I'd definitely say that SSB plays quite a bit better than Brawl. It's also easier to be alright at than Melee, which is a plus as well.

Brawl has a much bigger 1-player mode with the addition of Subspace Emissary. The platforming gets a little repetitive but the cutscenes are pretty good (no voice acting btw).

SSB is the simplest, or purest as I see it. I feel most of the stages are better (albeit simpler in design). I played it recently, I don't see why people feel it's aged so badly (except for the graphics). SMK & SMK64 don't have as many courses or modes as Wii but I far prefer playing them. I like all Smash Bros. with Brawl being my favourite (just wish it had all SSB stages) but I think each has something to offer.

A specific difference I found was that throwing was a lot easier to do in SSB, which personally I preferred. Also, in Brawl there are a lot of characters that can 'fly' or glide or whatever so the dynamic of the game has changed quite a bit since the original where there were only 2.

The controls feel outdated and slugish now. I find SMK64 even more of a downgrade compared to SMKDD than Melee to SMB is. Unless you`re curious about SSB`s roots, there is little point in getting it.

I love it for the nostalgia factor.

It would be hard to fully enjoy it if it isn't your first Smash game. Each game improves on the previous, in various ways.

Melee builds on everything the original Smash Bros. has to offer, but that's no reason to miss either of 'em.

It's hard to really explain, you need to play it to feel and understand the differences. After I had played Brawl for about a month, I tried Melee again, and boy, what a difference. In Brawl you feel more.....what's the word........control...i guess.

The physics and speed are different.

Thanks everyone. I already have Brawl and Melee, and I'm sure it'll feel weird having fewer features and different gameplay, but since is an N64 game I'll probably enjoy it for the nostalgia (even though I never had an N64).

Graphics
No Charging Moves
No B Right
No Air Dodge
Feels Floatier
A lot simpler