23. Super Smash Bros. Melee
GameCube (2001)
HAL Laboratory
Super Smash Bros. Melee took the simple layout of the original game and added. What did it add you ask? Well... it added pretty much everything but the kitchen sink. New characters (Bowser! Ganondorf! Falco! Mewtwo! Mr. Game & Watch?), new stages (Final Destination! Hyrule Temple! Big Blue! Poke Floats?), new adventure mode, new items, new modes... it was a game dedicated to the celebration (and utter destruction) of Nintendo's greatest characters. But Melee wasn't just about additions, as it brought tweaks to the gameplay that made it even better. A plethora of new techniques were added to the combat system, creating a fast and furious play style which is still heralded by many a core gamer. The super competitive scene is a bit of a turn-off for me (no items, wave dashing fox only, final destination!), but I'm always happy to play a game or two (or ten) when anyone wants to play a round of Melee. Over 800 hours of play time later... yeah. This series is in a league of its own.
