How Switch 2’s GameCube Classics could revive Smash Bros. Melee esports scene

With the Nintendo Switch 2 release date now here, it heralded the company’s latest effort in reviving one of its past console libraries, the GameCube. As part of the Nintendo Switch Online + Expansion Pack membership, Switch 2 players can download and play three titles — F-Zero GX, The Legend of Zelda: Wind Waker, and Soul Calibur II.

Each of these Nintendo games is iconic in its own right, with Wind Waker especially having been rumoured as a Switch port for years. Thanks to the extra power that the Switch 2 provides, the Nintendo GameCube – Nintendo Classics can unlock some nostalgic memories for many players who remember owning the console back in the day. But it’s also opened up the possibility for other titles that now have a chance of appearing through the service. 

Despite Nintendo already announcing other titles coming up, such as Chibi Robo, Luigi’s Mansion, and Pokémon XD: Gale of Darkness, there are plenty that could return from obscurity, and perhaps feature in several esports tournaments in the future. With this in mind, we’re going to highlight one title in particular that deserves to make a comeback: Super Smash Bros. Melee. 

Nintendo GameCube – Nintendo Classics is part of the Nintendo Switch Online + Expansion Pack membership that lets Switch 2 players play emulated games from that console’s era. This service began in 2018 with the company offering a selection of NES games for the Switch console. Eventually, others like Super Nintendo, Nintendo 64, Game Boy, Game Boy Advance, and even SEGA’s Genesis console came to the service.

But that’s not all. Players can save anywhere in every game, as well as play online with friends and family. There’s also a rewind feature, so if a mistake is made, the game can go back in time to rectify it. The retro service is a fantastic way for new and existing players to discover games they’ve likely not played in decades, but on a whole new console. Thanks to the extra power that the Switch 2 provides, these GameCube games look set to carry that feeling of nostalgia on, with more games to come.

Super Smash Bros. first debuted on the Nintendo 64 in 1999. Originally developed by HAL Laboratory, it’s a fighting game that features several characters from Nintendo franchises, and later in the series, from others like Sega, Konami, Bandai Namco, and more. Created by Masahiro Sakurai, who also came up with the pink blob, Kirby, the game became a surprise hit, selling around 5 million copies worldwide. Sakurai revealed that same year that he was working on a sequel for the upcoming Nintendo GameCube, called Super Smash Bros Melee. A game that’s still played at esports tournaments (such as EVO) to this day. 

Released in November 2001, it was an even bigger success, with more characters, more modes like single-player, and fantastic graphics. It received critical acclaim, with Melee becoming one of the GameCube’s best-selling games. But another aspect was how it began to appear in the esports scene in the same year it launched, and continues to do so, regardless of newer entries appearing in later years. The reason why Melee is still prominent in the esports scene is mostly down to its fast controls, letting players perform moves like L-cancelling, dash dancing, edge-cancelling, and more to allow more fluid movement to be made.

Those in the Smash Bros. esports community commonly agree that later games feel slower, that they lack the depth that Melee has offered since 2001. The lack of balance patches at the time, something that’s very common in almost every modern fighting game, also feels refreshing, as it’s a system that’s not changed in over 20 years.

It’s these reasons, and more, that Melee would be ideal to feature as part of the Nintendo GameCube – Nintendo Classics service. It’s difficult to access the game currently, as you’d need a real GameCube console or a Nintendo Wii, thanks to its backward-compatibility feature, to play it. And then there’s the issue of finding the game, as it’s still pricey to own a copy. The benefits of the Nintendo Classics service with Melee also seem perfect, such as being able to play the game on the go, and the integrated online multiplayer could finally give Melee a way of facing players online, something that’s unofficially possible through emulators, which are apps that can play past console games on PCs and other devices.

Featuring Melee on the service could potentially transform the Melee esports scene, and it would open up the game to potentially millions of players worldwide. Instead of finding a console and the game, they’d only need to load up the Nintendo Classics app and select Melee on their Switch 2. This easy access could give several esports organisers a great way to feature the game via exclusive tournaments, and if Nintendo saw the potential of this, it could contribute in some way, as it has done in the past with Melee at events like EVO.

Ultimately, it feels like a natural fit for Melee to come to Switch 2 via the Nintendo Classics service. As Sakurai is currently working on Kirby Air Riders, a sequel to Kirby’s Air Ride on the GameCube in 2003, there’s a slim chance of a new Smash Bros game coming anytime soon. So, to have Melee come to Switch 2 would be a great way to keep the series active by having one of the best in the series make its heralded return.

Super Smash Bros. Melee is one of the best Nintendo games of all time, and for good reason. Its fast-paced gameplay, fantastic designs, and music, as well as its many modes, are all why the game still holds up over 20 years later.

Now that GameCube games have arrived on the Nintendo Switch 2 via the Nintendo Classics service, it feels like an easy win for both the company and the community to see Melee return. With several fighting games like Tekken 8, Street Fighter 2, and plenty more being staples of modern esports events, having Super Smash Bros. Melee feature alongside these games through Switch 2 could become one of the most memorable moments in esports history.