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Super Smash Bros. Melee Character FAQ and Move List by Alasdair Lo
System: Nintendo Gamecube
E-mail: kylohk@netvigator.com
Date: 30 May, 2004
Version 2.1
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Contents
1. Introduction
2. Updates 
3. Disclaimer
4. The Scoring System
5. Basics
6. The Different Classes of Characters
7. Character Moves, Comparisons and Strategies by Division:
     a. Mario Division
     b. Realistic Division
     c. Light Division
8. Final Overall Analysis
     a. Mario Division
     b. Realistic Division
     c. Light Division
9. Strategies for 1 Player Mode
	a. Regular Match
	b. Stadium
10. The Items
11. Conclusion
Appendix I. Feedback Information
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1. Introduction
---------------
I must say, the Nintendo Exclusive Super Smash Bros. Melee is my favorite 
and one and only fighting game that I play. After all, my parents do not 
allow me and discourage me to play other fighting games of the genre. 
I remember when I was 9, and I got Super Street Fighter for my SNES, and 
my parents said, "Too violent! Don't play this!" But when they saw this 
game, they only laughed. 

Oh well, I AM surprised that this innovative fighting game got a Teen 
rating from the ESRB! Of course, in every fighting game, each character 
has their own special attributes, and the purpose of this guide is to 
show you where each character's (At least the first 14's) strengths and 
weaknesses are, and to tell you some basic strategies to make the better 
use of a character. Of course, each character's special moves will be 
listed out as well. As a result, I think this guide also serves as a move 
list of sorts. The same scoring system used in my Command and Conquer: 
Generals Zero Hour Side Comparison Guide will be used, only that I will 
alter the comparisons a bit here and there. Eventually, even each class 
of items will be listed out and compared. Of course, the comparisons are 
based on my own opinions and observations, so don't be surprised if you 
have any disagreements with my guide. In conclusion, this strategy guide 
is about 75% fact, 25% opinion. Feel free to ignore the comparisons if 
you only want the facts.

Of course, as I have only given you the basic pointers of this game, feel 
free to experiment on your own and find your own perfect formula.  If you 
have any special tactics, FEEL FREE TO E-MAIL ME.

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2. Updates
---------------
Version 2.1:
Added the strategies for the Home Run Contest for the other 9 characters.

Version 2.0:
Added the strategies for the Home Run Contest for Mario, Peach, Yoshi, 
Donkey Kong and Bowser.

Version 1.9:
Adde the strategies for the Target Test concerning Kirby, Pikachu, Ness 
and Ice Climbers.

Version 1.8: 
Added the strategies for the Target Test concerning Fox, Captain Falcon, 
Samus, Link and Zelda.

Version 1.7:
Added the strategies for the Target Test concerning Mario, Peach, Yoshi, 
Donkey Kong and Bowser.

Version 1.6:
Added tips concerning the usage of Shooting Items.

Version 1.5:
Modified the introduction, emphasizing that people can e-mail me if they 
have thought of any new strategies for each character.

Version 1.4:
Used Notepad to fix the horrible formatting in Chapter 8. Added the 
learning curve for the 14 Characters. (The unlockable characters have 
not been added yet.)

Version 1.3:
Added a section that analyzes the scores of each character and to expose 
each characters' "true" strength.

Version 1.2:
Added the strategies for the Throwing Items.

Version 1.1:
Added the strategies for the usage of certain items.

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3. Disclaimer
---------------
I must say, for any fighting games like Super Smash Bros. Melee, people 
will always argue about which character is better. It is obvious that 
each character has their own assortment of fanboys and fangirls. So, before 
we begin, I must stress that this guide is based on MY (I must stress 
this) own views. As OPINIONS ARE NOT EQUAL TO FACTS, do not send in e-mail 
saying that I am a liar or whatever, as my eyes do not fool me.

For some, not all of the moves, I will provide some strategies concerning 
their usage. If you have any other ideas, feel free to e-mail me to share 
with me.

The comparisons in this guide are based on multiplayer games played at 
home, and not at Nintendo Gamecube tournaments. Of course, there is no 
need to worry about any online games, as you cannot play online with this 
game!!! Get the point?

The comparisons are based on many factors, such as attack power, impact 
force, their speed, their armor, their ease of use and so on. Each factor 
is given a different weight, of course, different types of moves and 
properties have different weights on their factors, fir instance, for 
Smash Attacks, impact force and hit damage are 2 important things, so 
I give them a better weighting. 

For each character, I will now tell you which factors I compare them by 
which factors. Sometimes, I will determine which unit is better by 
performing a test run with each character while I play a multiplayer game 
with my best friends. So, all those scores are BASED ON MY OWN OBSERVATIONS. 
So, as my Pure Mathematics Algebra Teacher likes to say when he spots 
a student cheating, "DON"T ARGUE WITH MY OBSERVATIONS!"

So, in conclusion, it is just normal for readers to disagree with this 
guide, and if you have any opinions, feel free to e-mail me and express 
it. Please express yourself in a more polite manner, or I will regard 
that as flame, and delete. Of course, each character will have their own 
special moves and skills that are worth trying out yourself. If you have 
bought this game so as to only play with only one character, then you 
will not be able to unlock any secrets, and of course, would hardly worth 
the money you spent on the game. So, play as all characters at least one 
to get the 1-P mode victories for maximum enjoyment!!!

----------------------------------
4. More about the Scoring System
----------------------------------
It is typical for many fighting games to include stats for each character, 
but this is something that Super Smash Bros. Melee is lacking. So, I will 
carry out some tests on characters and give them some customized stats 
which is the scoring system.

For each unit, I will now tell you which factors I compare them by. Sometimes, 
I will determine which unit is better by performing a test run with each 
unit while I play a multiplayer game with my best friends, some of them 
are tested in training mode, and some are tested in the Adventure Mode. 
So, all those scores are BASED ON MY OWN OBSERVATIONS. So, as my Pure 
Mathematics Algebra Teacher likes to say when he spots a student cheating, 
"DON'T ARGUE WITH MY OBSERVATIONS!"

For simplicity, the 25 characters to be compared in this game are grouped 
by how they appear in the event battles. I know 3 of the groups are well 
defined while 2 of them a vague, but really, this grouping is only a matter 
of my style.

Some factors compared include:
Weight (How far a character is sent flying when he or she gets hit by 
an attack with a high impact force)
Versatility (How flexible and agile a character is, this does not only 
include speed)
Jumping Ability
Standard Attacks
Smash Attacks
Special Attacks
Other notable characteristics

Another rule I make when comparing characters is that. If some characters 
in the same category have attack capabilities, while the other has not. 
I will automatically give the unit without any attack power a 0.

Each group in the game may have 4 to 6 characters. The character who is 
the strongest in that ability is given the highest score, while the 2nd 
is given the 2nd highest score and so on. This is how the points are awarded:

For the groups with 6 characters:
Winner: 10 points
2nd Place: 7 points
3rd Place: 5 points
4th Place: 3 points
5th Place: 2 points
6th Place: 1 Point

For the groups with 5 characters:
Winner: 8 points
2nd Place: 5 points
3rd Place: 3 points
4th Place: 2 Points
5th Place: 1 Point

For the group with 4 characters:
Winner: 7 points
2nd Place: 5 points
3rd Place: 3 points
4th Place: 1 point

The whole point of such arrangements is to clearly separate the strong 
from the weak. As simple is that.

Although there must be a winner in the final score, having the highest 
score DOES NOT imply that character is the strongest. It just implies 
that side is all rounded. So, no more e-mails about how biased I am towards 
a character. Or else expect to get blacklisted. Read the Appendix I: 
Feedback Information for the rules to be observed when sending me feedback.

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5. Basics
---------------
Walking and running:
To walk, hold the Control Stick in the horizontal direction you want your 
character to walk in. To make him/her/them run, TAP the control stick 
in the direction required.

Jumping:
To jump, press up on the control stick, or diagonally upwards in the 
direction you want your character to jump. However, I personally recommend 
using the Y Button to jump, as it is more user-friendly. For me, at least.

Attacking:
A Button is the ordinary attack button. Press A repeatedly and your 
character will perform a multiple hit combo on the enemy. Press A while 
holding a Control Stick in the desired direction will cause your character 
to perform a strong attack in the desired direction. Press A while tapping 
the Control Stick in the desired direction will cause your character to 
perform a Smash Attack in the desired direction. As simple as that. 
Pressing A while your character is in the air with or without holding 
the Control Stick will cause your character to perform a Mid-air attack 
in the desired direction.

Grabbing and Throwing:
Press Z to grab an enemy, A to hit him/her a couple of times and then 
tap the control stick in the direction you want to throw him/her in. 
Pressing A while holding the R button also works.

Protective Measures:
Press R or L while standing to pull up a shield, and R or L while in midair 
to perform an air dodge. If you tilt the control stick in any of the 
directions, you can air dodge anywhere you like. Another thing that you 
can do with the air-dodge is to regain control more quickly after 
performing an air attack. After you have attacked, press L or R and your 
character will perform an air dodge, fall to the ground quicker and you 
can move him/her away faster.

Special Moves:
Press B alone or accompanied by a tilt of the Control Stick to perform 
a special move unique to that character.

Using Items:
Sometimes, in a middle of a fight, an item will appear. Go over to the 
item and press A to use it. Some items like food or healing items will 
take effect as soon as you press A. The others will be grabbed. For throwing 
items, capsules and carriers, Press A again to throw. For the other items, 
Press A to shoot or bash your enemies with the item. To throw those away. 
Press Z, preferably at your enemies to hurt them!

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6. The Groups
---------------
Mario Division:

Characters included: Mario, Peach, Yoshi, Donkey Kong, Bowser
These are the characters you will face in the first All-Star Event Battle 
Match in the single player Event Battle Mode. They all have something 
in common, it is that they all have first appeared in Mario franchised 
related games. Of course, all of these characters are playable right at 
the start of the game. In this group, there are two newcomers to the Super 
Smash Bros. series. They are Princess Peach Toadstool and of course, the 
ultimate nemesis of Mario, Bowser!

Realistic Division:

Characters included: Fox, Captain Falcon, Samus, Link, Zelda
These are the characters you will face in the second All-Star Even Battle 
Match in the single player Event Battle Mode. The reason, I guess for 
all of these characters to be known as "realistic stars", is that well, 
the storyline of their game is rather realistic and probably futuristic. 
I guess. Again, these characters are playable right at the beginning of 
the game. There is a single newcomer to the series here. She is Zelda, 
the usual "damsel in distress" of the Legend of Zelda series! (God knows 
why it is called the Legend of Zelda, but not the Legend of Link.)

Light Division:

Characters included: Pikachu, Kirby, Ness, Ice Climbers
These are the characters you will face in the third All-Star Battle Match 
in the single player Event Battle mode. All of these characters, as the 
name of this division suggests is lightweight. Besides, they are just 
so cute and fuzzy! Ooooo! Only kidding! Of course, as they are so small 
in size, they really are the most versatile characters in this game. All 
of these characters are playable right at the beginning of the game. There 
is again, a single newcomer to the series here, and they are the Ice Climbers. 
I said they because two if them do come at the same time.

Secret Division:

Characters included: Luigi, Jigglypuff, Mewtwo, Mr. Game and Watch, Marth
These characters will be faced in the fourth All-Stars Battle Match in 
the single player Event battle Mode. They take up the 5 slots on the 
character select screen marked with a question mark. They are not available 
right at the start of the game, and are to be unlocked by special methods, 
which are not to be discussed here.

Clone Division:

Characters included: Dr. Mario, Ganondorf, Falco Lombardi, Young Link, 
Pichu, Roy
These characters will be faced in the fifth and final All-Star Battle 
Match in the single player Event Battle Mode. These characters appear 
in blocks that are next two and are slightly lower than the characters 
on the edge of the entire "frame" of the character select screen. They 
are called clones because they have moves EXTREMELY similar to those of 
the original one, but with slight variations here and there. Again, they 
are not available right at the start of the game, and are to be unlocked 
by special methods, which are not to be discussed here.

---------------------------------------------------
7. Character Strategies and Comparisons by Division
---------------------------------------------------

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a. Mario Division
------------------
There are in total 5 characters in this group for comparison.

------------------------------------
Short Introduction of the Characters
------------------------------------
Mario:
Yes, our good old Mario started as Jumpman in the 1980 Donkey Kong arcade 
game to save his girlfriend from the dreaded Donkey Kong. But it was not 
until the first Super Mario Bros. Title appeared on the NES that he became 
famous. Since then, Mario has been involved in many action/adventure, 
sports, puzzle and party games on the SNES, Nintendo 64 and the Nintendo 
Gamecube. As if Nintendo didn't like him enough, he also got to be the 
victim in Luigi's Mansion released back in 2001 with the Nintendo 
Gamecube's release! Of course, Mario, in general is the most balanced 
character in this division, I guess the programmers like to set Mario 
as the "reference" character or something like that.

Learning Curve: Easy

Note: The stronger a character is, the harder it is to master him/her/them. 
Therefore, the learning curve of a character is inversely proportional 
to his/her/their total score in the end.

Peach:
A newcomer to the Super Smash Bros. Series, our princess in pink Peach 
Toadstool has some tricks up her sleeve. She appeared in the 1984 Super 
Smash Bros. Game on the NES, and has been the damsel in distress in the 
Super Mario series for the 20th year up to 2004! The only time she was 
playable was in Super Mario Bros. 2, where you get to control your character 
in a Dream World, tossing vegetables around! She is also one of the few 
characters in the game whose voice is played by a non-Japanese voice 
actress! Listen to her voices and you will see!

Learning Curve: Easy

Yoshi:
There is more than one type of Yoshi, as there are 4 different colours 
initially and many more in the coming games, but the green variant of 
Yoshi is the most popular. Yoshi first appeared in Super Mario World for 
the SNES back in 1990 as Mario's "horse", and this Green Saddled Dinosaur 
became so popular that he had his own games made for him like Yoshi's 
Island. Yoshis are obviously capable for asexual reproduction, as even 
the male can lay eggs! After some time apart, Mario and Yoshi were finally 
reunited in Super Mario Sunshine, and he gets to be ridden by Mario!

Learning Curve: Medium

Donkey Kong:
This giant gorilla was once Mario's worst enemy in the old Donkey Kong 
arcade games. But DK, as we know it, got a new start by Rare Corporation 
as he had his own series of Adventure Games called Donkey Kong Country 
for the SNES and Donkey Kong Land for the Game Boy. For some strange reason, 
Donkey Kong was the hero in the first episode but was the victim in the 
2nd and the 3rd! But still, he got a comeback in Donkey Kong 64 as the 
lead character. It is a pity that Donkey Kong will not have any more 
adventure games to be released even 3 years after the Release of the 
Gamecube. But still, you will never know.

Learning Curve: Hard

Bowser:
Yes, this is the character that everyone loves to hate. He is Bowser, 
the King of the Koopas! This newcomer to the Super Smash Bros. Series 
has been Mario's enemy since the first Super Mario Bros. game for the 
NES! When will he ever give up? There is almost not a single Mario adventure 
game without Bowser! Of course, in all sports games like Mario Kart, Bowser 
was allocated into the extreme Heavyweight group! And of course, in Super 
Smash Bros. Melee, this is not an exception. 

Learning Curve: Hard

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Basic comparisons
-----------------
Weight:
There is no denying that Bowser is the heaviest of the whole bunch of 
the Mario Division. Donkey Kong is second. Both characters mentioned can 
usually survive up to 200% most of the time. Mario and Yoshi's weights 
are very close and the difference is negligible. As for Peach, she usually 
can be knocked away with no trouble at all when her damage percentage 
just exceeds 100%! Therefore the results of the comparison of weight are 
as follows:

Mario: 3	Peach: 1	Yoshi: 3	Donkey Kong: 8*	Bowser:	8*

Versatility:
In this group, Yoshi tends to lead the pack when running, with Mario close 
behind him. Donkey Kong is slightly faster than Bowser when they run, 
while Peach is well, somewhere in the middle of the pack. Yoshi is the 
most flexible when attacking and moving, while Bowser and Donkey Kong 
are relatively labored when attacking. Peach is also stuck in the middle 
in this area. Yoshi is therefore the most versatile character of these 
5, while Bowser is the least versatile. I guess versatility to some extent 
is inversely related to a character's weight and size.

Mario: 5	Peach: 3	Yoshi:	8*	Donkey Kong: 2	Bowser: 1 

Cumulative Score:
Mario: 8	Peach: 4	Yoshi: 11*	Donkey Kong: 10	Bowser:	9

Jumping Abilities:
"Hup! Noooooooooo!" "Mommy! That Yoshi jumped over the moon!" Nah, I am 
just kidding. But still, Yoshi has a very high and very long double jump, 
and he is therefore able to cover great distances by jumping! What can 
be better? Our Princess Toadstool seemed to retain some of her attributes 
dating back to Super Mario Bros. 2. She can jump, and when you hold Y 
or X, she can also float in the air "gracefully" for some time! I guess 
her dress sort of acted like a parachute in this respect, or something 
like that. As for Mario, he is only average with his post-Super Mario 
64 style double jump. The two heavyweight characters are not very good 
jumpers. And the difference in their jumping abilities are pretty much 
negligible at this point. They are hence both tied at 4th place.

Mario: 3	Peach: 5	Yoshi: 8*	Donkey Kong: 2	Bowser: 2

Cumulative Score:
Mario: 11	Peach: 9	Yoshi: 19	Donkey Kong: 12	Bowser:	11

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Standard Attacks
-----------------
Standard A button attack:
Mario:
Attack: Punch-Punch-Kick
You press A to make Mario punch, you press A repeatedly and Mario will 
resort to the old "Punch-Punch-Kick" fashion of Super Mario 64. After 
each cycle is completed, Mario will pause for a moment and let his foot 
touch the ground before punching again.

Strategy:
It seems that the final kick can be used to kick the enemy away. So, if 
you want to get rid of an annoyance, always press A thrice and the enemy 
will be sent a bit far off.

Peach:
Attack: Slap
Peach, being the courtly noble of the Mushroom Kingdom, will resort to 
some courtly standard attack. You know what? She slaps! You press A once 
to slap and press a repeatedly and Peach will slap combo in two slap cycles. 
That's about it. Nothing too special.

Strategy:
No tactics avail, really, as this is just an average slap.

Yoshi:
Attack: Left-foot kick, Right-foot kick
Yoshi, having rather short arms, could not hit people very well by punching. 
Instead of punching, Yoshi kicks people. Press A once to kick, and then 
A repeatedly and Yoshi will sort of kick the enemy repeatedly in two hit 
cycles as if he were "goosesteping". Oh well. In fact, he does look like 
a soldier with his expression!

Strategy:
No strategies are available. Just use it as you wish.

Donkey Kong:
Attack: Punch and Hook
Ohh... What lovely big fists you have! You know what they are used for, 
don't you? They are for, punching! Donkey Kong has the ability to do quite 
a lot of damage by Punching and Hooking alternately by repeatedly pressing 
the A-button on the controller.

Strategy:
Thanks to his large body size and long arms. It is possible to hit the 
enemy from a longer range than they hit Donkey Kong.

Bowser:
Attack: Punching Slash
Our super heavy weight is a bit slow and steady. He also punches, and 
in a slashing fashion too! Bowser also can punch and slash the enemy 
sequentially be repeatedly pressing the A button. However, I get the 
impression that this move is a little bit laboured here and there.

Strategy:
Thanks to his large body size and long arms. It is possible to hit the 
enemy from a longer range than they hit Bowser.

Comparison:

Factor: Combat Frequency and Damage
Mario's triple hit punch is the fastest of the 3, while they deal average 
damage of at least 4% with each blow. Princess Toadstool and Yoshi's 2 
hit combos are not as frequent as Mario's and deal about 3-4% each time. 
Meanwhile, Bowser and Donkey Kong's two hit combos tend to be faster than 
Peach and Yoshi's and they also do more damage. Now, this really is a 
tricky balance, but I still came up with the following conclusion. This 
is because, damage seemed to accumulate the fastest in the cases of Donkey 
Kong and Bowser.

Mario: 3	Peach: 2	Yoshi: 2	Donkey Kong: 8*	Bowser: 8*

Cumulative Score:
Mario: 14	Peach: 11	Yoshi: 21*	Donkey Kong: 20	Bowser:	19

Running Attack:

Mario:
Attack: Sliding Tackle
Mario likes to play football (I am referring to, of course, soccer, but 
not American Football.) In fact, if you dash and attack, Mario will sort 
of perform a sliding tackle on the enemy while dealing him/her/them 9% 
and also knock him/her/them a little bit about.

Strategy:
You know what a sliding tackle does, don't you? If you want to break through 
someone, perform a sliding tackle on him and he will be knocked up, and 
then get back on your feet and run forwards. This is great if you want 
to race for a vital healing item and so on. Note that no Red Cards will 
be given to Mario even if he does it from behind! Ha ha!

Peach:
Attack: Running Shove
Princess Peach Toadstool really has some royal attacks like this running 
attack. She will run, and stick out her arms to sort of push the enemy 
along the direction she is going, while at the same time knock him/her/them 
a little about and dealing about 12% damage to him/her/them.

Strategy:
Nothing so special to say about this move.

Yoshi:
Attack: Charging Headbutt
Yoshi, being the dinosaur that he is, really likes to charge and stampede. 
In fact, if you press the A button while Yoshi is running and charging 
towards the enemy, Yoshi will perform a headbutt on the enemy. This attack 
deals about 9% damage to him/her/them and will not knock him/her/them 
very far back.

Strategy:
As this knocks an enemy far back, this move is a good way to force someone 
against a wall or off the edge. Just run quick enough and you should be 
able to do this repeatedly.

Donkey Kong:
Attack: Sliding Tackle
Donkey Kong being the pre-evolutionary form of men, shares a lot of 
similarities with man. After all, this gorilla also likes to play football 
with his opponents. If you make him run, or do a fast crawl, to be more 
precise, Donkey Kong will also perform a sliding tackle on the character. 
Dealing about 11% damage and knocking him/her/them quite around a lot!

Strategy:
Same as that of Mario's, really. But it is less effective due to the slow 
speed of Donkey Kong.

Bowser:
Attack: Charging Headbutt
Bowser, also likes to headbutt his enemies. He charges and headbutts. 
Upon impact, about 11% damage is deal to the enemy, and him/her/them is 
sent flying rather high.

Strategy:
Nope, not any thing special. As this is nothing but brute force.

Comparison:

Factor: Damage and Impact Force
Princess Peach Toadstool's pushing can deal the most damage, but the impact 
force is not very great. On the other hand, Bowser and Donkey Kong are 
very close in terms of damage and can knock people sky high with their 
attacks, while Mario and Yoshi are not very able to do this. After all, 
this game is about sending people off the screen, so impact force is a 
very important factor when comparing different attacks. So, the following 
conclusion is made:

Mario: 2	Peach: 3	Yoshi: 1	Donkey Kong: 5	Bowser: 8*

Cumulative Score:
Mario: 16	Peach: 14	Yoshi: 22	Donkey Kong: 25	Bowser:	27*

Grabbing attack:

Mario:
Mario will grab his opponent, and headbutts him/her/them while they are 
held, and deal about 3% damage per hit. There is nothing so special about 
his throw, but he likes to throw people as if they were Bowser from Super 
Mario 64. Remember the part where you throw Bowser into the Spiked Orbs 
anyone? But he will cry, "Yee-Haw."

Strategy:
For all throws, consider throwing your enemy at the following things: 
Motion Sensor Bombs, Pits, off the stage, other characters. Other 
characters that get hit by the character who is thrown will be hurt as 
well! If you throw an enemy just before he/she breaks free, you will get 
a "Close Call" Bonus. If you fail to grab enemies too many times, you 
get a penalty "Butterfingers". If you only hit someone but did not throw 
him/her you get a "Fists of Fury" bonus. If you knock someone out by throwing, 
you get a "Throw Down" bonus.

Peach:
Peach grabs her opponents and does the very regal form of attacking called 
the slap. She then slaps him/her/them away. Each slap deals 2% damage. 
Nothing so special about this.

Yoshi:
Yoshi is always hungry. He will use his tongue to swallow his enemy, and 
he will get a feeling of what he/she tastes like by chewing a bit before 
spitting him/her out in the direction you desire. Each chew deals about 
3% damage to the enemy.

Donkey Kong:
Donkey Kong will grab his opponent and deal him 3% of damage per hit. 
That's all. Nothing too special, except Donkey Kong can carry an enemy 
around as if he were Mario's girlfriend.

Bowser:
Bowser also grabs and punches his enemies for 3% per hit as before. However, 
what is so special is his throws. If you throw a character upwards, Bowser 
will spin the character around a little bit before sending him/her flying. 
If you were to use a downward throw, then Bowser will sort of roll him/her 
on his belly before throwing!

Comparison:

Factor: Hit Damage, Throw Damage
Peach, by far, has the weakest hit damage of the 4. Bowser, on the other 
hand, has the highest throw damage due to the ability to spin and roll 
the enemies. Meanwhile, Mario and Donkey Kong throw enemies with similar 
distances, while the spitting action of Yoshi doesn't seem to go very 
far. But still, Donkey Kong's grab and move can prove to be a little more 
useful than Mario. Therefore, Bowser's grab is the strongest, while 
Peach's is the weakest.

Mario: 3	Peach: 1	Yoshi: 2	Donkey Kong: 5	Bowser: 8*

Cumulative Score:
Mario: 19	Peach: 15	Yoshi: 24	Donkey Kong: 30	Bowser:	35*

---------------
Strong Attacks
---------------
Horizontal Strong Attack:

Mario:
Attack: Strong Punch
Mario will deliver a slightly more powerful punch to his enemy if you 
press A button while holding either left or right on the control stick. 
As a result, at most 9% damage will be dealt to the enemy, while knocking 
him/her/them considerably around. (The impact force comparison is made 
on a character standing still with 100% damage in all cases.)

Peach:
Attack: Flexible Kick
Peach does have very flexible legs. When you press A while holding left 
or right while she is next to an enemy, she will kick, while sending her 
leg all the way up, almost forming a vertical line perpendicular to the 
ground. And knocking him/her/them rather high up into the air. Peach deals 
about 13% damage with this move.

Yoshi:
Attack: Strong Kick
Yoshi is a lot like Peach in the horizontal strong attack. Press A while 
holding left or right on the control stick to let Yoshi to a slightly 
more powerful kick. About 12% damage is dealt, and the enemy is sent up 
rather high up in the air. However, the angle of trajectory of him/her/them 
is slightly smaller than Peach's kick, so the character will be sent flying 
in a little more diagonal manner.

Donkey Kong:
Attack: Large Swat
Donkey Kong, being a gorilla with such large hands and fists, like to 
sweep out his arm and swat his enemies when you press the A button while 
holding left or right on the control stick. This attack dishes out about 
10% damage to the enemy, and this time, the angle of trajectory on 
him/her/them is rather small, so the enemy will be knocked further more 
horizontally than vertically compared with Yoshi and Peach.

Bowser:
Attack: Strong Punch
Bowser is a big, bad and mean dude. In fact, his strong attack consists 
of a very STRONG punch! After he slugs the enemy with his fist, the enemy 
will be dealt about 14% damage and will be sent flying over a rather long 
range! I know, the angle of trajectory is the smallest when compared with 
the other 4 characters. However, this also means that the horizontal range 
of this attack is much greater than the vertical range of this attack! 
Get what I mean?

Comparison:

Factors: Hit Damage, Trajectory
Mario's fatal weakness is well, he is far too average! In fact, he is 
so average so that he really is good at nothing in particular, in particular 
this strong attack! Only 9%! Now, Bowser's Strong attack taunts the 
strongest horizontal range and damage. Peach's Strong Attack gives the 
2nd strongest horizontal range and damage. As Donkey Kong and Yoshi tends 
to be stuck in the middle, I will rate them by their damage only. 12% 
damage is greater than 10%, it is obvious.

Mario: 1	Peach: 5	Yoshi: 3	Donkey Kong: 2	Bowser: 8*

Cumulative Score:
Mario: 20	Peach: 20	Yoshi: 27	Donkey Kong: 32	Bowser:	43*

Upward Strong Attack:

Mario:
Attack: Upward Punch
Mario will perform a more powerful punch upwards into the air when you 
press A while holding up on the control stick. The enemy will be sent 
flying in an almost vertical direction. Besides, about 8% damage will 
be dealt to him/her/them. That's about it.

Strategy:
This move makes a great juggling move for Mario. If an enemy is falling 
towards Mario, knock the enemy upwards, and when he/she/they falls again, 
hit up into the air again. Repeat enough times and you will get the Juggler 
bonus.

Peach:
Attack: Knee Kick
I don't really know what Peach does in her strong attack, but she looks 
as if she is knocking the enemy up in the air using her knee. This attack 
is more powerful than Mario's upward punch, dealing 12% damage, however, 
it cannot be used on enemies that are almost at the same level as Peach. 
So, they must be falling towards you for it to work.

Yoshi:
Attack: Upward Tail Whip
Yoshi will sort of use his tail to whip he enemy up into the air. This 
move can be used even if his enemy is level with him. However, this attack 
lacks impact force, and only does 10% damage to the enemy. It's amazing 
that even a character at 100% cannot fly very high into the air when hit 
with this strong attack.

Strategy: 
As this move deals such a low impact force, consider using to juggle enemies 
around, virtually dealing damage to them while they can't do much about 
it!

Donkey Kong:
Attack: Upward Swat
Donkey Kong again will use his fist to swat at the air, but this time 
he does it upwards. This move does not deal too much damage, at only a 
measly 9%, but the impact force is very high, as the enemy, when hit can 
fly straight up and even higher than the previous 3 characters can. Note 
that the enemy must be airborne for you to be able to hit him/her/them.

Strategy:
The Sweep angle is rather large, and hence it is particularly effective 
when there is a bunch of enemies falling towards you. (Like in those Classic 
Mode matches where you have so many enemies coming at you. That is, 10.)

Bowser:
Attack: Upward Slash
Bowser's strong attack is basically an upward slash. This move can be 
used even if the target is level with Bowser. Bowser will simply claw 
him/her/them up into the air as if he were serving in a badminton game, 
and this move does 13% damage and sends the target the highest up by far! 
(The target's path after impact is almost completely vertical.)

Comparison:

Factors: Hit Damage, Impact Force
Bowser's strong attack is the strongest of all the strong attacks in the 
Mario Division. Nothing can match his 13% damage and such a large impact 
force. Peach may is the second highest in terms of damage and force, while 
Donkey Kong is just as strong as Peach in terms of impact force but rather 
weak in damage. Yoshi's strong attack deals more damage than Mario, and 
yet does not have as much impact force as Mario's. To settle the differences 
between Mario, Yoshi and Donkey Kong, I will have to give impact force 
a higher rating this time, as the difference in Hit Damage is not so 
significant.

Mario: 2	Peach: 5	Yoshi: 1	Donkey Kong: 3	Bowser: 8*

Cumulative Score:
Mario: 22	Peach: 25	Yoshi: 28	Donkey Kong: 35	Bowser:	51*

Downward Strong Attack:

Mario:
Attack: Low Kick
Mario will perform a low kick on his enemy. The damage done is also at 
8%. The enemy is knocked a little bit back.

Peach:
Attack: Low Slap
Peach sorts of perform a downward slap at her enemy, and this has the 
ability to send him/her/them as high up into the air as she does in her 
upward strong attack. This attack gives out 12% damage to him/her/them.

Yoshi:
Attack: Low Tail Whip
Yoshi does have a rather long and useful tail, in fact, it is also used 
in his low strong attack. This attack gives out 8% damage and knocks the 
enemy back a little bit. This move cannot send an enemy up into the air, 
it only can make him/her/them fly in a horizontal direction.

Donkey Kong:
Attack: Low Arm Sweep
Donkey Kong again would make rather good use of his giant fists in his 
downward strong attacks. In fact, he is capable of creating 2 hit combos 
if you press A repeatedly while holding down on the control stick. When 
the enemy is quite damaged, he/she/they will be knocked back, so it is 
not as effective against enemies that have rather high damage unless they 
are trapped against a wall. By the way, this move deals about 5-7% damage 
for the first few hits.

Boswer:
Attack: Low Slash
You know how the Hunters attack in Resident Evil? That's right, they like 
to bend down and slash. The same goes with Bowser. This attack can be 
carried out repeatedly, making it a great combo maker. It can sometimes 
deal 13% damage, and when the enemy has high enough damage, he/she/they 
will be sent flying at a low angle.

Comparison:
Factors: Hit Damage, Impact Force, Combo Ability
Bowser is the only character of the 5 to have a strong attack with a high 
hit damage, a high impact force and a great combo ability, so he will 
get a large 8. Peach has a high damage and impact force, Donkey Kong has 
a great combo ability, Mario's also has great combo ability, and deals 
a little more damage than Donkey Kong. Yoshi has a high damage but no 
combo ability and a small impact force. Again, it is a tricky comparison, 
but I will give the other 4 characters the following scores.

Mario: 5	Peach: 5	Yoshi: 1	Donkey Kong: 2	Bowser: 8*

Cumulative Score:
Mario: 27	Peach: 30	Yoshi: 29	Donkey Kong: 37	Bowser:	59*

--------------
Air Attacks
--------------

Neutral Air Attack:

Mario:
Attack: Jump Kick
Mario will perform the same type of jumping kick he used to in Super Mario 
64. Mario will give out 12% of damage with this move.

Peach:
Attack: Jump Kick
Princess Peach Toadstool will also perform a jumping kick on the enemy. 
Dealing him/her/them 14% damage.

Yoshi:
Attack: Jump Kick
Yoshi also will perform a jumping kick on the enemy, inflicting 14% damage 
to him/her/them.

Donkey Kong:
Attack: Body Twirl
Donkey Kong is not as boring as the 3 characters mentioned above. This 
time, Donkey Kong will again, make use of his giant fists to twirl around 
in the air for a second, dealing 10% damage to anything those fists come 
in contact with.

Bowser:
Attack: Upward Withdrawn Shell Twirl
Bowser will kind of withdraw into his shell, and spin around, allowing 
the spikes on top of his shell to hit his targets, dealing them 13% damage 
each.

Comparison:

Factor: Damage
There really is not much to compare, is there?

Mario: 2	Peach: 8*	Yoshi: 8*	Donkey Kong: 1	Bowser: 3

Cumulative Score:
Mario: 29	Peach: 38	Yoshi: 27	Donkey Kong: 38	Bowser:	62*

Upward Air Attack:

Mario:
Attack: 360 Spin Aerobic Kick
Mario will perform a jumping acrobatic kick style of move on his enemies. 
This attack deals 11% damage upon impact, and has the ability to send 
enemies flying if they are damaged enough.

Peach:
Attack: Upward Jump Kick
Peach will also perform a flying kick while in the air. This move deals 
14% damage and can knock enemies quite high up in the air.

Yoshi:
Attack: Upward Tail Whip
Yoshi will use his tail to do a flip in midair, dealing about 13% damage 
to any targets it hits. However, this move does have a decent impact force.

Donkey Kong:
Attack: Upward Jumping Headbutt
Donkey Kong will jump into the air and perform a headbutt on his target. 
This attack has a decent impact force and is capable of dealing up to 
14% damage to him/her/them/.

Bowser:
Attack: Upward Jump Slash
Huhuhuhuhu... This big bad enemy of Mario does like to resort to brute 
force. In fact, Bowser is very willing to send his enemies flying by jumping 
up from below and slashing them with their claws. This attack does a 
whopping 17% damage at most! Enjoy!

Comparison:

Factor: Hit Damage, Impact Force
For this attack, I used these 5 characters to hit two Ice Climbers at 
100% damage in the Yoshi's Story Stage in training mode. Bowser is the 
only character capable in sending the Ice Climbers into oblivion in one 
hit from below. So, a big 8 is what he gets. Now, Peach, Yoshi, and Donkey 
Kong's attacks seemed to have similar impact force towards the Ice Climbers, 
and so, they will be ranked as according to the damage dealt. Mario, is 
well, the last in the pack. As he can only give 11% damage and is not 
very capable of knocking the characters around.

Mario: 1	Peach: 5	Yoshi: 2	Donkey Kong: 5	Bowser: 8*

Cumulative Score:
Mario: 30	Peach: 43	Yoshi: 29	Donkey Kong: 43	Bowser: 70*

Downward Air Attack:

Mario:
Attack: Corkscrew Leg Twirl
Mario will sort of use his legs to spin around in a corkscrew and to attempt 
to "drill" into his target. This deals moderate damage. How shall I put 
it? Typically, it is possible to achieve a 3 hit combo with about 5-10% 
damage on him/her/them. It is very dependent on where the enemy is knocked 
after impact. Be sure to "follow" through and you may get the most damage.

Peach:
Attack: Multi Downward Kick
Peach will use her legs to do some sort of multiple air kick on her targets 
below her. This again usually deals moderate damage in form of 3 hit combos 
with 5%-10% damage. Again, like in the case of Mario, it is very dependent 
on where the enemy is knocked after impact.

Yoshi:
Attack: Rapid Foot Drill
Yes, Yoshi really is a versatile character, as shown by this move. Yoshi 
sorts of kicks both of his legs alternately and performs a very impressive 
combo. In fact, it is sometimes possible to achieve over 20% in damage 
with this move. Always "follow through" the enemy to maximize the damage 
given! My personal record was 28%, can you get any higher percentages?

Donkey Kong:
Attack: Airborne Stomp (Meteor Attack)
Donkey Kong will perform an airborne stomp on his enemies. This attack 
is a kind of meteor attack, which has the effect of hammering the target 
onto the ground, stunning him/her/them for a brief moment. If you knock 
out someone with a meteor attack, you get a bonus called "Meteor Smash". 
This move gives quite a high damage at 16%.

Bowser:
Attack: Downward Withdrawn Shell Twirl
Bowser is a giant evil turtle, and giant evil turtles like to withdraw 
into their shells for self defense. This is what Bowser does when you 
press A while holding down in the air. Bowser will withdraw, and turn 
his shell upside down to spike the characters below him. This attack can 
be followed through the enemy and can sometimes deal up to 13% damage 
to him/her/them.

Comparison:

Factors: Damage, Impact Force
All of these moves have very little impact force with the exception of 
Donkey Kong. All the other attacks have some sort of "drilling" action 
involved, so I will just compare this category in terms of attack Damage, 
and a small bonus will be awarded to Donkey Kong for the Impact Force.

Mario: 2	Peach: 2	Yoshi: 8*	Donkey Kong: 8*	Bowser: 3

Cumulative Score:
Mario: 32	Peach: 45	Yoshi: 37	Donkey Kong: 51	Bowser: 73*

Horizontal Air Attack:

Mario:
Attack: Horizontal Air Punch
Mario will perform a Meteor Attack by punching the enemy downwards. This 
attack has quite a large impact force and can deal up to 15% damage. This 
move is rather effective. Try to rely on it as Mario.

Peach:
Attack: Horizontal Midair Slap (Meteor Attack)
Princess Peach will resort to slapping her enemies in mid air. This move 
has decent horizontal impact force, and may be able to send enemies flying 
high when they are heavily damaged.

Yoshi:
Attack: Horizontal Air Headbutt
Yoshi will jump into the air, pounce on his opponent and headbutt 
him/her/them. This move deals 17% damage to the target. When a heavily 
damaged target is it, he/she/him will be sent rather high up into the 
air, but the trajectory is basically vertical in contrast to Horizontal 
for that of Peach.

Donkey Kong:
Attack: Dual Fist Slam (Meteor Attack)
Donkey Kong will use his fists (again) to slam down on the enemy in front 
of him, sending him/her/them up into the air. This is another Meteor Attack. 
If your target is airborne, he/she/they will be slammed on to the ground. 
The trajectory of this move is mostly vertical. It also deals about 16% 
damage upon impact.

Bowser:
Attack: Airborne Claw Attack
Bowser will claw his enemies in mid air with his horizontal airborne attack. 
This attack also has the capability to send enemies flying. The trajectory 
of this attack is horizontal, and has similar range to that of Peach. 
This attack can give up to 14% damage at a time.

Comparison:

Factors: Hit Damage, Impact Force
Yoshi's horizontal air attack gives the most damage of the pack. All 
characters' horizontal air attack have similar impact forces. However, 
Mario and Donkey Kong will receive a bonus as they are also Meteor Attacks. 
Besides, the difference in damage is small, so is the standard deviation. 
So I will give a higher weighting on Impact Force.

Mario: 5	Peach: 2	Yoshi: 5	Donkey Kong: 8*	Bowser: 1

Cumulative Score:
Mario: 37	Peach: 47	Yoshi: 42	Donkey Kong: 59	Bowser: 74*

---------------
Smash Attacks
---------------
Horizontal Smash Attack:
Mario:
Attack: Fiery Meteor Punch
Mario will give his enemy a very fiery punch, and sending him/her/them 
into the air. This move can be charged to deal as much as 24% damage to 
your enemy. Not bad for our so called all rounded "average" player that 
is our Italian Plumber in Red, Mario.

Peach:
Attack: Random Blunt Object Attack
The reason I call this the random blunt object attack is that Peach can 
use up to 3 different blunt objects, that are a golf club, frying pan 
or a tennis racket! The damage generated is also randomized. The Golf 
Club is the most powerful, dealing up to 23% when it hits while charged 
up. The Frying Pan is second at 21%, while the Tennis Racket is last, 
at 16%. So, I can only work out the MEAN damage for Peach's Smash Attack, 
which is (23+21+16)/3 = 20%.

Strategy:
Regardless of what blunt object Peach gets to use, her smash attack has 
some range. Use to your advantage.

Yoshi:
Attack: Smash Headbutt
Yeah! Yoshi's Headbutt would prove to be a smash hit! Only kidding! Yoshi 
will lower his head and do a more powerful headbutt on his enemies. Sending 
him/her/them up into the sky. The problem is that dinosaurs like Yoshi 
don't seem to have a hard enough skull or hide. In fact, this attack can 
only deal a measly 21% when I tested it out fully charged at a stationary 
Ness in Training Mode!

Donkey Kong:
Attack: Double Hand Slap
Our big hunk of a gorilla Donkey Kong really loves to use his fists. 
Including in Smash Attacks. Donkey Kong will withdraw his hands and then 
clapping them at the enemy, sending him/her/them into the blue skies! 
As the fists are just so big, it is not amazing that it can deal as much 
damage as 28% at a stationary Ness in Training Mode! Keep up with the 
slaps, Donkey Kong! You're the gorilla! (Not the man, of course.)

Bowser:
Attack: Smash Headbutt
Whoopee! Bowser's Smash Headbutt would prove to be even more of a smash 
hit than the smash hit that is Yoshi's Smash Headbutt! Bowser will also 
lower his head, and then perform an even more powerful headbutt on his 
foes, sending them sky high! In fact, Bowser's skull tends to be harder 
than Yoshi's! This attack can deliver as much as 32% damage to the target!!! 
Let's get smashing!

Comparison:
Factor: Damage
As all Smash Attacks in this category are capable of sending enemies sky 
high to their doom provided that they receive enough damage, I might as 
well just compare them by the damage dealt.

Mario: 24%
Peach: 20% Mean Damage
Yoshi: 21%
Donkey Kong: 28%
Bowser: 32%

The result is obvious isn't it?

Mario: 3	Peach: 1	Yoshi: 2	Donkey Kong: 5	Bowser: 8*

Cumulative Score:
Mario: 40	Peach: 48	Yoshi: 44	Donkey Kong: 64	Bowser:	82*

Upward Smash Attack:

Mario:
Attack: Upward Smash Headbutt
Mario will put his head down, and then headbutt his enemy upwards. Sending 
him/her/them into the air almost vertically upwards. This move can be 
performed, even if the enemy is on the ground. The damage dealt is just 
about average, at 20%, and it is just average for Mario, our all rounded 
average character...

Peach:
Attack: Upward Jab
Peach will use both of her arms to jab the enemies upwards into the air. 
For a princess, Peach really has some gentle moves, unfortunately this 
is not very useful in a fighting game, right? This hit did not have much 
impact force even on a stationary Ness with 100% damage, and he was dealt 
a measly 10% damage! Imagine that!

Strategy:
You'd be better off using this move to defend against enemies falling 
towards you rather than using it as a finishing move.

Yoshi:
Attack: Upward Smash Headbutt
Yes!! Yoshi just likes to use his head. No, he does not use his head to 
think, but he will use it to bash his enemies! I guess he is using his 
skull's soft spot to hit the enemies, as well, only 19% damage is dealt 
to the enemy. But still, it still boasts a high impact force, as I can 
knock out a stationary Ness at 100% in training mode. This move can be 
used even if your opponent is right next to you.

Donkey Kong:
Attack: Upward Double Hand Clap
This is another of Donkey Kong's numerous fist attacks. This time, he 
does it upwards. As he raises his arms so high up, this attack cannot 
be used on enemies that are right next to you. However, you can still 
hit them when they are falling towards you. That's when they should pray. 
This attack deals up to 24% and is really capable of giving out Star KOs 
on heavily damaged characters.

Strategy:
The advantage of this move is that the slap covers a large angle, and 
makes it a decent finishing move when multiple targets fall on you.

Bowser:
Attack: Upward Shell Spike
Turtles love to use their shells for self defense, and yet our Big Koopa 
Bowser likes to use his to attack! Bowser will sort of crawl down on the 
floor and suddenly jump up, spiking the enemy with his spiky shell! 
Although this move can only work on enemies that are falling down towards 
you, it still is a big bad mean move! Up to 27% damage can be dealt on 
the enemy, sending him/her/them to the moon!

Strategy:
The advantage of this move is that the surface area of the move is rather 
large, and makes it a decent finishing move when multiple targets fall 
on you.

Comparison:
Factor: Damage
As all Smash Attacks in this category are capable of sending enemies sky 
high to their doom provided that they receive enough damage, I might as 
well just compare them by the damage dealt.

Mario: 20%
Peach: 10% 
Yoshi: 19%
Donkey Kong: 24%
Bowser: 27%

The result is obvious isn't it? Bowser again has a considerable lead over 
the other characters when their upward smash attacks are concerned.

Mario: 3	Peach: 1	Yoshi: 2	Donkey Kong: 5	Bowser: 8*

Cumulative Score:
Mario: 43	Peach: 49	Yoshi: 46	Donkey Kong: 69	Bowser:	90*

Downward Smash Attack:

Mario:
Attack: Low Smash Kick
Mario does like to show off his awesome football (Soccer) skills. He will 
go in a stance like in the low kick, and deliver a more powerful kick 
on his enemies, sending him/her/them flying. This move deals a 
considerable amount of damage of up to 21%. This is sort of better than 
average for our all rounded average character Mario.

Peach:
Attack: Low Spin Kick
Peach again does a gentle spin kick as if she is dancing some sort of 
court dance. As this is a gentle move, you really cannot expect much from 
it. Any enemies next to Peach will be dealt 19% and sent flying in a 
horizontal direction. Not much there is it? The same impact force applies.

Yoshi:
Attack: Low Smash Tail Whip
Yoshi does not use his head all the time. Sometimes, he will just have 
some fun with his rather long tail. Yoshi will spin around and use his 
tail to hit his enemies surrounding him with more force than before. 
Unfortunately, most animal's tails, are not very hard, and Yoshi's is 
not an exception. This attack is only capable of dealing 19% damage upon 
impact. That's about it, same as that of Peach.

Donkey Kong:
Attack: Low Dual Hand Slam
Donkey Kong again will raise his fists (again), and then hammer them onto 
the ground around him. Bam! Destruction guaranteed! This move deals up 
to 21% at a time, as well as sending the poor hapless victims sky high 
to the moon! Enjoy. 

Bowser:
Attack: Low Shell Twirl
Bowser again will reveal his reptilian characteristics with this move. 
After all, turtles just love to withdraw into their shells for self defense. 
This is what Bowser will do. He will withdraw into his shell, and go spinning 
around! This attack is capable of performing a 7 hit combo on an enemy, 
dealing him up to 27% damage before sending him/her/them sky high! Enjoy!

Comparison:
Factor: Damage
As all Smash Attacks in this category are capable of sending enemies sky 
high to their doom provided that they receive enough damage, I might as 
well just compare them by the damage dealt.

Mario: 21%
Peach: 19% 
Yoshi: 19%
Donkey Kong: 21%
Bowser: 27%

The result is obvious isn't it? Bowser again has a considerable lead over 
the other characters when their upward smash attacks are concerned. Brute 
force rules. 


Mario: 3	Peach: 2	Yoshi: 2	Donkey Kong: 5	Bowser: 8*

Cumulative Score:
Mario: 46	Peach: 51	Yoshi: 48	Donkey Kong: 74	Bowser:	98*

---------------
Special Attacks
---------------
This section will compare each character's special attacks. As different 
attacks are different in use and properties, no score will be given to 
each attack. Instead, I would just state what each move is good at, and 
how to receive the full potential of the move.

Mario:

Standard B Move: Fireball
Type of attack: Ballistic
Mario had the Fire Flower with him when he begun his career in Super Mario 
Bros, and he still took it with him in Super Smash Bros. Melee. This move 
will cause Mario to throw a single fireball at the enemy when the button 
is pressed. This fireball will bounce along the terrain for a while before 
it fades out. Of course, being a ballistic move, you can use it repeatedly 
on an enemy. Each fireball deals moderate damage of about 8% per hit, 
and is capable of causing the enemy to flinch a little bit when hit. This 
move is particularly useful when you see a group of your mates busy tearing 
each other apart and you are at a considerable distance from them. Use 
this also if your enemies walking towards you and you want to slow 
him/her/them down as they will have to jump or put up a shield to block 
your attack.

Horizontal B Move: Cape
Type of Attack: Physical Attack, Counter Attack, Distance Shortener 
Mario has the Cape Feather with him when he starred in the SNES game Super 
Mario World, and he still took it with him in Super Smash Bros. Melee! 
This move would cause Mario to take his cape out and swing at his enemies, 
as if he were a bullfighter with a yellow cloth. This move again can be 
used repeatedly on the enemy. When hit, the enemy will be turned around, 
and you may be able to prevent him/her/them from pulling off something 
powerful on you. This move also is rather effective in shielding off enemy 
ballistic Attacks on Mario. Being an attack, the Cape deals moderate damage 
of about 8-10% every time it hits. The reason why I dub this move a distance 
shortener is that, if Mario is very faraway from the stage, but also high 
in the air, he can use the cape to help him drift back to a close enough 
distance so that he can use his recovery move to go back up onto the stage. 
Just keep pressing B while holding Left/Right on the control stick to 
perform this maneuver.

Up B Move: Super Jump Punch
Type of Attack: Physical Attack, Recovery Move
Mario had the new coins with him when he starred in Super Mario 64. (Loved 
that game!) And he still took it with him in Super Smash Bros. Melee! 
This move would cause Mario to do a traditional jump punch, while making 
sounds similar to Mario's jumping on the NES Super Mario Bros. Games. 
Dooiinngggg! Upon impact, lots of Super Mario 64 style coins will be sent 
flying. Use this when you want to perform an impressive combo on someone 
on a ledge above you. This move also deals moderate damage to the enemy, 
peaking at about 10%. Of course, this move is also a recovery move. IF 
you are knocked off the stage, perform a double jump, and then Super Jump 
Punch in the direction of the platform and Mario usually could recover. 
However, this move is more vertical than horizontal, and I would recommend 
you to use the Cape to shorten the distance between Mario and the stage 
as much as possible before you perform this move, or Mario's controls 
will be locked and he would not be able to perform anything until he hits 
the stage or suffer a fall.

Down B Move: Mario Tornado
Type of Attack: Physical Attack
This is a rather unconventional attack for our average friend Mario. Mario 
will spin around in a tornado, and then flex his muscles. Any enemy that 
gets trapped in the tornado will be sent flying depending on how much 
damage they have before impact. However, the impact force of this move 
is still 
not very great. That's all. This move deals just about moderate damage 
to the enemies that are hit. It does a little more than 10% on average, 
but still, I would not recommend you to use this move unless you are 
surrounded by enemies and want to knock them off your trail for the time 
being. I don't really know why Mario had this move with him all the way 
from the original Super Smash Bros. fighting game. I guess they cannot 
think of any other thing to fill up the last slot of Mario's move list. 
Oh well, what a waste of a move slot.

Peach:

Standard B Move: Toad
Type of Attack: Counter Attack 
Yes, the toads were the mushroom headed assistants of Peach, and there 
is more than one of them at a time. For instance, in Super Mario Bros. 
you get to save 1+2+3+4+5+6+7 = 28 toads from Bowser before you can rescue 
the Princess. However, in Super Smash Bros. Melee, Toad becomes Princess 
Peach Toadstool's pain magnet! As Peach will take Toad out to shield her 
from any physical attacks and deal the attacker damage! Gee, what a sadist 
is Peach... only joking! Anyway the damage given out with this move is 
always different, as it varies with the damage the enemies' moves may 
inflict on Peach. If the enemy is not attacking at all, this move is rather 
useless. So, I would not recommend you to use this move very often. However, 
if someone is preparing to perform a Smash Attack on you, this move may 
be able to help Peach block it completely, saving her form being sent 
flying high, into the sky. La-dee-dah!

Horizontal B Move: Peach Bomber
Type of Attack: Physical Attack
This is one of the 3 "body" bomb moves in the game. Peach will cry "hup-zha!" 
and propel herself towards the enemy, hitting him/her/them with her behind! 
Boy, her bum really is explosive! Tee hee! Being an explosive move, the 
Peach Bomber does have a certain amount of impact force, but it is not 
enough to send a character flying. This happened when I tried it on a 
stationary Pikachu on 100% damage in training mode. The Pikachu only flew 
a certain distance, but it was not sufficient for him to be knocked out 
of the stage. (For your information, I used the Princess Peach's Castle 
stage in the Training Mode.) However, the damage Peach given out ain't 
too shabby here, as I was able to deal as much as 18% on the Pikachu. 
So, I really would recommend this move to be used to damage someone, but 
not to finish him/her/them off. Is that clear?

Up B Move: Peach Parasol
Type of Attack: Physical Attack, Recovery Move
Peach is a princess, and for some strange reason, "royal" people like 
to carry Parasols around with them, I guess this is to make them look 
absolutely splendid! Anyway, Peach herself sort of enjoys using her 
parasol as something else that begins with "para". That's right, a 
Parachute! Peach will first stick the parasol into the air, gaining a 
little bit of altitude, and then Peach can drift slowly back onto the 
stage. Of course, the rate of descent is rather low, so this move covers 
a lot of horizontal distance, and makes it a rather effective recovery 
move. Of course, the tip of a parasol is rather sharp, and can case damage 
to any enemy that touches it. In fact, I was able to use this move to 
inflict up to 15% damage to the enemies hit, as well as 3% each time the 
enemy touches the open parasol. Note that if Peach is using the Parasol 
while the timer has run out. She can receive a bonus called "parasol Finish" 
in the bonus point section. 
To close the parachute, press the B button.

Down B Move: Vegetable
Type of attack: Ballistic
Remember Super Mario Bros. 2 for the NES? That's right, you can play as 
Princess Peach Toadstool in that game, and you pull vegetables out of 
the ground to throw at enemies. This is what Peach will do. She will pick 
a vegetable on the ground and use it on the enemy. Note that although 
Peach usually will pick the white smiling turnip from the ground, she 
sometimes will pick up a turnip with a different expression. Turnips with 
different expressions deal different amount of damage. A smiling turnip 
deals 8% damage, while a skeptical one deals about 12% damage. Therefore, 
the best thing I could do is to work out the mean damage for this move. 
I threw a total of 22 vegetables at a stationary Pikachu, and inflicted 
222% damage on him, so I guess the average damage of this move is 10.1% 
damage. Of course, always use a smash throw to maximize damage. IF Peach 
is holding an item, she cannot use this move. Be aware.

Yoshi:

Standard B Move: Egg Lay
Type of attack: Ingestion
Yoshi used to have an attack in Super Mario World 2: Yoshi's Island for 
the SNES and Gameboy Advance that involves ingested enemies and laying 
them out as eggs. In spite of being a male, Yoshi still can lay eggs! 
Press the B button and Yoshi will draw out his tongue and grab an enemy 
with it, then he will swallow him/her and then lay him/her out of his 
body in an egg! This temporarily paralyzes him/her while he/she is stuck 
in an egg, and deals 7% damage to him/her. The best way to use this attack 
is to do it with Yoshi's back facing the edge of a cliff. Then Yoshi will 
swallow the enemy, and he/she will not be able to jump back up for a while 
as it takes time for him/her to break free of the egg shell. If you are 
lucky enough, the enemy may have fallen far beyond recovery and would 
suffer a fall. Not bad, Yoshi, not bad.

Horizontal B Move: Egg Roll
Type of Attack: Physical Attack
Yoshi is in no short supply of eggs, as you can see. He can even wrap 
himself up in one of them and roll around the stage like a steam roller, 
inflicting damage to anything that he hits. This is just typical of a 
dinosaur like Yoshi, after all, they have certain survival instincts. 
The damage inflicted by this move varies all the time. If the egg is rolling 
slowly, only 5% damage will be dealt per hit, and if it rolls fast enough, 
up to 10% and even more can be dealt! Your best bet with this move is 
to use it when a couple of your friends are level with you and they are 
kept busy by each other in a brawl. That's when you can send Yoshi the 
steam-roller in to inflict more damage on them. However, if Yoshi gets 
hit while doing this, the move will be stopped, and of course, if you 
are fighting on a stage with narrow platforms, don't get too carried away 
or Yoshi will roll right off the stage and to his own doom!

Up B Move: Egg Throw
Type of Attack: Ballistic
Remember Super Mario World 2: Yoshi's Island? Yoshi has ths attack which 
involves throwing eggs in an arc at the enemies. That's what Yoshi's Egg 
Throw move was all about. As Yoshi has such a long and high second jump, 
the programmers of this game have decided to not give Yoshi a third recovery 
move. Instead, Yoshi gets to throw eggs at the enemy! Gee! Does this guy 
every run out of eggs? Sigh... Note that the trajectory of the egg can 
be adjusted by tilting the Control Stick in the preferred diagonal 
direction. But it is rather hard for the player to pull off. Anyway, this 
move is great for keeping enemies at bay. The Egg Throw can deal a maximum 
of 12% damage upon impact, and that's just about it. I suggest you use 
it only when the enemies are diagonally above Yoshi and are very close 
to him, as the egg will sort of crack and break if it doesn't hit anyone 
in time.

Down B Move; Yoshi Bomb
Type of Attack: Physical Attack
This is the second "body" bomb attack of Super Smash Bros. Melee. But 
this attack is vertical, but not horizontal. Yoshi will make a cry, and 
then slam down on the ground with his bum! Let's just treat this as a 
typical butt stomp attack of any typical platformer game, shall we? Of 
course, I am NOT trying to be sexually explicit at this point, but as 
Yoshi's bum is not as big as Peach's, the damage dealt upon impact is 
only 14%. However, this move does taunt a larger impact fore on the target, 
as I was able to knock out a stationary Kirby with 100% damage in training 
mode in the Yoshi's Island Stage with only one Yoshi Bomb, so feel free 
to use this move as a finishing move against relatively lighter characters 
and you will be fine. Otherwise, simply use it to engage a group of friends 
who are too busy brawling with each other to notice your arrival.

Donkey Kong:

Standard B Move: Giant Punch
Type of Attack: Charging up, Physical Attack
This is one of the reasons why one of my friends so insist on using Donkey 
Kong! His reasons are as follows: He is an Oliver Kahn fan, and he thinks 
that Oliver Kahn is like a gorilla. Two, he thinks himself is a gorilla! 
a ha! This attack as mentioned, as an attack which requires a certain 
degree of charging up. Press B once and Donkey Kong will withdraw his 
dominant arm and tighten his fist. Then he will twist them around as if 
pretending to use Popeye's Twisker Punch, making a whoop-whoop-whoop sound 
as he does it. When you are ready, press B again and Donkey Kong will 
punch! If you wait long enough, the move will be fully charged, and you 
will see the entire body of Donkey Kong steaming up. Then, as long as 
you press the B button quickly enough, Donkey Kong will still retain the 
power of his punch! This move does a massive 30% damage. I tried this 
move on a pair of stationary Ice Climbers at 100% damage in training mode 
\, and they literally went sky high after the impact! So, if you are lazy 
enough, always get out from a brawl, charge up, and surprise your heavily 
damaged friends as they bash each other, and the result will be similar 
to that of a Smash Attack!

Horizontal B Move: Headbutt
Type of Attack: Stun Attack
Donkey Kong, like most preevolutionary apes, likes to use his head a lot! 
No, he will not use his head to think, but would use his very hard skull 
to headbutt his enemies. This move causes Donkey Kong to headbutt his 
enemies downwards, into the grounds, and will stun them momentarily before 
they are able to break free. However, this move itself does not deal a 
lot of damage. In fact, the highest damage possible is only 5%. So, it 
is more than obvious that the designers of this game want the players 
to create a combo with this move. So, after headbutting someone into the 
ground. Always follow up immediately with a powerful attack like a smash 
attack, and if you are fast enough, the enemy may have just broken free 
of the ground while you send him/her to their doom! If you are playing 
against the Ice Climbers, be sure to headbutt both Popo and Nana to the 
ground. Otherwise, either of them can still retaliate and hit Donkey Kong, 
preventing him from performing a follow-up move.

Up B Move: Spinning Kong
Type of Attack: Physical Attack, Recovery Move
Donkey Kong's recovery move involves him spinning around in the air like 
some king of Gorilla Chopper. The Spinning Kong move is a lot like Bowser's 
Whirling Fortress Move, as it involves the character spinning around very 
rapidly. Note that this move does not gain much height, so it would not 
be as effective if Donkey Kong were trapped in a deep pit. However, it 
does cover a lot of horizontal distance, so this is still a decent recovery 
move. Now, let's move on to damage. Donkey Kong is the chopper, and his 
arms are the propeller blades. As his arms just spin so fast, it is possible 
to achieve a very powerful combo provided that the enemy does not get 
hit back too much. In fact, when I tested this move on a pair of stationary 
Ice Climbers, I was able to achieve 10% damage in the first hit, and over 
7% in the following hits! So, I suggest you use it on your friends if 
they have little damage to significantly increase they damage percentage. 
Otherwise, don't bother using it.

Down B Move: Hand Slap
Type of Attack: Physical Attack
It is just typical for giant apes like Donkey Kong to throw a tantrum 
every now and them. With their hest slapping and all, but this time, Donkey 
Kong will slap the ground with his two hands, creating a minor earthquake! 
Of course, enemies are sent flying when they are hit by the shocks. This 
attack does a reasonable amount of damage. In fact, the first hit will 
deal about 11%, the second about 10% and the third about 9%. However, 
the impact force is not really that great. It was not capable of knocking 
out a pair of 100% Ice Climbers in the training mode. However, it is 
extremely effective in the multi-man melee. Particularly in the 100-Man 
Melee and the Endless Melee, as you only need to pound the ground 
continuously again and again to defeat all the enemies, and at least 100 
in the endless Melee. Meeting that goal can give you access to the Male 
Wire Frame and the Female Wire Frame trophies. Enjoy! 


Bowser:

Standard B Move: Fire Breath
Type of Attack: Ballistic, Continuous Attack
Ladies and Gentlemen, what is Bowser's signature move? That's right, his 
fire breath! Press and hold B and Bowser will start to breathe fire at 
his enemies. Hold B continuously to keep the flame spewing! I really cannot 
give you the exact damage percentage of this move, as it delivers gradual 
damage. The longer the enemy is exposed to the flames, the more he/she/them 
is damaged. Usually, the enemy would not be able to retaliate for a while 
when trapped in the flames. So, use that to your advantage, particularly 
when you are up against a large group of your friends. Note that even 
Bowser does not have the lungs of Superman. He WILL eventually run out 
of breath, and the flame will eventually die down. So, it is best to release 
the B button for a second and press and hold it again when you notice 
the flames start weakening for the best effect. Maybe we will need some 
nice Thai Sweet and Spicy Sauce with the meat. Heh heh...

Horizontal B Move: Koopa Claw
Type of Attack: Physical Attack
Oh boy! Grandma, what sharp claws you have! Who am I talking about? The 
Big Bad Wolf? No! That's right, it's Bowser! Bowser will use his Claws 
to swipe at enemies, sometimes grabbing him/her, taking a few bites out 
of them before throwing them away! Wow! That's mean, I tell you, absolutely 
mean! This attack deals about 4% damage in the initial claw, and 2 to 
3% damage on each subsequent bite, and about 10% damage in the throw. 
Quite neat, eh? If Bowser is not close enough to the enemy, the first 
claw will only send the enemy high up into the air, dealing about 9% damage. 
This is capable of knocking out characters with high damage if this is 
done right! Consider using this when you see a heavily damaged enemy 
approaching. A great move nonetheless!

Up B Move: Whirling Fortress
Type of Attack: Physical Attack, Recovery Move
Bowser will withdraw into his shell and spin it around, trapping any 
unfortunate victims on the spikes of a shell, send him/her/them for a 
little spin before sending them flying high up into the air. This move 
can be used as a recovery move. Just press and hold B while pushing the 
control stick to the diagonal you want Bowser to spin over to. He will 
make a sound that sounds like some kind of electric drill as he spins 
over to the edge of the stage and grab on. This move, like Donkey Kong's 
Spinning Kong move does not gain much altitude, but it covers quite a 
lot of horizontal distance, so if you want to knock out Bowser, it is 
unlikely that you can knock him out without sending him out of the sides 
of the screen, as he usually can make it back on the stage when given 
the change. As for damage, this move deals about 11% damage if it hits 
the enemy while Bowser is on the ground. However, if you use it while 
you are jumping, then you may be able to perform a combo that can exceed 
20% damage.

Down B Move: Bowser Bomb
Type of Attack: Physical Attack
Consider this the ultimate version of the 3 "body" bomb attacks. Bowser, 
like Yoshi, will get into position in the air, and slam down on the ground 
on this bum, like how Mario did the butt stomp in Super Mario 64. Bang! 
Of course, Bowser's bottom is larger and harder than that of Princess 
Peach Toadstool, and hence can deliver the most amount of damage. In fact, 
to be precise, The Bowser Bomb can deal a whopping 21% damage on an enemy, 
as well as sending him/her/them. This move is best in intercepting people 
in a midair jump, as they usually cannot air dodge in time to avoid the 
Bowser Bomb! Even if they do manage to dodge in time, they will still 
remain vulnerable to any other moves Bowser can perform on them! Consider 
this as an alternate finishing move for Bowser, as it does have the 
potential to knock enemies out!  

----------------------
b. Realistic Division
----------------------
That's right folks, there are another 5 characters in the Realistic 
Division for comparison.

------------------------------------
Short Introduction of the Characters
------------------------------------
Fox:
This Fox is actually known as Fox McCloud. He is a leader of a squadron 
of Arwings who fly around the Lylat System, maintaining peace. Having 
arrived in the original Starfox game for the SNES, Fox McCloud has 
reappeared in the Nintendo 64 game Starox 64, or Lylat Wars, as known 
in the UK. Fox also starred in Star Fox Adventures of the Gamecube which 
is probably the last game Rare made for Nintendo. How sad. Anyway, being 
a Fox, Fox McCloud is rather sly and nimble, and he can move quite quickly 
and boasts a variety of fast attack moves.

Learning Curve: Easy

Captain Falcon:
Captain Falcon is the driver of the F-Zero Race Car, the Blue Flacon. 
Having appeared in the original F-Zero for the SNES, and F-Zero 64 for 
the Nintendo 64 a whole 7 years later in 1998, no one has ever seen Captain 
Falcon in person. It was only until the release of F-Zero GX for the Nintendo 
Gamecube that we can finally see Captain Falcon in person. Captain Falcon 
used to be a secret character in the original Super Smash Bros. but he 
is now playable at the start. Like Fox, Falcon is a very fast mover. Possibly 
as fast as Batman! Maybe it is something to do with the hood that he wears 
over his eyes!

Learning Curve: Hard

Samus:
Samus Aran is the female intergalactic warrior that is responsible for 
the destruction of the energy consuming Metroids. She has starred in 
Metroid for the NES, Metroid 2 for Game Boy, Super Metroid for SNES For 
some strange reason, she did not receive any Nintendo 64 titles. Instead, 
she made a comeback in the Nintendo Gamecube in Metroid Prime. As Samus 
uses a lot of blasters to kill the Metroids, she would have a wide variety 
of ballistic weapons with her. Another notable things is that, Samus never 
talks! She only makes those weird robotic sounds in Super Smash Bros. 
Melee. I guess that's the disadvantage of her wearing such a thick suit. 

Learning Curve: Medium

Link:
Yes, the all favorite Hero of Time, Link! This Santa's elf reject, as 
I always call him is probably the second most popular character in Nintendo. 
Link's job is to protect the Triforce of Wisdom which is owned by Zelda, 
the Triforce of Courage which is in his heart, and to recover the final 
Triforce, Triforce of Power from the evil Ganon, alias Ganondorf. Link, 
our humble swordsman, appeared in numerous titles in the NES, SNES, Gameboy, 
Gameboy Color, Gameboy Advance, Nintendo 64 and the Nintendo Gamecube, 
and his looks have changed ALL the time. I guess we can soon an organization 
called the Confederation of Links featuring all those Links! Tee hee hee!

Learning Curve: Medium

Zelda:
Why, oh, why? Why isn't the Legend of Zelda series called the Legend of 
Link, if Zelda is almost always the victim? Sigh... Anyway, Zelda is the 
holder of the Triforce of Wisdom, and to rule over Hyrule, she is Ganon's 
prime target for capture. Of course, if he does capture Zelda. The Score 
would be 2 to 1 for Ganondorf, and he would easily win. Of course, Zelda 
has her own measures to evade capture by Ganondorf. She has the ability 
to transform herself into another character, Sheik. In fact, this Sheik 
was consistently assisting link in the game Legend of Zelda: The Ocarina 
of Time, without Link knowing it all along! I guess she is not so useless 
after all, nah!

Learning Curve: Easy

-----------------
Basic comparisons
-----------------
Weight:
Fox may be nimble, but he is also the most vulnerable when you consider 
his weight. He tends to be the easiest of the 5 to be sent sky high into 
the air for a KO. Besides, Fox falls so quickly! Zelda is also vulnerable, 
but not as light weight as Fox. Samus is about in the middle in the Realistic 
Division, while Captain Falcon is the second heaviest, and of cause, the 
heaviest character in the Realistic Division is the Green Santa's Elf 
Reject that is Link!

Fox: 1	Captain Falcon: 5	Samus: 3	Link: 8*	Zelda: 2

Versatility:
I personally find the comparison for the versatility of the characters 
of the Mario Division rather unreliable, so I decided to use a new benchmark 
system to compare the characters in this respect. I will compare the 
characters based on how quickly they finish in certain stages in the 
Adventure Mode. Mainly in the level where you have to escape from Brinstar 
before it blows, and the level where you have to run through part of the 
Big Blue Race Track of F-Zero 64. Here are the times remaining upon 
completion of the levels for the 5 characters:

Fox:
Brinstar: 22.46		Big Blue: 3:23.11

Samus:
Brinstar: 16.34		Big Blue: 3:08.27

Captain Falcon:
Brinstar: 23.20		Big Blue: 3:30.17

Link:
Brinstar: 13.59		Big Blue: 3:06.31

Zelda:
Brinstar: 11.94		Big Blue: 2:53.31

To be versatile, a character has to be fast AND precise. So, as Zelda 
took the longest to complete the 2 courses, Zelda is the least versatile, 
while Captain Falcon is the most versatile. 


Fox: 5	Captain Falcon: 8*	Samus: 3	Link: 2		Zelda: 1

Cumulative Score:
Fox: 6	Captain Falcon: 13*	Samus: 6	Link: 10	Zelda: 3

Jumping Abilities:
The jumping abilities of the 5 characters of the Realistic Division are 
very "quantized". In fact, I can easily separate them into 3 groups, with 
Fox and Link in the back, Samus and Zelda in the middle, and Captain Falcon 
in the lead! For your information, I tested their jumping distances on 
the Giant Fox in the Corneria Stage. Where I compare how far each character 
could jump.

Fox: 2	Captain Falcon: 8	Samus: 5	Link: 2		Zelda: 5

Cumulative Score:
Fox: 8	Captain Falcon: 21*	Samus: 11	Link: 12	Zelda: 8

----------------
Standard Attacks
----------------
Standard A Button Attack:
Fox:
Attack: Punch-Punch-Combo Kick
Fox will punch his enemy twice, and then follow up with a combo kick that 
can last as long as you like so long as you continuously press the A button. 
Quite a nice attack really, as it basically can go on forever if you are 
lucky enough. As for damage, this move deals 4% damage for the first two 
blows, and the damage will accumulate slowly for any consecutive kicks. 
I say accumulate, because sometimes I scored more consecutive hits than 
the percentage damage when I tested this move in Training Mode!

Strategy:
To maximize your chances of getting multiple hit combos with this move, 
consider backing an enemy against a wall before you begin your combo.

Captain Falcon:
Attack: Punch-Punch-Combo Punch
Captain Falcon just likes to act like the gangster/common bar drunkard 
when fighting. He punches twice, then makes a third blow at the enemy 
before going nuts and punch continuously in a combo, chanting a funny 
phrase that sounds like "tut-tut-tut-tut-tut" while he does! How funny. 
This attack deals 13% of base damage for the first 3 hits, and the 
"tut-tut-tut-tut-tut" combo deals damage progressively, percent by 
percent like how the fares increase in a taxi meter. As simple as that.

Strategy:
To maximize your chances of getting multiple hit combos with this move, 
consider backing an enemy against a wall before you begin your combo.


Samus:
Attack: Alternate Arm Bash
Samus having worn a heavy armor suit, does not punch, instead, she will 
use those cannons on her arms to bash people. She bashes people alternately 
with both of her arms. This move is incapable in pulling off a massive 
combo like those of Captain Falcon and Fox. This move deals about 3-6% 
damage per blow. That's all.

Link:
Attack: Sword Slash with or without combo
Our Santa's Elf Reject of the Hero of Time is armed with none other than 
the Master Sword. Of course, he will use it! Link will swipe his sword 
at his enemies in a 3 hit fashion. It is also possible for Link to pull 
off a combination of slashes if you press A repeatedly and have the correct 
timing, Link can continuously jab the sword out of a combo. The first 
3 slashes deal up to 14% damage, while the rapid sword jab deals progressive 
damage on an enemy.

Strategy:
To maximize your chances of getting multiple hit combos with this move, 
consider backing an enemy against a wall before you begin your combo. 
But still, the enemy is more likely to be caught in the combo as the Master 
Sword is rather long.

Zelda:
Attack: Spell Shock
Zelda sorts of shocks the enemy with some sort of jolt in her standard 
A button attack. Each shock delivers up to 5% damage, and can be used 
repeatedly, but not as frequently as Samus as Zelda has to pause for a 
while before hitting the enemy again.

Sheik:
Attack: Punch-Punch-Combo Punch
Sheik also has a punch combo similar to that of Captain Falcon's. She 
also punches twice, then punches the enemy very rapidly and continuously. 
This attack deals a base damage of about 7% and does progressive damage 
thereafter. There is nothing much to say, really. Just like the way Captain 
Falcon does it, but without the cries.

Comparison:
Factor: Frequency, Hit damage
All characters' but Samus' attacks can be performed in a rapid combo. 
So I must place Samus' standard attack in the last place. As for 
Zelda/Shiek's standard attacks, only Shiek's will be taken into 
consideration. To compare the other 4 characters' attacks, I will just 
compare them by the base damage to see which one is more powerful. The 
base damages are as follows:

Fox: 8%
Captain Falcon: 13%
Link: 14%
Shiek: 7%

So, the results are obvious. Link's standard attack is the most powerful.

Fox: 3	Captain Falcon: 5	Samus: 1	Link: 8*	Zelda/Shiek: 2

Cumulative Score:
Fox: 11	Captain Falcon: 26*	Samus: 12	Link: 20	Zelda: 10

Running Attack:

Fox:
Attack: Running Kick
Fox simply just runs very quickly over to the enemy and gives him/her/them 
a quick kick. That's all. There is nothing too special is there? This 
moves does rather average damage. It deals up to 7% to the enemy hit, 
and has little impact force, so don't count on this move to send your 
opponents flying into the air. I used this attack against stationary Ice 
Climbers in training mode, and all they did was get knocked up a little, 
but not too much. Use for blitz attack purposes only.

Captain Falcon:
Attack: Charging Tackle
Captain Falcon fancies himself to be one of those American Football players, 
when they ram into each other. Yes, what strong muscles you have, Captain 
Falcon! It does decent damage of 10%, and is capable of sending the enemy 
flying back mostly horizontally. I can tell there is a certain degree 
of force applied, as I heard a loud "bang" sound when he hit Ice Climbers 
with 100% damage in training mode. Again, as Captain Falcon is such a 
versatile character, you can use it in a blitzkrieg all you want.

Samus:
Attack: Charging Tackle
Although Samus runs slower than Captain Falcon, she will also imitate 
one of the meanest moves done by American Football or Rugby players! That's 
right, that's the tackle! Boy, with such a heavy suit, being hit by this 
tackle really hurts! In fact, as much as 13% damage can be dealt to the 
character upon impact, and he/she/them will be sent flying even higher 
and further than when hit by Captain Falcon's charging tackle! My guess 
is that Samus is trading versatility for offensive power at this point.

Link:
Attack: Quick Sword Slash
Link will run, or I should say, jog to the enemy, and give him/her/them 
one quick slash with his Master Sword. This move also deals decent damage, 
as it can deliver up to 12% damage to the enemy, as well as send him/her/them 
flying. Note that the angle of trajectory of the hit enemy is about 70 
degrees, so he/she/they will fly more vertically than horizontally. Again, 
I tested this move on stationary Ice Climbers in training mode, at 100% 
damage each to verify the result.

Zelda:
Attack: Charging Shock
No, the two words above are not in any way, related to each other. IT 
is just that Zelda will charge at her enemy, and use her magic spell to 
deliver a quick shock to the enemy. This shock is not very powerful really, 
as it can only deliver up to 9% damage to the enemy. However, it does 
not have a weak impact force, as it is still possible to send the enemy 
flying in a trajectory that is more horizontal than vertical direction. 
I wonder if Zelda's alter ego, Sheik can do any better.

Sheik:
Attack: Charging Cut
Sheik will run over to her enemy, and deliver a quick cut at them. I was 
right above. Sheik can do better than Zelda when the running attack is 
concerned. After all, she can deal 1% damage, that's 10% damage with her 
attack while Zelda can only deal 9%. This move can send the enemies flying 
back more vertically than vertically back.

Comparison:
Factor: Hit Damage
It seems that for all of the running attacks, the Hit Damage and Impact 
Force are proportionally related, so it is OK if only the Hit Damage were 
compared. So, I will just list all the damages dealt by the 5 characters' 
running attacks. For Zelda/Shiek, I will take the better of the two results 
into the comparison.

Fox: 7%
Captain Falcon: 10%
Samus: 14%
Link: 12%
Sheik: 10%

Fox is the underdog, or I should say the underfox in respect to this attack, 
while Samus is the queen.

Fox: 1	Captain Falcon: 3	Samus: 8*	Link: 5		Sheik: 3

Cumulative Score:
Fox: 12	Captain Falcon: 29*	Samus: 20	Link: 25	Zelda: 13

Grabbing Attack:

Fox:
Fox grabs his enemy, and hits him/her a few times, dealing him/her about 
3% damage per hit, before throwing them away. Having thrown him/her away, 
Fox will usually take out his blaster gun and shoot him/her a couple more 
times while he/she is airborne. I think Fox will shoot exactly 4 times 
as indicated by the consecutive hit counter in training mode. A total 
of 7% damage will be dealt to the enemy character. The enemy can usually 
be held for 8 hits before he/she manages to break free of Fox's hold. 
(if they are having 100% damage to start with.)

Strategy:
For all throws, consider throwing your enemy at the following things: 
Motion Sensor Bombs, Pits, off the stage, other characters. Other 
characters that let hit by the character who is thrown will be hurt as 
well! If you throw an enemy just before he/she breaks free, you will get 
a "Close Call" Bonus. If you fail to grab enemies too many times, you 
get a penalty "Butterfingers". If you only hit someone but did not throw 
him/her you get a "Fists of Fury" bonus. If you knock someone out by throwing, 
you get a "Throw Down" bonus.

Captain Falcon:
Captain Falcon grabs his enemy, and smacks him/her a few times, also 
dealing him/her about 3% damage per hit, before throwing him/her away. 
Before throwing him/her away, Captain Falcon usually will kick the enemy 
twice before he sends him/her flying. A total of 7% more damage will be 
dealt to the character as Captain Falcon kicks them away. It seems that 
Captain Falcon has a similar grip on the enemy, as he can usually hit 
an enemy 8 times before he/she breaks free of Captain Falcon's hold. (Same 
conditions as in Fox's case apply.)

Samus:
Samus has the most high tech grab of all the 5 characters in the Realistic 
Division! In fact, she uses some ionic rope thingy to pull the enemy towards 
her from a considerable range! Like Captain Falcon and Fox, Samus smacks 
the enemy while dealing him/her about 3% damage per hit. Again, Samus 
will swing him/her away with her ionic rope, while dealing him/her about 
7% damage. Samus has a slightly tighter grip than the enemy, and she can 
usually hit an enemy 9 times before he/she manages to break free of Samus' 
hold. (Same conditions as in Fox's case apply.)

Strategies:
It is possible to fire the beam at the enemy even while Samus is airborne. 
Only that it will damage, not grab the enemy.

Link:
Link does things the medieval way, but still is quite potent in the art 
of grabbing and throwing. Link will use one of his gadgets, that is the 
Hookshot, to hook an enemy over to him so he can beat him/her up. Link 
beats up an enemy while dealing up to 3% a hit, similar to the 3 characters 
already mentioned above. When he has had enough, Link will slash his enemy 
twice before sending him/her away. This deals him/her 6% more damage. 
Link's grip is similar to that of Samus, as he can also hit someone up 
to 9 times before he/she breaks free from Link's hold. (Same conditions 
as in Fox's case apply.)

Strategies:
It is possible to fire the beam at the enemy even while Link is airborne. 
Only that it will damage, not grab the enemy.

Zelda:
Zelda just loves to use her magic to give people a shocking experience! 
I am serious here! I mean, Zelda will grab an enemy, and deliver a lot 
of magic shocks to her victim! Each shock does up to the same amount of 
damage the others would have inflicted on their targets, to be more precise, 
it is also 3%. However, it is the throw that is most noteworthy of Zelda. 
Zelda will sort of propel her target into the air, very high up, and deal 
up to 11% damage as she does this! I also find Zelda's grip to be even 
tighter than that of Link's, as I can score up to 10 hits before the 
character breaks free of her hold! (Same conditions as in Fox's case 
apply.)

Sheik:
Sheik grabs her enemy, and knocks him/her for up to 2% damage per hit. 
Then she will throw him/her away, dealing him/her 8% more damage. Her 
grip is worse than that of Zelda, and can only hit an enemy up to 8 times 
before he/she breaks free of her hold. (Same conditions as in Fox's case 
apply.)

Comparison:
Factors: Range, Throw Damage, Grip
To compare the grabbing attacks of the 5 characters, I tested them all 
on a stationary Pikachu with 100% damage in training mode. Here are the 
noticeable differences in the grabbing attacks of the characters. A 
Component Score will be awarded to make it easier to determine the final 
score of each attack.

Range:
Fox: Close Contact (0)
Captain Falcon: Close Contact (0)
Samus: Ranged (1)
Link: Ranged (1)
Zelda: Close Contact (0)

Throw Damage:
Fox: 7% (1)
Captain Falcon: 7% (1)
Samus: 7% (1)
Link: 6% (0)
Zelda: 11% (2)

Grip:
Fox: 8 hits before enemy breaks free (0)
Captain Falcon: 8 hits before enemy breaks free (0)
Samus:  9 hits before enemy breaks free (1)
Link: 9 hits before enemy breaks free (1)
Zelda: 10 hits before enemy breaks free (2)

Component Score Result:
Fox: 1	Captain Falcon: 1	Samus: 3	Link: 2		Zelda: 4

Hence I arrive at the following results for the cumulative score:
Fox: 2	Captain Falcon: 2	Samus: 5	Link: 3		Zelda: 8*

Cumulative Score:
Fox: 14	Captain Falcon: 31*	Samus: 25	Link: 28	Zelda: 21

---------------
Strong Attacks
---------------
Horizontal Strong Attack:

Fox:
Attack: Light Kick
Fox will give his enemy a rather light kick, with very little impact force 
at his enemies. This move deals average damage of 9% when it hits.

Strategy:
Use it often, that's all. There are not really many strategies involving 
a simple kick.

Captain Falcon:
Attack: Medium Kick
Captain Falcon, much like Fox will also deliver a single kick at his 
opponent when using this move. However, this move is more powerful than 
Fox's as it deals 11% damage upon impact, and can send the enemy flying 
much further than it does for Fox.

Strategy:
Use it often, that's all. There are not really many strategies involving 
a simple kick. Use this to send an approaching enemy away if they are 
running towards you.

Samus:
Attack: Medium Kick
I guess the characters in the realistic division really love to get their 
kicks around here. Samus just kicks her enemy, dealing him/her/them up 
to 10% damage, and sending them flying, but they will not fly as high 
as when they were hit by Captain Falcon.

Strategy:
Use it often, that's all. There are not really many strategies involving 
a simple kick.

Link:
Attack: Horizontal Sword Slash
Link does not need to kick as he already has his Master Sword in hand. 
He delivers a stronger slash on his enemies, dealing him/her/them 14% 
damage. This attack also has a rather large impact force.

Strategy:
If someone is falling or jumping towards you, this will be a great move 
to send them on their way as the Master Sword is rather long. The tip 
of the Sword deals more damage. Remember this.

Zelda:
Attack: Spell Attack
Well I'll be spellbound! Zelda will release a Spell on her enemy, and 
deal up to 13% damage on them! This move taunts a large impact force, 
but the enemy will be sent flying in the direction behind Zelda.

Strategy:
Consider cutting into someone while they are busy in a brawl or when they 
have their backs turned to you. Then this could prove to be a surprise.

Sheik:
Attack: Horizontal Kick
Yep, Sheik also kicks her enemies, sending them flying and dealing 7% 
damage. What more is there to say?

Strategy:
Use it often, that's all. There are not really many strategies involving 
a simple kick.

Comparison:
Factor: Hit Damage
It seems that the impact forces of the 5 moves are directly proportional 
to their hit damage. So comparing the hit damage is enough.

Fox: 9%
Captain Falcon: 11%
Samus: 10%
Link: 14%
Zelda: 13%

Yep, having a Master Sword does help. Not only it increases the range 
of your attack, it also increases the damage itself!

Fox: 1	Captain Falcon: 3	Samus: 2	Link: 8*	Zelda: 5	

Cumulative Score:
Fox: 15	Captain Falcon: 34	Samus: 27	Link: 36*	Zelda: 26

Upward Strong Attack:

Fox:
Attack: Up Kick
This is simple. Fox simply kicks upwards into the air, sending any enemies 
up to the air sky high. This move deals a modest amount of damage, namely, 
9%, which is average in standards for the Realistic Division.

Strategy:
This move works even if the enemy is on the ground next to Fox. However, 
it has limited range. So, time your kick so that Fox kicks just as the 
enemy runs up to him.

Captain Falcon:
Attack: Vertical Slam Kick
Captain Falcon really has flexible legs. He can lift one of them up so 
high into the ground, until it forms a straight line perpendicular to 
the ground with his other leg. Then he slams it down on the enemy. This 
move is rather awesome. It deals a whopping 13% damage, and is capable 
of knocking out Kirby with 100% damage in training mode. Now you will 
know its impact force.

Strategy:
This move taunts a considerable range as Captain Falcon does have long 
legs. Then you can hit your enemy prematurely before he can even get close 
enough for a brawl.

Samus:
Attack: Vertical Slam Kick
Samus does practically the same thing as Captain Falcon. I'd wish my legs 
would be flexible enough to do that! However, wearing a heavy metal suit 
does not seem to help Samus much, as it also deals 13% damage, and the 
enemy is sent flying behind Samus with a medium impact force. Oh well... 
That's tough I guess.

Strategy:
This move taunts a considerable range as Samus does have long legs. Then 
you can hit your enemy prematurely before he can even get close enough 
for a brawl. Another thing to note is that, this move is a Meteor Attack. 
If you knock out someone with this move, you get the Meteor Smash bonus. 
To increase the success rate, hang around the edges of a stage and when 
your enemy is approaching, let her rip!

Link:
Attack: Up Slash
Link simply uses his Master Sword to slash upwards into the air. This 
move also deals 9% damage on an enemy, and has enough impact force to 
send him/her/them into the air.

Strategy:
As the Master Sword is longer, the need for a precise timing of the slash 
will be lower in Kink's case. Use this to your advantage, particularly 
when someone is falling towards you.

Zelda:
Attack: Up Spell
Zelda sweeps her arm majestically at the air above her, releasing a spell. 
This spell really is shocking and will cause the enemy to be really 
SPELLBOUND! It sends them flying high upwards, and can deal up to 11% 
damage on the enemy.

Strategy:
This move cannot be used on enemies that are on the ground and next to 
you as the spell is rather high in the air. Don't bother trying. It works 
on enemies that are a platform higher than Zelda though.

Sheik:
Attack: Up kick
I don't really know what Sheik is doing, but she sorts of kicks into the 
air and deals 7% damage. This move has a medium impact force.

Strategy:
Not much can be said here, pal. Just use it often. As there is nothing 
so special about this kick.

Comparison:
Factor: Hit Damage
It seems that the impact force of the 5 moves are directly proportional 
to their hit damage. So comparing the hit damage is enough.

Fox: 9%
Captain Falcon: 13%
Samus: 13%
Link: 9%
Zelda: 11%

Again, it seems that the damage is quantized by 2% intervals.

Fox: 2	Captain Falcon: 8*	Samus: 8*	Link: 2		Zelda/Sheik: 3

Cumulative Score:
Fox: 17	Captain Falcon: 42*	Samus: 35	Link: 38	Zelda: 29

Downward Strong Attack:

Fox:
Attack: Low Kick
Fox performs a low kick on his enemy, sending him/her/them up into the 
air and dealing 10%. Nothing more to say.

Strategy:
If someone taller than Fox is trying to attack him, counter him by ducking 
and then giving him a low kick. However, do not try this on characters 
smaller than Fox as they can still hit him easily.

Captain Falcon:
Attack: Low Kick
Captain also performs a low kick on his enemy, and this attack deals up 
to 13% damage and has a large impact force.

Strategy:
As Captain Falcon is the most versatile character in this division, this 
move makes a decent combo starter because low attacks often have some 
power to stun enemies.

Samus:
Attack: Low Blast
Samus does not kick when she performs a downward Strong Attack on her 
enemies. Instead, she uses her cannon! Samus will deliver a single blast 
downwards at her foes! BOOM! Explosive! This move deals a whooping 14% 
damage and of course, being an explosion, has a very large impact force!

Strategy:
This move, being explosive has an area effect and this makes it easier 
for Samus to hit multiple targets at once. So, when you are near a brawling 
crowd who is down a slope, you'll know what to do.

Link:
Attack: Low Slash
Link will use his Master Sword to slash downwards at his foes. This move 
deals 11% damage and has a medium impact force.

Strategy:
Have you played Resident Evil: Code Veronica X? If you did, you would 
notice many similarities between this move and the downward knife slash. 
Both are effective, and the length of the Master Sword makes it easy for 
Link to perform multiple slashes at his enemies before they can come close 
enough to attack.

Zelda:
Attack: Low Kick
Zelda sort of leans a little backward and then performs a series of low 
kicks at her enemy. This move does not have a high impact force, and delivers 
about 7% damage per hit.

Strategy:
This move has the ability to jam enemies in the same spot after the kick. 
So, always repeatedly low kick at the enemies and it would be at least 
3 hits before he/she/they can break free. Or accompany this move with 
a Smash Attack.

Sheik:
Attack: Low Kick
Sheik also performs a low kick on her enemies and deals them 8%. Nothing 
so special is there? 

Strategy:
This move also can jam an enemy in the same spot, allowing for multiple 
kicks. That's nothing more to say.

Comparison:
Factor: Hit Damage
It seems that the impact force of the 5 moves are directly proportional 
to their hit damage. So comparing the hit damage is enough.

Fox: 10%
Captain Falcon: 13%
Samus: 14%
Link: 11%
Sheik: 8%

Fox: 2	Captain Falcon: 5	Samus: 8	Link: 3		Zelda/Sheik: 1

Cumulative Score:
Fox: 19	Captain Falcon: 47*	Samus: 43	Link: 41	Zelda: 30

---------------
Air Attacks
---------------
Neutral Air Attack:

Fox:
Attack: Neutral Kick
The people of the realistic division really like to get their kicks! I 
must say again! When you press the A button while Fox is airborne, Fox 
will simply kick his enemy in the air, sending him/her/them flying 
backwards. This move deals about 12% damage and has medium impact force. 
Not bad for a versatile character like Fox.

Captain Falcon:
Attack: Double Kick
Captain Falcon really IS trained with the finest essence of street fighting 
Bruce Lee style! Only that he does not make those high pitch "ninja" sounds 
Bruce Lee makes! That's right, captain Falcon will play Bruce Lee, and 
perform two kicks, one with each leg while airborne. Each kick deals 7% 
damage, making up a total of 14% damage! Cool! This move also as a 
considerable impact force, but it will only take effect after the second 
kick.

Strategy:
ALWAYS try to land the second kick on the enemy, as it is the second kick 
that delivers the impact force. In this respect, this move is much more 
effective against larger characters like Bowser and less effective on 
characters like Ness as they are so small.

Samus:
Attack: Air Kick
Samus would make another Bruce Lee like character if she were a man. But 
as she is a woman, I can only say that she is like Michelle Yeoh, one 
of the star actress of Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon and the first ever 
Chinese Bond Girl! That's right folks, Samus also performs a kick while 
airborne to her enemies. This single kick deals 14% damage and has a rather 
high impact force. It is possible for Samus to knock out Ness at 100% 
in the Onett stage while he is on a ledge! I guess it does help to wear 
a large metallic suit with her!

Link:
Attack: Neutral Air Kick
Link, being the Hero of Time can sometimes fight without using his Master 
Sword. In this attack, Link will simply perform a single kick on his enemy 
while in the air! This attack ain't too bad. It is just about average, 
I must say. It deals 11% damage and has a moderate amount of impact force. 
What a pity Link would not use his Master Sword in this move.

Zelda:
Attack: Arm Spin
Zelda is such a show off. She will spin around in the air, sparkling like 
there's no tomorrow. Any enemy that's hit will be trapped in her spinning 
arms. Unfortunately, you cannot judge a package by it's looks. Although 
it looks cool, it does sort of progressive damage like 2% per spin, and 
usually the enemy can only get hit 5 times before they are sent flying, 
so it only deals up to 10% damage, besides, the impact fore is not go 
good.

Strategy:
This move makes a good stunning move. As Zelda spins, you can stun the 
enemy for a short moment, and you can quickly follow up with a second 
move. Therefore, it is better to use this move on an enemy standing on 
a ledge above rather than in the air itself.

Sheik:
Attack: Horizontal Kick
Sheik will perform a horizontal kick on the enemy that deals 9% damage 
and is not even capable of knocking a 136% damage Ness out when I tested 
it in training mode! Not good, use Zelda's instead, at least that has 
progressive damage.

Comparison:
Factor: Damage, Impact Force
Hit Damage Comparison:
Fox: 12% 	
Captain Falcon: 14%    
Samus: 14%    
Link: 11%	
Zelda: 10%

Impact Force:
Fox: Medium	    
Captain Falcon: Large    
Samus: Very Large         
Link: Medium    
Zelda: Low

The Impact Force Comparison helped break the tie between Captain Falcon 
and Zelda in terms of damage.

Fox: 3	Captain Falcon: 5 	Samus: 8*	Link: 2		Zelda: 1

Cumulative Score:
Fox: 22	Captain Falcon: 52*	Samus: 51	Link: 43	Zelda: 31

Upward Air Attack:

Fox:
Attack: Upward Flip Kick
Ahhh... Fox also will imitate Jackie Chan and maybe the late Bruce Lee 
with this move. In fact, Fox will do some sort of a 360 degree flip in 
the air and perform a series of kicks while spinning! This move deals 
a whooping 16% damage maximum and has the impact force to send someone 
flying and sometimes even knocking them out with this move if they have 
taken enough damage! Wow-eee!

Strategy:
It is possible to keep an enemy airborne in the air for a considerable 
amount of time. If you manage to do this, then you get the Juggler bonus 
after the match. Of course, the enemy will try to drift away from Fox, 
and this is where Fox's versatility will come into use to give the chase!

Captain Falcon:
Attack: Flip Horizontal Kick
Go Jackie Chan! Show the bad guys all you've got! Captain Falson will 
also perform a flip in the air before kicking his does. This move has 
a more horizontal trajectory than a vertical one. Its damage rating ain't 
too shabby either, as it can deal up to 13% damage on the enemy, as well 
as sending him/her/them flying in a horizontal trajectory. But the impact 
force is moderate.

Samus:
Attack: Up Corkscrew Kick
Samus this time will turn herself upside down and straighten up her body.
Then, she will twist her legs around and drill the into her enemy above, 
much like how Popeye performed his famous Twister Punch only that it's 
a kick, not a punch! This move deals up to 10% damage, as it is some sort 
of drilling move, don't expect it to have to much impact force.

Strategy: 
The good thing about this move it that once after Samus has finished with 
this move, the enemy will not really be able to counterattack, as Samus 
will drop back down after the attack. To speed up the process, press and 
hold down on the Control Stick.

Link:
Attack: Up Stab
Now, what does our good old Karl-Bonhoeffer-Nervenklinik have in his hands 
now? That's right, Link will take out his Master Sword, and hold it 
vertically with the Blade pointing upwards and stab anyone who's in the 
air above Link. Now, it's a nice SHARP blade! It deals up to 16% damage 
and can have the impact force to knock out the enemy with a Star KO! 
Destruction Guaranteed.

Strategy:
Remember that the tip of the Master Sword is the sharpest, so try to stab 
the enemy with the tip of the sword for maximum damage.

Zelda:
Attack: Up Spell
Zelda will make use of her magic spells once again. This move will cause 
Zelda release a rather explosive magic spell on anything above her while 
she is airborne! This move deals up to 13% damage and also has quite a 
high impact force. It is not explosive for nothing, I must SAY!

Sheik:
Attack: Corkscrew Kick
Sheik also will try a corkscrew kick on her enemies, and this time it 
is slightly weaker than that of Samus. It only deals 9% damage. Give me 
Zelda's Upward Air Attack anyday.

Comparison:

Factors: Hit Damage, Impact Force
The impact force must also be considered when I am comparing the upward 
air attacks, as some of these moves have the potential to knock out the 
enemy.

Hit Damage:
Fox: 16%
Captain Falcon: 13%
Samus: 10%
Link: 16%
Zelda: 13%

Impact Force:
Fox: Large
Captain Falcon: Large
Samus: Very Low
Link: Large
Zelda: Medium

Ah... It seems that Fox and Link and tied when the upward strong attack 
is concerned.

Fox: 8*	Captain Falcon: 3	Samus: 1	Link: 8*	Zelda; 3

Cumulative Score:
Fox: 30	Captain Falcon: 55*	Samus: 52	Link: 51	Zelda: 34

Downward Air Attack:

Fox:
Attack: Downward Drill Kick
Hmmm... It seems that the Drill Kick is one of the most common moves in 
Super Smash Bros. Melee. So many characters have this move! It seems that 
ox will also sort of kick or stomp the enemy a few times as he dives down 
on them. The stomping is carried out rapidly, and I happened to notice 
that 3-5 consecutive hits were scored each time dealing a maximum of about 
10-12% damage. Of course, don't expect this to have a high impact force. 
It makes a great stun move though.

Strategy:
It seems that the damage dealt by the move is directly proportional to 
the size of the enemy, so consider using this move more on large enemies 
to maximize damage, as there is a larger volume or surface area for Fox 
to drill through. Sort of, I say.

Captain Falcon:
Attack: Air Stomp
Captain Falcon will cry "Hup" and then straighten his legs and stomp them 
onto any unsuspecting victims below. This move is a meteor attack, so 
if you use it, the enemy will most likely be hammered into the ground 
and stunned. This move deals up to 16% damage and has quite a large impact 
force as the target will sometimes bounce off the ground and fly quite 
high up if they are close to the ground or on the ground in the first 
place! Enjoy your Meteor Smashes, Captain Falcon!

Strategy:
I would consider using this when an enemy character has very high damage, 
as they will almost always be sent flying up into the air and to their 
doom! Of course, this move is also a must use in those 1-P mode matches 
where you face 10 lightened enemies. It is just so easy to get the Meteor 
Master bonus with this move there. (Knock out an enemy with every Meteor 
Attack you give out.)

Samus:
Attack: Downward Cannon Pound
Samus will dive towards her enemy, and take out her right arm where she 
has the cannon, and then pound the cannon arm onto the enemy! This move 
is another Meteor Attack, and it is just so hard to stop. The enemy will 
be dealt 16% damage, and would be sent flying into the sky! (If they are 
on the ground, otherwise they would just fall and crash into the ground 
or into a hole.)

Strategy:
Timing is rather important here, as it takes a short moment for Samus 
to swing out her cannon arm. So, always press Down+A when Samus is about 
half a character's height from the enemy to make it work.

Link:
Attack: Downward Stab
Wooee! Link will again take out his Master Sword and hold it with both 
hands and sort of sits on it. Then he lets himself fall with the sword, 
and he will also let the blade stab into the tender meat of anything below 
Link! This move deals a whooping 19% damage and has an impact force with 
such awesome knockout abilities! In fact, of the 6 moves mentioned, this 
is the only move that can knock out Ness at 100% damage.

Strategy:
It seems that this move is rather bouncy, upon impact, Link will bounce 
off his enemies, and can then continue to stab other enemies. Press and 
Hold Left or Right to make Link bounce in the desired direction. Besides, 
larger enemies can be hit more than once if you use this trick!

Zelda:
Attack: Light Stomp
Zelda will do a rather weak stomp on her enemy, dealing him/her/them up 
to 7% damage only. Not so worth it, right?

Sheik:
Attack: Downward Punch
Sheik will punch downwards in the air, dealing the enemy 11% damage upon 
impact. This move does not have a very high impact force at all. There 
is nothing too special about this move, is there?

Comparison:

Factors: Hit Damage, Impact Force

The respective hit damages of the moves of the 5 characters are:

Fox: 8-12%
Captain Falcon: 16%
Samus: 16%
Link: 19%
Sheik: 11%

Impact Force:
Fox: Low
Captain falcon: Large
Samus: Large
Link: Very Large
Sheik: Low

There is a simple moral to this comparison. It is better to fight with 
sharp instruments than bare handed or I should say, bare footed. Heh heh...

Fox: 2	Captain Falcon: 5	Samus: 5	Link: 8*	Zelda: 1

Cumulative Score:
Fox: 32	Captain Falcon: 60*	Samus: 57	Link: 59	Zelda: 35

Horizontal Air Attack:

Fox:
Attack: Horizontal Light Kick
Fox will lunge towards his enemy, and then swing his leg out to deliver 
a rather light kick at his enemy. I mean light because, this move deals 
only up to 9% damage, and has very low impact force. So, I can only say 
this is a rather average move, and only use it to accumulate damage on 
someone, but not finish someone off. That's all the strategy I can think 
of for this move. Yawn...

Captain Falcon:
Attack: Knee Nudge
Captain Falcon will lunge toward his enemy, and bash the enemy with his 
kneecap! Of course, the knee cap is a rather hard bone, and when someone 
gets bashed by a hard bone, they will be sent flying! This move deals 
a whooping 18% damage maximum and will send the enemy flying backwards 
with a rather horizontal trajectory! That's right! It is a good finishing 
move, as well as a good edge guarding move. See the strategy below to 
find out I am talking about.

Strategy:
When an enemy is jumping back on to the stage after you have hit him/her/them 
off, stand by the edge and when they are close, perform the Knee Nudge 
on them and they will be sent back. Then wait for him to come back before 
sending him off again! This is what edge guarding is all about.

Samus:
Attack: Cannon Barrage
This is another move that involves Samus' cannon on her arm! When you 
press A while holding left or right on the control stick while Samus is 
airborne, Samus will take out her cannon and fire a barrage with her cannon. 
I think she will fire five times, as I heard 5 BOOMS when I used this 
move. Each hit deals 3% damage, so I can say that this move can deal up 
to 15% damage. But do not expect the enemies to be sent flying when you 
use this move.

Strategy:
Samus fires her cannon in an arc. Use this to your advantage. IN general, 
this move should be used against a large bunch of enemies or a single 
enemy that is very big in size, like Donkey Kong or the Master Hand boss.

Link:
Attack: Horizontal Slash
This move is self-explanatory isn't it? Link will simply lunge towards 
his enemy and slash him/her/them with his Master Sword horizontally! This 
move deals up to 13% damage and has about medium impact force. But still, 
it can be used as a finishing move if the enemy has taken enough damage.

Strategy:
This move also makes a good edge guarding move. Particularly if your enemy 
is higher up than Link.

Zelda:
Attack: Jump Kick
For some strange reason, Zelda gets a rather powerful Jump Kick. In fact, 
once after impact, it can deal up to a massive 20% damage which is amazing 
for a horizontal move. After all, mid-air attacks rarely an exceed 20% 
in damage! This move has such a high impact force that I can knock out 
Ness with 100% damage in the Onett Stage! Now, you know what to do with 
this move, don't you? No strategies needed! It's all brute force!

Sheik:
Attack: Horizontal Slap
Sheik sort of hits the enemy with her hand in mid air, creating a "slap" 
sound. This move deals only 13% damage and has medium impact force. I 
would prefer Zelda's move anyday.

Comparison:

Factors: Hit Damage, Impact Force
Here are the Hit Damages of the moves of the 5 characters of this division:
Fox: 7%
Captain Falcon: 18%
Samus: 15%
Link: 13%
Zelda: 20%

Here are their respective impact forces:
Fox: Low
Captain Falcon: Large
Samus: Low
Link: Medium
Zelda: Large

Well, Zelda is the queen when horizontal air attacks are concerned.

Fox: 1	Captain Falcon: 5	Samus: 3	Link: 2		Zelda: 8* 

Cumulative Score:
Fox: 33	Captain Falcon: 65*	Samus: 59	Link: 61	Zelda: 43

---------------
Smash Attacks
---------------
Horizontal Smash Attack:

Fox:
Attack: Charging Rolling Kick
This is really some sort of tackle move. Fox will sort of coil up and 
then unwind. Then he sorts of rolls over and delivers the smash kick on 
his enemy, sending him/her into the air and up to space. Well... But does 
it deal a lot of damage? Nah... When I tested it on a pair of stationary 
Ice Climbers with 100% damage on the Corneria Stage, they did get knocked 
out, but, only 20% damage were dealt! Not a very damaging attack, I must 
say. After all, only 20%! You ought to be kidding me.

Strategy:
The good thing about this attack is that Fox will charge forward while 
performing this Smash Attack, so perform this move repeatedly and Fox 
can sometimes force an enemy into a wall or over a cliff if they are not 
very damaged. Use your imagination!

Captain Falcon:
Attack: Fiery Elbow Smash
Yes, this attack IS hot! Captain Falcon will withdraw both elbows and 
then smash them horizontally on the enemy, causing a spontaneous 
combustion and sending the enemies sky high while they are burning to 
a crisp! Of course, as it is so fiery, it is just expected for it to deal 
a lot of damage. In fact, it can deal up to 27% damage on the enemy, and 
of course, they will be sent so high to become shooting stars! Literally, 
I really mean it! (Again, I tested this move on a pair of stationary Ice 
Climbers with 100% damage in the Corneria Stage in the Training Mode.)

Samus:
Attack: Cannon Smash
What does our woman in a can Soapy Sam up her sleeve, or I should say, 
cannon? That's right, she has her cannon up her cannon! Samus will withdraw 
her cannon arm before she smashes the life out with her heavy cannon. 
However, the cannon must be made of synthetic polymers or something like 
that, as it literally deals very very little damage! Well, not that little, 
but it is poor. Only 19%! This is really pitiable for such little damage! 
Oh well, anyway, the trajectory of this move is just about 45 degrees 
to the horizontal, so the enemy will not escalate very quickly, and the 
knock outs will usually be off the two sides of the screen. (Again, I 
tested this move on a pair of stationary Ice Climbers with 100% damage 
in the Corneria Stage in the Training Mode.)

Link:
Attack: Sword Slash Smash Attack
Try to pronounce the name of this attack as quickly as possible! It may 
be a tongue twister! Tee hee hee! Anyway, let's get back to the main point. 
You guessed it. Link will perform a Smash Attack with his sword. As simple 
is that. However, I guess Link's sword bust have been blunt after all 
the wear and tear it has endured after battle with all the enemies. After 
all, it can only deal up to 19% damage when it is fully charged. This 
is really sad, but fortunately, I have found some other use of this move. 
(Again, I tested this move on a pair of stationary Ice Climbers with 100% 
damage in the Corneria Stage in the Training Mode.)

Strategy:
As the Master Sword is rather long, it can be used for edge guarding. 
But this time it is effective against enemies that are jumping towards 
Link at the same height as Link. You know the drill. When the enemy is 
almost within reach of the edge, slash him!

Zelda:
Attack: Arm Spin Smash
Zelda sorts of spins her arms around, trapping her foe in her spinning 
arm, dealing him/her/them progressive damage before sending them off to 
their doom. Boy, and I will be spellbound! First, when the enemy is caught 
in her spinning arms, they will get hit 4 times and receive 5% damage, 
then they will be sent flying and receive another 17% damage. So, the 
damage of this move totals up to 22% damage. It isn't too shabby for an 
attack in this group, unlike some other characters...

Sheik:
Attack: Double Charge Kick
Sheik will wind up, then charge upon her foe, kicking them twice. The 
first kick deals up to 7% damage, while the second can deal up to 12% 
damage, totaling up to 19% damage. The sad thing is, this move is the 
only smash attack that failed to knock out a pair of Ice Climbers with 
100% damage in the Training Mode in Corneria Stage. So, The impact force 
is rather poor, and I would prefer Zelda's Smash Attack any day.

Strategy:
The good thing about this attack is that Sheik will charge forward while 
performing this Smash Attack, so perform this move repeatedly and Sheik 
can sometimes force an enemy into a wall or over a cliff if they are not 
very damaged. Use your imagination!

Comparison:
Factor: Hit Damage
As all Smash Attacks in this category are capable of sending enemies sky 
high to their doom provided that they receive enough damage, I might as 
well just compare them by the damage dealt.

Fox: 20%
Captain Falcon: 27%
Samus: 19%
Link: 19%
Zelda: 22%

Well, it seems that the F-Zero race driver has a big lead over the other 
characters, leading to the following conclusion:

Fox: 3	Captain Falcon: 8*	Samus: 2	Link: 2		Zelda: 5

Cumulative Score:
Fox: 36	Captain Falcon: 73*	Samus: 61	Link: 63	Zelda: 48

Upward Smash Attack:

Fox:
Attack: Upward Rolling Kick
Wow, Bruce Lee has reincarnated as a Fox! Nah, not really, but it seems 
that Fox is imitating Bruce Lee again in this smash attack. Fox will sort 
of perform a 360 degree vertical spin on his body, and then use both of 
his legs to kick his enemy up into the sky! Wham! Boy! This move is totally 
cool! It deals 24% damage and can send any foe close enough to Fox directly 
upwards into the air. Who needs to wait for someone to fall down on Fox 
to use this move??? (This time, I tested the move on a stationary Pikachu 
with 100% damage in the Corneria Stage in the Training Mode. The same 
goes for all the other characters for their respective move.)

Captain Falcon:
Attack: Vertical Double Kick
Wow! Another cheap imitation of Bruce Lee's moves in the movie "Fist of 
Fury! I must say! Captain Falcon will go on guard, and then stretch one 
of his legs to scoop the enemy a little bit into the air, and then he 
will use the other leg to send them flying. I could have sworn that Captain 
Falcon's legs were form a straight line perpendicular to the ground while 
he performed that move! Two consecutive hits will be dealt. According 
to the interface of the Training Mode, the first hit dealt 11% damage, 
while the second dealt 16% damage! That's right, a massive total of 27% 
damage is dealt to the enemy! What else could be better?

Strategy:
When someone is falling towards Captain Falcon, getting the second kick 
hit will be sufficient to send him/her/them to Valhalla! Ha ha ha!

Samus:
Attack: Upward Cannon Barrage
Samus does not use her cannons to smash in this move. Instead, she just 
uses it to blow up people. This move will cause Samus to fire her cannon 
in an arc above her head. A total of 5 shots will be fired. When I tested 
it in Training Mode, I managed to deal up to 4 consecutive hits, dealing 
up to 21% damage, so I estimate that if all 5 blows connect, about 26% 
damage will be dealt. One big minus of this move is that it lacks impact 
force even if it is explosive! So, use this move as a damage accumulator 
anytime.

Strategy:
For maximum effects, I suggest you use this move more on large enemies, 
then it will be more certain that all 5 hits will connect.

Link:
Attack: Multiple Upward Sword Slash
Link will slash rather aggressively at the air with this move. In fact, 
Link slashes a total of 3 times. It is hard to test this move on Pikachu, 
as the 2nd slash never seems to connect, so I would have to test it on 
Bowser. It seems that the first slash deals 5% damage, the second deals 
3% damage, and the final one deals 12% damage. Therefore the damage dealt 
will total to 20%. The enemy will only be knocked around by the first 
two slashes, and will be sent flying to the sky by the third!

Strategy:
When someone with heavy damage is falling towards Link, time this attack 
so Link would just be able to hit the enemy with the third slash, then 
it will be enough to send him/her/them to the stars! As the Master Sword 
is rather long, it's easier than you think.

Zelda:
Attack: Upward Spell Smash
Zelda, will wave her hand gracefully in the air, giving out little sparks 
of light. Meanwhile, her opponent will be trapped in the spell, and dealt 
progressive damage in a series of shocks before being sent to his/her/their 
doom! I do mean progressive damage here, after all, the interface of the 
Training Mode told me that 12 hits were dealt to the enemy, giving out 
a total of 20% damage. To be more precise, the first 11 hits dealt 14% 
damage while the last one dealt 6%. It takes quite a while for Zelda to 
send her foe flying, so the only strategy I would recommend using is good 
timing. That's it.

Sheik:
Attack: Dual Hand Ground Pound
This has ought to be the only upward Smash Attack of this division that 
hits downwards, then upwards. The only thing related to the upward 
direction is that Sheik will raise her hands into the air before slamming 
them down onto the ground. Slam! Of course, as both hands are involved, 
damage can be dealt against enemies surrounding Sheik. This attack deals 
about 17% damage, for your information.

Comparison:

Factors: Hit Damage, Impact Force
All Smash Attacks in this category have a large impact force, with the 
exception of Samus', so I would have to deduct some points from Samus 
as a penalty.

The Hit Damages for the 5 Smash Attacks are as follows:
Fox: 24%
Captain Falcon: 27%
Samus: 26%
Link: 20%
Zelda: 20%

Although Samus deals the 2nd most damage, I would have to give her one 
ranking lower than Fox as a penalty for having little impact force.

Fox: 5	Captain Falcon: 8*	Samus: 3	Link: 2		Zelda: 2  

Cumulative Score:
Fox: 41	Captain Falcon: 81*	Samus: 64	Link: 65	Zelda: 50

Downward Smash Attack:

Fox:
Attack: Double Leg Split Kick
Fox will stand and straighten up his legs, and then sort of perform a 
leg split downwards, kicking anything around Fox. This attack sends the 
enemy flying in a rather horizontal trajectory, and has a medium impact 
force. This move deals up to 20% damage to any enemy that gets hit. However, 
this move lacks in impact force. When I tested this move on a pair of 
stationary Ice Climbers at 100% damage standing on the middle of the plane 
in the Corneria Stage, they were just sent flying, but not out of the 
screen. 

Strategy:
So, I suggest you only use this move when the enemy is rather close to 
the edge of the screen, then it can be used to knock him/her/them out. 
Otherwise, use it when you are surrounded in order to break free. Get 
my point?

Captain Falcon:
Attack: Low Forwards-Backwards Smash Kick
Captain Falcon will be the Captain of a football (I mean soccer) team 
while using this move. He will put his leg back and then swing outwards 
for a free kick, and his enemies are the ball! That's not all, not only 
does Captain Falcon kick the enemies in front of him, he will kick the 
enemies behind him as well! You know what it's like to be a football that's 
kicked? That's right, you are sent sky high! This move deals up to 24% 
damage and I could use it to knock out (off the screen) a pair of Ice 
Climbers with 100% damage while they were standing on the same spot as 
that of Fox in the Corneria Stage. Now you know. Understand?

Samus:
Attack: Low Cannon Spin Attack
Samus decides to be a little more sensible with her cannon this time. 
Instead of firing, she will just use it to bash people! This time, she 
swings her cannon around, giving a clean sweep of the floor! Literally! 
This attack has a mostly diagonal trajectory, and the enemies are sent 
flying behind Samus when hit. This attack can deal up to 21% damage. Like 
the 2 moves before hers, Samus can hit anything surrounding her with this 
move, and it is rather useful for her to break free of a tight brawl.

Link:
Attack: Downward Dual Sword Slash
Oooh! Let's get swinging! Link will do a rather quick slash downwards 
at the enemies in front of him, do a quick turn and perform another quick 
slash downwards at the enemies behind him. The good thing about this move 
is that it has a decent hit radius! The decent strategy to use with this 
move is to strike as soon as the enemy is within a distance of the width 
of Bowser. Then he/she/they will JUST get hit by the tip of Link's Sword, 
resulting in the most damage. As for damage, the highest possible dealt 
is 17%, which ain't half bad. 

Strategy:
The only problem with this move is its impact force. Again, I tested it 
on a pair of Ice Climbers with 100% damage on the Corneria Stage, and 
it JUST managed to knock Popo out, but Nana sort of survived! So, it may 
not work very well all the time. I suggest you use this move only when 
you are in a high enough portion of the stage. Catch my drift?

Zelda:
Attack: Low Spin Kick
Zelda will also perform a simple spinning kick on her foes. The trajectory 
of this move is about 30 degrees to the horizontal. Wham! This move really 
is weak when damage is concerned, but the impact force is JUST enough. 
It is JUST enough to send Popo off the screen on the Corneria Stage (With 
100% damage) but it is not enough for Nana to be knocked out too. So, 
the impact force is not so satisfactory for this move, and I would advocate 
using it only when your opponents are very close to the edge of the stage. 
I would prefer Sheik's attack any day.

Sheik:
Attack: Upside Down Aerobic Spin Kick
Boy, wearing that ninja costume certainly makes Sheik more agile and 
flexible. In fact, she can turn herself upside down and deliver a spin 
kick much like a top! These are shades of the Olympic Games, I must say. 
This move deals an average amount of damage, that is 17%, and sends your 
enemy flying in a trajectory of about 20 degrees to the horizontal. It 
is more powerful than Zelda's Smash Attack, as I can knock BOTH Popo and 
Nana out with this attack when they have 100% damage and are standing 
on the same spot has the above test. 

Strategy:
Again, it is better not to take chances, use it only when you are near 
the edge of the stage to ensure success.

Comparison:

Factors: Hit Damage
As all Smash Attacks in this category are capable of sending enemies sky 
high to their doom provided that they receive enough damage, I might as 
well just compare them by the damage dealt. (The impact force is directly 
proportional to the damage anyway,)

Fox: 20%
Captain Falcon: 24%
Samus: 21%
Link: 17%
Sheik: 17%

Captain Falcon takes the lead once again!

Fox: 3	Captain Falcon: 8*	Samus: 5	Link: 2		Zelda: 2

Cumulative Score:
Fox: 43	Captain Falcon: 89*	Samus: 69	Link: 67	Zelda: 52

---------------
Special Attacks
---------------
This section will compare each character's special attacks. As different 
attacks are different in use and properties, no score will be given to 
each attack. Instead, I would just state what each move is good at, and 
how to receive the full potential of the move.

Fox:

Standard B Move: Blaster
Type of Attack: Ballistic
Wow, Fox will use his high tech handgun known as the Blaster to fire laser 
beams at his enemies. When a character is hit by the laser beams they 
are not hit back at all, so there really is no impact force for this move. 
However, they think that they are not taking damage, but actually they 
really are taking damage. To be precise, the enemy receives progressive 
damage in terms of small packages of 1-2% damage per shot. The good thing 
about this move is that it can be used repeatedly without stopping at 
all. Simply press B repeatedly with the correct timing and Fox can fire 
rapidly non stop, dealing great damage to the enemy. A great long range 
attack, I must say! Use it to annoy enemies from afar, or to accumulate 
damage without bringing harm to Fox himself, as close contact is 
potentially hazardous to his health! Ha ha ha! 

Horizontal B Move: Fox Illusion
Type of Attack: Physical Attack
I really don't know what exactly is Fox doing for this move, but Fox will 
suddenly disappear and whose horizontally through his enemies, and hitting 
them with a shadow or something before reappearing again. The whole process 
is so fast that it sometimes may be rather hard for the enemy to avoid. 
This move has little impact force, and deals rather light damage of 7% 
damage. However, it is still suited to Fox, as the Shadow Fox is just 
proof of Fox's versatility, after all, who could be able to whoosh past 
an enemy that quickly? I am sure that Fox may have broken the sound barrier 
at this point. My recommended strategy for this move is to use it for 
a Sneak Attack on a group of enemies. While they are the least suspecting 
it, whoosh through them and you can easily deal considerable damage before 
they can regain control of the situation again! Always remember, hit and 
run!!

Up B Move: Fire Fox
Type of Attack: Physical Attack, Recovery Move
Boy, this move really is hot! Fox will flame up, and then blast through 
the air in a blaze, shouting, "Fire!". But all I heard was "Fayar!" I 
guess Nintendo ought to hire some more voice actors that speak fluent 
English instead of using lousy Japanese voice actors! Anyway, the 
direction of this move can be controlled. As soon as Fox flares up, tilt 
and hold the Control Stick in the desired direction and Fox will blast 
off to that direction! Whoosh! If any enemy comes in contact with the 
flames while Fox is warming up, he/she/them will be dealt progressive 
damage. If they get hit by Fox while he is airborne, they will receive 
up to 14% damage. Fox always flies in a straight line regardless of which 
direction you ask him to go. So, this is a rather effective recovery move. 
But make sure that you won't undershoot the mark, as Fox falls very fast, 
with very little forward momentum. If you fail to reach the edge, then 
you might as well say bye-bye to one life or one point!

Down B Move: Reflector
Type of Attack: Counter
This is one of the high tech gizmos that space heroes like Fox would have 
in hand. When you press B while holding down, Fox will open up his reflector. 
The reflector will protect Fox for a short moment and any projectiles 
that hit Fox will bounce back the same direction it came from and hit 
the enemy! Ahh.. Think of the uses, let's say your opponent has a Bob-omb 
in hand and is ready to throw it at you. If you set the reflector up right 
after he throws the bomb, the bomb will bounce back and hit him/her/them, 
sending them flying! It is possible to get them knocked out if they have 
enough damage beforehand! That way, you can get a special bonus called 
a Bank-Shot KO! Worth 3000 points each time you managed to pull it out! 
Oh another thing, that is not hat important but I will say it out anyway. 
If an enemy is standing close enough to fox while he activates the reflector, 
he will be dealt just a little damage. Think about it.

Captain Falcon:

Standard B Move: Falcon Punch
Type of Attack: Charging Up, Physical Attack
Wow, this is another hot move! Captain Falcon will wind up, and then release 
a very fiery punch after a short charge. When he punches, Captain Falcon 
will sort of burn like a Falcon! This move deals a great deal of damage, 
to be exact, 23%, and is capable of sending enemies to their doom if they 
have damage that just exceeds 100%. The only drawback of this move is 
that Captain Falcon has to shout "Falcon" (I should say, "Falcone!" thanks 
to the lousy voice actors.) "Punch!" before releasing his blow, and this 
can 
easily draw attention to himself while doing so. I personally recommend 
timing the punch with the charge instead of pressing the button when the 
enemy is close enough to you. It is also favorable for Captain Falcon 
to perform a surprise attack while everyone is confused fighting in a 
small arena. Then, they most likely will be caught off guard as when they 
can only hear the sound of background music and al the bashing, they may 
not notice him shouting "Falcon Punch!" and this may provide Captain Falcon 
with a Triple KO thanks to the abuse of this move!

Horizontal B Move: Raptor Boost
Type of Attack: Physical Attack
This is the one and only special attack of Captain Falcon that does not 
begin with Falcon. Anyway, Captain Falcon would propel himself forward 
and sweep his arm out after a brief pause in an arc, scooping anything 
that is hit in the fire. Then you can usually follow up with a Falcon 
Dive to send him/her flying even further! When you use this attack while 
in the air, Captain Falcon will swing his arm downwards instead of upwards, 
and if any enemy gets hit, they will be sent sprawling on the floor! If 
you knock out the enemy, then you would receive a Meteor Smash bonus! 
This move does quite an average damage of 7%, and has a moderate amount 
of impact force. However, I have found another use for this move. This 
move is best used in one of those single player matches where you have 
to defeat ten of a single character. If you use this move on them, they 
most likely will be knocked out in one or two hits!

Up B Move: Falcon Dive
Type of Attack: Physical Attack, Recovery Move
This is another cool move by Captain Falcon! He will boost himself up 
into the air while doing a cartwheel before landing on the ground! When 
this move connects, Captain Falcon will grab his enemy. Then he will propel 
him/her away in a blaze while shouting "Yes!", and Captain Falcon will 
fly a little backwards due to the recoil! If this move does connect, Captain 
Falcon would be free to perform this move again and again until he has 
no one else to grab! When an enemy is grabbed, he/she is dealt 5% damage, 
and when he/she is thrown away, he/she is dealt 10% more damage. Therefore 
this move is capable of dealing up to 15% damage. I recommend using this 
move right after you have scooped an enemy up into the air with a Raptor 
Boost for a 22% damage combo! It can also be used for edge guarding, the 
person who thinks he is safe on the ledge will think again when Captain 
Falcon propels him away once more! Of course, you can also use this move 
to get rid of any pest that keeps on stalking and harassing you!

Down B Move: Falcon Kick
Type of Attack: Physical Attack
What would a Falcon Punch go well with? That's right, a Falcon Kick! This 
time, it is a flame propulsion kick. This move has two versions, really, 
depending on whether Captain Falcon is airborne or not. If Captain Falcon 
is on the ground, he will perform a fiery sliding tackle on his enemies. 
If Captain Falcon accidentally flew off a ledge, he gets to use a double 
jump and a recovery move to jump back. If he is airborne, he will perform 
a downward diagonal stomping kick on his enemy. In both cases, Captain 
Falcon will cry "Pump-kin" while he strikes, so it may be easy for enemies 
to detect any plans to use this move. The ground version of the move deals 
up to 15% damage while the airborne version deals 8%. The ground version 
should be used from a distance, so Captain Falcon can "ambush" his enemies 
and surprise them. Perform the move when everyone's busy minding their 
own business and they should not be able to hear Captain Falcon's war 
cry.

Samus:

Standard B Move: Charge Shot
Type of Attack: Charging Up, Ballistic
Talk about death from afar! Samus' first ballistic attack really is 
self-explanatory isn't it? Press the B Button once and Samus will begin 
charging up her Cannon to make a really big ball of plasma or charged 
particles or something. Press B again anytime to fire! If you do not fire 
and let Samus charge, eventually, a very large ball of plasma will be 
collected and stored in Samus' cannon. Then the charged ball will stay 
in Samus' cannon for a short time. (If you see that your friend is using 
Samus, and has a cannon that is sparkling, then you would have a good 
reason to be afraid, be very afraid!) Then, you can just press B button 
at the time you wish to release the plasma ball and brzzzt! Your enemy 
will most likely be sent flying directly upwards after impact. When fully 
charged, the Charge Shot will deal up to a massive 25% damage and is capable 
of knocking out a pair of Ice Climbers at 100% damage. (That's how I tested 
it in training mode.) Note that if your opponents are attentive enough, 
it may be wise to just fire as soon as the enemy gets near. Otherwise, 
just go to a relatively quiet area of the stage, charge up and surprise 
your mates! I know, you will receive the "Coward" anti-bonus, but you 
will also have the Bull's Eye KO with you, right?

Horizontal B Move: Missile
Type of Attack: Ballistic
"Arm sidewinders!" "Armed!" "Fire at will!" "Fire at will!" Samus will 
release a single missile at the enemy. The missile has a guidance system 
installed inside, so if no one is in Samus' sight, the missile will just 
lock on to the nearest target and follow it. However, the missile can 
still be avoided if your opponent is careful enough. Anyway, as it is 
a missile, it is explosive, and of course, when it explodes, your enemy 
is sent flying with a medium impact force. So, when you see someone charging 
a Smash Attack or a special move in front of you, you can always fire 
and take away all the fun from him/her! The missile does deal quite a 
good amount of damage for a Ballistic Move, as it can deliver up to 12% 
damage to the enemy. To maximize the impact force, fire the missiles in 
a point-blank range and it will be guaranteed that they will be flying 
the furthest away from you. (When I tested it on a pair of 100% damage 
Ice Climbers, they literally flew away, into a Magnifying Glass before 
they could jump back onto the stage. I used the Brinstar Stage for this 
test.)

Up B Move: Screw Attack
Type of Attack: Physical Attack, Recovery Move
Talk about Samus being a screwball. When you perform this move, Samus 
will roll into a ball and spin her body so quickly, like a screw and trapping 
any unfortunate enemy that comes in contact with her in the spin! This 
move is mostly vertical, and can allow Samus to gain a lot of height. 
After that, Samus will still be curled up, and the good thing is that, 
while she is curled up, Samus still has a lot of horizontal momentum that 
she would have no problem reaching the edge of the stage at all. However, 
this move is completely useless when Samus is in metal, as she will gain 
very little height. Anyone who has played against a Metal Samus in the 
Classic Mode will know what I am talking about. This move deals 
satisfactory damage. When I tested it in training mode Samus made 12 
consecutive hits, dealing 11% damage. I guess there must be a glitch 
somewhere. How can 12 hits deal less than 12% damage? Oh well, I have 
no idea. Anyway, this move has a rather high success rate when you use 
it in the air, as it is literally unstoppable once Samus begins to spin! 
You can easily regain the initiative with this move for sure!

Down B Move: Bomb
Type of Attack: Zero Range Attack
I never knew that Samus can be that compact. Well, she will roll herself 
up into a very small ball And drop a very small bomb on her foes that 
does 7% damage. The good thing is that you can control Samus' movements 
while you drop the bomb, then you can simply roll in the air above a group 
of brawling enemies and drop a bomb in the middle of the group to their 
surprise! Another thing to note is, if Samus drops the bomb onto the floor 
and stands where the bomb is, Samus will roll up in the ball again and 
perform the so called famous "Bomb Jump". This move is mainly use to annoy 
enemies, as it does not have enough impact force to send the enemies flying. 
But it can be used as a preemptive strike if you want to perform more 
powerful combos after impact. A decent move, but do not use it too much. 
It is the charge shot that makes Samus all powerful.

Link:

Standard B Move: Bow
Type of Attack: Ballistic
You found the Bow! Set it to the X, Y or Z buttons to use it! The Bow 
is one of the long time weapons of the Legend of Zelda Series. In fact, 
it has been there since the first Legend of Zelda on the NES! I still 
remember how I used to steal the Bow in the village tool shop in Legend 
of Zelda: Link's Awakening DX on the Game Boy Color! This move is self 
explanatory really. Press and hold B for Link to pull the arrow back in 
the bow, increasing the tension. The longer you hold B, the more elastic 
potential energy is stored in the bow string, which is all converted into 
kinetic energy in the arrow. To put it in layman terms, the longer you 
hold the B Button, the further the arrow will be shot and more damage 
will be dealt. You know that the limit has been reached when the Bow is 
sparkling. Then, you can release it anytime you wish to deliver the maximum 
damage. Speaking of damage, each arrow can deliver up to 18% damage and 
is able to knock the enemy back for a short distance provided that they 
have enough damage. As the trajectory of the Bow is just so straight and 
horizontal, then this move can be used for Link to "Snipe until Alpha" 
at all times!

Horizontal B Move: Boomerang
Type of Attack: Ballistic
You found the Boomerang! Set it to the X, Y or Z buttons to use it! Another 
long time weapon of the Legend of Zelda Series, the Boomerang has the 
capability to fly, hit its target and return to its owner. It seems that 
Link will perform an Aborigine ritual before throwing the boomerang, 
notifying others of his move, and that is the one and only drawback of 
this move. So, my strategy for this move is to catch your friends off 
guard before using it, you must strike swiftly. Fortunately, once the 
Boomerang is thrown, it flies quite fast and usually the human reaction 
time is longer than the flight time of the Boomerang, in other words, 
if you ambush your enemies with this move, they will be hit before they 
can even react. Another neat trick to perform with the Boomerang is to 
throw it up, past the enemy, and then position Link so the Boomerang can 
hit the enemy in its return flight! You fooled them, didn't you!? Oh, 
I have forgotten about the damage of this move. The Boomerang can deal 
up to 16% damage when you hit the enemy in a throw, and 3% damage if the 
enemy is hit during its return flight. The Boomerang has the same impact 
force as the Bow.

Up B Move: Spin Attack
Type of Attack: Physical Attack, Recovery Move
Remember that if you press and hold the button that the Sword is assigned 
to in a Legend of Zelda game for a short while and release it, Link will 
perform a 360 degree spin with his sword? That's the Spin Attack. When 
performed on the ground, this attack has a large radius, and any enemy 
caught in the spin will be sent flying away! I always find this move more 
effective than Link's horizontal smash attack; after all, it has a much 
longer range! Always remember that the tip of the Master Sword delivers 
the most damage, and hence you should time your attack accordingly. On 
the whole, this is another decent move if you are surrounded, as you can 
remove all threats in a jiffy. If you perform a Spin Attack while jumping, 
Link will spin his Master Sword so quickly that it will have the effect 
of a helicopter propeller, propelling Link upwards. The Spin Attack deals 
a considerable amount of damage, namely up to 15%.

Down B Move: Bomb
You found the bombs! Set them to the X, Y or Z buttons to use it! The 
bomb is a handy gadget for Link, and it has enabled him to defeat enemies 
and blow up certain walls and rocks in the Legend of Zelda games. In Super 
Smash Bros. Melee, Link will simply grab a bomb and then you just treat 
it as any ordinary throwing item. Just remember to throw it before it 
blows up, otherwise Link will get hurt! This move has a rather short range, 
but as long as it is in the air, the bomb will roughly fly in a straight 
line. This move is used with the same strategy as the vegetable. Simply 
take one out, throw, take another one, throw, and repear continuously! 
The Bomb is to be used to annoy other enemies, as it deals little damage 
of 5% per hit so be prepared to back Link up with a combo after the throw. 
Note that Link cannot use this move if he is carrying an item in his hand.

Zelda = Sheik:

To transform from Zelda to Sheik or vice versa, press B while holding 
down on the Control Stick. Therefore, each character only has 3 special 
moves, and not 4.

Zelda's Standard B Move: Nayru's Love
Type of Attack: Counter
It seems that Princess Zelda likes to make use of moves that are named 
after Hyrule's 3 goddesses. This one's named after Nayru. Zelda will 
protect herself with a rhombic shaped force field and some diamond shaped 
blades will spin around her, causing damage to anything nearby. This is 
a defensive more than an offensive move. I do not recommend using it to 
attack anybody. Only use it when you find someone about to throw a Bo-bomb 
or other projectiles at you to bounce it back. However, I tested the move 
against a stationary character in Training Mode, and found that the force 
field can be used at almost zero range to deal up to 11% damage in 6 hits. 
But still, you are better off using other moves instead of being defensive 
all the time. Otherwise, you can never have the initiative and would not 
be able to defeat your friends or the computer in combat.

Zelda's Horizontal B Move: Din's Fire
Type of Attack: Ballistic
Zelda will release a ball of "holy fire" from the Hyrulean Goddess Din 
with this move. Zelda, being the bearer of the Triforce of Wisdom can 
control the ball as well. Keep on holding the B Button to send the Ball 
moving forwards and tilt the Control Stick up or down to change its height. 
This is really some sort of medieval guidance missile. Very handy to use 
from a range. Once you let go of the B Button, the ball will disappear 
from view for a short time before Zelda cries, "Ya!" Only then it blows, 
burning any enemies nearby. The best strategy for this move will be to 
predict where exactly your opponent will be in the next few moments and 
to control the ball so that it will just coincide with the position of 
the opponent. Destruction guaranteed. This move deals up to 10% damage, 
which is satisfactory for a long range attack.

Zelda's Up B move: Fayore's Wind
Type of Attack: Recovery Move
Consider this to be the teleporting move for Zelda. Zelda will cry, "Hup!" 
Then some yellow band will spiral around her before he disappears and 
reappears somewhere else. The good thing about this move is that it covers 
a rather long distance, so even if you are hit very far away from the 
stage, you still will have a chance of surviving. Besides, on land, this 
move can be used as a rapid transport move. That is, let's say if you 
are trying to beat your opponent to a vital item in the game, this move 
will certainly prove useful in outpacing him/her. Although I do not 
recommend using this move to attack your opponents, this move does deal 
damage. If an enemy is hit by the yellow band, he/she/they will be dealt 
4% damage. I know this is insignificant, but knowing this can certainly 
help you in beating the Target Test for Zelda/Sheik in the shortest amount 
of tie possible.

Sheik's Standard B Move: Needle Storm
Type of Attack: Ballistic
Yes, being dressed like a ninja, Sheik does have some ninja like moves. 
Sheik has the ability to throw a group of darts at her enemy. The darts 
have such little impact force that the unaware enemy won't notice his/her 
damage meter rack up! The longer you hold the B button, the more powerful 
the darts will be. Sheik must have had thrown out 6 darts at once, because 
6 consecutive hits were scored on my guinea pig that is Ness. A total 
of 17% damage was dealt! Now you know the fighting principles of ninjas!

Sheik's Horizontal B Move: Chain
Type of Attack: Physical Attack
This move really needs no introduction. Sheik will simply take out a rather 
long chain and whip it at her enemies. You can tilt the control stick 
in the desired directions for Sheik to swing the chain at. This is basically 
a move to keep the enemies at bay. Use it as if you are a lion tamer and 
you will be fine.

Sheik's Up B Move: Vanish
Type of Attack: Recovery Move
Sheik's vanish move is basically a direct copy of Zelda's Fayore's Wind. 
Only that the distance covered is shorter and that Sheik will disappear 
in an explosion. THE explosion itself can deal up to 12% damage, but I 
will not recommend using this move to attack your enemies.

------------------
c. Light Division
------------------
I called this division "Light Division" for a single reason: All the 
characters are lightweight! I should have called this group the "guinea 
pig division" as I always used the characters in this group to test out 
the abilities of all the other characters! There are only 4 characters 
in the Light Division, and they are: Kirby, Pikachu, Ness and the Ice 
Climbers. Yes, they are small, they are light! That's what the Light 
Division is ALL about!!

------------------------------------
Short Introduction of the Characters
------------------------------------
Kirby:
The first character in this group of "insanely adorable" Nintendo all 
star characters is our big marshmallow puff ball from Pop Star (No, it 
is a planet, not a pop singer, for you information.). Kirby has made is 
debut in Nintendo in the Game Boy classic Kirby's Dream Land. Since then, 
he has made many sequels in the Game Boy Color, Nintendo 64. Gameboy Advance 
and the Nintendo Gamecube! However, it seems that Kirby's main adventure 
titles appear on the Game Boys, as the latest adventure is called something 
like, Nightmare in Dream Land! Yes, being a puff ball, Kirby has a rather 
balloon like body, and he can inflate with ease! Besides, his mouth likes 
to act the vacuum cleaner, as he sucks enemies up, stealing their powers.

Learning Curve: Easy

Pikachu:
Yes, the all time favorite Pokemon for all the Pokefans out there! Pikachu 
must be popular, as there is a special version of the first Pokemon series 
on Gameboy called Pokemon Yellow: Special Pikachu Edition. Pikachu is 
an electric mouse, and is an Electric Type Pokemon. Being an Electric 
Type, Pikachu is particularly sensitive to Ground Type Attacks as they 
sort of act like an Earth Wire and absorbs all charge to the Earth! Pikachu 
is also Ash's pokemon of choice in the Pokemon TV Series, and there is 
no question about it. Being a mouse, Pikachu can move very quickly, and 
of course, most of his attacks are of the electric type and all begin 
with the word "Thunder"! By thunder, this pokemon really is really 
shocking!

Learning Curve: Easy

Ness:
This little boy with the red baseball cap and that big baseball bat is 
Ness, the young 13 year old hero from the SNES game Earthbound, or Mother 
2 as it was known in Japan. The special thing about this little guy is 
that he has a large variety of psychic powers known as PSI (or PK as in 
Japan). Well not really, but Ness seemed to have "stolen" certain PSI/PK 
powers from his girlfriend Paula in SSBM. Ness used to be a powerful secret 
character from the original Nintendo 64 version of Super Smash Bros., 
he is now playable right at the beginning. Although certain of his moves 
have been toned down, Ness is still rather powerful in SSBM. You can be 
rest assured that you will have a lot of fun with this guy. I know, a 
lot of people find it hard to use him, and of course, I will give some 
strategies to tell you how to achieve Ness' full potential.

Learning Curve: Hard

Ice Climbers:
Well, the light division has a single newcomer to SSBM, or I should say, 
a pair of newcomers! That's right, the Ice Climbers are the one and only 
character that allows you to make use of two people at once! It is rather 
easy to determine the sex of each Ice Climber by the color of the coat 
they wear. I guess it is due to Nintendo's policies of sexual stereotype, 
I guess. The lead character is Popo, with the blue coat is the character 
you control, while his girlfriend Nana, tags along behind him as the 
support character. The two originally appeared in the NES game Ice Climber, 
and they, like Ness' Earthbound were re-released for the Gameboy Advance. 
Of course, these little guys still use their hammers, for some spectacular 
damage! As there are two kids at once, a player can make use of them for 
some highly complex gameplay. Like Ness, a lot of people find it hard 
to use them, and of course, I will give some strategies to tell you how 
to achieve the Ice Climbers' full potential.

Learning Curve: Hard

-----------------
Basic comparisons
-----------------
Weight:
I know that this is the Light Division, but still, there are some 
superlightweights present, as well as some ordinary lightweight ones. 
Now, Kirby is a puff ball, he is as light as a balloon, and can be knocked 
out a bit too easily. Kirby can be easily knocked out with a slightly 
charged Smash Attack even if he only has 70% damage while the others won't 
be knocked out easily. As for Pikachu, he is also a lightweight pokemon. 
However, the two characters that are humans, Ness and Ice Climbers are 
heavier and are both knocked out around 100% damage. So, the results of 
the weight comparison are as follows:

Score:
Kirby: 1	Pikachu: 3	Ness: 7*	Ice Climbers: 7*

Jump:
Now, I tested each character by performing a running jump on the leftmost 
hump of the Giant Fox in the Corneria Stage, and I found out that Kirby, 
with his amazing inflating quintuple jump, can jump all the way to the 
end of the platform! Now, Pikachu and Ness can both reach the start of 
the upward slope, while the Ice Climbers seem to have the shortest jumping 
distance. So, it is more than obvious that Kirby is the best jumper of 
the group.

Score:
Kirby: 7*	Pikachu: 5	Ness: 5		Ice Climbers: 1

Cumulative Score:
Kirby: 8	Pikachu: 8	Ness: 12*	Ice Climbers: 8

Versatility:
Again, I timed how long it took for each character to complete the Brinstar 
level where you will have to jump up to the top and escape and the F-Zero 
Big Blue race track where you will have to run all the way to the end. 
These are the times left for each character in my trials, and of course, 
the higher the time, the better.

Kirby:
Brinstar: 9.32		Big Blue: 3:01.36

Pikachu:
Brinstar: 18.53		Big Blue: 3:10.83

Ness:
Brinstar: 17.73		Big Blue: 3:04.36

Ice Climbers:
Brinstar: 18.17		Big Blue: 3:12.49

I know that it is a rather tight race here, but still, I will have to 
consider the Ice Climbers to be the most versatile character of the Light 
Division. This is mainly because, although the Ice Climbers reach the 
goal in the Brinstar escape level slower than Pikachu, they are still 
only slower by 0.36 seconds, which is a negligible difference. On the 
other hand, they can reach the goal of the Big Blue level 1.66 second 
quicker, so there is a significant difference in this case. Besides, having 
two people working in a team can greatly increase the Ice Climbers; 
maneuverability and hence the Ice Climbers are the winners in this 
comparison, with Pikachu coming second. Kirby, in spite of his quintuple 
jump is not very versatile as he seems to descend too slowly. After all, 
you can only jump again once you have landed on the platform.

Score:
Kirby: 1	Pikachu: 5	Ness: 3		Ice Climbers: 7*

Cumulative Score:
Kirby: 9	Pikachu: 13	Ness: 15*	Ice Climbers: 15*

----------------
Standard Attacks
----------------
Standard A Button Attack:

Kirby:
Attack: Rapid Flap Cut
Kirby, being a puff ball, does not have any appendages. Instead of having 
arms and fists, Kirby has 2 pink flaps! When you press and mash A repeatedly, 
Kirby will first slap the enemy twice with both of his cute pink flaps 
and then he will start going berserk and will start thrashing his flaps 
so quickly that you will only see a ray of blue light where his pink flaps 
used to be! The first two hits deal up to 7% damage, while the rapid cutting 
action will deal progressive damage! That is, the enemy's damage will 
increase percent by percent from then on!

Strategy:
For maximum effect, either force your opponent into a wall or go against 
a large opponent like Donkey Kong before you start slapping him silly! 
It is possible for Kirby to get a over 100 hit combo with this move, and 
when you do this in training mode, you will be rewarded with a trophy!

Pikachu:
Attack: Rapid Headbutt
Pikachu is an electric mouse, and unfortunately, electric mice do not 
have sharp claws. So, instead of using his puny little arms, PIkachu will 
simply use his head. Not to think, but to hit other people. That's right, 
when using Pikachu, simply press and repeatedly tap the A button to make 
Pikachu headbutt his opponent rapidly and repeatedly. Whap! Whap! Whap! 
This attack can deal up to 2% for the first hit, and all consecutive hits 
deal 1% per hit. This move is basically a free combo in a pack. As it 
starts immediately, compared to that of Kirby's.

Strategy:
Like in the case of Kirby's Standard A Attack, for maximum effect, either 
force your opponent into a wall or go against a large opponent like Donkey 
Kong before you start headbutting him silly!

Ness:
Attack: Punch-punch-kick combo
This is just one of those moves that are common among many of the characters 
in the game. Ness will simply punch his enemies twice, before kicking 
him/her/them once while making a "Hup!" sound. The first punch deals up 
to 3% damage, the 2nd to 2% damage, while the kick deals up to 4% damage. 
Therefore, each combo can deal up to 9% damage. This is just about an 
average move for our 13 year old psychic boy from Onett Ness.

Strategy:
This move should can be used to send nearby threats away if they have 
rather high damage, as the kick can always knock them back a considerable 
distance.

Ice Climbers:
Attack: Quadruple Hammer Combo
Those 2 hammers brought to the arena by the Ice Climbers really helps! 
The Ice-Climber's standard attack will cause both Ice Climbers to each 
swing their hammers at their enemies twice. As they are two people, not 
one, the interval between combos can be significantly shortened. This 
attack really packs a punch! Each blow deals up to 3% damage, and it is 
possible for the Ice Climbers to achieve 9-10% damage every 4 hits! Now 
you find the advantages of having two people working as a team. Even the 
weakest of attacks will deal a lot of damage when used rapidly!

Strategy:
If in any event do Popo and Nana get separated, try to approach the enemy 
in a way so that the two surrounds the enemy. Then start with your hammer 
combo. As there are two people on both sides of the enemy for him/her 
to target, the Ice Climbers can play tennis with the enemy together for 
a considerable amount of time, taking turns at bashes before they are 
reunited again! Besides, the good thing is that Nana has a mind of her 
own, and when the need arises, she can defend herself with this attack 
while you sneak up on the people attacking her as Pop and finish them 
off! That's the sandwich theorem at its finest!!! Tee hee hee...

Comparison:

Factor: Hit Damage in 30 minutes
3 of the characters in the Light Division have some awesome combos, but 
whose combo can rack up the most damage in a given amount of time? In 
this comparison, I tested each of their moves on a stationary Bowser. 
Yes, that's my guinea pig for the Light Division. The results of the tests 
are as follows. They will surprise you, as they have surprised me!

Damage dealt in 30 seconds:
Kirby: 185%
Pikachu: 184%
Ness: 163%
Ice Climbers: 266%

I thought that Kirby would win for sure with his insane rapid cutting, 
but in the end, the Ice Climbers have had a 81% lead over Kirby, and Pikachu 
did almost as well as Kirby. Ness has the lowest damage dealt in 30 seconds, 
as Bowser was knocked away in the middle of the test, and some time was 
lost in getting back to Bowser. Actually, I experienced the same problem 
with Ice Climbers, but that was insufficient to make the Ice Climbers 
lose!

Score:
Kirby: 5	Pikachu: 5	Ness: 1		Ice Climbers: 7*

Cumulative Score:
Kirby: 14	Pikachu: 18	Ness: 16	Ice Climbers: 22*

Charging Attack:

Kirby:
Attack: Flaming Kirby Ball Tackle
Is it just me or does Kirby likes to play the meteorite? In this move, 
Kirby will set himself on fire and whoosh over to his enemies! Consider 
this to be like a slow rocket liftoff. Kirby will soar towards the enemy 
rather slowly and gradually, much like how a rocket slowly accelerates. 
This move deals just about average damage of a charging attack, after 
all, it can deal up to 8% damage to a Bowser in training mode. For a fiery 
attack, this attack lacks a punch, I have tested it on a Bowser that had 
100% damage and he wasn't knocked that far into the air! What a 
disappointment.

Strategy:
Since this move is rather slow for a dashing attack, your best bet would 
be to use it when your opponent had his back turned towards you, then 
he/she/they will not have enough time to react before you hit them 
otherwise, it may be possible for them to stop Kirby in mid-charge, and 
you would not like that to happen, particularly if they are charging a 
Smash Attack, waiting for you to come to be sent flying away!

Pikachu:
Attack: Charging Tackle
Well, for his charging attack, Pikachu has an attack that most low level 
Pokemon can start with at the beginning, namely the tackle! Yes! After 
a charging session, Pikachu will dive into his enemy like how an American 
Football Player tackles his opponent. This attack deals just about average 
damage, as with all the "Tackle" moves in Pokemon games. To be precise, 
having tested this move on a Bowser with 100% damage in training mode. 
After impact, 8% damage were dealt. Then Bowser was sent flying a little 
bit backwards, and that's about that for the impact force. As for the 
strategies, I would not make any particular recommendations, as there 
is nothing so unique about it, is there?

Ness:
Attack: Psychokinetic Electric Push
Ahhh... our psychic boy Ness does have a shocking mind here! In fact, 
he can send impulses into his hands to shock any victims that they touch! 
This move has a multiple hit capability. As when I tested it on Bowser, 
up to 3 consecutive hits can be landed on him! The damage is significantly 
better than those of Kirby and Pikachu, as it dealt a double digit of 
damage! For your information, this attack can deal up to 12% of damage 
(In 3 hits, 5+4+3=12)! The impact force works differently though, the 
first two shocks will trap your opponent on the ground while the 3rd one 
will propel him/her/them into the air! In fact, the enemy character will 
be hit with a larger impact force than Kirby and Pikachu!

Strategy:
When using this attack against an enemy with high damage, it is the third 
shock that matters the most. This is because all the force is concentrated 
on that shock. When playing one of those team battles where you have to 
face 10 opponents or when playing those Multi-Man Melees, this move would 
be Ness' move of choice. Just make sure that they are hit thoroughly and 
there is enough charging room for Ness.

Ice Climbers:
Attack: Shoulder Nudge
Ah, this has got to be one of the Ice Climbers few moves without the usage 
of their hammers, and yet, they are still pretty deadly! Popo and Nana 
will charge forward towards their enemies and lunge out swinging their 
arms at the enemy! Sending them flying. As there are two people here, 
things can be made much more powerful. Having monitored their damage in 
training mode, I found that Popo dealt 9% damage, while Nana dealt another 
8%! This makes up to 17% damage! Besides even as an individual, Popo can 
deal more damage than Kirby and Pikachu! Oh this is amazing!  The impact 
force is also right down impressive, just like Ness! After all Bowser 
flew just as high as when he was hit by Ness!

Strategy:
Even if Nana has been knocked out, you can still deal reasonable damage 
with Popo alone, so do not lose heart at all! With this move, you have 
plenty more room to maneuver as once the enemy is hit, he/she will 
immediately be knocked back. This is of course, another must-use move 
for all those Multi-Man Melee matches.

Comparison:

Factors: Hit Damage, Impact Force
OK, maybe I will list the hit damages and impact forces of the 4 characters' 
moves together in this comparison:

Kirby: 8%, low force
Pikachu: 8%, low force
Ness: 12% heavy force
Ice Climbers: 17%, heavy force

Well, from this comparison, I could tell that humans are better at fighting 
than animals, and that well, two people teamed up together are much 
stronger than a single strong person working alone!

Score:
Kirby: 3	Pikachu: 3	Ness: 5		Ice Climbers: 7*

Cumulative Score:
Kirby: 17	Pikachu: 21	Ness: 21	Ice Climbers: 29*

Grab and throw:

Kirby:
Kirby will grab his opponent and slap him with his cute little pink flaps, 
dealing 3% damage for the first blow, and 2% for any consecutive blows. 
Then when he throws his enemies, he will jump rather high into the air 
and then slam his enemy into the ground, sending him flying away while 
dealing an extra 10% damage! Well, at least that are the results I have 
obtained having tested it on a Bowser with 100% damage in training mode. 
Oh by the way, the upward and horizontal throws are all WWF ground slam 
style throws while the downward throw is somewhat different. Read the 
strategy below to find out what it is like and its potential uses.

Strategy:
If you only want to damage an opponent with this move instead of finishing 
him/her off, throw the enemy downwards. Kirby will perform a series of 
stomps on the enemy, dealing him/her up to 7% more damage before letting 
go. I tried this on Bowser at 100% damage and he wasn't sent flying.

Pikachu:
Pikachu's grabbing move gives me an idea about the laws of electrostatics: 
That is, opposite charges attract!! Pikachu will grab his foe, and then 
give him/her a whole series of electric shocks, dealing 3% damage for 
the 1st shock, 2% damage for each of the the 2nd to 5th shocks and 1% 
for the 6th shock onwards. Pikachu seems to have a better grip than Kirby, 
after all, he can shock up to 7 times before Bowser manages to break free 
from Pikachu's grip. Oh, by the way, the vertical throws work differently 
from the horizontal throws. The vertical throws deal 5% damage while the 
horizontal ones will involve Pikachu performing a rolling throw that deals 
9% damage. So, use them accordingly to your needs.

Strategy:
For Pikachu, horizontal throws are better for knocking out opponents than 
the vertical ones.

Ness:
Ness, being a psychic boy, does like to use his head. This time, he will 
not be concentrating on a psychic power, but instead, will be headbutting 
this enemy with the big head of his! Ness' headbutt deals just about the 
same damage as the other characters, but he has a stronger grip as he 
can headbutt Bowser 8 times before he breaks free. Now for the throws. 
For the upward throw, Ness will raise his opponent up into the air and 
then propel him/her away with his psychic powers, dealing 10% damage. 
For the downward throw, Ness will hold his enemy still on the ground before 
setting him/her on fire and burning him/her, delivering 4% damage. As 
for the horizontal throws, Ness will raise his opponent above his head, 
concentrate, and send him/her flying horizontally, dealing up to 11% 
damage. I would personally therefore, recommend you to use the horizontal 
throw the most if you want to gain a Throw Down bonus after the match.

Ice Climbers:
Well, the behavior of the Ice Climbers really reminds me of the way the 
mafia treat their enemies. That's right! One person will grab the victim 
while the other hits him in the head! "Will you talk!" "No!" Punch! "Will 
you talk!" "No!" Punch! "Will you talk?" "Yes! Just don't hit me anymore!" 
Popo will grab the enemy and headbutt him, while his girlfriend hits 
him/her in the head with her hammer! Now, I really don't know how many 
hits can Popo deal on Bowser, but I think I have seen Popo headbutt Bowser 
10 times before Bowser could break free! Now for the throws. When you 
throw an enemy upwards, I think 11% damage can be dealt. When you do it 
horizontally, 10% damage will be dealt. For a downward throw, 11% damage 
can be dealt. But is that all? Not really! There is a useful strategy 
for you to consider below! Enjoy!

Strategy:
When throwing someone with the Ice Climbers, having Nana beside you can 
help in the throw. For instance, if you tap in the direction you want 
to throw and press A at the same time, Nana may be able to perform a strong 
attack or smash attack on the enemy, and sometimes be able to knock him/her 
out! I find the horizontal combination to be the easiest to deliver while 
the upwards one is rather difficult. But sometimes it may work.

Comparison:

Factors: Grip, Throw Damage
It seems that with his pink flaps, Kirby has the worst grip among the 
4 characters, as he can only hit someone up to 7 times before he loses 
his grip. On the other hand, the Ice Climbers can hit someone up to 10 
times and with the help of Nana can deal much more damage when someone 
is being grabbed. As for the throw damage, it seems that the Ice Climbers 
are also ahead while Ness is second and Pikachu is last. So, I come up 
with the following conclusion.

Score:
Kirby: 3	Pikachu: 3	Ness: 5		Ice Climbers: 7*

Cumulative Score:
Kirby: 20	Pikachu: 24	Ness: 26	Ice Climbers: 36*

---------------
Strong Attacks
---------------
Horizontal Strong Attack:

Kirby:
Attack: Strong Kick
Although Kirby has such short pink flaps, he does have very big legs, 
er I mean feet or er... what are they? I don't know. Anyway, Kirby has 
the feet or shoes that look like the flippers of those scuba diving suits, 
and the sharp enough tips to deliver up to 11% damage to anything that 
they hit. Is there anything more to say? This move does have decent impact 
force and that's about it. Besides this, I really do not have anything 
to say about this. Just use them as you wish.

Pikachu:
Attack: Double Leg Kick
What does our little yellow electric mouse have to offer this time. After 
all, Pikachu is everyone's favorite cute pokemon, so to avoid scaring 
the children, Satoshi Taijiri has decided to exclude the following from 
Pikachu: Claws and Fangs. This would prove Pikachu to be rather helpless 
for this kick attack. Although he will be using two legs to kick the enemy 
at once, they can only deal up to 8% damage at once! Oh well, I guess 
that is the problem of having rather short legs. But still, it does have 
a decent impact force, so it may still be worthwhile to use it to keep 
the enemies at bay.

Ness:
Attack: Strong Kick
Hmmm... it seems that the characters of the Light Division again like 
to get their kicks. The same goes for Ness. That's right, instead of using 
his brain, he will simply use his foot. Ness will just give a simple kick 
to their enemy, and those sports shoes Ness is wearing seems to be helping 
him to rack up damage all the way up to 11% per hit. That's good. The 
impact force is just about the same as Kirby's strong kick. Enough said.

Ice Climbers:
Attack: Strong Hammer Attack
The Ice Climbers do not like to kick people, even though they have so 
many studs on the bottoms of their shoes! Instead, they will just make 
use of what they have on their hands, their hammers! This attack looks 
almost identical to their standard hammer attack, only that the Ice 
Climbers seems to swing them at a wider angle. This attack deals up to 
15% damage to the enemy, and like all the other strong attacks, has just 
reasonable impact force. That's all. No strategies are available for this 
move, except that you should keep the Ice Climbers together all the time, 
which I always find it easy to achieve.

Comparison:

Factors: Attack Damage, Impact Force
Hmm... so far it seems that Pikachu is way way behind in the damage dealt 
for their move only 8% compared to Ness and Kirby! However, like I said 
before, two heads are better than one, and the Ice Climbers take the lead 
once again for horizontal strong attack with their solid 15% damage. 

Score:
Kirby: 5	Pikachu: 1	Ness: 5		Ice Climbers: 7*

Cumulative Score:
Kirby: 25	Pikachu: 25	Ness: 31	Ice Climbers: 43*

Upward Strong Attack:

Kirby:
Attack: Upward Kick
Kirby will make use of his big red shoes or feet to kick his enemies again. 
However, Kirby seems to be unable to maximize his forces when kicking 
upwards. After all, this attack deals up to 8% damage and can send the 
enemy flying considerably high in the air in a vertical path perpendicular 
to the ground. (Almost 90 degrees to the horizontal). 

Strategy:
The trajectory of the hit enemy is rather vertical, so the best use of 
this move would be to juggle someone up in the air, and do not let them 
hit the ground until you have landed at least 3 hits. Always pay attention 
to where your opponent intends to land (They would not be able to swerve 
too far to the right or left anyway, and Kirby can easily follow up with 
his versatility.) and you will receive the Juggler Bonus at any time.

Pikachu:
Attack: Upward Tail Whip
Well, having played Pokemon Red, Pokemon Blue, Pokemon Yellow, Pokemon 
Gold, and Pokemon Silver, I must say the Tail Whip is one of the moves 
that I would want my Pokemon to overwrite at the first chance. Do you 
want to know why? This is because, it is completely useless! And I quote: 
PIKACHU used Tail Whip. (Pikachu swings horizontally 3 times on the Game 
Boy Screen) Enemy Charmander's DEFENSE fell! That's right, the Tail Whip 
can only weaken someone's defense! The Tail Whip in Super Smash Bros. 
Melee is just as useless as its Gameboy counterparts, as it can only deal 
6% damage.

Strategy:
Your best bet with this move is to juggle an enemy in the air consistently, 
and then after some very very hard work, the enemy's damage meter will 
slowly go sky high until you can do some more powerful attacks on 
him/her/them. Just you wait and see... It's like watching paint dry.

Ness:
Attack: Upward Dual Hand Slap
Nope, no psychic powers here. Instead, Ness will simply act as if he were 
performing an upward stretching exercise, pushing his hands upwards into 
the air. This move deals rather mediocre damage, and will deal only up 
to 7% damage on the enemy, while sending him/her/them considerably high 
up into the air. What a disappointment, but it still DOES SLIGHTLY BETTER 
THAN the even more useless Tail Whip!

Ice Climbers:
Attack: Upward Hammer Drill
Hmmm... sometimes some of the potential uses of hammers are overlooked. 
It's amazing that the Ice Climbers can actually use their hammers to drill 
into the enemy! When an enemy is hit, he/she will most likely be trapped 
in the spin, allowing the Ice Climbers to perform up to a 14 hit combo 
on the enemy! In fact, up to 21% damage is dealt at the same time! Wow, 
go and cop them you guys up there!

Strategy:
There are several useful strategies to use with this Hammer Drill. One 
is to use it to obtain the Juggler Bonus, after all, while performing 
this move, you have successfully kept your foe in the air for 14 hits! 
Besides, if you do it rapidly enough! This move makes a good connector 
move for other follow up moves as the enemy is sent vertically above, 
and it would not be too hard for Popo and Nana to catch them!

Comparison:

Factor: Hit Damage
It seems that Kirby, Pikachu and Ness are running at a very close race 
here, having attacks that deal up to 8%, 6% and 7% damage respectively, 
but the Ice Climbers' attack is just too powerful at 21%! Another funny 
thing to note is that, if Nana were knocked out and Popo is left on his 
own, he will still be able to deal at least 10% damage with this move!

Score:
Kirby: 5	Pikachu: 1	Ness: 3		Ice Climbers: 7*

Cumulative Score:
Kirby: 30	Pikachu: 26	Ness: 34	Ice Climbers: 50*

Downward Strong Attack:

Kirby:
Attack: Low Kick
Kirby will simply perform a low kick against his enemy. The enemy is dealt 
up to 10% damage. As they will not be knocked back too much (Having tested 
it against a stationary Donkey Kong in the Final Destination Stage, I 
found that he was only knocked back a little bit even though I set him 
to have 100% damage), you should use this rapidly and always back your 
opponents against a blunt object like a wall before you perform this move. 
As Kirby can squat very low into the ground, you can take advantage of 
this move to attack the larger and less versatile characters like Bowser.

Pikachu: 

Attack: Low Spinning Kick
Pikachu's low kick is practically the same as Kirby's low kick, only that 
it deals up to 7% damage. That's it.

Ness:
Attack: Low Combo Kick
Ness will perform an exercise that looks a little like the ones I do in 
PE. Only that he will consistently kick his feet outwards towards his 
enemy. This Strong Attack is not really a Strong Attack, as it seemed 
to be more like a standard attack. IF you press and tap A repeatedly while 
holding down, Ness can kick forever and ever without stopping! Much like 
a Standard Attack combo. This move deals small packages of about 1-3% 
per hit. So, always use this move to jam an enemy into a tight spot and 
you can go and watch the damage meter fly through the roof! (The zero 
impact force is a very big plus for this purpose.)

Ice Climbers:
Attack: Low Hammer Sweep
The Ice Climbers will now act like the Hunters in Resident Evil. They 
will use their hammers to sweep at their enemies from below, dealing rapid 
damage in packets of 2-3% per hit. Again, you can repeat this procedure 
again and again and again, and the enemy will be dealt progressive damage, 
so they will be knocked about a little bit, but still, that would not 
pose too much of a problem. In fact, as there are two people there, the 
frequency can be enhanced.

Comparison:

Factors: Damage dealt in a fixed period of time
It seems that the downward strong attacks used by the characters in the 
light division all seem to be designed so that the player will use them 
in a combo move, so I would just compare them by testing each one in turn 
to see how much damage each character can deal in 30 seconds.

Damage dealt in 30 seconds:
Kirby: 176%
Pikachu: 132%
Ness: 273%
Ice Climbers: 138%

Ahh... Finally we have a feature that Ness has won for once! But Pikachu 
is still at the rock bottom!

Score:
Kirby: 5	Pikachu: 1	Ness: 7*	Ice Climbers: 3

Cumulative Score:
Kirby: 35	Pikachu: 27	Ness: 41	Ice Climbers: 53*

---------------
Air Attacks
---------------
Neutral Air Attack:

Kirby:
Attack: Flipkick
Kirby is a rather aerobic puffball. Kirby will spin 360 degrees around 
like a fan in the air and will perform a rather light kick at his enemies 
in the air. Consider Kirby's feet/shoes to be the blades of the fan. The 
sharp soles of Kirby's feet/shoes do help in dealing damage. After all, 
having tested it on a stationary Bowser at Princess Peach's Castle, I 
found that up to 10% damage can be dealt. However, this move does not 
have any impact force, after all, Bowser did not fly very far even though 
he has 100% damage to start with.

Strategy:
Your best bet with this move is to use to take over a ledge with an enemy 
from below. The narrower the ledge, the better as there is a higher chance 
that he/she/they will be knocked off.

Pikachu:
Attack: Airflip
Pikachu is another aerobic animal, as he will sort of roll into a ball 
in mid air and spin round, hitting the opponent with his body as he flips. 
In spite of the absence of claws, Pikachu can still deal quite decent 
damage to his enemies. I guess the presence of a skeleton really helps 
over a balloon like body without bones! When I tested it on Bowser, he 
was dealt up to 12% damage from the hit! Besides, this move also imposes 
a better impact force on the enemy, as the Bowser with 100% damage flew 
further when hit by Pikachu than when hit by Kirby. Well done Pikachu! 
Not bad!

Strategy:
This move can also be used to perform a hostile takeover of a platform, 
and it does a better job at it. This is essential in stages like Brinstar, 
where only a small platform will remain available for certain periods 
of time.

Ness:
Attack: Spin Punch
Nope, no psychic powers for Ness here, Instead, Ness will spin around 
horizontally in mid-air, sticking out his fists, and punching the enemies 
near him while spinning. This attack deals up to a double digit number 
of percent of damage, namely 11% on the enemy. This impact force is similar 
to that of Pikachu's airflip and that's about it. The strategies for this 
move are rather simple. Simply use this move to knock someone off a ledge 
above so that you can get a foothold on it.

Ice Climbers:
Attack: Airborne Hammer Attack
The Ice Climbers will simply swing their hammers around in mid air towards 
their opponents. There really is nothing so special about this move is 
there? It seems that Popo will deal 8% damage while Nana will deal up 
to 7% damage, making up a total of 15% damage on the enemy. Of course, 
the impact force of this move is still satisfactory. What more is there 
to say? Eh? Oh well... The same strategies for Ness, Kirby and Pikachu 
apply for this move.

Comparison:

Factor: Hit Damage
It seems that the neutral airborne attacks of the 4 characters are rather 
similar in terms of impact force. So, all I have to do is to compare them 
as according to the maximum damage each character can do on their enemies.

Kirby: 10%
Pikachu: 12%
Ness: 11% 
Ice Climbers: 15%

I know that it is a rather close race here, but still, thanks to the presence 
of two people, the Ice Climbers are in the lead again.

Score:
Kirby: 1	PIkachu: 5	Ness: 3		Ice Climbers: 7*

Cumulative Score:
Kirby: 36	Pikachu: 32	Ness: 44	Ice Climbers: 60*

Upward Air Attack:

Kirby:
Attack: Upward Kick
Kirby will flip around in the air, sticking his leg up and kick his enemy 
upwards, sending him/her/them flying. This attack deals up to 15% damage 
on an enemy and send them flying in an angle that is about 45 degrees 
to the horizontal. 

Strategy:
The enemy will be sent flying in the opposite direction that Kirby is 
facing. It is a lot like those footballers I see on TV with their volley 
kicks. Make sure Kirby is facing the correct direction before you kick 
to ensure success.

Pikachu:
Attack: Upward Tail Whip
Oh dear, what on earth are you doing Pikachu??? Why do you have to take 
the time and whack your opponent with your tail while there are better 
moves to be performed on your enemy?? Sigh, sure it damages instead of 
lowering your opponent's defense, but still, it still can only deal a 
meagre 4% damage on the enemy. However, this move still offers considerable 
impact force to the enemy, so your best bet would be to do some tail juggling 
with this move. Otherwise, it is a complete waste of time.

Ness:
Attack: Upward Headbutt
Oh! Using your head again, young man? Having such a large head, Ness really 
likes to think, just as he likes to use his skull! That's right! He uses 
his skull and cracks hard on his opponents from below, and sending them 
up into the air. This move deals up to 13% damage, but that's not all. 

Strategy:
The good thing is that the enemy will be flying directly and vertically 
upwards, if an enemy has had enough damage, Ness can knock him/her/them 
out much more easily as there is less distance to be covered. Otherwise, 
just use it to take over a platform for your own use!

Ice Climbers:
Attack: Upward Hammer Poke
This time, the Ice Climbers will stick their hammers up into the air and 
attempt to poke anything above. I never knew that a simple poke can be 
THAT painful, I guess their hammers must have a considerable amount of 
splinters... Anyway, this move can deal up to 17% damage to the enemy. 
(Popo deals 9%, Nana deals 8%) the enemy is also sent flying at about 
80 degrees to the horizontal, and that can be considered to be more vertical 
than horizontal, in my opinion.

Strategy:
It's amazing how a simply poke with the hammer will be enough to knock 
out someone. If an enemy has had enough damage, they can be knocked out 
in a star KO. Try using this in stages with a low ceiling like Icicle 
Mountain or Superflat Zone for the best effect!

Comparison:

Factor: Hit Damage
All characters have decent hit damage for their upward airborne attacks, 
except for "hack" "cough" "hack" Pikachu! But still, the Ice Climbers 
are still dealing the most damage!

Score:
Kirby: 5	Pikachu: 1	Ness: 3		Ice Climbers: 7*

Cumulative Score:
Kirby: 41	Pikachu: 33	Ness: 47	Ice Climbers: 67*

Downward Air Attack:

Kirby:
Attack: Downward Multi Stomp
Kirby will do some neat ballet tricks in the air with this move. He will 
sort of tip toe, and spin his feet around toward his opponent, delivering 
multiple stomps on his enemy! The sharp tips of Kirby's shoes certainly 
does help. Although this move deals less damage than Yoshi's foot stomp, 
it still can deal up to 15% damage, if you try hard enough. This move 
has very little impact force, but I found a better way to use it. See 
below.

Strategy:
This move makes a good recovery stopper, if you can just stomp someone 
down while they are jumping in the air. Then, you can safely jump back 
onto the stage with Kirby's quintuple jump and will have no extra worries, 
while your friend will have a lot of them!

Pikachu:
Attack: Downward Air Shock
Oh... please, oh please don't let it be another stupid Tail Whip move 
again. Yay! My wish has been granted! Instead of whacking someone with 
his tiny tail, Pikachu will simply headbutt his enemy from above, and 
give him/her/them an electric shock! Zap! This move deals up to 12% damage 
to the victim, and is capable of knocking him/her/them around considerably! 
Use this to take over a platform from above. That's enough said.

Ness:
Attack: Downward Stomp (Meteor Attack)
This move used to be one of the reasons why the people who played the 
original Super Smash Bros. for the Nintendo 64 griped about how powerful 
Ness (then a secret character) is. In fact, Ness used to stomp his enemies 
immediately after you press A while holding Down on the control stick. 
But still, to cope with the needs of the many, Nintendo and Hal Labs decided 
to tone this move down, and Ness will stomp his enemy after a short delay 
and a "Hup!" sound, warning others of his approach. But still, it is a 
great move to use, as it deals 12% damage and can send someone on the 
ground quite high in the air so you can perform additional combos on them! 
If someone is dealt enough damage, they can be knocked out, and Ness can 
receive the Meteor Smash bonus after the match!

Strategy:
This move is best used in those team battles where you fight against 10 
enemies at once. Enough said. However, this move may sometime fail, so 
be prepared to finish the enemy off with an upward headbutt as soon as 
he/she/they falls back down.

Ice Climbers:
Attack: Downward Hammer Attack
The Ice Climbers will be imitating Link for this move. They will lower 
their hammers and sort of sit on them, and then let themselves and the 
hammer drop down on any unsuspecting foes below and squishing them with 
their weight. Cool. In fact, this time the boy and the girl will do the 
fair share of the damage because Popo and Nana will each deal 9% of damage 
to the victim, dealing him/her up to 18% damage. What a pity that the 
move with exert an average impact force on the enemy. Again, the strategy 
for this move is simple, use it to take over a platform from above, or 
to swoop down on your friend while he/she is inattentive.

Comparison:

Factors: Hit Damage, Impact Force
It seems that either the character has a move that deals large damage 
or that it exerts a large impact force on the enemy. So it really is je 
ne sai quoi at this point. (Something or the other). However, as Ness' 
attack is 
Meteor Attack, I find the need to give his attack a bonus.

Score:
Kirby: 5	Pikachu: 5	Ness: 7*	Ice Climbers: 5

Cumulative Score:
Kirby: 46	Pikachu: 38	Ness: 54	Ice Climbers: 72*

Horizontal Air Attack:

Kirby:
Attack: Multiple Kick
Now, Kirby will stick his feet out into the air in front of him and kick 
the enemy! This move can be performed up to 3 times in the air before 
Kirby lands on the ground again. (I can kick Master Hand thrice with this 
move) However, most of the time I can only do it twice on the enemy. Besides, 
the most damage that I can deal to the enemy is 8%, while exerting little 
impact force. So, your best bet will be to perform this move on larger 
enemies for better accuracy.

Strategy:
When fighting against large enemies, it is always good to tap the A button 
twice. But if you are fighting against smaller enemies, tap the A button 
once only, or you will not have enough time to continue with your attack 
and maintain your initiative.

Pikachu:
Attack: Horizontal Shock
Pikachu will simply headbutt his enemy again, giving him/her a slight 
electric shock. This move is rather mediocre in performance, and can deal 
only up to 5% damage at best! (Regardless of how hard I try on the enemy). 
So, this is just as bad as tail whipping your enemy!

Ness:
Attack: Airborne Psychokinetic Shock
Our good psychic boy Ness will use his psychic powers once again with 
this move. This time, he will lunge into his opponent, and giving 
him/her/them the shock of their lives! This is a lot like the ground version 
of the Psychokinetic Shock, only that the enemy gets trapped in the shock 
instead of being knocked away. A total of 5 hits can be dealt, accounting 
up to 15% damage on Ness' part. That's great, I guess, at least it's better 
than Pikachu's one by 2 times!

Ice Climbers:
Attack: Airborne Hammer Pound (Meteor Attack)
The Ice Climbers will pound the ground with their hammers, both of them 
at once. Boy, and are they really determined this time! You know what 
it is like to be pounded from above? You get slammed down hard! This is 
why it is a Meteor Attack. Boy, I guess the two sexes are really equal 
here, both Popo and Nana can deal up to 10% damage at once, and this 
contributes to a whopping 20% for a horizontal airborne attack. Superb!

Strategy:
This move has a high tendency of sending people on the ground into the 
air, so land immediately and perform any upward attacks to continue with 
your assault. You can always perform some juggling with this move, as 
the hit enemy usually will fly vertically upwards when hit.

Comparison:

Factors: Hit Damage
The hit damages for the 4 moves are as follows:

Kirby: 8%
Pikachu: 5%
Ness: 15%
Ice Climbers: 20%

Humans certainly fight better than animals, particularly those teamed 
up together, I must say...

Score:
Kirby: 3	Pikachu: 1	Ness: 5		Ice Climbers: 7*

Cumulative Score:
Kirby: 49	Pikachu: 39	Ness: 59	Ice Climbers: 79*

--------------
Smash Attacks
--------------
Upward Smash Attack:

Kirby:
Attack: Upward Flip Kick
The Flip Kick has got to be the most popular upward smash attack in this 
game, as I have known many characters that have this move. Kirby will 
squat down, charge and then kick upwards the same way footballers shoot 
a volley into the goal. This move deals decent damage for a smash attack, 
although the programmers could have done better. To be more precise, this 
move can deal up to 20% damage when fully charged. That's about it.

Pikachu:
Attack: Upward Flip Kick
Again, again, another of those flip kicks. However, Pikachu for some 
strange reason did better than Kirby even if he has such small legs. For 
your information, this move can deal up to 25% damage, which is 5% more 
than Kirby's upward flip kick.

Ness:
Attack: Upward Yoyo Attack
One of the weapons that can be used by all 4 characters of the EarthBound 
game is the combat yo-yo. Ness will swing out his yoyo and then swing 
it over his head, hitting anything that is above his head. Unfortunately, 
Super Smash Bros. Melee is hardly the game for Ness to show off his awesome 
yo-yo skills, as he can only deal 9% damage by pushing the yo-yo out and 
another 6% when the yo-yo hits anything above his head. Besides, these 
two hits often will not connect at the same time. You call this a Smash 
Attack? What a pity it has been Ness' move since the original Super Smash 
Bros.

Strategy:
The second hit is more worthwhile than the first as you can use it to 
keep an enemy in the air and juggle it around. Do this repeatedly to 
accumulate damage. You can use it in a team battle, as the enemies are 
light enough for Ness to knock out even with this attack.

Ice Climbers:
Attack: Upward Hammer Smash
The Ice Climbers will aim upwards into the air, as if they are trying 
to hit some fly there, and then they will spring up into the air and smash 
the enemy above with their hammers! For this attack, the boy hurts more 
than the girl, as Popo can deal up to 15% damage, while Nana deals up 
to 13%, making up a total of 28% damage! Always remember, two smash hits 
at once are always better than one!

Comparison:

Factor: Hit Damage
As all Smash Attacks in this category are capable of sending enemies sky 
high to their doom provided that they receive enough damage, I might as 
well just compare them by the damage dealt. (The impact force is directly 
proportional to the damage anyway.)

Kirby: 20%
Pikachu: 25%
Ness: 9%/6%
Ice Climbers: 28%

Bringing two heavy wooden hammers to battle does help!

Score:
Kirby: 3	Pikachu: 5	Ness: 1		Ice Climbers: 7*

Cumulative Score:
Kirby: 52	Pikachu: 44	Ness: 60 	Ice Climbers: 86*

Downward Smash Attack:

Kirby:
Attack: Downward Spin Kick
Kirby will act the ballerina again with this Smash Attack, he tip toes, 
and then spins around kicking anyone around him. As a result, up to 19% 
damage is dealt to them and they are sent flying. However, having tested 
this move on a stationary Bowser with 100% damage in training mode, I 
found out that this move actually could not knock out Bowser at that damage. 
So, it is obvious that this move requires the target to be of even higher 
damage for it to take full effect.

Pikachu:
Attack: Downward Spin Multishock
Pikachu will give the enemy the shock of his/her/their life with this 
move. He spins around under the enemy, giving him/her/them a series of 
electric shocks before sending them away. This move can hit the enemy 
up to 7 times, as indicated by the counter in training mode, and can deal 
up to 18% damage when it is fully charged. Unfortunately, having tested 
this move on a 100% Bowser again, I found out that the move does not boast 
enough impact force to knock Bowser Out. What a disappointment.

Ness:
Attack: Low Yoyo Attack
Ness will again show off his yo-yo skills with this move. This time, he 
first swings his combat yo-yo backwards behind him, dealing up to 11% 
damage to the enemies there, charges, before swing the yo-yo forwards, 
dealing up to 9% damage to the enemies there. That's about it. This move 
exerts a pitiable impact force on the enemy, so it would not qualify as 
a Smash Attack at all! But still, consider using it if you are surrounded 
by enemies from both sides in order to make your escape.

Ice Climbers:
Attack: Downward Hammer Spin
The Ice Climbers, being kids, like to play games. For this move, they 
will play Merry-Go-Round the Mulberry Bush, except they are taking their 
hammers with them! The hammers are stuck out while they turn around, so 
anyone around them will be damaged. Again, the boy has more strength than 
the girl here. Popo can deal up to 17% damage while Nana can deal up to 
14% with this attack, making up to a massive 31% damage! This really shows 
that Popo can take care of himself even when his girlfriend has been knocked 
out! Ha ha ha!

Comparison:

Factor: Hit Damage
As all Smash Attacks in this category are capable of sending enemies sky 
high to their doom provided that they receive enough damage, I might as 
well just compare them by the damage dealt. (The impact force is directly 
proportional to the damage anyway.)

Kirby: 19%
Pikachu: 18%
Ness: 11%/9%
Ice Climbers: 31%

The Ice Climbers are the winners, again. Teamwork does them good!

Score:
Kirby: 5	Pikachu: 3	Ness: 1		Ice Climbers: 7*

Cumulative Score:
Kirby: 57	Pikachu: 47	Ness: 61 	Ice Climbers: 93*

Horizontal Smash Attack:

Kirby:
Attack: Lunge Kick
Kirby will make a brief charge, and then lunge forward a short distance 
kicking his large foot out! Then, the enemy will be sent flying into the 
air. This move deals satisfactory damage for a Smash Attack, which is 
20%.

Strategy:
As Kirby will lunge forward bit by bit when smashing, use this to your 
advantage. Repeat as many times as possible to get close enough to your 
enemy, and smash him/her/them!

Pikachu:
Attack: Electric Discharge
Pikachu will first be charging up, and when enough electricity has been 
stored, he will let it out all in one go, giving the victim the shock 
of his/her/their life! I guess Pikachu must have a Capacitance of 1 Farad 
or more (1 Farad is very large already. Most household electronic devices 
would have capacitors with capacitances measured in microfarads or 
picofarads. Only certain Neon Lights would use 1 Farad Capacitors), as 
up to 18% damage is dealt to the victim and they really flew back so far 
as to be knocked out!

Ness:
Attack: Baseball Bat Smash
Ness' weapon of choice in the SNES RPG EarthBound is his trusty Baseball 
Bat. His most powerful bat, the Casey Bat has an error rate of 75% so 
many people will refuse to use it in battle, instead, they will use the 
Gutsy Bat, which is the second most powerful, and can increase Ness' Guts 
(the probability of Ness making SMASSHH Attacks) by 100. Ness will step 
up the plate and attempt to deliver a home run to his enemy. The damage 
of this move is really variable, if Ness is very close to the enemy, up 
to 24% damage will be dealt, if he is positioned so that the very end 
of his bat his the enemy, up to 32% damage can be dealt. So, this move 
can deal an average of 28% damage. (You should not be able to deal over 
30% damage most of the time due to the fast reaction time of your friends.)

Ice Climbers:
Attack: Hammer Smash
The Ice Climbers will use their hammers to smash their enemies. As simple 
as that. They swing their hammers at such a large angle that even the 
enemies jumping above can get hit. This is just the Ice Climbers' ultimate 
example of their brute force. Again, boys are better than dealing damage 
than girls, as Popo will deal up to 19% damage, while Nana deals up to 
17%. So, they can deal up to a total of 36% damage! This does not matter 
how far they are from the enemy, so treat this as a bonus. Let's all get 
smashed!

Comparison:

Factors: Hit Damage
As all Smash Attacks in this category are capable of sending enemies sky 
high to their doom provided that they receive enough damage, I might as 
well just compare them by the damage dealt. (The impact force is directly 
proportional to the damage anyway.)

Kirby: 20%
Pikachu: 28%
Ness: 28% Mean Damage
Ice Climbers: 36%

Ness will get a higher score than Pikachu as there is always the chance 
of dealing over 30% damage with Ness' baseball bat.

Score:
Kirby: 1	Pikachu: 3	Ness: 5		Ice Climbers: 7*

Cumulative Score:
Kirby: 58	Pikachu: 50	Ness: 66 	Ice Climbers: 100*

---------------
Special Attacks
---------------
This section will compare each character's special attacks. As different 
attacks are different in use and properties, no score will be given to 
each attack. Instead, I would just state what each move is good at, and 
how to receive the full potential of the move.

Kirby:

Standard B Attack: Swallow
Type of Attack: Ingestion
Kirby will open his move wider than a python would, and vacuums 
unsuspecting victims into his body, where he can either spit them out 
if you press A, or copy their standard B attack if you press B. Up to 
8% damage is dealt either way. After that, Kirby will wear a special hat 
to show others whose character he has copied his attack from. I would 
recommend you to copy the moves from Samus, Captain Falcon, Ganondorf, 
Roy or Donkey Kong, as they have the most powerful standard B Button Moves. 
Note that if Kirby receives too much damage, or if he taunts, he will 
lose his copied ability and must swallow his enemy again to retake their 
move.

Horizontal B Attack: Hammer
Type of Attack: Physical Attack
Kirby will take out his hammer, pause, and then swing it out at his enemies, 
dealing up to 16% damage. If an enemy has had enough damage, he/she/they 
can be knocked out, so consider this to be a decent finishing move. The 
only weakness is that most observant human opponents can detect you long 
before you swing, so make sure they are stuck in a brawl or have their 
backs turned on you before you start attacking. If you perform this move 
in the air, Kirby will swing around like a fan with the hammer sticking 
out, and can give out a succession of blows that can deal up to 20% damage. 
I would use this mode of attack more often than the former mode.

Up B Attack: Final Cutter
Type of Attack: Physical Attack, Recovery Move, Meteor Attack, Ballistic. 
It is very hard to describe this move. Kirby will take out his sickle 
shaped blade, slashing his opponent, then he will bring the blade down 
on the enemy, slamming him down, and then a blue ray will be given out 
that moves horizontally for a short distance. The whole sequence can deal 
up to 20% damage. I know that you can use this as a recovery move, but 
it should prove unnecessary as Kirby's got his quintuple jump. If Kirby 
knocks out an enemy with the downward slash portion of the move, he can 
get the Meteor Smash Bonus after the match.

Down B Attack: Stone
Type of Attack: Physical Attack, Temporary Protection
Kirby will transform into certain heavy objects, like a pink stone, a 
10000 ton mass, a blue Thwomp, a spiked orb or a smiling cuboid, and then 
drop right down onto his enemies, dealing up to 18% damage to anything 
that gets hit. To change back to Kirby, press B after transformation. 
This is a very neat move for Kirby, just make sure that he is not doing 
this move over a pit and he will be fine.

Pikachu:

Standard B Attack: Thunder Jolt
Type of Attack: Ballistic
Pikachu will shoot out electric sparks that bounces and sticks onto the 
terrain towards his enemies, dealing up to 7% damage with each hit. Like 
many ballistic attacks, this move can be used repeatedly to rack up damage.

Horizontal B Attack: Skull Bash
Type of Attack: Physical Attack, Charging Up
This move has been with the Pokemon series since Pokemon Red and Pokemon 
Blue came out. It used to take 2 moves, "Pikachu lowered his head." "Pikachu 
used Skull Bash!" Of course, we do not need to take turns in a fighting 
game, but Pikachu still will have to charge up. When fully charged up, 
Pikachu can deal up to a massive 29% damage on the enemy! Besides, if 
the enemy has high enough damage, he can be knocked out! Of course, the 
charging process should be prolonged only to time the attack, as most 
smart opponents can see what you are doing and stop you before you can 
charge up.

Up B Attack: Quick Attack
Type of Attack: Physical Attack, Recovery Move
In the game boy Pokemon games, if someone uses Quick Attack, they will 
get to move first, regardless of how fast the enemy is. Of course, in 
a free for all game like Super Smash Bros. Melee, such things do not matter 
anymore. Pikachu will just streak through the air very quickly, dealing 
very light damage of up to 5% to any enemies that he hits. Whilst airborne, 
you can change Pikachu's direction by tilting the control stick to the 
appropriate direction. I would recommend you to tilt the Control Stick 
in the following sequence so as to allow Pikachu to cover the most distance 
in recovery. Upward Diagonal in the direction of the platform, 
horizontally in the direction of the platform. This is because Pikachu 
cannot go in the same direction in his two streaks.

Down B Attack: Thunder
Type of Attack: Vertical Attack
If I had not mistaken, Thunder is the most powerful Electric Type move 
in the Pokemon games, having an attack power of 120, and a PP of 10. Pikachu 
will cry, "Pika!" and call in thunderbolts from the sky. The thunderbolts 
will deal considerable damage of 17% to anything that is in the vicinity, 
and if they have had enough damage, they can be knocked out. Of course, 
the thunderbolts cannot penetrate decent cover like platforms and ledges, 
so if you and your opponent are under a platform, this move will not hit. 
However, if the opponent is on the platform and you are beneath him, you 
can still hit him/her/them.

Ness:

Standard B Attack: PK Flash
Type of Attack: Ballistic Attack, Charging Up
In the EarthBound game, this move is actually called PSI Flash, it has 
the ability to cause the enemies to cry uncontrollably, and sometimes 
can even take them out in one single hit! Press and hold the B button 
to charge the light, and tilt the Control Stick in the direction you would 
like the large packet of light to go, the light will slowly descend into 
the ground, and when you release the B button, the light will flash! This 
large flash can deal up to 36% damage, and can send most people sky high 
as long as they have enough damage. Of course, you are recommended to 
keep your distance while using this move, as Ness has to cry "PK Floss!" 
(Horrible Japanese Voice Actors!!) and draw attention to himself. If he 
is hit in the act of charging his Flash, the light will NOT explode. Be 
aware of that.

Horizontal B Attack: PK Fire
Type of Attack: Ballistic Attack
Ness must have had stolen this move from his girlfriend Paula as only 
Paula could use this move in EarthBound! Ness will cry "PK Fire!" and 
release a small flame which will erect a pillar of fire if it comes into 
contact with anyone. The flame deals progressive damage, so use it again 
and again and then smash your enemies with the Gutsy Bat while they are 
struggling! Make them suffer, Ness.

Up B Attack: PK Thunder
Type of Attack: Ballistic Attack, Physical Attack, Recovery Move
This used to be a coowned move of Paula and Poo, but Ness somehow stole 
this move from them! Ness will send out a small electric bolt that can 
be controlled using the Control Stick, when that small electric bolt hits, 
it can deal up to 8% damage, but that's not all. When Ness is in the air, 
the electric bolt can be directed into his butt, and he can be projected 
in the direction opposite the direction the bolt came from. When an enemy 
is hit by the flying Ness, they can be dealt up to 25% damage, and can 
be knocked out. So, it is best to stay away from the edges while Ness 
is trying to recover. Unfortunately, due to the nature of the bolt, Ness 
does not stand a chance of recovering if he is stuck in a narrow pit. 
So, beware.

Down B Attack: PSI Magnet
Type of Attack: Recovery Move
Ness you thief! That's the third move you stole from Paula today! Ness 
will erect a shield around him that absorbs any energy attacks like Fire, 
Electric attacks and regain health. The amount of % damage recovered is 
the same is the amount of damage the move would have dealt on Ness if 
he had not put up the shield. I would not recommend you to use this move, 
as you often will lose more health than you are able to recover.

Ice Climbers:

Standard B Attack: Ice Shot
Type of Attack: Ballistic Attack, Physical Attack, Disabling Move
The Ice Climbers will release two small pieces of ice that can slide along 
the terrain towards the enemy, dealing up to 5% per icicle. Of course, 
as they are sliding across the terrain, you would have a better chance 
of hitting the opponent if you are attacking from the top of a slope. 
That is not all, if the enemy is close enough to the Ice Climbers, he/she 
can also be hit by their hammers, as a result, up to 26% damage can be 
dealt, and they can be knocked out if they have had enough damage. You 
should be able to hit the enemies like this without trouble if they are 
falling towards you. Happy juggling! Another thing to note is that if 
the enemy has had enough damage, he/she can be temporarily frozen!

Horizontal B Attack: Squall Hammer
Type of Attack: Physical Attack, Recovery Move
The Ice Climbers will play Merry-Go-Round the Mulberry Bush again with 
this move. This time, they will spin around on the ground. Anything that 
gets in the way will be dealt several blows. If you intend to use this 
move to damage the enemy, you should release the control stick as soon 
as the enemy starts to be hit, and then Popo and Nana will spin in place 
and can deal up to 24% damage to the enemy. Otherwise, tilt the control 
stick in the direction you want to go if you want to ploy through them. 
If Popo is alone, this move can be used as a second recovery move. Just 
keep tapping B and Popo can gain a little altitude, much like a helicopter 
as he spins towards the stage.

Up B Move: Belay
Type of Attack: Vertical Attack, Recovery Move
Belaying is actually an action where two mountain climbers join together 
by a rope, so the one above can support the weight of the one below for 
safety. But for the Ice Climbers, it is another thing. Popo will throw 
Nana up, which attacks enemies above and then hurl Popo up after her. 
This covers a lot of vertical distance and horizontal distance, and so 
you should keep the two together at all costs. This move makes a good 
finishing move if someone is above you and has high damage. Whenever the 
Ice Climbers are belaying, do not mess with Nana or you would be in trouble!

Down B Move: Blizzard
Type of Attack: Ballistic, Disabling Move
The Ice Climbers will release a gush of snow with this move. If both are 
together, then Popo and Nana will blow out snow on opposite directions. 
If you want both Ice Climbers to blow snow in both directions, jump and 
press B while holding down on the control stick. Then Popo and Nana will 
concentrate on the direction they are facing. This move deals progressive 
damage, at higher damages, the Ice Climbers can also freeze enemies in 
for a second, allowing them to follow up with a more powerful move.

--------------------------
8. Final Overall Analysis
--------------------------
OK, did you notice that I have divided different attacks into different 
groups? This is to help me to sort out the scores of each character in 
each category, so as to expose each character's true strength. I know 
that for all groups, there is a single winner with an unassailable lead 
over the other characters, but others must have some strong points of 
their own, right?

------------------
a. Mario Division
------------------
*****BASIC COMPARISONS*****
First, let me tabulate the scores of each character in each aspect and 
sum them up, shall I? This section is rather important in helping you 
decide which character is right for you, as it can determine its ease 
of use and learning curve.

Factor:			Mario	Peach	Yoshi	Donkey Kong	Bowser
Weight			3	1	3	8*		8*
Versatility		5	3	8*	2		1		
Jumping Abilities	3	5	8*	2		2
SUB TOTAL		11	9	19*	12		11

Winner: Yoshi
It seems that Yoshi's versatility made him the champion when we only 
consider the basic characteristics of a character. Peach and Mario are 
also good as they have obtained 3 points or more in 2 and 3 categories. 
The sad thing is that the only thing that keeps Donkey Kong and Bowser 
on par with the other 3 characters is that they are heavy. Therefore, 
I must say that Mario, Peach and Yoshi are fit to be used by beginners, 
while Bowser and Donkey Kong should be used by more advanced players.

*****STANDARD ATTACKS*****
Now, for the standard attacks, which include the normal A button attack, 
the dashing attack and the grabbing attack.

Factor:			Mario	Peach	Yoshi	Donkey Kong	Bowser
Standard A Attack	3	2	2	8*		8*
Running Attack		2	3	1	5		8*
Grabbing Attack		3	1	2	5		8*
SUB TOTAL		8	6	5	18		24*

Winner: Bowser			 
Is it just me, or is it that the heavier the character, the more powerful 
their attacks are? It seems that Bowser and Donkey Kong have dominated 
first and second place in all 3 of the comparisons. So, now, we will simply 
have an exciting "battle" for third place. Of course, in such cases, the 
more "average" your character is, the better he is. So, Mario has 3rd 
place, and trails behind Donkey Kong with a 10 point margin! It seems 
that Bowser's performance in this category has nullified any lead Yoshi 
has over him in the Basic Comparison.

*****STRONG ATTACKS*****
Strong Attacks are all the attacks your character can perform by press 
A while tilting the Control Stick in the direction you desire.

Factor:			Mario	Peach	Yoshi	Donkey Kong	Bowser
Horizontal		1	5	3	2		8*
Upward			2	5	1	3		8*
Downward		5	5	1	2		8*
SUB TOTAL		8	15	5	7		24*

Winner: Bowser
Bowser again clinched the lead in ALL the Strong Attacks, while Peach 
clinched second place in all Strong Attacks. It seems that Strong Attacks 
are the sole weaknesses of Donkey Kong, as he really underperformed a 
lot in the category. Yoshi is still continuing to trail badly with only 
5 points, while Mario, the average Italiano plumber still maintains a 
healthy 3rd place. So, that's what they mean by being an Average Player. 
After all, he seems to be getting third place in a lot of places recently!

*****AIR ATTACK*****
Air attacks are all the A button attacks your character can perform while 
airborne. Tilt the Control Stick at the direction you like for attacks 
in different directions. OR don't tilt it at all.

Factor:			Mario	Peach	Yoshi	Donkey Kong	Bowser
Neutral			2	8*	8*	1		3
Upward			1	5	2	5		8*
Downward		2	2	8*	8*		3
Horizontal		5	2	5	8*		1
SUB TOTAL		10	17	23*	22		15

Winner: Yoshi
It seemed that the air attack section is the place where everyone gets 
to have their moments. It is also the place where average people don't 
fare so well, as each person got a move that gave them 8 points while 
Mario does not! This also proves that the more versatile you are the better, 
as Yoshi finally gets to have a narrow win over Donkey Kong again in this 
area with 23 points compared to Donkey Kong's 22.

*****SMASH ATTACKS*****
This is another important area of Super Smash Bros. Melee. To defeat an 
opponent, you must knock him/her/them outside the screen. It does not 
matter how much damage he/she/they has. If you do not have good Smash 
Attacks, then it would be harder for you to defeat someone. Understand?

Factor:			Mario	Peach	Yoshi	Donkey Kong	Bowser
Upward			3	1	2	5		8*
Downward		3	2	2	5		8*
Horizontal		3	1	2	5		8*

Winner: Bowser
It may seem that the damage dealt is directly proportional to the weight 
of the character. That's all. The results for the Smash Attacks are rather 
repetitive, it's the same, 3 for Mario, 2 for Yoshi, 5 for Donkey Kong 
and 8 for Bowser. Yawn...

----------------------
b. Realistic Division
----------------------
*****BASIC COMPARISONS*****
First, let me tabulate the scores of each character in each aspect and 
sum them up, shall I? This section is rather important in helping you 
decide which character is right for you, as it can determine its ease 
of use and learning curve.

Factor:			Fox	Capt. Falcon	Samus	Link	Zelda
Weight			1	5		3	8*	2
Versatility		5	8*		3	2	1	
Jumping Abilities	2	8*		5	2	5
SUB TOTAL		8	21*		11	12	8

Winner: Captain Falcon
For the realistic division, the more average a character is, the better 
his or her learning curve. This is because, Captain Falcon although being 
the most versatile and has the best jump, can sometimes overshoot the 
mark at times. If you move to quickly, you are bound to have "accidents" 
along the way. In my opinion, Fox, Samus and Zelda all have easy learning 
curves, Link has a medium learning curve, while Captain Falcon has the 
hardest learning curve.

*****STANDARD ATTACKS*****
Now, for the standard attacks, which include the normal A button attack, 
the dashing attack and the grabbing attack.

Factor:			Fox	Capt. Falcon	Samus	Link	Zelda 
Standard A Attack	3	5		1	8*	2
Running Attack		1	3		8*	5	3
Grabbing Attack		2	2		5	3	8*
SUB TOTAL		6	10		14	16*	13

Winner: Link
It seems that a sword can really come in handy if your character is ever 
involved in a fight. Range can help a lot at times. It seems that most 
of the characters in the Realistic Division are pretty much balanced in 
terms of standard attacks. But Link still has the upper hand.

*****STRONG ATTACKS*****
Strong Attacks are all the attacks your character can perform by pressing 
A while tilting the Control Stick in the direction you desire.

Factor:			Fox	Capt. Falcon	Samus	Link	Zelda
Horizontal		1	3		2	8*	5
Upward			2	8*		8*	2	3
Downward		2	5		8*	3	1
SUB TOTAL		5	16		18*	13	9

Winner: Samus
In the realistic division, the strengths of each character are evenly 
distributed, and as a result, everyone is happy! This time, Samus has 
the best Air Attacks, but Captain Falcon and Link did nearly as well. 
As for Fox, and Zelda, they are a little behind, but I guess there is 
always a price to be paid when you use characters that are relatively 
easier to control and use.

*****AIR ATTACK*****
Air attacks are all the A button attacks your character can perform while 
airborne. Tilt the Control Stick at the direction you like for attacks 
in different directions. OR don't tilt it at all.

Factor:			Fox	Capt. Falcon	Samus	Link	Zelda
Neutral			3	5		8*	2	1
Upward			8*	3		1	8*	3
Downward		2	5		5	8*	1
Horizontal		1	5		3	2	8*
SUB TOTAL		14	18		17	20*	13

Winner: Link
Again, it seemed that the air attack section is the place where everyone 
gets to have their moments. Everyone except Captain Falcon has their share 
of the move that gives them 8 points. So, I must conclude that all characters 
in the realistic division are lethal when they are in the air. So always 
be on the lookout. Another thing that surprised me was that Captain Falcon, 
although he is not the best in any of the midair attacks, still managed 
to get the 2nd most points out of the 5, and is only 2 points behind Link. 
This shows the importance of being all rounded.

*****SMASH ATTACKS*****
This is another important area of Super Smash Bros. Melee. To defeat an 
opponent, you must knock him/her/them outside the screen. It does not 
matter how much damage he/she/they has. If you do not have good Smash 
Attacks, then it would be harder for you to defeat someone. Understand?

Factor:			Fox	Capt. Falcon	Samus	Link	Zelda 
Upward			3	8*		2	2	5
Downward		5	8*		3	2	2
Horizontal		3	8*		5	2	2
SUB TOTAL		11	24*		10	6	9

Winner: Captain Falcon
It seemed that Captain Falcon has the strongest Smash Attacks in the 
Realistic Division. Unfortunately Samus and Link are not so strong in 
this part and they have blown big time in the Smash Attack department. 
In fact, if you have followed up the Cumulative Scores for the 3 characters, 
you will find that they are all very close, up until the Smash Attacks. 
This is therefore the determining factor of the Realistic Division. 
Fortunately, for Link, there are several healthy alternatives to get rid 
of your opponent called the Spin Attacks! But Samus doesn't, so that's 
tough, isn't it?

------------------------
c. Lightweight Division
------------------------
*****BASIC COMPARISONS*****
First, let me tabulate the scores of each character in each aspect and 
sum them up, shall I? This section is rather important in helping you 
decide which character is right for you, as it can determine its ease 
of use and learning curve.

Factor:			Kirby	Pikachu		Ness	Ice Climbers
Weight			1	3		7*	7*
Jumping Abilities	7*	5		5	1
Versatility		1	5		3	7*
SUB TOTAL		9	13		15*	15*

Tied for First Place: Ness and Ice Climbers
I think that the scores for the Ice Climbers and Ness can give people 
a false impression that they are a character that everyone can use. It's 
wrong! To master the Ice Climbers, one has to consider two cases. That 
are, when Popo and Nana are together and when Nana is knocked out. So, 
in my opinion, the Ice Climbers are just as hard to master as Ness. But 
when you have mastered them, your opponents can know true fear! At this 
respect, Kirby and Pikachu are most suitable for beginners who want to 
learn how the game works. There is nothing more to say. 

*****STANDARD ATTACKS*****
Now, for the standard attacks, which include the normal A button attack, 
the dashing attack and the grabbing attack.

Factor:			Kirby	Pikachu		Ness	Ice Climbers 
Standard A Attack	5	5		1	7*
Running Attack		3	3		5	7*
Grabbing Attack		3	3		5	7*
SUB TOTAL		11	11		11	21*

Winner: Ice Climbers
It is obvious that two people working together as a team can be very deadly 
in suitable hands. It seems that with such an unassailable lead, the only 
thing of concern will be who gets second place and is tied with Kirby 
and Pikachu. Ness, again, gets second place, and the only conclusion that 
I can draw is that animals are just as good at fighting when compared 
to single human beings. The start of the monopoly by the Ice Climbers 
have begun!

*****STRONG ATTACKS*****
Strong Attacks are all the attacks your character can perform by pressing 
A while tilting the Control Stick in the direction you desire.

Factor:			Kirby	Pikachu		Ness	Ice Climbers
Horizontal		5	1		5	7*
Upward			5	1		3	7*
Downward		5	1		7*	3
SUB TOTAL		15	3		15	17*

Winner: Ice Climbers
This is practically the only area of the game in which the Ice Climbers 
do not have complete supremacy. Instead, Ness' rapid downward kick can 
be very very lethal. All characters do quite well in this group, but Pikachu 
seems to be the underdog as his attacks are the weakest of the 4. Ness 
is in second place as always, and is tied with Kirby.

*****AIR ATTACK*****
Air attacks are all the A button attacks your character can perform while 
airborne. Tilt the Control Stick at the direction you like for attacks 
in different directions. OR don't tilt it at all.

Factor:			Kirby	Pikachu		Ness	Ice Climbers
Neutral			1	5		3	7*
Upward			5	1		3	7*
Downward		4	4		7*	4
Horizontal		3	1		5	7*
SUB TOTAL		13	11		18	25*

Winner: Ice Climbers
Again, it seemed that the air attack section is the place where everyone 
gets to share their strengths. But as the presence of a second character 
always makes the attacks too powerful, it seems that the only sharing 
that takes place is between Popo and Nana, while Ness gets only a quarter 
slice of the pie. However, this does not mean that the air attacks of 
Kirby, Pikachu and Ness are not worth using. I recommend you to use Kirby's 
upward attack, and Pikachu's neutral attack. As for Ness, you are welcome 
to use the Upward and Downward attacks as they make ideal finishing moves.

*****SMASH ATTACKS*****
This is another important area of Super Smash Bros. Melee. To defeat an 
opponent, you must knock him/her/them outside the screen. It does not 
matter how much damage he/she/they has. If you do not have good Smash 
Attacks, then it would be harder for you to defeat someone. Understand?

Factor:			Kirby	Pikachu		Ness	Ice Climbers 
Upward			3	5		1	7*
Downward		5	3		1	7*
Horizontal		1	3		5	7*	
SUB TOTAL		9	11		7	21*

Winner: Ice Climbers
Always remember kids, two smash attacks at the same time are better than 
1! I think that the programmers of this game have made the wrong decision 
to weaken Ness' upward and downward Smash attacks to such simply yo-yo 
tricks. But I guess that's just tough. If they have given Ness something 
else, I would be happy.

--------------------------------
9. Strategies for 1 Player Mode
--------------------------------
OK. Now that I have given the strategies for the characters of Super Smash 
Bros. Melee, it is time to give you some hands on strategy with the 1-P 
Mode. The 1-P mode has 3 different sections, 2 of them playable right 
at the start. They are the Classic Mode and the Adventure Mode. The All-Star 
Mode is unlocked by unlocking all 25 characters in the game. The All-Star 
mode requires no strategies at all, you just have to beat all the enemies 
of the game in a random order. For the first 4 matches, you play against 
1 character at once, for the next 4, you play against 2 at once. For the 
next 4, you play against 3 at once! For the last match, you play against 
a team of 25 Mr. Game and Watches! The only trick for the All-Star Mode 
is that you will have to retain damage accumulated from the previous battle, 
and you have a limited supply of 3 Heart Containers that will fully restore 
your health for you to use. So, the only tactic will be: DO NOT GET HIT 
AT ALL!

Is that clear? OK, now, I will just give my strategies for the Classic 
Mode and All Star Mode.
-----------------
a. Regular Match
-----------------
*****CLASSIC MODE*****
So, for Classic Mode, you will basically play through 10 predetermined 
levels before you reach the final boss. This is just like the way the 
classic fighters will be! Get it? OK, let's begin.

Round 1: vs. 1 Character
In this level, you will play against any single unlocked character in 
the game. The enemy has normal aggressiveness, and should not prove too 
difficult for you to beat.

Round 2: vs. 2 Characters with 1 computer player to help you
This is basically a 2 vs. 2 battle. You will have a single computer 
controlled ally to help you, and your goal is to defeat 2 computer players 
allied against you. Again, this is not so difficult, but you will have 
to beware of the fact that in harder difficulties, your ally is most bound 
to screw up, so you had better do some fighting yourself instead of just 
letting your ally do all the work. After all, you won't have a high enough 
score even if you do win!

Round 3, Bonus Stage: Break the Targets
This is the first bonus stage of the Classic Mode. You will have to go 
through a specially designed obstacle course and use your attacks to break 
all the targets within 2 minutes. All of the courses are specially designed 
so that you would have to make use of every single feature of your selected 
character. So, you had better master all characters well in order to 
complete the stage in the shortest possible time! If you do manage to 
break all targets, you will be awarded points based on how quickly you 
have completed the level, and you will get the Target Master bonus after 
beating the entire Classic Mode!!

Round 4: vs. 1 Character
In this level, you will play against any single unlocked character in 
the game. The enemy has INCREASED aggressiveness, so always be on your 
guard and react faster than the computer does, or you are bound to find 
yourself chewed up and spat out as soon as the level begins!!

Round 5: vs. 1 Giant Character
In this level, you will play against any single unlocked character in 
the game. The only thing is that he/she is a giant! But still, you are 
free to treat this as any single one-on-one match. The good thing is that 
you ave 2 allies to help you; the bad thing is that the giant character 
will have increased range, weight and attack damage than before!

Round 6, Bonus Stage: Snatch the Trophies!
This is the second bonus stage of the Classic mode. In this level, your 
character is standing on a platform with a basket in the middle. 3 trophies 
will fall down on top of your character. Your job is to knock as many 
trophies as possible into the basket. Is that clear? Any trophies obtained 
will be added to your collection. If you manage to get all 3 trophies 
into the basket, then you will obtain the Collector bonus after you have 
beaten the Classic Mode!

Round 7: vs. 1 Character
In this level, you will play against any single unlocked character in 
the game. The enemy has normal aggressiveness, and has a slightly reduced 
weight! So, this should prove much easier than Round 1.

Round 8: vs. 10 Characters
In this level, you will play against a team of 10 characters of the same 
kind. All characters have reduced weight, and hence you should not have 
any problems with them... if you act quickly enough. Most characters will 
be knocked out with a single Smash Attack, so you must act quickly before 
you are overrun! Otherwise, things will be very difficult!

Round 9, Bonus Stage: Race to the Finish
This is the third and final bonus stage of the Classic Mode. You will 
have to send your character through any of the exits before the timer 
runs out. The further the exit is, the more points you will get. The furthest 
exit is worth 80000 points! As you go through the obstacle course, you 
will come across a 3 way junction. I suggest you go through the second 
one for all characters as the lava pits there are easy to jump pass. The 
rest is luck, and practice. Enjoy.

Round 10: vs. 1 Metal Character
In this level, you will play against any single unlocked character in 
the game. The enemy has had a Metal Box in use, so he/she/them will prove 
to be heavier. Sure, it means that they can take more damage before they 
are sent flying, but it also means that they will have a harder time jumping 
back onto the stage! Use this to your advantage.

Boss Battle! Master Hand (and Crazy Hand)
Yes, having beaten the previous ten rounds, your character will face the 
final boss of the Classic Mode. It's Master Hand! The Master Hand has 
a variety of moves, including, a fingerwalk attack, a palm slam attack, 
a rocket punch attack, a laser attack, a finger missile attack, a grab 
and squeeze attack, a drill attack and a fist punch attack! Most of these 
attacks can be dodged by jumping or air dodges, so always be alert. To 
damage Master Hand, you will have to hit him with every single airborne 
attack you've got. Instead of having a percentage meter, the Master Hand 
has an HP Meter. It ranges from 150HP for Easy Mode to 360HP for Very 
Hard Mode!

If you managed to reach the final stage in 18 minutes or less without 
continuing, then you get to face Crazy Hand (the left hand) once Master 
Hand's (the right hand) HP drops to 150! The Crazy Hand has all of the 
Master Hand's attacks, and they are much more powerful! Besides, the Crazy 
Hand can do combos with the Master Hand like the Applause and the Sandwich 
Punch! The Crazy Hand can also drop debris on you, and do a palm crawl 
on you! Sometimes, the two hands are coordinated in a way that you cannot 
avoid both of them at once! I wish you the best of luck in defeating them 
in case they show up! If you do beat the two hands, or the one single 
hand, then you get a trophy of your character. As simple as that! Them 
you get to go through a credits screen where you can shoot at the credits 
for additional fun before coming to the congratulatory screen!

*****ADVENTURE MODE*****
Stage 1: Mushroom Kingdom
The first stage of the Mushroom Kingdom has 2 courses, the first is a 
2-D course. You just have to move your character through the stage, killing 
as many Goombas and Koopa Troopas as you go. The Koopa Troopas can only 
be killed by grabbing them and throwing them. However, if you stun one 
and throw the shell into another set of koopa shells in a ditch, the shells 
will roll, hit each other, allowing your character to score maximum points! 
In the middle of the stage, you will have to fight a team of 10 Yoshis. 
Of course, they are weakened. Take them out and then head for the finish 
line, marked by the checkered mat!

The second course is simply a match against Mario and Peach. These two 
are rather aggressive, so stay on your feet. If you complete the previous 
course with a 2 in the hundredth or tenth second digit, you get to face 
Luigi instead of Mario! Beat him, and you will have a chance to unlock 
him after you have completed the Adventure Mode! For this battle, you 
can take advantage of the fact that Mario and Peach will seek shelter 
at either end of the stage when a Bullet Bill comes. So, that's your chance 
to finish them off! That's all.

Stage 2: Kongo Jungle
The first course will pit your character against two tiny Donkey Kongs 
on the Kongo Jungle stage. You know what to do to get rid of them. Then, 
you will face a giant Donkey Kong in the Jungle Japes stage! Be aware 
of the giant's increased range and you will be fine. OK? In fact, sometimes 
the giant Donkey Kong will fail to use the Spinning Kong recovery move, 
and end up further away from the stage than closer!

Stage 3: Underground Maze
Again, the stage has two courses. The first course places your character 
in a vertical stage and you will have to find the exit. There are 6 potential 
exits, two on the left side, and 4 on the right side. Only one of them 
is real, and that has the triforce by the door. Otherwise, you will find 
a Master Sword in each of the rooms, and you will have to face Link! Which 
means, you can face Link up to 5 times! IF you beat all Links, you will 
get the Link Master bonus, worth 30000 points! Besides the 5 Links, you 
will face Redeads, Octoroks and Like Likes in this maze. Take as many 
out as possible to maximize your score. Then you can find the exit and 
leave.

In the second course, you will fight Zelda in the Hyrule Temple Stage. 
She is not that hard really. But you have to watch out for her Din's Fire 
at the beginning. Otherwise, an easy stage.

Stage 4: Brinstar
First, your character will fight Samus in the Brinstar Stage. There is 
nothing so special about that. Then, you will find that Brinstar is about 
to blow, and you will have to evacuate by going up to the transport in 
40 seconds. Your character will start at the bottom of a course, and then, 
you should use your jumping abilities to make it to the top. This is the 
stage where I tested each character's versatility. I consider a character 
that can complete the course the quickest to be the most versatile in 
each group. Once you get on the yellow transport pad, you will win! Then 
Brinstar will blow up, and your character will have got away with a Warp 
Star! It is time for the next stage, Green Greens!

Stage 5: Green Greens
First, you will face a single Kirby on Green Greens. As he is just so 
lightweight, this battle will prove to be easy. Just hit him with all 
you have with your Smash Attacks! Then, a large group of Kirbys with their 
predetermined copied abilities will airdrop onto you with Warp Stars! 
This is basically a team battle match. Just smash, smash and smash and 
they will e taken out in no time. If you can defeat this large group of 
Kirbys in 30 seconds or less, then you can get to fight a GIANT Kirby! 
This is basically a simple giant one to one match, only that you should 
damage Kirby up to 200% damage before you can knock him out. Besides, 
you can also lure the Giant Kirby into performing his Stone Attack on 
those yellow star blocks. Kirby is often stupid enough to do this, and 
it saved me a lot of trouble all the time!

Stage 6: Corneria
You are now on top of the Giant Fox flying over Corneria. It seems that 
Fox McCloud has found out that you have hijacked his plane, and is not 
up to get you. For some strange reason, he seems to be waiting for you 
to get close before you strike. So, I suggest you strike either from a 
range or swiftly. Just watch out for his reflector move. Eventually, you 
will be able to knock him out, as Fox seems to be passive all the time.

But what is this? Fox's buddies Peppy and Slippy seems to have found out 
that Fox is in trouble, and are flying over to assist you! Oh dear! Now, 
you will face Fox, or Falco, if you have unlocked him. This time, the 
enemy will be more determined to get you, so watch out! But still, you 
can always take advantage of the Arwings around the Giant Fox, as they 
seems to be taking random pot shots at everything! Use this to your 
advantage and take out Fox (or Falco)! Then you can leave.

Stage 7: Pokemon Stadium
You are now in the Pokemon Stadium, it seems that it is you against a 
team of 12 rabid Pikachus (and Pichus and Jigglypuffs too, if you have 
unlocked them)! All pokemon have decreased weight, but it seems that they 
are not nocked out as easily as before. Your weapons are all over the 
place! That's right! The Pokeballs! Grab them and throw them all over 
the place and sit back while they do the job for you! That's all. Good 
luck!

Stage 8: F-Zero Grand Prix
You are now on the Big Blue F-Zero race course, but it seems that you 
have to travel on foot! However, it seems that a race is currently taking 
place, and you will have to run as fast as you can while dodging those 
racers! Fortunately there are a lot of save havens for your character 
to wait on when you are notified with a warning sign of the racing cars' 
approach. Always jump on the pink platforms to avoid the racers! Note 
that this level is used as another benchmark test to compare each 
character's versatility. The faster the character finishes, the more 
versatile he/she/them is.

After the oceans of Big Blue, it is time for the bustling Mute City! It 
is you against Captain Falcon on the racetrack. It is always better to 
knock him off the platform and let the moving ground deal damage for you. 
If you knock Captain Falcon onto the racetrack and he is knocked out, 
you will receive the Kiss-the-Floor KO bonus!

Stage 9: Onett
You are back in a sunny town called Onett, and you have 3 Nesses against 
you! The 3 Nesses seemed to enjoy using the Mr. Saturns a lot, and they 
will constantly throw them at you, so you should always fight fire with 
fire! Just think of all the bonuses you can get! You can get: Mr. Saturn 
Fan (Use only the Mr. Saturns), Saturn Siblings (Use more than 3 Mr. 
Saturns), Saturn Ringer (Caught a Mr. Saturn and threw it right back) 
and lastly, Mrs. Saturn (held a Mr. Saturn in your hand for 30 seconds 
or more). The Nesses are not very smart, they often get knocked out by 
the passing cars. But still, for maximum points, I suggest you attack 
them yourself.

Stage 10: Icicle Mountain
Grab your mountain gear, you are climbing a mountain now! You will now 
be maneuvering up the Icicle Mountain, and you will meet a lot of 
interesting enemies like Topis and Polar Bears. Knock them out for extra 
points! At first, the stage will scroll up slowly, but suddenly, it will 
go up like mad! (Pay attention to the music and you will know when it 
starts scrolling) So jump quickly! Eventually, you will be ambushed by 
4 Ice Climbers. Just knock them out as usual and you will be fine!

Stage 11: Battlefield
You are now transported to a battlefield which looks as if it were in 
the middle of nowhere. First, you will be attacked by 15 Wire Frame Fighters. 
These guys are super light and hollow, as they are just frames. Just deal 
with them as if you are in a team battle.

Then, Metal Mario (and Luigi) will drop down to get you! You know what 
to do! Just defeat them as before and you will be fine.

Stage 12: Final Destination
You are back at the stage out in space, and you are up against a Bowser 
that is slightly larger than a normal one. You know what to do to get 
rid of him do you? This is rather easy. But I recommend using ballistic 
attacks on him until he gets enough damage. Then smash him off the screen!

After Bowser is gone, your character will make their victory pose, and 
it is over! But is it? If you have beaten Adventure Mode in 18 minutes 
or less, then another Bowser, who is maybe 4 times larger than the Bowser 
you will just face will come after you! It's Giga Bowser! Giga Bowser 
is just plain evil. He is maybe 10 times more brutal than any normal Bowser! 
Your best bet will be to hit him from a range to avoid risking a serious 
mauling. Extensive use of Pokeballs will also help! Besides, a way to 
weaken Giga Bowser is to trick him into picking up a Fire Flower, and 
he will not be able to slash you with his claws. Then as soon as he has 
about 300% damage or higher, smash him and he will be gone! Congratulations! 
You have beaten the Adventure Mode!

---------------
b. The Stadium
---------------
The stadium is where you get to do all the target tests, home-run contests 
and the multi-men melee! Let me start with the target test. (For the first 
14 characters)

*****TARGET TEST*****
OK, so you will have to "Break the targets" in the Classic Mode in the 
Regular Match, and you can also play them directly here! The high score 
is dependent on how many targets (up to 10) you break, if you manage to 
break all 10, then your time will be calculated, when all 25 characters 
have completed the target test, then their times will be summed up into 
the total high score. (Getting the target trophy and unlocking the Kirby's 
Dream Land stage, unlocking Mr. Game and Watch as well) The Sheriff trophy 
and lon lon milk trophy can also be obtained if the total high score is 
12:30:00 or less. So, you should try to get the targets as quickly as 
possible.

Mario:
First, throw a fireball at a target to the right of Mario, then turn to 
the left and throw a fireball down at the target to the lower left by 
the lifts. Then jump over to the set of 3 targets, when Mario is in the 
middle of the bottom two targets, perform a Super Jump Punch and he may 
be able to hit all 3 targets at once. Then, drop beneath the platform 
below, and throw a fireball to hit the target to the right of the platform. 
Then turn left and throw a fireball at the target there. 

With that target gone, go over to the lifts, jump up, and then throw a 
fireball into that small gap there and let it bounce into the small space 
with the 9th target. Then jump up, resist the descent of the lifts and 
Super Jump Punch the last target at the top left.

Peach:
Destroy the target directly to the left of Peach, then the one on the 
platform above. Jump over on top of the inverted L platform with the target 
beneath, then use the Peach Parasol to float down to hit it, landing on 
the moving platform below. Then, jump up and hit the target above the 
lift. 

Then, move Peach to the starting point, You will see two targets on top 
of each other, jump up and hit the top one with the Peach Parasol, float 
down and hit the one below, then drop all the way to the bottom, hitting 
those tow targets with the Peach Bomber. You will find a target just a 
bit off the ledge. Do not hit it yet, instead, make your way up to the 
platforms above, where you find another target at the top. Use the Peach 
Parasol to hit it, float down and hit the final target below.

Yoshi:
Jump up on to the ledge to the right of Yoshi and destroy the target. 
Then jump high up to the right and hit that target, then hit the one almost 
directly below it as you drop. Notice that there are 3 targets lined up 
in the depression. Have Yoshi do an Egg Roll right the rightmost target, 
and the first two targets can be destroyed without trouble, while the 
one on the logs can be destroyed by an Egg Throw. 

Jump back up onto the ledge above Yoshi's starting position, and jump 
to the left, with Yoshi facing the right side, you will find a target 
cleverly concealed there. Throw an egg to destroy it. Then drop down to 
the platform to the left, and destroy the target there. Only two targets 
remain. Drop down onto the white lift, and destroy the lower one. The 
final one requires timing, as it is rather easy for Yoshi to jump too 
high and through the logs, and he would have to start again. Jump carefully 
onto that ledge and break the last target and you are home free.

Donkey Kong:
As soon as you start, perform a Spinning Kong to break the two targets 
around you. Then just jump to the blue ledge to the left, and destroy 
the target above it with another Spinning Kong, and Donkey Kong should 
end up on the platform just above the target. Destroy the target right 
above the platform, and jump onto the red ledge to the right, and break 
the target there. Oontinue along the red ledge and jump onto the grey 
platform. Then try to break the two targets above at the same time with 
another Spinning Kong. Then go over to the left, perform any air attack 
on the next target a little to the left of the blue platform above. The 
final two targets at the top can be dealt with just as easily with two 
Spinning Kong attacks. 

Bowser:
Hit the target immediately to the left of Bowser, and perform two separate 
air attacks for the two around Bowser. Then drop down and avoid the Flipper 
and break the target behind it. Drop off that ledge to the steps and go 
down them. Just jump over to the target at the bottom of the steps and 
hit it as well. Go over to the platform on the left and break the target. 
There is another one concealed in that small gap above the target you 
have just broken. Take it out as well. Then jump back up to the top of 
the steps, drop down to the right and take out the one off the ledge as 
well as the one directly below it with two separate air attacks. Then 
jump on top of the inverted L platform, drop off the right, perform a 
double jump to the left and use the Whirling Fortress move to hit the 
final target. 

Fox:
You will find a target a little bit below the left of the ledge you are 
standing on. Have Fox drop down to the target, and then use a Fire Fox 
move to burn the target, and send Fox whizzing up to his starting ledge 
again. Then face left, do a double jump directly upwards and shoot the 
two targets as you fall again. Then jump up to the right, hugging the 
wall, and do another Fire Fox directly upwards to break the target above. 
Then you can send Fox down to the depression to the right and hit the 
target there in plain sight. Now, jump up the ledge to the right, and 
perform a double jump so Fox is just below the target contained in a box. 
Then perform another Fire Fox maneuver to shoot through the bottom of 
the box and burn the target! 

You will notice three targets stacked on top of each other to the right 
of the box. Have Fox do another Fire Fox to propel himself to the ledge 
to the right, jump high up and hit the 3 targets as he falls, landing 
on the platform below. Notice the two yellow glowing slabs, they will 
hurt Fox and send him to his doom if he comes in contact with it, therefore 
the best solution is to use a Fox Illusion to propel himself right between 
them. Just do not over shoot the mark, and then Fox can land on the platform 
to the left, perform another Fox Illusion to the final platform to the 
left and hit the last target above it.

Captain Falcon:
First, jump up and hit the first target on the platform above. You will 
find a target bouncing to the left. Take your time, and hit it when it 
is down, or just perform a punching combo until you hit it. Then, jump 
up to the left and hit the target there.

With the first three targets destroyed, go back to the right and jump 
up the platform to the right to where the bouncing target was. Jump up 
to the green platform and hit the target above. Then, take the blue lift 
up to the top and hit the single target concealed on the top of the ledge 
there. See the green platform to the far left? Get on it and hit the target 
there, and you will find a moving lift with another target between it. 
Jump into the lift and hit the target, then hit the target to the right.

Now, two targets remain, jump onto the roof of the lift and let it take 
you up to the top, jump onto the ledge to the left, and drop down, destroying 
the last two targets on your way.

Samus:
The first target just off the starting platform can be hit with a down 
A Strong attack, then, jump up, using a Screw Attack to get onto the ledge 
high up to the left. Break the target there. Then jump over to the right 
and use a Screw Attack to break the target at the top. Let Samus roll 
down to the ledge to the right of your starting platform. Now, jump over 
to the far right platform, hitting the target on the way.

Now, jump up to the ledge above, using a Screw Attack to help and destroy 
the target nested there. Drop down onto the lift below and destroy the 
target above it. You know have 6 down, 4 to go!

Jump back to the gap to the left and beneath your starting platform. Fire 
a missile to the left inside that gap to destroy the target. Then you 
will notice another target at the bottom drop down, use a Bomb, then 
immediately use a Screw Attack to send Samus back up. If you are skilled 
enough, the bomb should blow up the target below, otherwise, leave this 
target till the end and finish it off with a Screw Attack.

Now, it is time to deal with the targets on the far left. Hit the one 
by the edge first, then drop down onto the lift below, and use another 
Screw Attack to hit the final target. If you have skipped it, use a final 
Screw Attack to take care of the target at the bottom of the gap.

Link:
See the two targets lined up above Link? Jump up, and take them both out 
using the Screw Attack, then jump onto the lift to the left, taking out 
the target above it. Then, drop beneath the lift, and use a Spin Attack 
to destroy it as well. Try to send Link back onto the lift again. There 
are two targets to the left, with a horizontal lift between them. Use 
two arrows to destroy them, and try to time it right, and you should have 
used the minimum time to destroy those two, with all the targets to the 
left destroyed, jump back onto the starting ledge.

Now, drop off the right of the ledge, stabbing the target as you fall. 
Then go to the right, and you can slowly make your way up, destroying 
targets as you go. A few more Spin Attacks should do the trick.

Zelda/Sheik:
The first target to the right of the starting platform can be hit with 
a standard A attack. See the two targets between the triforce symbols? 
Jump up and use Fayore's wind to boost Zelda onto the platform and destroy 
the target above. Then, drop through the platform and destroy the target 
below.

Drop over to the two targets to the right that are right on top of each 
other. Hit them both with air attacks. Then go over the pillar to the 
right for the target there. Use Din's Fire or Fayore's wind to destroy 
it. Then return to your starting platform, and drop down to the left to 
hit the target on the ledge below.

See the two targets below? Change into Sheik, and use the Chain to hit 
both targets in a swing and then send her to the far left of the stage. 
The final target there can be taken care of with a simple air attack.

Kirby:
The target right in front of Kirby can be hit using his pink flaps. Then 
jump over to the second gap on Kirby's level, and use the Stone move to 
drop down. Kirby will slide along the terrain and break the two targets 
there as he falls, landing safely on the wooden ledge below.

Then, jump to the left, and use the Final Cutter to destroy the target 
that is hidden in that gap there. Then jump back to the wooden ledge. 
This time, jump to the right towards the ledge there, and use a Final 
Cutter to destroy the target by the ledge and pulling Kirby up at the 
same time. There is a target to the right in the depression, go and destroy 
it with whatever attack you wish. Then jump up, and use the hammer in 
mid air to hit those two targets that are on the same level and on both 
sides of the platform. Continue to jump up and make it to the top. There 
is a target to the left up there. Destroy it, of course.

Now, 9 down, 1 to go, drop through the wooden ledge and float all the 
way to the bottom of the stage before jumping up to the final target and 
using a Final Cutter to jump through its box and destroy it. 

Pikachu:
Jump up and destroy those two targets in the air directly above Pikachu. 
Then jump to the left edge of the ledge Pikachu is on. See the target 
beneath the ledge? Fire a Thunder Jolt, and watch it bounce along the 
ledge, sticking to the bottom of it and destroy it! Now, jump up to the 
ledge above and destroy the target hidden in the 3-quarters of a box. 
There is another target above that can be taken out with thunder where 
Pikachu is standing at that moment. Now, jump up to the highest yellow 
platform. There are two targets above. You can use a Quick Attack to destroy 
both at once, or jump to the ledges above them and use the Thunder Jolt 
to take them out from above.

Now, drop down to the second highest green platform and jump into the 
depression to the right. There is another target there. Hit it and jump 
up, and use a Quick Attack to destroy the one above. The final target 
is just off the ledge to the right. Jump over and hit it in mid air, or 
use a Thunder Jolt from the edge to finish it off.

Ness:
It seems that this target test stage is Ness' PK Thunder Training Grounds. 
Use PK Thunder to take out the target directly above Ness, and guide two 
PK thunders to destroy the two targets to the right. Then stay where you 
are, and guide another PK Thunder so that it hits the one beneath where 
you are standing. It is easier said than done!

Now, jump onto the ledge to the left of Ness, and use PK Thunder to hit 
the two targets to the left that are directly above each other. Now, jump 
over to the ledges there are make your way up to the top. From the top 
jump to the right and on to the blue platform. Then jump up and hit the 
target above.

3 more targets remain in the red girder structure to the right. Jump over 
and finish them off. Simple.

Ice Climbers:
It seems that Popo's girlfriend Nana must have been gone shopping or 
something, as she cannot aid him here. You are playing solo here! The 
target to the right should be destroyed with a Squall Hammer move, or 
you risk breaking the ice platform and sending Popo to his doom. Then 
jump up to the brown ledge and destroy the target using another Squall 
Hammer. Jump up and do the same to the target on the blue platform above.

Wait for the cloud to come and jump on it. Then jump on the solid blue 
platform above and break the target there. No need to use Squall Hammers 
anymore, as the platform is solid! Make your way to the top of this stage, 
destroying any targets you find. Take care that the second highest target 
here can be destroyed using an Ice Shot from the solid platform above.

Having reached the top, you will find the final target being carried around 
by a flying bird. When it is close, jump up and use the Squall Hammer 
to make sure you can hit it!

*****HOME RUN CONTEST*****
The second feature of the Stadium is the Home Run Contest. The whole object 
of this game is to cause as much damage to a sandbag named Sandbag, and 
then smash him as far away as possible with a Home Run Bat. You must do 
all of the above in only 10 seconds! Of course, such hard games always 
come with rewards. If you hit 1323ft or more with Yoshi, you get to unlock 
the Yoshi's Island Past Stage. If you manage to hit Sandbag 990ft or more 
away, you get the Sandbag Trophy. If you manage to hit Sandbag 1485 or 
more away, you get the Paper Mario Trophy. If you manage to hit Sandbag 
with a combined total of 16503ft or more with all of your characters, 
you get the Unown Trophy. Of course, the final criterion is the easiest 
when you have unlocked all 25 characters, as the mean distance required 
will be very low. 

Now, let me start with the 14 players that can be played right at the 
beginning. Note that these strategies are for beginners or the 
non-hardcore players. If you want an insane distance, I do not suggest 
you read the strategies below.

Tip 1! The Tip of the Bat
For your information, the Tip of the Bat deals the most damage, and provides 
the most impact force most of the time. Therefore, always try to hit Sandbag 
with the tip of the bat!

Tip 2! Airborne Smack
Another thing to note is that if you hit the Sandbag when he is airborne, 
you may sometimes hear a smack sound instead of a Ping sound. This is 
actually what you should aim for. After all, the Sandbag will be sent 
flying at a higher angle, and will fly a lot further away than when you 
hit Sandbag while it is on the ground. (As long as they have the same 
damage in both cases)

---------------
Mario
---------------
As soon as you begin, turn let, grab the bat, and then jump towards the 
Sandbag, and perform a horizontal meteor attack. Repeat this several times 
until you hear the timer count "Five!" Then, start using your Cape to 
quickly build up damage in the Sandbag. In the final moment, hit the Sandbag 
with the tip of the bat. If you are quick enough, Sandbag would have about 
101% damage after you hit it with the Home-Run Bat, and will be sent about 
1109ft away.

Range: 1109ft
Running Distance: 1109ft

---------------
Peach
---------------
After some trial and error, you will notice that Peach has one move that 
can be used that deals considerable damage to Sandbag and will not move 
it around a bit. That is her Upward Jab attack, or (Upward Smash Attack). 
Repeat this on Sandbag maybe 4 to 5 times, and by the 5th time, you may 
have 2 seconds remaining, and the Sandbag will be falling down towards 
Princess Peach. Now, it is time to smash. This is the hardest past, as 
you will have to time Peach so that she just manages to smack Sandbag 
with her bat. After several tries, you should be able to do it. Then, 
the Sandbag should have about 75% damage when it is sent soaring, and 
you may be able to hit Sandbag away at a distance of about 1246ft.

Range: 1246ft
Running distance: 2355ft

---------------
Yoshi
---------------
Yoshi has this single move that again, can cause a great deal of damage 
to the Sandbag in a short period of time and yet will not move it a lot. 
This time, you are going to use Yoshi's Rapid Foot Drill, which is his 
downward air attack. As soon as you have control of Yoshi, take the home-run 
bat, and then jump at the Sandbag, and start with the attacks. The damage 
dealt is dependent on how long Yoshi kicks through the Sandbag. The maximum 
damage that can be dealt at once is 33%. You should be able to perform 
this air attack on Sandbag 5 times if you are fast enough. Afterwards, 
you should still have one second left. Then, smash the Sandbag with the 
tip of your bad, and watch as it flies away. The highest damage I could 
manage at this point was 148%, and that sent Sandbag soaring 1586ft away.

Range: 1586ft
Running Distance: 3941ft

---------------
Donkey Kong
---------------
The whole point of the Home Run Contest is to test the player's ability 
to build up damage to enemies without knocking them around a lot. 
Fortunately, Donkey Kong has been blessed with this ability. Do you want 
to know what it is? That's right, folks, it's the Headbutt! Pick up the 
Home-Run Bat, press Right+B, and then the Sandbag will be embedded into 
the ground. Then, you can start with the Hand Slap again and again on 
the Sandbag, building up damage. You should be able to repeat this combo 
once in these 10 seconds. Then, as soon as the Sandbag pops up, whack 
him with the bat. Make sure that you hit him with the tip of the bat, 
as Donkey Kong will perform a smack on the Sandbag, and for some strange 
reason, the smack attack does not work quite well with Donkey Kong. If 
you are fast enough, you should be able to deal up to 119% damage once 
the Sandbag is hit by the bat. The Sandbag can be sent flying to a distance 
of 1273ft away if your timing is good enough.

Range: 1273ft
Running Distance: 5214ft

---------------
Bowser
---------------
Bowser does not have only one move that can hurt Sandbag and not move 
it around too much. In fact, he has two! His Low Shell Twirl and Upward 
Shell Spike are just ideal. (They are his downward and upward smash attacks, 
respectively) Now, pick up the home-run bat, and go over to the Sandbag. 
Start with your downward Shell Twirl, and the Sandbag will be sent into 
the air. Then immediately follow up with an upward Shell Spike. Now, you 
should just have time to perform two more of this upward shell spikes 
at the Sandbag. Then, you should have about 3 seconds left, and the sandbag 
is falling vertically downwards towards Bowser. Now, this is yet a matter 
of precise timing again. If you time it right, Bowser should be able to 
smack the Sandbag with the bat as he falls down, and he will be sent flying 
much higher than usual. The best I could manage was that the sandbag had 
92% damage, and that it landed and stopped 1368ft away. That's nice!

Range: 1368ft
Running Distance: 6582ft

---------------
Fox
---------------
Fox, being a nimble character, has a rather fast downward drill kick as 
his downward air attack. However, it is very difficult to hit the Sandbag 
accurately, particularly when you are in a hurry. However, the good news 
is that his upward spinning kick (His upward Smash Attack) does not move 
the Sandbag too much when it has zero damage. Therefore, as soon as you 
have control of Fox, run to the left, grab the bat. Then turn back, run 
to the Sandbag, and perform one upward spinning kick on the Sandbag, 
knocking it up into the air and to the right, but not off the stage. Then, 
walk a pace or two forward and start shooting Sandbag with his Blaster 
gun until time is almost up. Then you hear the announcer say, "Five, four, 
three, two, one!" Then, about half a second after you hear "One!" Swing 
the bat at the Sandbag, smashing it by the tip, and wham! The Sandbag 
may have taken 112% damage upon impact, and should land and stop at a 
distance about 1162ft away from the stand.

Range: 1162ft
Running Distance: 7744ft

---------------
Captain Falcon
---------------
Our F-Zero race driver has one deficiency. Being a race driver, he is 
too used to fixing his car with a car jack, and hence he can only use 
the Home Run Bat as if he were using a car jack! To be more precise, he 
will stick out the Home Run Bat and pry it upwards, sending it away in 
the wrong direction. Therefore, Captain Falcon is the only character in 
the game that cannot use the Home-Run bat normally! What's wrong with 
him? You may think that you are destined not to hit the Sandbag at a distance 
of more than 1000ft with him, but don't gripe, put that frown of your 
face! Now, start by grabbing the bat, and then perform a smash attack 
on the Sandbag. However, let go of A as soon as possible, and Captain 
Falcon will simply jab the Sandbag, dealing 30% damage and not moving 
the Sandbag too much. Repeat this jabbing until time is almost up, and 
then get up close and use the "Falcone! Puntch!" on Sandbag. Then, Sandbag 
can be dealt up to 153% damage (In my case), and will be punched away 
at a distance of about 1160ft! See? You must believe in miracles! Even 
when things don't look good, they may just appear.

Range: 1160ft
Running Distance: 8904ft

---------------
Samus
---------------
It is time for the Metroid heroine to play baseball, with a Sandbag. Like 
many other characters in this game, her Down+B air attack deals decent 
damage, and will not knock the Sandbag around too much. Unfortunately, 
it has a relatively long delay and hence time is wasted. Therefore, I 
would recommend another meteor attack which is Samus' vertical slam kick. 
(Upward Strong Attack) This kick can slam Sandbag down on the ground, 
and at higher damages, it can send Sandbag vertically upward. Therefore, 
repeat this procedure again and again until time is almost up. You should 
have dealt a total of 70% damage on the sandbag when it is falling down 
to Samus to be smacked. Then, time your Smash right and smack the Sandbag 
with the bag. Then, the bag should have 78% damage dealt to him as he 
is sent flying, and Sandbag can be sent 1263ft away.

Range: 1263ft
Running Distance: 10167ft

---------------
Link
---------------
Link, being the Hero of Time is certainly not a Master of Time in the 
Home Run Contest. If you use his moves, you will notice that none of them 
really can prevent the Sandbag from being knocked around horizontally. 
This led to a lot of skilled players resorting to the bat throw trick 
on the Sandbag. This strategy will make use of it. As soon as you can 
move Link, grab the bat, jump over the Sandbag. As Link is directly above 
the Sandbag, press Down + Z to throw the Bat down onto Sandbag. Sandbag 
should fly to the right. Immediately drop down, intercept the Sandbag 
and press A to kick it back to the left. Then, grab the bat again, and 
run back to the left of the platform. Then, start performing repeated 
upward sword slashes to juggle the Sandbag around. Then, as time is almost 
out, allow the Sandbag to drop down to Link and let him smack the Sandbag 
with his bat. Then, if you are fast enough, the Sandbag should have acquired 
76% damage, and will fly about 1216ft away from the stand.

(Note: If you are better at the Bat Drop move, you can repeat this repeatedly 
for all characters and hence you can get an even further distance with 
them.)

Range: 1216ft
Running Distance: 11383ft
---------------
Zelda
---------------
Zelda, being the damsel in distress of the Legend of Zelda games is still 
a sissy when the Home Run Contest is concerned. In fact, she does not 
have any good rapid damaging moves to use, so when you damage Sandbag, 
you should make use of her alter ego, Sheik. However, Sheik has a weakness, 
which is that she cannot Smash the Sandbag normally like any other people. 
So, you will have to switch identities twice in this Home Run Contest. 
As soon as you get to move Zelda, immediately transform into Sheik, then 
grab the bat and run up to the Sandbag. Perform a charged upward Smash 
Attack on the Sandbag, let it fall, perform an uncharged Smash Attack, 
and then perform a charged Smash Attack again. Then the Sandbag will be 
really high up, and you should have 2-3 seconds left. While the Sandbag 
is airborne, transform back into Zelda, and try to hit the Sandbag as 
it falls. Even if you do not manage to smack the Sandbag, the final damage 
could be around 105%, and the Sandbag will be sent flying at a distance 
of about 1106ft away.

Range: 1106ft
Running Distance: 12489ft

---------------
Kirby
---------------
Kirby is a bit of an underdog when it comes to home runs. After all, 
practically none of his attacks can deal large amounts of damage AND not 
move the Sandbag by a lot. Therefore you will just have to depend on your 
luck. To rack up damage, I suggest you perform 2 to 3 aerial Hammer attacks 
on Sandbag, and then start juggling Sandbag around before the timer runs 
out. Then, use the bat and try to catch him in mid air and smack him. 
If you are lucky, the Sandbag should have around 70% upon impact, and 
will be sent flying at a distance of around 1196ft away from the platform.

Range: 1196ft
Running Distance: 13685ft

---------------
Pikachu
---------------
Pikachu has an added advantage in the Home Run Contest. If he smashes 
the Sandbag with his back turned towards him, he can automatically smash 
Sandbag. Now, grab the bag, and run up to the Sandbag, do an upward rolling 
kick (Upward Smash Attack) on the Sandbag, with Pikachu facing the right, 
then run past him and hit the Sandbag with another upward smash attack 
from the right (With Pikachu facing the left), and then run back and smash 
it upwards to the right again. If there is enough time, you can repeat 
once more, otherwise, just smack the Sandbag with Pikachu's back turned 
towards it. If you are fast enough, the Sandbag should have received 73% 
damage when it was sent flying, and should stop at a distance of 1204ft 
away from the stand.

Range: 1204ft
Running Distance: 14889ft

---------------
Ness
---------------
Our psychic hero of Earthbound does has some good placeholder moves to 
help damage the Sandbag without moving it around too much. In fact, it 
can be made to be an instant drop down holder so that he can smack it 
and send it away from the Earth! First, jump onto the Sandbag from above 
and perform a downward air attack, then when the Sandbag falls, hit it 
with a PK Fire, this will cause the Sandbag to simmer in the slow flame. 
Then, jump up and perform another Down + A air attack to slam it onto 
the ground once more. Repeat with PK Fire, slam it down, repeat with another 
PK Fire. Then, you should have about 3 seconds left. Stand under the burning 
Sandbag and wait. As the flames die down, swing the bat, and Ness will 
smack the Sandbag with the bat if you time it right. Sandbag will be sent 
flying with about 81% damage, and should fly away for a distance of about 
1262ft.

Range: 1262ft 
Running Distance: 16151ft

---------------
Ice Climbers
---------------
Two men, one van, 30 days, to catch all species of fish in Britain. That 
is how Discovery H&L Channel describes the program the Great Rod Race. 
Now: Two kids, one boy, one girl, 10 seconds, to knock the Sandbag as 
far away as possible. That is how I describe the predicament Popo and 
Nana, the two Ice Climbers are in. Like the Great Rod Race, time is very 
tight, and teamwork is very essential in success here. You have 10 seconds. 
Now, do all of this as quickly as you can! First, grab the home run bat, 
and run forward and jump towards the Sandbag. Then, perform a horizontal 
air attack on Sandbag. Then, land, and immediately follow up with an upward 
hammer poke (That's their upward strong attack) As soon as the Sandbag 
lands, perform an Ice Shot. Then, run forward to the Sandbag, perform 
another Upward Hammer Poke. The Sandbag will soar up again, then jump 
up, and perform another horizontal air attack to slam the Sandbag into 
the ground. 

2 seconds left. Perform another Ice Shot on the Sandbag. 1 second left. 
Now, quickly run forward to smash Sandbag with the bat. Nana may or may 
not be able to help you in such a critical stage, but when I managed to 
pull it off for the first time, she did not hit the Sandbag. Only Popo 
did, but still, the Sandbag still was sent flying with 148% damage! In 
fact, it flew for a distance of 1716ft away from the couple!

However, I tried a second time, and this time, Nana hit the Sandbag once 
before Popo hit it with his bat, and the Sandbag was sent flying with 
161% damage. Therefore, it landed and stopped 1818ft from the stand!

Range: 1818ft
Running Distance: 17969ft > 16513ft

---------------
Conclusion
---------------
Therefore, it is possible to get the Unown Trophy using only the first 
14 characters if you try hard enough.

---------------
10. The Items
---------------
This section will give a short description and strategies concerning the 
usage of the various items in the game. There are many different types 
of items in the game, including Food, Healing Items, Transformation Items, 
Throwing Items, Shooting Items, Battering Items and many many more. Now, 
let's begin with Food items.

*****FOOD*****
As you can see, food is something which is very nutritious indeed. When 
your character picks up food, he/she/they will eat it, and can use it 
to recover small amounts of health, between 1-10% damage at a time.

Noteworthy Bonuses:
Connoisseur (3000):
If you manage to eat all the food that has appeared in the match, you 
can get the Connoisseur Bonus. It is easier to do this on Adventure Mode 
platformer level, as no one will attempt to fight you for the food.

Gourmet (2000):
If you only ate food for the entire duration of the match and have eaten 
3 pieces or more, then you can be awarded this bonus. This is not very 
hard to achieve, just resist the temptation to grab any other items in 
the entire duration of the match and you will be fine.

*****HEALING ITEMS*****
Healing Items are for healing of course, there are in total of 2 Healing 
Items in the game, and they can heal up to 100% damage from your character.

Noteworthy Bonus:
Wimp (1500):
If you only used healing (recovery) items for the entire duration of the 
match and have used 3 or more, then you will be awarded this bonus (Really, 
it is not a bonus in real life to be called a wimp) As the healing items 
do not include food, do not eat any food and only use the items listed 
below. (Which is why this bonus is rather hard to achieve.)

---------------
Maxim Tomato
---------------
The Maxim Tomato used to be Kirby's favorite snack. It looks like any 
tomato, only that it has a big M on it. This tasty treat can heal the 
character by 50% damage. When you see one appearing, you had better go 
and get it, as both human and computer players will be trying their best 
to eat it before you do.

Noteworthy Bonus:
Vegetarian (1800):
If your character has eaten 2 or more Maxim Tomatoes for the entire duration 
of the match, you will be awarded this bonus. This bonus is easier said 
than done most of the time, as you probably won't find more than 2 Maxim 
Tomatoes unless you found a Party Ball full of them. However, you can 
always set up a multiplayer match where ONLY Maxim Tomatoes will appear, 
and then it will be as easy as pie, or I should say, tomato quiche.

----------------
Heart Container
----------------
There are basically two ways of getting a new Heart Container in a Legend 
of Zelda game. Either by defeating a boss in a dungeon, or by finding 
4 Pieces of Heart! Anyway, the Heart Container of Super Smash Bros. Melee 
can heal twice as much damage as the Maxim Tomato, that is, up to 100%. 
Again, both humans and computer controlled players will race for the Heart 
Container as soon as it appears, so you better hurry up and get it before 
they do! Then, you will have some sweet, sweet sensation as your damage 
meter drops by an entire 100%!

Noteworthy Bonus:
Heartthrob (2800):
If your character has used 2 or more Heart Containers for the entire 
duration of the match, you will be awarded this bonus. This bonus is easier 
said than done most of the time, as you probably won't find more than 
2 Heart Containers unless you found a Party Ball full of them. However, 
you can always set up a multiplayer match where ONLY Heart Containers 
will appear, and then it will be as easy as pie. Remember not to lose 
heart!

*****TRANSFORMATION ITEMS*****
Transformation Items are items that, simply put, make your character 
change in appearance and shape. For instance, they can change their size, 
material, appearance, and sometimes make them completely invisible!

Noteworthy Bonus:
Shape-Shifter (1500):
If you only used transformation items for the entire duration of the match 
and have used 3 or more, then you will be awarded this bonus. This is 
rather easy to obtain this bonus, as transformation items are very abundant 
in matches and are the basically the most popular group of items of them 
all.

---------------
Super Mushroom
---------------
Ahh... the "sacred" Super Mushroom from Super Mario Bros., Super Mario 
Bros. 3 and Super Mario World is back. You know what does it do. It is 
obvious, isn't it? It makes your character grow in size, increasing their 
weight significantly and also strengthening their attack power! What could 
be better? Another funny thing to note is that the character affected 
will have his/her voicebox altered so they say things at a lower pitch. 
Like Captain Falcon's "Falcone Punch!" would sound like 
"Faaallcccooonneee Punnncccchhhh!!!"

Noteworthy Bonus:
Giant KO (600 per KO):
If you knock out someone while you are giant, then you can receive this 
bonus. Easy. It's a matter of quantity but not quality here, as the bonus 
score received is dependent on the number of KOs you have achieved before 
you shrink back to your original size.

Mycologist (2500):
If you get 3 or more Mushrooms (Including Poison Mushrooms), you can get 
this bonus. Let's start picking, kids!

Mario Maniac (8000):
Our Italian Plumber Mario is the representative of Nintendo, just as how 
Sonic the Hedgehog represents Sega. Mario's items are highly treasured, 
and if you use enough of them, you are considered to be a Mario fan! If 
you used Mushrooms, Fire Flowers or Starmen for the entire duration of 
the match, this bonus will be yours.

----------------
Poison Mushroom
----------------
The notorious Poison Mushroom from Super Mario Bros. the Lost Levels have 
returned. Yes, they shrink Mario in size and can kill him if he is already 
tiny! Unfortunately, the Poison Mushrooms are hard to identify, as they 
look almost identical to the Super Mushroom, only that the eyes have an 
evil glare. After eating the mushroom, the character will shrink to a 
puny size, and can be easily knocked out due to their decreased weight! 
Oh, and your character's voice box will be altered in a way that they 
all sound like Mickey Mouse!

Tiny KO (2500 per KO):
If you knock out someone while you are as tiny as a shrimp, then you can 
receive this bonus. This one is outright hard! It's a matter of quantity 
but not quality here, as the bonus score received is dependent on the 
number of KOs you have achieved before you grow back to your original 
size.

Mycologist (2500):
If you get 3 or more Mushrooms (Including Poison Mushrooms), you can get 
this bonus. Let's start picking, kids!

Mario Maniac (8000):
Our Italian Plumber Mario is the representative of Nintendo, just as how 
Sonic the Hedgehog represents Sega. Mario's items are highly treasured, 
and if you use enough of them, you are considered to be a Mario fan! If 
you used Mushrooms, Fire Flowers or Starmen for the entire duration of 
the match, this bonus will be yours.

---------------
Metal Box
---------------
In Super Mario 64, they still had those exclamation mark boxes, but they 
only provide different caps for Mario to wear. The Green Box holds the 
Metal Cap! When a character opens a Metal Box, they will be covered with 
metal. This of course increases their weight substantially, making it 
difficult to send them flying. But a con is that certain characters like 
Samus and Link would be rendered irrecoverable if they are covered with 
metal. Just look at how pathetic the Screw Attack becomes when you play 
against Metal Samus! Oh, by the way, the character's voice box would be 
too stiff to vibrate when they are covered with metal, so they will be 
completely dumb for the time being.

Noteworthy Bonus:
Metal KO (800 per KO):
If you knock out someone while you are covered with Metal, then this bonus 
is yours. It's a matter of quantity but not quality here, as the bonus 
score received is dependent on the number of KOs you have achieved before 
you are made of flesh again.

----------------
Cloaking Device
----------------
The Cloaking Device makes your character invisible! However, that is not 
the main selling point of the Cloaking Device. Most characters can still 
know where you are even when you are invisible, and they can still come 
and bash you. So, the programmers of the game decided to program the 
Cloaking Device so that the person wearing it will NOT take any damage 
when hit! Wow! That's great! However, he/she can still be knocked out 
if they have had enough damage before obtaining the device. So, watch 
out.

Noteworthy Bonus:
Invisible KO (800 per KO)
If you knock out someone while you are wearing a Cloaking Device, then 
this bonus is yours. It's a matter of quantity but not quality here, as 
the bonus score received is dependent on the number of KOs you have achieved 
before you are visible again.

---------------
Bunny Hood
---------------
This gadget from the Legend of Zelda series allows your character to have 
insane jumping abilities and speed, much like a rabbit! Yes, and I must 
say that the characters look rather goofy looking while they are wearing 
the Bunny Hood. For some strange reason, the Bunny Hood only affects 
Kirby's first two jumps.

Noteworthy Bonus:
Bunny Hood Blast (1200 per KO)
If you knock out someone while you are wearing a Bunny Hood, then this 
bonus is yours. It's a matter of quantity but not quality here, as the 
bonus score received is dependent on the number of KOs you have achieved 
before you take off the Bunny Hood.

*****THROWING ITEMS*****
These items are to be picked up, and thrown at the enemy! That's why they 
are called Throwing Items! There are many items that can be thrown, some 
of them will remain on the stage for a short time, some will disappear 
when it hits something, and some will downright explode! Of course, each 
of these items have their own use.

Noteworthy Bonuses:
Item Chucker (3000):
If you only threw items at the enemy for the entire duration of the match, 
you will receive this bonus. This is obviously the easiest to achieve 
in the Pokemon Stadium Stage in Adventure Mode, where you can defeat the 
enemy Pikachus by throwing Pokeballs and not using any other attack at 
them.

Item Catcher (1000):
If you caught an item thrown at you, you can receive this bonus. This 
is easiest to achieve if you use the Ice Climbers. This is because, if 
you grab a throwing item, and press A twice in quick succession, Popo 
will throw the item, which is grabbed by Nana, who throws it out! Then, 
the bonus will easily be yours.

Reciprocator (2000):
If you caught an item thrown at you, and can throw it back and hit the 
enemy who threw it at you, you will be considered to be a reciprocator! 
This is the easiest to achieve if a Mr. Saturn is thrown at you. Wait 
for it to bounce on the ground, slow down and press A and grab it before 
it comes to a full stop, and throw it back and bonk your opponent!

Item Self Destruct (1000 point deduction):
Certain throwing items have the tendency to have a certain area effect 
that can affect the character throwing it. If you are knocked out by an 
item, you will receive a 2 point deduction (1 for a fall, 1 for a Self 
Destruction) in Vs. Mode, and will receive this penalty. So, use all items 
with care, or their effects MAY BACKFIRE.

Chuck Wagon (1500):
If you only used throwing items for the entire duration of the match and 
have used 3 or more, then you will be awarded this bonus. This is rather 
easy to obtain this bonus, as you most likely will get it after picking 
up 3 Pokeballs in the Pokemon Stadium Stage or 3 Mr. Saturns in the Onett 
Stage in Adventure Mode.

---------------
Green Shell
---------------
Koopa Troopas are the basic troops of Bowser's evil army. They have been 
there since the first Super Mario Bros. When you stomp on them, they will 
withdraw into their shells, and can be kicked away. Since Super Mario 
Bros. 3, the Koopa Shells can be grabbed and moved around by Mario, and 
since Super Mario World for the SNES, empty shells have made their 
appearances. Like the shells of Super Mario, the Green Shells of Super 
Smash Bros. can be thrown at a large row of enemies, hitting them all 
at once, and this exerts a really large impact force on them too!


---------------
Red Shell
---------------
There are two variants of Koopa Troopas in the original Super Mario Bros. 
games for the NES. Green Koopas are dumber and will walk of cliffs like 
Lemmings, while Red Koopas can patrol on ledges without falling off. The 
Red Shell seems to be retaining that attribute. After all, whenever you 
throw one, it will stick to that platform and will stay on it for a while 
before it disappears. Besides, this Red Shell has obtained the Homing 
Shell ability of Mario Kart! That's right, it will try to hit anything 
that gets in the way! Beware, they will hit anyone, even you!

---------------
Flipper
---------------
Remember the old NES game Balloon Fight? You are a person with two Balloons 
on his back, trying to stay afloat. These annoying things always serve 
to pop your balloons and sending you to your doom. You can now go and 
set these things anywhere you wish in Super Smash Bros. Melee! When thrown, 
it will stay where it is, and can act as a filter to block off any people 
who would come and annoy you!

Noteworthy Bonus:
Flipper KO (2000 per KO):
If you knock out someone with a Flipper, then this bonus is yours. It's 
a matter of quantity but not quality here, as the bonus score received 
is dependent on the number of KOs you have achieved before the flipper 
vanishes. It is always advisable for your character to throw it at a vital 
recovery point, and hence people thrown off the stage will have a hard 
time jumping back with the flipper around.

---------------
Freezie
---------------
The Freezies used to be an enemy of the original Mario Bros. game in the 
video game arcades in the 1980s. They tend to freeze up platforms, making 
Mario slip! But in Super Smash Bros. Melee, these guys can be thrown at 
enemies, temporarily freezing them in, so you can get a few free hits 
on them before they can move again. The Freezie also exerts a considerable 
impact force on them, as the frozen character can be sent flying if he/she 
has enough damage.

Noteworthy Bonus:
Freezie KO (2000 per KO):
If you knock out someone with a Freezie, then this bonus is yours. It's 
a matter of quantity but not quality here, as the bonus score received 
is dependent on the number of KOs you have achieved.

---------------
Mr. Saturn
---------------
Mr. Saturns are a friendly race of aliens who live in Saturn Valley in 
the game Earthbound. In this game, they can be thrown, and deal damage 
on the enemies. They exert little impact force on the enemies, and they 
will bounce off the enemy hit, so you can always grab it and throw it 
again and again on the enemy! What could be more fun? Bonk!\

Noteworthy Bonuses:
Mr. Saturn Fan (4000):
If the only items you used in the entire duration of the match were the 
Mr. Saturns, then you can receive this bonus! To ensure success, do this 
in the Onett Stage of the Adventure Mode.

Mrs. Saturn (1500):
If your character grabbed a Mr. Saturn and did not throw it away for 30 
seconds or more, you will receive this bonus, even if your character is 
male! I know, this is hard, as you will have to lose the ability to perform 
normal physical attacks for 30 seconds, and this is a big no-no in a Vs. 
Mode Match. So, go and hide for 30 seconds!

Saturn Siblings (4000):
If you have used 3 or more Mr. Saturns for the entire duration of a match, 
you get to have "brotherly love" with your Mr. Saturns, and hence can 
receive this bonus!

Saturn Ringer (4000):
IF you managed to catch a Mr. Saturn thrown at you, then this bonus is 
yours. It works the same way as "Item Catcher".

---------------
Pokeball
---------------
The Pokeballs of Super Smash Bros. Melee come packaged with a random 
Pokemon. They can range from a Chikorita, which performs the Razor Leaf 
move, the Charizard, who performs a Flamethrower Move, an Electrode, which 
performs the Explosion Move, the Clefairy, which performs the Metronome 
Move and many others. Even the legendary Pokemon like Mew or Celebi may 
appear! (They do nothing but float around in a bubble, though.)

Noteworthy Bonuses:
Pokemon KO (1000):
As the title suggests, knock out someone with a Pokemon to get this bonus. 
The pokemon of choice, of course, is Snorlax!

Mew Catcher (10000):
If you released a Mew out of your Pokeball, then you get to have this 
bonus!

Celebi Catcher (8000):
If you released a Celebi out of your Pokeball, then you get to have this 
bonus!

---------------
Bob-omb
---------------
The moving bombs of all the Super Mario games are back! These guys will 
be immediately ignited when you pick them up, and can thrown at someone! 
These guys explode on impact. Besides, if you leave them alone for to 
long, the Bob-bombs will move by themselves, so watch out. Make sure you 
are at a considerable distance from your enemy, or else you will get blown 
away as well!

Noteworthy Bonuses:
Bob-ombs away (500 deduction): 
If you are stupid enough to be knocked out by a moving Bob-omb or you 
have blown yourself up with a Bob-omb, you will be penalized. So, always 
handle Bob-ombs with care, or else!

Bob-omb Squad (2500 per throw):
If you are crazy enough to grab a Bob-omb just as it is about to explode, 
and have managed to throw it away before it blows in your face, you will 
get this bonus. It is a matter of quantity here. The more Bob-ombs you 
throw away, the more points you get.

-------------------
Motion Sensor Bomb
-------------------
The Super Smash Bros. Melee has certainly ripped off the Proximity Mines 
of Goldeneye. This mine sticks to any surface it hits, and when someone 
draws near, it explodes, as simple as that. Whenever you see someone 
glittering with a green light on the ground, you should be careful, as 
that is a Motion Sensor Bomb. Be ready to set it off from a distance with 
a projectile attack. (They cannot tell the difference between friend and 
foe.)

Noteworthy Bonus:
Super Spy (800 per KO):
People who knock out enemies with Motion Sensor Bombs make good 00 Agents, 
The more, the better.

-------------
Screw Attack
-------------
This used to be one of Samus' prized possessions from the first Metroid 
for the SNES. Now, everyone gets to use it. When you jump while holding 
it, you will do a Screw Attack at the same time, you can always use this 
to scrape the enemies up into the air with this move, although they will 
be caught in your spinning. Now that this Screw Attack only has effect 
on the first two jumps when you use it with Kirby. You can also throw 
it at someone, causing a little damage, but beware, as they will do a 
Screw Attack when hit.

Noteworthy Bonuses:
Screwed up (2000):
If you do have the patience to jump around the stage, with a Screw Attack 
in your hand for over 30 seconds, this bonus is yours.

Screw-Attack KO (2500 per KO):
If you can knock out someone with a Screw Attack, you can get this bonus. 
It is easier said than done. The best way to do it will be to knock your 
opponent far off the platform, then pick up a Screw Attack and throw it 
at him/her. Then, he/she would not be able to recover, and will fall to 
his/her doom! The more KOs, you achieve, the more points you gain.

*****BATTERING ITEMS*****
These items are characterized to be club like, so you can grab them and 
bash 
them, most of them can be used as smash attack enhancers. Anyway, have 
a good time clubbing your opponents to death!

Noteworthy Bonus:
Battering Ram (1500):
If you used only Battering Items for the entire duration of the match, 
then this bonus can be in your hands! Just don't pick up any containers, 
and only open them by hitting them and you will be fine.

-------------
Lip's Stick
-------------
This flower with a long stem used to appear in the puzzle game Panel de 
Pon, and you can now use it to hit people! The Lip's Stick has really 
a high reproductive ability, as anyone who is hit will have a flower planted 
on his/her head, and as the flower grows, he/she will receive gradual 
damage. I would not suggest you to use this as for a smash attack, as 
it lacks impact force.

Noteworthy Bonuses:
Gardener Finish (2000):
If you manage to plant a flower on someone's head as the timer ticks to 
zero, you will be awarded this bonus. Of course, the easiest way to get 
a friend to stand still while you hit him/her once.

Flower Finish (1500):
If you had a flower planted on your head as the timer ticks to zero, you 
will be awarded this bonus. Of course, if you get a friend to help, one 
of the players can get the Flower Finish bonus, while the other gets the 
Gardener Finish bonus. So, that's two bonuses in one run!

--------------
Star Rod
--------------
This magic wand used to be Kirby's weapon. As it is a Star Rod, one can 
not only use it as a battering item, but also as a shooting item. If you 
use a Strong Attack or Smash Attack with a Star Rod, a star can be fired 
out at the same time. If Sheik smashes with the Star Rod, 3 stars will 
be shot out at once, and when Captain Falcon uses it, 4 will come out 
at once! A Star Rod has 16 stars. I would always recommend you to smash 
with this item! Sometimes, even Strong Attacks are powerful enough to 
knock someone out!

--------------
Beam Sword
--------------
It seems that Nintendo has sort of ripped off Geroge Lucas and his Star 
Wars series by introducing this weapon, although this weapon looks like 
a light sabre, the two are not identical. After all, the Beam Sword's 
blade looks a bit different. This is another battering item that can be 
used to slash. Good for edge guarding, I must say. That's all, after all, 
what other uses are there for a sword?

Noteworthy Bonus:
Beam Swordsman (800 per KO):
If you manage to knock out someone with a Beam Sword, then you most likely 
would qualify as a Jedi Knight and will get this bonus, with the score 
directly proportional to the number of opponents you knock out!

--------------
Home Run Bat
--------------
The baseball bat used to be one of my most favorite weapons in Worms 
Armageddon, and I must say, the Home Run Bat is my most favorite Battering 
Item in Super 
Smash Bros. Melee! This weapon is simple, yet powerful, just do a Smash 
Attack, and your character will wind up for the pitch, and hit his/her 
foe. This item is capable of knocking out enemies even if they have 0% 
damage! So, if you are far behind in a Vs, Mode match or want to end the 
match quickly in a 1-P Mode match, this item is really for you!

Noteworthy Bonus:
Home Run King (600 per KO):
If you knock out someone with a Home Run Bat, this bonus is yours! The 
more, the better.

--------------
Fan
--------------
To show everyone that they are a Japanese company, Nintendo has decided 
to include the traditional Japanese fold up fan in the game. This is a 
bashing item, really, if you press and repeatedly mash the A button, your 
character can make a really awesome combo on the enemy! If you throw a 
fan at an enemy, he/she will be sent flying! Now, let's all sit down and 
think what would happen if you get both Ice Climbers to hold fans at once...

--------------
Hammer
--------------
The old Hammer from the first Donkey Kong game is back! When you character 
grabs it, he/she will grab it and hammer it uncontrollably at their 
surroundings. Meanwhile, the game will play the traditional Hammer tune 
from Donkey Kong! I just love the expression on the characters' faces 
as they try their best to hold the hammer, as well as the awesome knock 
out abilities of the weapon. After all, anyone with 60% damage or more 
most likely won't even survive a hit! Sometimes, the head of the hammer 
will fall off, and then you will be in trouble, as your opponents can 
grab the head and throw it at you, and this deals just about the same 
damage as if you are hit by a hammer!

Noteworthy Bonuses:
Headless Hammer (2500):
If the head of the hammer fell off as soon as you grabbed it, the bonus 
is yours.

Hammer Throw (1500):
If you managed to throw away a hammer you have grabbed, this bonus is 
yours.
To do it, accumulate damage, and then grab a hammer, then fall on a damaging 
floor like the yellow liquid in the Brinstar stage or the moving racetrack 
in the Mute City stage. As soon as you hit the damaging floor, press and 
tap Z. Your character may throw the hammer away!

*****SHOOTING ITEMS*****
These items are all the big guns in Super Smash. Bros Melee. After all, 
you can just go and shoot people with them! Of course, as Nintendo is 
a non-violent video game company, they will not use real guns, as they 
can kill people, instead, they will just make them as funny and unrealistic 
as possible! Anyway, these weapons in general are very good at keeping 
people at bay. Just keep tapping the A button to stop them from coming 
at you!

Noteworthy Bonuses:
Straight Shooter (1500):
If your character only uses shooting items for the entire duration of 
the match, then this bonus is yours. Make sure you use 3 or more of them 
at once.

Bull's Eye KO (800 per KO):
If you can knock out an enemy with any shooting item, then this bonus 
will be yours. The prime candidate for this bonus is the Super Scope, 
as you can charge it up, besides, the more enemies you knock out, the 
more points you receive.

---------------
Fire Flower
---------------
Ah... the old Fire Flower from the Super Mario Bros. is back. However, you 
cannot use this to launch fireballs, instead, you will simply spray enemies 
with fire much like Bowser's fire breath. Of course, like any flame thrower, 
a Fire Flower will gradually run out of fuel, so as soon as your Fire 
Flower stops spraying fire, throw it at the enemy to burn him/her/them 
a little bit more.

Noteworthy Bonus:
Flame Thrower (1500):
If you managed to achieve a 10-hit combo or above with a Fire Flower, 
then this bonus will be yours. The easiest way to do this is to spray 
fire onto a very large enemy, and it can be guaranteed that he will take 
at least 10 hits before he is knocked away.

Mario Maniac (8000):
Our Italian Plumber Mario is the representative of Nintendo, just as how 
Sonic the Hedgehog represents Sega. Mario's items are highly treasured, 
and if you use enough of them, you are considered to be a Mario fan! If 
you used Mushrooms, Fire Flowers or Starmen for the entire duration of 
the match, this bonus will be yours.

--------------
Ray Gun
--------------
This is basically the handgun of Super Smash Bros Melee. It does not shoot 
out bullets, instead, it fires laser beams at the enemy. The Ray Gun has 
a total ammunition of 16 laser shots. When you run out of ammo, throw 
it at the enemy, or simply drop it and watch some stupid friend of yours 
pick it up and find that it is empty.

Noteworthy Bonus:
Laser Marksman (4000):
If you manage to hit your opponents with the Ray Gun with all 16 shots, 
this bonus is yours. The best way to achieve this bonus is to use it on 
Giga Bowser, as he will never activate his shield. So, it will be guaranteed 
that all 16 shots will connect.

---------------
Super Scope
---------------
The Super Scope is the assault rifle of Super Smash Bros. Melee. The Super 
Scope used to be the peripheral to the SNES, but now, it is used as a 
weapon. There are two ways to use it. One way is to tap A repeatedly to 
fire energy balls out continuously to inflict gradual damage, another 
way is to press and hold A to charge it up, and then release a very large 
energy ball. I would prefer the latter method, as it is so powerful and 
can always knock out people, provided they have had enough damage. Note 
that ammo is limited, and if you charge up a Super Scope but fail to fire, 
then ammo is lost. The Energy Balls have the ability to bounce off tilted 
surfaces, so you can hit enemies that are just up a slope.

Noteworthy Bonus:
Super Scoper (2000):
If you manage to deal more than 100% damage on your enemies using the 
Super Scope, then this bonus is yours. Of course, use more charged shots 
to ensure this will happen!

---------------
11. Conclusion
---------------
Well, after some time, the guide to Super Smash Bros. is completed. I 
must really say that Super Smash Bros. Melee was an innovative new fighting 
game that is suitable for all ages for once. As most fighting games tend 
to be horribly violent and bloodthirsty (Like Mortal Kombat), I must thank 
Nintendo for allowing more family fun for the home and all.

This guide is intended to be published in GameFAQs and only GameFAQs. 
You can print it out to read it while your computer is off, but do not 
copy my work and claim it as your own. That is all.

This guide is copyright 2004 to the years to come of Alasdair Lo.

--------------------------------
Appendix I: Feedback Information
--------------------------------
Since the publishing of the original version of this guide, I decided 
that 
I must make some new rules for those people who want to give me a feedback 
about my guides. All future strategy guides will have this section. If 
the following rules are not observed, I will just consider your e-mail 
to be spam mail or flame mail, and I will delete it without reading it, 
and will blacklist your e-mail address.

For publishing permission:
This guide is intended to be published in GameFAQs and only GameFAQs. 
You can print it out to read it while your computer is off, but do not 
copy my work and claim it as your own. That is all. Although I do not 
have a lawyer to sue anyone if they do it without my permission, I expect 
everyone to have self discipline about these things.

Feedback Concerning Mistakes: (THIS IS THE MOST IMPORTANT PART, LISTEN 
UP)
As I am a human, and we are all humans, we all make mistakes. Nobody is 
perfect. If I had made any mistakes in my guide, feel free to e-mail me. 
But however, you must follow these rules. I have typed out some bad examples 
with each rule, and they are from some of the e-mail I received by people 
who are dissatisfied by my original Command and Conquer: Generals side 
comparison guide. 


You must:
Be polite, as I will take these feedback letters as seriously as formal 
letters, and you should specify the version number of my guide, then I 
can check my guide out. However, it need not be as formal as business 
letters, after all it is only a game. You should also present yourself 
clearly, I won't even think about anything that I cannot understand at 
the first glance, as I am a busy person.

For example,"I enjoyed reading your guide, but disagreed with you on some 
points." From a person called Alex Shikh or "I agree with you that China 
is the strongest factions, but it is not much stronger than the other 
2." 
From Ives Gobau And so on.

You must not:
Say any foul language and offend me. 

For example, "Your guide was ********, full of lies and biased opinions." 
From K Truin. You are not going to make me listen by saying rude words 
to me, you will only give me the impression that you are either uneducated 
or have low EQ.

Conduct any surveys about how good my guide is and give it to me, as I 
could not care less about your so-called surveys. 

For example, "I have conducted a survey about your guide and over 90% 
said that it was a trashy tabloid." From Frozak.

Start a petition to have my guide removed. 

Before, I was worried about this annoying "Petition: FAQ Removal" board 
made by a certain person called GamerEX. That is, "I would like to start 
the petition to have kylohk's Command and Conquer: Generals Side 
Comparison Guide as it is based on opinions and fluff." When I was asked 
by IGN to publish my Side Comparison Guide on their site, I told the sender 
about my worries, and he assured me that I can stick with my own ways 
and need not listen to angry letter up. So, that's what, if you make any 
rash moves like organizing petitions, I really won't bother to negotiate 
with you.

Finally, you must not say anything I consider to be racist. 

For example, "You mentioned that you live in China that is obvious, 
considering your bias towards this side, etc..." "I am afraid that your 
living in China has blinded your judgment so much." From someone I could 
not remember his name. So, what are you trying to say, say that us Chinese 
are all idiots? Besides, the word bias is used to describe unfair 
comparisons due to neglecting some facts. As I have put all facts into 
account, I really cannot have made any bias towards any sides.

From all the 50 or so letters complaint I received, I decided to listen 
to less than 5 of them. Why? As only 5 of them could follow the rules 
stated above. So, you MUST take those points into consideration, or else, 
don't expect me to listen to you.

Game Help:
If you have read my guide and did not understand something, feel free 
to ask, but please do not do this too often, as my e-mail account has 
other uses.

You may have wondered why I put this section up. This is a new 
"Anti-disturbance" ordinance I set up for my own use, in order to minimize 
all those annoying and insulting things I receive. In fact, during 
September alone, I received at least a hundred of mail concerning my Side 
Comparison Guide, and I am now to make sure this will never ever happen 
again.

Thank you for your cooperation.

Yours,
Lo Kai Yan Alasdair, kylohk. (Kai Yan Lo From Hong Kong)