Is SSBM really a fighting game? The biggest fighting game tournament in North America thinks so.
The Evolution tournament has been around since the year 2000, bringing the best fighting game players from all over the world together to see who's the best of the best. Now heading into its seventh championship season, the stakes are higher than ever with more than $100,000 on the line over five tournaments across the United States.
Recently, the organizers have revealed the list of games that will be featured at in the tournament. Among the usual suspects—Street Fighter 3, Capcom vs. SNK 2, Guilty Gear XX, Tekken 5, etc.—a new game will be making its Evolution debut. That game is Super Smash Bros. Melee.
SSBM has really never been taken seriously by the fighting game community over the years, despite the complexity hidden beneath its simplicity. It gained some notoriety as a true top-level tournament game by being featured during the 2006 Major League Gaming campaign. However, now that the Evolution boys have picked it up and placed it along side legendary fighters like Street Fighter 3: Third Strike and Super Street Fighter II Turbo, it seems about time for Melee to truly be considered a real fighting game.
The Evolution championship series will get underway next month in Austin, TX. If you think you're good enough to take on the best Smashers in the world, hit up the Evolution website for details on how to enter.