If there was only one word to describe this game without resorting to utter vulgarities, would be simply: Whoa.

A "graphics whore" I am not, but the title is simply masterful, beauty in its finest polygon form. The only thing that could top it is that it plays even better. After sneaking into the rather L33T soundproof booths complete with a gigantic screen, I was treated with one of the most visually impressive beasts ever created.

The detail was nothing short of specacular. Link's hair moves when he swings his sword, (there were three Links onscreen on the time,) while the Pikachu was perfectly rounded. The entire set easily faked an incredible CG-Look. Backrounds, while lower in polygond were in no way slouching compared to the characters. In the backround to one of the sets there was this beautifully rendered waterfall, while trees moved slightly in the wind.

Now onto the more impressive aspect: the play. While no one there had fully mastered the gamestyle, it was fun and many of the old move have returned. Using X to jump (odd for some who are using the Up C button from the N64 version) the meat of the game still resides in the deeper than one would think, A button bashing. There are new items, but I didn't see many of them unfortunately. The Pokemon Balls are back and simply evil to use. There weren't many playable characters however, whether due to the need to be unlocked or if it was just the E3 demo. All were returning characters, so unfortunately, no playing as Sheik or Bowsie for me. Bah.

All in all, I can tell you this right now. Smash Bros. Melee will be selling 1:1 with the GC this November. It's that damn good.