Modium's Mario Character Guide (Version 1.9) Super Smash Bros. Melee Nintendo Gamecube ======================================================================= Modium@aol.com http://www.geocities.com/modium/ http://www.gamefaqs.com ^Latest version can be found here^ This file is copyright (c)2001 Modium. All rights reserved. ======================================================================= -=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-= -=-= What's New =-=- -=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-= Version 1.9 (4/22/02)- Sorry to anyone who has e-mailed me in the last month or two, I've been having (and still are having) computer troubles. Big news though..I got an e-mail from GameSpot(http://www.gamespot.com) asking to use this guide. Of course I'm letting them. In fact, the update is just to add the GameSpot info today. Thanks to GameSpot for this awesome opportunity. Version 1.8 (2/15/02)- Finally getting around to adding a couple sections I've been meaning to add to this guide, like Home Run Contest Strategies, and Items. Also, note my new (but temporary site) used to host my guides, pictures, and rants. Neato. Version 1.7 (2/01/02)- Completely changed the moves list. Also, changed everything to Modium instead of EndoNintendo. The website is unfortunately dead now :( On a related note, I'm available if any good sites need someone to write stuff. :) Version 1.6 (1/20/02)- Been pretty hectic around here this year. Got my computer to work long enough to update with some additional strategies from Guide contributers. Version 1.5 (12/20/01)- Stopped playing long enough to add Classic Mode walkthrough and Break The Targets walkthrough. Submitted to GameFAQs again tonight, and updated site. Changed name to Mario Character Guide. Sounds better than Mario FAQ. Version 1.3 (12/18/01)- I apologize for the rushed release of the FAQ, I didn't even take time to add an update for 1.2, the release version. Added the Adventure Mode section, at Concept(latex@brainleak.net)'s suggestion. Added the Recovery Kick and the Mid-air moves to the strategy section. Version 1.1 (12/12/01)- Worked more on FAQ, and fixed the formatting to make it into a .txt file. Hoping to have it finished by tonight. Version 1.0 (12/10/01)- Started FAQ. -=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-= -=-=-=- Intro -=-=-= -=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-= Mario is Nintendo's main mascot, and in Super Smash Bros. Melee, he's a very strong fighter as well. Mario is a great recommendation as a starting character, due to his ease to master. However, most people don't notice some of the little touches you can use to make Mario a formidable foe against the other, more "advanced" characters in SSBM. This is not meant to be any kind of all-encompassing guide to everything in the world, just a guide for effectively using Mario and exploiting his strengths. If I missed anything important, feel free to let me know: Modium@aol.com, if you're willing to be polite. Also, feel free to submit your own strategies and tips for using Mario. -=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-= -=-=- Move List -=-= -=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-= NOTE: The move list for Mario taken from Devin Morgan's(devin_morgan@netzero.net) Super Smash Bros Melee FAQ. Full document can be located here: http://db.gamefaqs.com/console/gamecube/file/super_smash_bros_melee_b.txt ====Normal Moves========Move Name============Damage======Notes==== A Punch 2-3 A, A, A Punch-Punch-Kick 9-10 Up, A Uppercut 5-7 Down, A Sweep Kick 4-5 Forward, A Straight Kick 6-7 Dash + A Slide Kick 5-7 ====Smash Moves========Move Name============Damage======Notes==== Up + A Downward Punch 8-10 Fully Charged 13-14 Down + A Spinning Sweep Kick 10-11 Fully Charged 12-14 Forward + A Fire Punch 11-12 Fully Charged 14-17 ====Aerial Moves========Move Name============Damage======Notes==== A Jump Kick 7-10 Up + A Backwards Spin Kick 10-11 Down + A Diagonal Spin Kick 5 Hits around 5 times. Back + A Hind Kick 9-11 Forward + A Downwards Punch 13-15 Takes time to charge. ====Special Moves========Move Name============Damage======Notes==== B Fireball 4-6 Projectile Attack. Up + B Jumping Uppercut 11-14 Hits up to 9 times. Down + B Tornado Punch 9-10 Hits up to 7 times. Forward + B Cape Spin 9-10 Deflects projectiles. Note: All of Mario's Special Moves can be used in the air as well. -=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-= -=-=-= Strategy =-=- -=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-= Like I stated, Mario is a great beginner's character. He's well-balanced, his attacks are all easy enough to pull off, and there's no real skill required to hold your own with Mario. However, if you take the time to practice with Mario and learn to exploit his moves, you could be a pretty forbidable foe to take down. Jumping -Jumping is what Mario is famous for, and for good reason. In SSBM, he can jump pretty high, but most importantly, he jumps very fast. It's important to jump around alot while playing Mario, because it makes you harder to target with powerful moves, and also will let you move quickly away from enemies to make them take the offensive. The only downside to jumping around alot is if you get hit hard, you'll fly further. You have to be careful when you jump, and if you get thrown off of the edge of the level, always try to grab the legde instead of landing near it. Usually, smart opponents will be waiting to knock you back off before you even land. Up+B - Jumping uppercut -This is one of the most important moves to use while playing Mario. It makes a great starting move when pulling off a juggle combo. Jumping uppercut will knock the opponent high in the air, and then normal attacks will allow you to get a few extra hits in, before a nice hard Smash move. The Jumping uppercut is also useful against weak foes (i.e. the (insert character) Teams in Classic Mode) and other weaker opponents, as it will sometimes force an opponent offscreen, or at least off of the edge of the stage, and will inflict a nice percentage of damage as well. Smash attacks -Smash attacks are arguably the most important moves in SSBM, as they allow you to win matches by knocking your opponent offscreen. Smash moves are tricky to pull off, and it's recommended you practice to familiarize yourself with how to pull off Smash moves before trying anything too risky. Mario's Smash moves are, just like all the rest of his attacks, powerful enough. Not overly stong, but not wimpy either. You should try not to use Smash moves too often when your opponent has a low damage percentage, just stick to normal attacks and specials. When your opponent charges at you, or is in the air, about to land near you, give them a good Smash attack, and hopefully you'll land it, catching them off guard. This is why it's best to hold off on the Smash moves until your opponent is pretty hurt, it lets you play a bit of a mind game with them. They'll pretty much forget their percentage, and just charge at you, leaving them open for you to use a well-timed Smash move. Side+B - Cape Spin -If you see a projectile headed your way, don't bother using your shield to block it, use Mario's Cape Spin to send it back to your opponent. You'll be able to catch them off guard with their own projectile, and then you can feel free to move right in and attack with your own preference of moves and attacks, or you can keep on defense, waiting for them to get close enough to attack. Either way, the Cape Spin is an overlooked move of Mario's that will definitely come in handy. A (on ground) - Recovery Kick -When you land on your back, this is a great way to surprise opponents waiting to ambush you. When you land, instead of jumping up, just wait till your opponent comes near, and press A and to the left or right, and you'll swing your legs around and nail your opponent. This is a good way to set up a combo right after taking a bad hit. A (in the air) - Mid-air Moves -In the middle of a jump, or after you've gone flying, you can use the A button to really deck an opponent who gets too close. Up+A will kick above you, which will usually send the opponent flying high up in the air, and set them up for a combo when they get close to the ground. Just pressing A in mid air will kick to whichever side you're facing. This one packs quite a punch and will usually send your opponent flying a decent length away if you score a dead hit. Side+A will make Mario throw an extra-hand punch, which takes a while to execute, which will make it hard to get the timing down. This move isn't as good as the mid-air kicks, and I'd recommend sticking with the kicks more often. B - Fireball -Mario's lone long-range move, this can come in handy when battling an opponent who likes to be defensive. While it won't break through their shield, it can whittle away at it, until your opponent is forced to let off the shield before they get stunned. Mario's Fireball can also be used to lure an opponent closer to you if they're playing hard to get, while inflicting a tiny bit of damage as well. Down+B - Tornado Punch -This is a useful move for when an opponent gets very close to you, and you want to shake them off. It can be used in the air, but it's best used on the ground, because it's pretty tough to control while jumping. If you can hit your opponent just right, you can send them flying upwards a little bit, and then you can add some normal attacks or a Smash move afterwards. Not the best move, but it can be pretty useful. Normal attacks -Now here's an easy way to raise somebody's damage percentage. Mario's normal attacks are extremely quick and easy to execute, so it's often a good idea to throw in a normal attack here and there, after pulling off a special move. Also, you can use Mario's normal attacks in combination with his Smash moves to defeat some opponents pretty quickly. Just keep moving, and bust out some normal attacks, then quickly jump away to whittle them down, and then smash them off the edge when their guard is down. Don't overlook the normal attacks, they can turn the tide of a battle in the right hands. Throws -Mario's got some pretty nice throws as well. At high percentages, Mario's high throw (Hit Z, then Up on the analog stick) can hurl an opponent straight up into the air, sometimes even defeating them. Throws are useful when an opponent gets close to you, and you want to send them away without leaving yourself vulnerable with a Smash move. Items -Using items should always be a part of your SSBM strategy no matter who you choose to be. Pokeballs are usually always a great item, so you should get those quickly and throw them. Not only will the Pokemon that come out of it cause damage, but if you score a hit with the Pokeball itself, your opponent will be sent flying. A couple other items that are useful with Mario are the Beam Sword, Star Rod, and the Bunny Hood from Majora's Mask. They'll speed you up and make you jump even higher. Just be careful, it's easy to lose your bearings when you're not used to going that fast. Additional strategy by The_Flying_V (flyingV_63@yahoo.ca) "I like to use Mario's speed to my advantage so you could add combos and rake in the points. For example, if I were Mario I would sprint to wards my opponent and use the tornado (B+down) and when he is in the air you could use the coin punch (B+up) before he can recover and finish him off with an air smash attack. This only works for the players with speed like Mario, Luigi, Pikachu, fox, C. Falcon and young Link." Additional Strategy by David Cartoon (David@spaceapes.com) "Rolling (L/R and analog left or right) - Mario have pretty good speed and distance with his roll, also called rolling dodge. A good technique to try is a punch-punch-kick sequence then roll behind your opponent and continue the combo with a kick you like, either a straight kick or one of the sweeps. This is great for combos and also gets you out of the way before your opponent can retaliate." Additional Strategy by Luigi1018 (Luigi1018@aol.com) In any stage with an tall wall(i.e. Lylat System: Cornia, Eagleland: Fourside) when your opponent(especially lighter characters) have damaage of about 100%, use a smash attack on them which in the direction of the wall. Their character should be flung right back at you from the wall. Then, when they get near you, right before they land onthe ground, use smash up attack immediately. They should be sent flying out of the ring, depending on the size of the stage. This is also a great juggling move. -=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-= -=-=-= Classic =-=-= -=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-= Level 1 - Mario Vs. 1 Normal Character -The opponent here will be random, and won't pose any threat, no matter the difficulty. Just wail on them, and after a while, Smash them away. Level 2 - Mario & 1 Ally Vs. 2 Normal Characters -Here you'll have an ally, usually the character you just defeated. Try to concentrate on one enemy, while you're ally handles the other one. If you finish yours off first, be a sport and help out with the other enemy. Level 3 - Break the Targets -See the "Break the Targets" section below. Level 4 - Mario Vs. 1 Normal Character -Same strategy as the first level, just use your best moves and take your opponent out. Level 5 - Mario & 2 Allies Vs. Giant Character -This one's usually easy, considering your opponent will be outnumbered 3-1. Just wail away on him with your 2 allies, and Smash him once his percentage is in the late 100's. Level 6 - Snag The Trophies! -You don't have to get any trophies, but it's a nice bonus if you're a collector. Just run in the direction the tropies drop from, and hit them towards the center. You can easily get one trophy here, and getting all 3 isn't too hard either. Level 7 - Mario Vs. 1 Normal Character -Same strategy as Levels 1 and 4 applies here. Just take out your enemy in a one-on-one match. This one will usually be a tad harder than the first two, but still shouldn't pose much of a threat. Level 8 - Mario Vs. Team of 10 -The thing to remember here is that your opponents are very weak. You can knock them off the screen with just a single Smash move, or using Mario's Up+B move. Just be cheap and use Smash moves and Up+B and they'll do down very easily. Level 9 - Race to the Finish -The quickest way to finish this level is just to go into any one of the doors. If you want to get more coins to use in the Trophy lottery, just learn the layout of the level and try to make it as far as you can before time runs out. Level 10 - Mario Vs. Metal Character -This one's not too hard either. Use Mario's general quickness to jump around and avoid your opponent, and once you get their damage over 100%, get very close to the edge, and Smash them off of the side as hard as you can. Level 11 - Master Hand -He's not too tough to take on. You should be able to get in 1 or 2 normal attacks before he attempts to attack you. After he does an attack, just avoid it using the tips below, and get him a couple more times before he gets his next attack off. Note: You have to damage him to get his HP down to zero, as opposed to knocking him off the edge. In Very Easy, he has 150 HP, and in normal he has 300 HP. Here are most of his attacks. I may have missed a couple here, I'll add them in soon enough. Blasting off like a rocket: Stay away, and when he moves into the foreground towards you, jump as high as you can and get hangtime. Backs up, off the Edge of the arena: Jump around alot, and try to avoid him. He'll try to snatch you up. If he does, jump around and jam on the analog stick to break free quicker. Flies into the air, turns into a fist and punches into the foreground: Jump as high as you can again. This one's easier to avoid. Moves a little to the left, turns into a fist and hangs above your head: Just jump to the side when he starts to come down and you'll avoid it. Moves to the right: He'll sweep across the arena, just jump and avoid it. Lowers: He'll sweep across the arena with his fingers, just jump and avoid him when he gets close. Raises: He'll shoot lasers from his fingers. When you see him start, quickly move to the right of his fingers, under his wrist, and nail him from below. =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-= =- Break the Targets -= =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-= First off, punch the target on your platform, to the right of you. Next, jump to the right, and on your way down, punch the target on the left. Jump up, and punch the target to the right of the one you just punched. See the two pillars supporting the platform you're on (the lowest one)? Stand between them, but on top of the platoform they support. Shoot a fireball to the left of you to hit that target, and turn to the right to hit the one below you, to the right. Get close to the right side of the platform, then do a double jump to the right, as high as you can. At the height of your jump, do your Up+B move towards the left, and you should hit the target in the little alcove. Just make sure to land back on the platform. Get on top of the shortest platform (2nd one from the top). Dash from the right side, and jump off the left. Do a triple jump (using Up+B) and you should land on one of the falling platforms. Just do a double jump, and you'll land on the next platform. Do this until you're high enough to land on the highest platform to the left, with the target. Land there, and break the target. Get on a platform, and jump a little below the tiny opening leading to the target on the left. Hug the wall for a little, and when you're just below the opening, do your second jump in the air, to the left, and you should be in the opening. Break the target to your left. Ride a platform down, almost to the bottom. Jump off and land on the platoform to the left of the target to your left. Break the target with a fireball. Jump onto one of the falling platforms, and ride it down. Wait until you're almost in the water, and then, do a double jump to the right with as much hangtime as you can manage. Do your triple jump (Up+B) right to the left of the target, towards the right, and you'll hit it. -ADDITIONAL STRATEGY- Jzlzsz (Jzlzsz@aol.com) sent in this great stratgy for getting a faster time on Mario's target test. I admit, I didn't design my strategy for speed, so much as to just get through it. Thanks alot! 1.Dash right and jump hard while kicking up to hit the first target on your right and send you towards the two midair targets. 2.Align yourself in between the 2 targets in midair and do an uppercut. You can actually hit all three targets with one move (this takes practice). 3.Hold left hard as you fall to still land on the platform. 4.Move left slightly and throw a fireball off the right side to hit another target. 5.Dash left a little more and throw a fireball, it should hit the left target, as soon as you let this one go, go jump on the highest moving platform you can. 6.Double jump off the moving platforms and hit the highest target. 7.Fall on the platform right above the firball target tunnel. Time your fireball to hit the target in one shot. 8.Fall through a platform and hit the bottom-left target. 9.Double jump to upper cut quickly to reach the final target. This seems to work well for me and I have been able to achieve a time of 17.52 seconds. I hope this helps! -=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-= -=-=- Adventure -=-= -=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-= Level 1 - Mushroom Kingdom -All said, this level is really easy. On very easy, it's a joke, and on normal, it's a slightly less-funny joke. You should just jump over all the enemies, or just land on top of some of them if they get in your way. After a few moments, you'll stumble upon Toad running around frantically, and some Yoshis will come down from the sky, three at a time. They can easily be taken out with smash moves, or your Up+B attack, one hit for each of them will take them out. After that, just continue on through the koopas and goombas, keeping an eye out for trophies. You'll come to the end of the level in a matter of seconds. Note: (SPOILER) If you finish the level with a 2 in the seconds digit of the timer (XX:X2:XX) you'll fight Luigi in the next battle, instead of Mario. The same strategy below applies for each. -Ater finishing the level, you'll have to take on Peach and Mario at the same time. This isn't too tough of a fight, just don't let them gang up on you. Keep attacking one in an attempt to isolate them, and then try to Smash them off the edge while they're recovering. Taking them out seperately will ensure you an easy victory, because on higher difficulties, they'll really start to gang up on you. Level 2 - Kongo Jungle -Your first match in Kongo Jungle will be against two tiny DK's. They're not too hard, and the only problem you should have is hitting them because they're so low to the ground. Up+B, Down+B and normal attacks are very effective here. Just Smash them as they start to hover around 100%, and they should go flying. -The antithesis of your last battle, this one will be against a Giant DK. He's even stronger than a normal DK, but he shouldn't be any trouble. You can feel free to Smash him once he gets over about 80%. This won't usually take him out immediately, but it will send him flying, and give you some time to set up another attack while he's recovering. One thing to watch out for is his Up+B move, which he'll use as his third jump. Don't stand too close to the edge waiting to nail him again, or he'll end up hitting you pretty good with it. Level 3 - Underground Maze -The Underground Maze is tricky to navigate, because it is a Maze, after all. Basically, you'll run around in tunnels from the central "hub" with the water at the bottom and the ReDeads trudging around. Every so often you'll come along a large open room, with some platforms in it. Each of these large rooms will have the Master Sword in the center, except for one randomly-selected room. Once you find the room with the Triforce instead of the Master Sword, the level will be complete. You should always enter the large rooms by jumping as soon as you enter the room, and then executing your double jump, while checking below you for the Master Sword or Triforce. If you see the Master Sword, use Up+B to use your triple-jump, and if you did it right, you should completely pass the room by. If you don't pass the room by, you'll have to take on Link. He's pretty easy, just use normal attacks, and mix it up with the occasional Up+B move, just be quick. Once you've gotten him over about 50%, feel free to Smash him and he should go down. Just keep looking for the room with the Triforce. -Next, you'll be taking on Princess Zelda in Hyrule Castle. She's not too hard, but Hyrule Castle is a large level, so it may take you a while to beat her. Just chase her around, raising her percentage with your attacks of choice, and using items on her, and she should go down with a good Smash or item-toss once she's over 100%. Level 4 - Brinstar -Samus can be hard here, but you just have to keep up with her. She's very quick, and has a large variety of different attacks. The Items will be your friends in this battle, as you should throw stuff at her whenever you can, due to Mario's lack of a good long-range attack. Pokeballs also work great here, just like everywhere else. Just be persistant and she'll go down before long. -Here's a good exercize in platform-jumping. Just keep jumping up the platforms and try as hard as you can not to miss any. One thing you should keep in mind is that Mario's triple jump (UP+B) doesn't send him straight up, but it will place you a little bit in the direction you're facing when you do the jump. So, if you double-jump and you're almost at a platform, don't do the Up+B move directly underneath the platform, do it from the direction opposite you're facing. i.e. if you're facing right, do the Up+B from a little to the left of the platform. It sounds confusing, but you'll pick it up, if you haven't already. Level 5 - Green Greens -One Kirby, very easy here. Just keep nailing him until you've done a decent amount of damage, and then just Smash him away. Look out for the bomb blocks on the left and right sides of the level as well. -Okay, here's a team of Kirbys. This one isn't any harder than the first match here, just use the same strategy as the Yoshi Team in Level 1. Up+B or Smash attacks will take out a Kirby in most situations with 0%, so just let them have it as soon as they fall from the sky. Once again, avoid the bomb blocks. -Okay, Giant Kirby. Still pretty easy, just keep wailing on him, and avoid directly attacking him (he is Giant after all) and he should go down with a good Smashing at around 100-150%. Level 6 - Corneria -You'll have to fight Fox here, and he'll be tough if you're not used to fighting him. He's the fastest character in the game, and he'll exploit that on every difficulty level. You'll want to just keep up with him here, and get a good hit in here or there. If you can get a juggle going, wait until he's about to land, and give him a good Smash or Up+B or Down+B. If this doesn't finish him off soon, keep trying it. -After defeating Fox, he'll get some backup. You'll fight him again, but this time, Airwings will fly through the level and start blasting into the air. Just try to stay low during this fight, the right side of the level works great. When you see the Ships start shooting, try to knock Fox upwards, so he'll get caught in the blasts. Yes, they're dumb enough to keep shooting Fox, and that will be your biggest advantage in this fight. Exploit it, and he'll go down fast. Note: (SPOILER) Randomly, I've seen this match be up against Falco, instead of Fox. He's a clone though, so the same strategy applies. Level 7 Pokemon Stadium -Not hard at all here, just Smash or Up+B the 12 incoming Pokemon as soon as they land, and nail them with the Pokeballs that rain down. They'll go down extremely fast. Level 8 - F-Zero Grand Prix -Okay, in this one you'll have to race along the F-Zero track, while a race is going on. Just keep running, and right before the crafts come speeding by, you'll hear a beeping noise, that's your cue to find shelter. At the start, Smash the control stick to the right to run as fast as you can, and don't stop till you hear the beeping noise. There will be a platform above a small ledge. Hop up on the platform until the cars pass, then run again until you hear the beeping noise again. There should be a platform right in front of you, so hop up on there 'till it's safe, then hit the ground running again. After a few seconds of running, the track will end, and there will be a floating platform in front of you. Leap onto it, keep running, leap onto the next platform, then you'll see a ramp, and at the same time, you'll hear the beeping. Hop over the ramp, and onto the next platform. If you're quick enough, you'll be safe. Wait until the coast clears, hop onto the next tiny platform, then onto the edge of a track from there, and SMASH that stick to run as fast as your short plumber legs will carry you. If you were quick enough, you'll make it to the end of the Level in time. Take a breather, you've earned it. -You'll be taking on Captain Falcon here, and he's tough due to his speed AND power. Just him him with the attacks you feel most comfortable with (I'd recommend Up+B and normal attacks) and stay away from the edges. After you wear him down, juggle him into the air, then Smash him as he lands. Level 9 - Onett -Three Nesses, not too hard here. On Easier difficulties, they'll go down with a good Smashing. On tougher difficulties, just wear them down and Smash away. be sure to avoid the cars below, and stay in their faces as much as you can. Note: One cheap trick that usually works for me is I take a Mr. Saturn that falls from the sky, and chuck it at Ness at almost point-blank range, and then pick it back up and throw it again and again until I knock him high enough into the air, then have a Smash attack waiting when he comes down. Yes, I know it's cheap, but it's also effective, and very fun. 8) Level 10 - Icicle Mountain -I hate hate hate this level, mainly because you can't see the enemies on platforms above you until after you get hit. Just keep triple-jumping up the center of the level, from platform to platform, and trying to avoid the enemies the best you can (seeing as how you can't see them until it's too late). Within a few moments, the level will start scrolling upwards very quickly, just keep triple-jumping as fast as you can, and try to ignore everything else. In a little while, the screen will slow down and you'll encounter 2 pairs of Ice Climbers. This is pretty unfair, seeing as how it's 4-on-1, but they're pretty weak. Plus, the level is very small, horizontally, so hitting one with a good Smash attack will send them flying. FYI, the ones in the dark coats are the Male Ice Climbers, and they're the ones you have to knock out to win. Once you knock out a Male, the Female counterpart should go down along with him. Just use those Smash attacks to send them towards the sides of the level. Level 11 - Battlefield -Here you'll take on 15 Wire Frames, 4 at a time. The same "Team" strategy applies here as in the Pokemon, Yoshi, and Kirbys battle, although the Wire Frames are slightly tougher to take down. Just use your Smash attacks and Up+B and they'll all go down quickly. -Family reunion time, sort of. You'll be fighting Metal Mario and Metal Luigi here. They're not tough, but they do move rather quickly and like to gang up on you. Just nail them with normal attacks and Smashes, and then juggle them with specials and more normal attacks once they're up there. Once again, try to separate them as well, it'll make the battle that much easier on you. Once you get their damage percentage up there, just let them have a nice Smash attack, and they should sink like cinderblocks. Level 12 - Final Destination -Ah, tradition. You've got to fight Bowser here, one on one. He isn't hard at all, especially for the final enemy here. Just use his slowness to your advantage, and jump around alot, and keep decking him when you get a chance. Items also can be of help here too (the irony of breathing fire at Bowser..). After he's up to around 150%, start trying to Smash him, and he should go flying pretty easily. Now sit back, grab a drink and watch the credits, fly by. You've earned it. -=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-= -=-=-=- Items -=-=-= -=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-= When using Mario, and subsequently the rest of the characters in the game, I tend to rely alot on items, So here I'll try to provide some basic info and strategy on using items. !Throwing Items! Before I start, I want to emphasize throwing items around during a fight. No matter which item you throw, it will damage the enemy, and most items will knock them back a bit, but it's definitely more than a standard attack would do. Whenever you're bored with an item, throw it at your enemy. The best time to do this is after you knock them off a ledge. As they recover, hurl an item at them, and it just may be enough to keep them from recovering. A basic time to throw an item would be is if an enemy is coming towards you, just throw the item to knock them back and that should set you up for a couple hits while they're knocked back. The most accurate way to throw am item is to wait until you're directly above an enemy and BAM, hurt it right down on their head. This will definitely come as an unexpected surprise to them. Due to the weak power and general slowness of Mario's fireball attack, I'd highly recommend throwing items at long range enemies. Food- Not much to say here. It usually recovers a few points of damage, so grab it if you're damage percentage is getting too high. Useful in a pinch, but not worth crossing the entire level to get to. Freezie- Now this is a useful item. If you throw it and hit an enemy with it, it will freeze them in a large mass of ice, and hurl them in the air, or if they're on the ground when you hit them, it will freeze them on the ground. Use their temporary lack of mobility to your advantage by either smashing them, or using your cape spin to inflict tons of damage while they're frozen. Another good thing to do with a freezie is to wait until they're trying to recover back onto the stage from a nasty fall, and hit them with this to ensure that they'll lose a life because they can't recover. Devious, I know. Maxim Tomato- This item will decrease your damage by 50%, so it's definitely worth picking up, even if it's just to keep your opponent from grabbing it. You should try to grab it whenever you see it. Mr. Saturn- Not too good of an item, its only functions are doing a little damage when you throw it, and if you don't pick it up, it will try to push items off of the side of the level. The one useful combo I've found involving Mr. Saturn is to get pretty close to your opponent and constantly tap the A button with Mr. Saturn in hand. The result will be you throwing it, picking it back up, and throwing it again over and over. Once you start this, it's hard for the enemy to have a chance to recover, so after a few throws, you might want to throw it, and then just smash an enemy away. Heart Container- Great item, even moreso than the Maxim Tomato. This will reduce your damage percentage by 100%, so make sure to make every attempt to grab it when it appears. It's definitely one of the rarest items, so it won't come very frequently. It can change the tide of a battle pretty quickly, so make sure to keep your opponent from picking it up. Pokeball- This is an item I always make sure to grab, and so does the CPU. Not only will throwing it cause a bit of damage, but when it hits the ground, a Pokemon will pop out. I'd say around 80% of the time, the Pokemon will be very useful to you. It would take way too much time and space to list out Pokeball strategies here, just let me remind you that it is one of the most useful items in the game, and refer you to Bsabbagh's Pokemon FAQ right here at GameFAQs: http://db.gamefaqs.com/console/gamecube/file/super_smash_bros_melee_pokemon.txt Warp Star- Great item we've got here. What it does, is when you grab it, it immediately carries you well above the screen at lightning speed, and hurls you back down at the ground, resulting in a sizeable explosion, and inflicting loads of damage on enemies who happen to be where you land. You can use their recovery time to your advantage by setting up a smash attack while they're sent flying. You can also adjust where you will land with the warp star, but not by much, and controlling it is very stiff. You won't be able to tell easily at all where you'll land if you control it, so just count on holding the stick to one side in the air and landing a short ways in that direction. Bob-omb- This item can be good or bad. It will fall from the sky and just sit there for a few moments doing nothing, and then it will start to walk back and forth and flash. You should try grab it right when it lands and throw it at your enemy and make them go boom. The downside to this is that if you're close enough, you'll go boom too. If you wait too long to pick it up, it will start moving and if you come into contact with it when it's moving, it'll blow you up and send you flying into the stratosphere. The same goes for your opponent as well. If left alone for long enough, it will blow itself up soon enough. Ray Gun- This item isn't too good. It lacks stopping power, doesn't do much damage, and it doesn't fire fast at all. Use it if a far-off enemy is trying to recover or just throw it to inflict some damage. Motion-Sensor Bomb- Another good item. If you throw it, it will cause a little damage to your opponent but it will stick to the first surface it touches. After a few moments, it will be activated, and whoever gets close to it will be caught in its explosion. It gives you the chance to pull of sneak attacks, just try to lure opponents into it after they've forgotten about it. The only thing you need to watch out for is touching it yourself. Just remember where you put it. Super Scope- The Super Scope is another good item, worth picking up. If you keep pressing the A button while holding it, you'll fire a steady stream of small shots, that will not only damage opponents, but if you keep pressing A, they will be caught in the line of fire and not be able to do anything but take damage. Holding A will cause it to charge up a blast, but I wouldn't recommend this much because it leaves you open too projectile attacks, and it's tough to aim. It will eventually run out of ammo, so chuck it when it refuses to shoot. Super Mushroom- Not much to say here. Just touch it, and it wil, make you grow bigger. Your attacks will be stronger and you'll be sent flying alot less distance. It will wear off in a few moments, so make the most of it while you can. Fire Flower- Not too good an item. When you hold A, it will shoot out a steady stream of fire, but the drawback is it pushes anyone it harms backwards, so you won't be able to hit an enemy with a steady stream of fire. If you throw it, it will catch an enemy on fire for a second, but even that effect is underwhelming. Poison Mushroom- Recognizable by it's more purple hue, as opposed to the Super Mushroom's bright red hue, this will do the opposite and shrink you down to a fraction of your normal size. Your attacks will barely do any damage when you're tiny, and you'll be sent flying easily, so avoid enemies until it wears off. Lip's Stick- Hitting an opponent with this will do a little damage, but will also force a small flower to grow on their head. This flower will slowly do damage to the enemy while it's on their head. You can get rid of it faster by jerking the analog stick around quickly. If you Smash the Lip's Stick, the flower will be larger. Also, subsequent attacks with it will cause the flower on an opponent's head to grow, resulting in more cumulative damage. Starman- No downside to this item, just touch it and you'll be invincible for a short time. Run around and start hitting enemies as hard as you can without fearing retaliation while you have the chance. Star Rod- An OK item, this will do considerable damage to an enemy if you swing it. If you charge it up with a Smash attack, it will shoot out a star straight ahead, which will do more damage than a standard attack. Due to Mario's lack of a decent projectile, this is a pretty nice weapon to have and to Smash. Parasol- A pretty good item, even though it won't do much damage, even if you Smash it. The biggest draw here is if you start falling, the Parasol will open, and let you slowly drift downwards, instead of sharply falling, which will greatly help your recovery. Pick it up if you're trying to survive with a moderate amount of damage inflicted on yourself already. Beam Sword- Another good item. If you swing it, it does pretty good damage, but if you Smash it, it sends enemies flying pretty darn far. Charge it and unleash it whenever an opponent comes close. With any luck, you'll be able to get them more than once with it. Screw Attack- This item has two uses. If you jump while holding it, each jump you make (counting both single and double-jumps) will make you spin and slow white in the air, and also deal damage to whoever you come into contact with while performing it. Also, if you throw it at an enemy, it will cause them to do a spin attack into the air, no matter what they're doing at the time. The only real use for that is if they're charging up a major attack or something. Home-Run Bat- One of the best. A normal hit with the bat doesn't do much, but if you Smash it, it will send enemies flying incredibly far, even if they have 0%. The only tricky part is getting the timing down for the Smash attack. Work on the timing in training mode, and you'll be able to slug everyone out of the fight when you grab it. Metal Box- A real double-edged sword, where neither the positive or the negative prevails. If you attack it, you'll turn into a Metal version of Mario, and you'll be alot heavier. The plus is that it will be harder to send you flying. The bad part is you'll fall alot faster in the air, so if you venture to far off of the edge of the level, you'll drop like an anvil. It doesn't matter much either way, so I definitely wouldn't go out of my way to grab this one. Fan- This one is mostly just a weapon for throwing, but if you grab it and get close enough, you can attack with it insanely fast by tapping the A button over and over again. Use it to rack up damage on an enemy pretty quickly, then throw it and get away fast, before they have a chance to counter. Not a great weapon, but you won't regret picking it up. Bunny Hood- A good support item, this will make you move alot faster, and jump almost three times as high as before. Grab it whenever you see it to improve your quickness so you can jump over to an enemy, get in a quick attack or two, then jump away again. The only downside to it is sometimes, if you're not used to moving that fast and jumping that high, you might lose track of yourself and where you're headed. With a little practice time, you'll be able to use it with no problem. Hammer- A great item that you'll rush to grab. Pick it up, and you start pounding in front of you with the giant hammer repeatedly for a short while. It does massive damage, sends enemies flying very far, and whilg using it, you're almost completely invulnerable (except for attacks from below, so watch out). Also, at random, I'd around around 1 or 2 times out of 10 (I may be way off with the figure, it's just my own estimate) the head will fall off the hammer when you pick it up, leaving you swinging the handle that does no damage automatically for a short period of time. When this happens, just avoid enemies at all costs. Cloaking Device- This one is more of a hassle than it's worth. Playing against the Computer, this has no effect other than making Mario look all cool and invisible. It can be easy to lose track of yourself if you're not using the naming feature of SSBM, where it puts your name above your character's head. In Multiplayer, if you have your name off, both you and your friends will have a hard time seeing you, and if you are using your name, it's almost worthless because you have an arrow pointed right at you the whole time. Green Shell- Pretty good item, just throw it at an enemy, and it will knock them into the air and keep sliding off of the inevitable edge. Just be careful not to throw it into a wall, or throwing it into the air, because you're not invulnerable to the shell either. Barrel Cannon- Well, you can throw it at an enemy to do a small amount of damage, or hop inside. Once inside, it wil, spin around. When you hit any button, you'll be launched in the direction of the arrow on the barrel. It's really only useful for the Donkey Kong levels, where the barrel cannons are below the level and can save you from certain death. Red Shell- Red Shells are almost identical to green shells, except instead of sliding off the edge of a platform, they will reverse and head the opposite way, and back and forth and back and forth for a short while. The risk is greater, because you can take damage as well as your opponents, but there's the possibility they'll keep getting knocked in the air a few times in a row, leaving you open to deck them. Party Ball- It's another variation of the item crate. If you attack it enough, a little party tone will be played, and random items will drop out. The most occasional item combinations are few bombs, a whole lot of food, and just random items. Attack them if you feel like it, but you won't go crazy over what's inside most of the time. Flipper- If you throw it at an enemy, it will knock them back and begin to spin and slowly start to slow down, until it eventually stops in place. If anybodygoes near it while it's spinning, they'll get knocked backwards and it will spin faster again. Just try to avoid it once you've thrown it, and it will disappear after a short while. -=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-= - Home Run Contest = -=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-= My HRC record - 1309.4 Ft. Strategy- Well, speed is off the essence here, so you'll have to practice alot to get the strategy to pull off a high score here. First thing to do is turn to the left, and SLIGHTLY move to the left. You won't be able to grab the bat by just turning, so it's important that you slightly move left. Next, walk quickly over to the bag, and perform your Up Smash attack on it, without charging it at all. Keep holding up on the joystick so you don't jump, and perform your standard Up attack on it, once it comes back down, and repeat the standard Up attack when it comes back down. When it comes back down again, it should be at around 30%. Now here's the important part: You're going to Do your Up Smash attack on it when it comes back down, but you have to be to the right of the bag when you Smash it, so you may want to move a little to the right quickly when it's in the air. After smashing the bag (once again, no charging the Smash) it should land close to the left edge, so dash over there quickly before it hits the ground, and immediately use your Cape Spin (Side+B) on the bag repeatedly as soon as it comes into range. You should be able to pull off 5 Cape Spins easily, and then Smash the bag with the bat before time runs out. However, with enough practice, you should be able to hit the bag with 6 Cape Spins and hit it with the bat before time runs out. Hitting it with 5 Cape Spins before smashing the bag will result in it taking off with around 106%. It will usually go around 1050-1150 Ft. Hitting it with 6 Cape Spins before smashing the bag will result in it taking off with around 116%. It will usually go around 1200-1300 Ft. -=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-= -=-=-= Notes =-=-=-= -=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-= Like I stated, this is not meant to be any kind of all-encompassing FAQ, just a simple guide for anyone looking for tips on how to use Mario. I'm not the best SSBM player in the world, so if you have any tips that should be in this FAQ that I overlooked, write to me (modium@aol.com) and let me know, and I'll gladly include your tip and give you credit for it. If you have any criticism (intelligent critiicsm-only, please), send that to me too. This is my first FAQ, so I'm trying to do my best on it. Thanks to everyone for reading this, I hope it helped some. Special thanks to Concept(latex@brainleak.com) for helping out with some of content and the layout, and for proofreading most of it for me. Special thanks to Devin Morgan(devin_morgan@netzero.net) for making a great SSBM FAQ and providing a Move List for Mario, which I used in this Guide. The full version of his FAQ can be found here: http://db.gamefaqs.com/console/gamecube/file/super_smash_bros_melee_b.txt Thanks to The_Flying_V (FlyingV_63@yahoo.ca) for the additional Mario strategy. Thanks to David Cartoon (David@spaceapes.com) for the Strategy on using Rolls. Thanks to Luigi1018 (Luigi1018@aol.com) for the extra tactic in KO'ing opponents easily. Thanks to Jzlzsz (Jzlzsz@aol.com) for contributing his speedy strategy for getting a faster time on the Target Test -=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-= -=-= Legal Stuff =-= -=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-= All information in this FAQ is copyright (c)2001 Modium. If you want to use this FAQ on your site, write to me and ask permission first. It it for personal and private use only. The only sites that have permission to use this FAQ so far are as follows: GameFAQs (www.gamefaqs.com) GameSpot (www.gamespot.com) If you find this FAQ at anywhere else, contact me as soon as possible. If you use any information whatsoever from this FAQ, please give me full credit. Do not alter information in any way. The most recent version of this FAQ can be found at www.gamefaqs.com Super Smash Bros. Melee Copyright 2001 Nintendo/HAL Laboratory, Inc. Characters Copyright Nintendo/HAL Laboratory, Inc./Creatures Inc./GAME FREAK inc./ APE inc.