I love Super Smash Bros. Melee.

Out of all the games I've played in my 15 years as a gamer, none of them have captured my heart like Melee. The Gamecube title from over 15 years ago remains my most played game and continues to be the subject of hours-long gaming sessions. The competitive community that surrounds this game has shown me time and time again that far from being a dedicated and amazing player, I've barely scratched the surface of this game. Even though I get wrecked at tournaments and my highest claim to fame is 4th place at a local tournament, I come back for more every time. Why? Well...

1. The Characters

Super Smash Brothers has a wide range of playable characters from all of the classic Nintendo games. From Pokemon to Fire Emblem to Legend of Zelda, everyone can play their favorite franchise and have a good time.

2. The Speed

In Melee, the game moves in frames, with 60 frames per second of play. This allows for an incredible pace of play, with top players able to react to movements happening in the blink of an eye. Some moves, like the multi-shine shown below, requires chaining together moves that only work if done two or three frames apart.

3. The Combos

While each character has set moves, they can be arranged in almost any order to continue combo-ing. Entire lives can be erased in one combo, making survival tactics important to high level play.

4. The Tech Skill

Since the game was released in 2001, smashers have been consistently finding new ways to go faster, live longer, and destroy harder. From Wavedashing and L-canceling to dash attack canceled grabs, there's so much to learn and integrate into your Smash experience.

5. The Passion

This game breeds competitiveness like no other. Beating a player you have always struggled against or a heart-breaking loss both make for a roller-coaster of emotions. What started as a fun party game has turned into a devoted passion for many people, including myself.

6. The Community

No matter if you're a scrub or one of the Five Gods, the Super Smash Bros. community is a great group to spend your time with. Coming together for the love of the game (and the desire to be the best), every smasher wants nothing more than to see the game grow. And grow it has! EVO 2015, the largest Smash tournament to date, had 1,869 entrants and a peak audience of 211,393 online viewers.

Whether you've known the game since you were three or whether you've never picked up a GameCube controller, now is a great time to play some Super Smash Bros. Find a local tournament, fire up your game and have some fun!