Yeah, I know there's a divide out there in regards to whether or not Smash Bros. is a legitimately good game aided by the nostalgia or a shallow fighter masked by nostalgia and zany items, but given the amount of time I spent playing Melee, I'm in the former camp. I don't care enough to fight for its honor or anything, but I spent far too many hours having a blast with Melee to concede that only undying love for Nintendo would lead one to believe that its great -- particularly since I'm not a diehard Nintendo fan.
As for the Sony clone, I don't know. Even if it's good, I don't think Sony has that history to pull from to have that same appeal. As previously mentioned, I'd be lying if I pretended that a lifetime of playing those mascot games didn't add to the appeal of the game. "Awesome! Link vs. Mario with the classic Zelda theme blaring in the background with callbacks to Ocarina of Time!" Those kinds of touches are littered everywhere. I don't know if Kratos vs. Parappa evokes the same reaction.
