I updated the comparison list that I did some months ago:
I wrote this for the other thread, I really hope they make a Smash Bros. Melee HD someday cause that game has the most color out of all Smash Bros games.
Not gonna count 64. (Although Kirby is pretty cute in 64.)
Link Melee > Brawl > U
Prefer OoT Link, and the colors are very vivid and nice. Very green. Link in Smash Bros. U has quite a terrible face, the worst Link model I've ever seen from a a Nintendo game with Link. It doesn't even look like Link, he looks like Roseanne Barr fused with the Keebler Elf. His clothes look hoboish and plasticy, and his shield kind of looks like Fisher Price with the indents instead of being a flat surface like usual. I guess the best way to describe his clothes are "cosplay" cause it looks like that isn't Link but someone cosplaying him. The green is also very, very washed-out.
Donkey Kong Melee > Brawl > U
I don't like either of Brawl's or U's models. Their faces are so weird, and although Donkey Kong in Melee has a flat texture for the fur, his face less weird looking. Also the flat fur looks better than poorly done 'realistic' fur.
Pikachu Melee > U > Brawl
Pikachu looks abysmal in both U and Brawl, so this one easily goes to Melee which also has nice color. Pikachu in Brawl is all washed out and very misshapen, and Smash Bros. U the eyes look like stickers as does the emote, lacks proper face animations and the head lacks depth and Pikachu just looks like he has a ball for a head at times. The polygons on his body look weird too. Not as smooth as other characters.
Zelda U > Brawl > Melee
Zelda in Melee looks okay from far away but the face is very off off, the eyes look like stickers and the hair isn't too detailed. Zelda is the only somewhat bad model in Melee. Fine, but the models used in Brawl and U have better detail in the hair and have good enough colors for this one.
Kirby Melee > U > Brawl
At first it'd seem obvious to pick U. Kirby, but no, I have some petpeeves with it. I do like the Kirby design but 1. the edges on his sphere body are too bright and his eyes are far too blurry and less clear compared to Melee. Nice color, but way too blurry. Brawl Kirby is washed out due to Brawl's palete which makes it last.
Luigi Melee > U > Brawl
Melee Luigi has nice colors, very solid which even U Luigi lacks. Luigi in U is much brighter and slightly washed out, and Brawl Luigi is darker but washed out. The models are fine, but I like the colors on Melee more so that wins. I like my greens 'green'. U Luigi is much better overall than the Brawl model.
Mario Melee > U > Brawl
Mario just straight up looks awesome in Melee. His red in Smash Bros. U and Brawl is washed out, way too washed out. I also like the blue coloring used in his overalls in Melee. I think the modeling is much better on U Mario compared to Brawl Mario, but the overall textures are kind of weird, at least a tad.
Samus Melee > U > Brawl
Once again, Melee wins because of the coloring used is fantastic. Melee is bursting with color and I love it for it. Now if Samus in U had deeper colors, I'd prefer that one as the model does look pretty good. Brawl's model is a attempt to go for realism on lower hardware and doesn't really look all that great plus it has some weird shading on the stomach area.
Marth Undecided
I'm usually a pretty decisive person but this one I can't really decide since they all look good. I think I'd prefer Smash Bros. U if it had Marth's hairstyle from Melee.
Bowser Melee > Brawl > U
Love Bowser's model in Melee, the facial features, the eyes, the long hair with the red and orange mix along with the color on the horns and the skin just are great. I actually like Brawl's model too, very serious looking although it could use a bit more color. Smash Bros. U's Bowser has some weird eyes, the hair/eyebrows are kind of souless looking with that tint and there isn't any pizzazz. I find the realistic skin to be kind of odd too, not so much cause it's realistic I just think it looks weird the style they used. Throw in some color it looks really washed out.
Peach Melee > Brawl > U
I don't care for the more frilled and ruffled dress in Brawl and I do appreciate they toned it down in U but it still is what it is. I prefer Peach's dress in Melee because it's simple and isn't all over the place. One thing I don't care for is the breast enhancement in Smash Bros. U, definitely not a fan of that. Melee Peach has a nice shade of Pink on her dress as does U Peach. Brawl Peach's hair is kind of washed out and the dress is in some regards too white in the areas where there is suppose to be color due to Brawl's coloring style.
Fox Melee > U > Brawl
Command Fox sucks and I hate both the designs in Brawl and in U. Melee Fox has a nice color choice, not washed out compared to both Command Fox's, although the one in U has less washed out colors and some nice solids on the pants. I don't care for Command Fox's face as it looks like his snout is ice cream and he kind of looks like a beaver or something. Forehead way too tall and his ears far too small. His outfit has too many pockets and stuff now, I prefer the simplistic attire of Melee Fox. He only has what he needs.
Pit Brawl > U
Pit's eyes in U just kill the face for me, they look kind of bad to be quite honest. Brawl's face is nice and looks alive while the one in U looks like a doll's face.
Olimar U > Brawl
Olimar overall in color and model is just better than Brawl's in U.
Sonic Brawl > U
Sonic's model is pretty bad. For some reason the model in Brawl has more color in the eyes face and fur than in U. It's much more blue and the one in U is has a very very very light shade of purple or something. The eyes in U aren't typical Sonic eyes, not even to Lost World. There's suppose to be a full circle around his eyes and his mouth is extremely thick and looks like play-doh. He seems smaller as well and he looks very babyfaced which is weird to see Sonic as since he's suppose to be 'cool'. Don't like the Sonic model in U at all, although I do like the Brawl model despite the mouth being in the center.
Toon Link Brawl > U
I don't really care for either of these models, Brawl's is very washed out in color and looks like he left his clothes in the washer for too long and his hair is far too dark and realistic looking which doesn't make sense for "Toon" Link. On the other hand, I find U's model to have weird lips and kind of weird emotions at times. It does have much better colors, but the part that kills it for me is the play-doh like hair, it looks very weird.