Yes its is. I find it A LOT better of a game though. Strongly recommended.

They are both fighting games but both are very different

The two games are entirely different genres. Super Smash Bros. Melee is a party fighting game while Street Fighter II is a straight-up 2d fighting game. In Melee, there are items, multiple players on the same field and a ton of variable factors. While skill still plays a large roll in SSBM, the other 3 players can gang up on you or items can fall unfavorably. Also the levels in SSBM are quite large. Street Fighter II strips away all the variables. It's just you versus your opponent and all the stages are the same. There is no random factor to blame your defeat on, it's straight up skill; when you lose, it is entirely your fault, which may not be the case in a party game like SSBM.

If you have to ask this question, you probably aren't a hardcore fighting game fan and you'll enjoy SSBM for what it is. Both are good games, but they play entirely differently.

I would have to agree with DefaultGen. They may both be fighting/brawling games, but they play very differently. I don't like the SF:II style because it is a bunch of memorizing complex moves just to do just about anything. You can't just pick up and play, and then switch to a new character and still do well.

With SSB:M the different characters have different movesets and styles, but you aren't totally lost as to how to do anything. At the same time they are so complex that it's insane to try to master.

No not at all. They are both fighting games but Super Smash Bros has a totally different feel. Definitely recommend it.

They are both fighting, but very different. SF takes place on a flat plane and has two fighters, SSB is much more dynamic. Play it to find out.