16)Super Smash Bros. Brawl Reviews

Review by AK_the_Twilight

"I don't know how they did it, but Nintendo made Melee better."

It's been a long, long road for Super Smash Bros. since its humble introduction back in 1999. The crossover craziness inducted into Nintendo's gaming family was immediately one of the most original and enjoyable fighting games on the Nintendo 64, proudly announcing how great four-player fighting systems can be. Gamers all over the world were hooked, finally being able to settle the score behind who is the number one Nintendo character. Go forward to 2001, when the superb sequel Super Smash Bros.Melee hit stores. Melee was easily one of the greatest games in history, thoroughly chronicling years upon years of Nintendo nostalgia into one game. An improved single-player, a slew of new characters, and a tremendous amount of modes and unlockables made Super Smash Bros. Melee a true hit. If you had a Gamecube, you had to be darn sure that Super Smash Bros. Melee was part of your collection. The legacy of Melee only escalated from 2001 to 2006…that is, until Nintendo showed off its newest console dubbed the Revolution, with a promise of a new Smash Bros. saga in the works. Smash Bros. mastermind Mashiro Sakurai and his crew tantalized gamers everywhere with beautifully rendered environments, brand new characters, all while slowly leaking out surprises for the brand new Smash Bros. Fans everywhere counted the days and nights till the release of the brand new Smash Bros. and after about six years in development, the third game in the critically acclaimed fighting game series has hit the Nintendo Wii: Super Smash Bros Brawl. Is it the Wii's crowning moment?


In case you're new to the Smash Bros. universe, the game isn't a traditional fighting game. Instead of a health bar, Smash Bros. counts on the damage percentage. The higher the percentage, the easier it is to reach your goal: knocking your opponent off the level. Knock them off the screen and earn a point, all while keeping your characters on-screen. Also the characters have only two attack buttons: one for weaker, faster moves, and the other for special attacks. Different techniques like throwing, jumping and such can be assigned to buttons, which brings up a really good thing: the controls. Nintendo showed off Brawl with a grand total of four different control setups: The Wii Remote on its side, the Wii Remote and Nunchuk, the Classic Controller, or a Gamecube controller. Not only that, but you can even assign button maps to your liking. I personally found the Gamecube controller to be the easiest, especially considering how popular Melee was, but the other control setups worked well. The fact that you can customize your own personal controls is great for those who may find some controls archaic, and is an excellent inclusion.

The gist of Super Smash Bros. Brawl is cramming a ton of Nintendo characters into a level and watching them beat the crap out of each other, all while avoiding traps, using items and showing off signature skills. The roster is astoundingly comprehensive. You get Mario, DK, Link, Samus (with her new Zero Suit appearance), Kirby, a slew of Pokemon, and many, many more. Even a couple of third-party fighters appear for good measure. Each character has a select group of techniques appropriate to their gaming history. Mario can shoot fireballs; Link has his classic Spin Attack. It's so cool to see the nostalgic value of Nintendo's characters, but making a remarkably accessible, though impressively deep combat part of the game is a high mark for fighting games everywhere.

One of the biggest changes was the inclusion of the Subspace Emissary mode. Apparently, Nintendo's Super Smash Bros. land is under attack by a mysterious Ancient Minister and his crew of Primid, creepy dark creatures who're out to fight the many Nintendo fighters. It's up to the characters of Smash Bros. to save the day. The Subspace Emissary is an odd mix of classic side-scrolling stages and the Smash Bros. fighting system. The goal in each level is to battle Primid and reach the door to the next boss. It's not an entirely deep system, though: the Primid come in some diverse shapes and forms, but usually attacking them relentlessly is enough. Clever diversions include the ability to transform enemies into Trophies and looking for hidden music, items, and trophies. The boss battles in the Subspace Emissary are epic and fun, especially since some of the bosses are immediately recognizable even to the newest of newcomers. Regardless, the Subspace Emissary is a fun diversion from the traditional Brawl setup, especially since you can fight Primid with two-player co-op.

But don't worry, Smash faithful: the Subspace Emissary isn't the only mode. Apparently, Nintendo is taking the “Halo 3” approach to things: instead of innovating the gameplay significantly, they're throwing down a tremendously satisfying amount of modes and options. You get the Classic mode; climb-the-ladder stages to reach different enemies, and finally meet up with the Master Hand again. Not only that but you have the famous Home-Run Contest, lengthy Multi-Man Brawl, and Target Tests (although there are fewer than in Melee). Besides Classic mode, these events can even be played co-op with a friend, and replays of the rounds can be sent to a friend over the Wii's online network. But one of the biggest inclusions is the ability to take the fight online via Nintendo's Wi-Fi Connection. The Wi-fi support lets you send videos and snapshots to friends, along with being able to battle online. If you have a friend's Friend Code, you can battle with open rules you decide, though anonymous battles have no names and are always either Team Battle or a simple two-minute Time battle. Considering how unpredictable Smash Bros. is, Brawl's online is actually a good and balanced challenge; you really don't know who's going to win most of the time, and unpredictable battles are a truly common occurrence.

But that's not to say that there aren't some changes to gameplay. One of the most interesting is the Smash Ball, which if attacked enough and cracked open by a certain character, the character can perform a huge attack dubbed the Final Smash. Like the movesets, the Final Smashes are different for each character and can range from a super-powerful blast to a full-on transformation. The Smash Ball not only looks great, but it creates a great balance between the characters. Each Final Smash is incredible, but never impossible to avoid. It just takes timing. Another cool new addition is a simple, but cool Stage Editor to produce custom arenas. Also, the developers took out Wave-dashing, probably to balance the game. But Brawl manages to still remain balanced and deep all at once. Anyone can jump into the fray and battle thanks to the accessible controls and excellent characters. You'll no doubt recognize some familiar faces and see how well each one can obtain smashing victory.

Super Smash Bros. Melee was the definitive party game. Things didn't get much better than battling multiplayer challenges with up to three other people. Brawl is no different. With such comprehensive abilities, characters, and items, Brawl is an astoundingly complex game, and is best played with friends. Those arguments of which Nintendo character is best can be put to rest; players can make up free-for-all matches, team battles, collect trophies and stickers, and even Special Brawl with customizable options. But besides simply battling, there are trophies to collect, stickers to equip with in Subspace Emissary, comprehensive records for score, and even demos of classic Virtual Console titles to round out one of the biggest collection of gaming goodness in history.

Although the graphics don't compare to the bright and impressively designed Super Mario Galaxy, Brawl has a beautiful presentation. The stories of the Subspace Emissary are told in stellar full-motion cutscenes. Seeing Diddy Kong team up with Fox is a great sight, as are the many other odd alliances hidden in the game. Battles run at a great clip, even the online play. The different bosses and characters animate so well, you may need to pause the game just to see the detail. It's amazing, and considering that you can pause and take snapshots in game, it makes the graphics look even better. But it's the music that really proves a sense of epic scope. Many of the original composers of the different series collaborate to form some grandiose scores unlike anything seen before. You also get some great remixes for some battles and some effective sound effects as well. Nintendo even lets you select your favorite songs for their respective arenas and determine how often a certain song plays, so you don't have to listen to the same song over and over again. Entering a climactic battle is complimented with a huge and epic score, and the characters' respective themes are present. There's usually more than one musical theme that can be played during a battle, and it's a great inclusion to such characteristic fighters.

Pros
+ Incredible roster of diverse characters
+ Stellar Wii graphics and sound
+ New changes to gameplay balance are great
+ Online multiplayer is (mostly) smooth
+ Subspace Emissary mode is great and well-presented
+ Astounding number of different modes

Cons
- Load times can be a bit long
- Anonymous online is a bit restricting
- No more Special Bonus awards

Super Smash Bros. Melee was one of the greatest games of all time. With so many characters, modes, and abilities, it helped sell Nintendo's Gamecube system and secured a name for the chaotic fighting series. Quite honestly, I didn't think Brawl would be able to surpass it. But don't worry: Brawl delivers. It's crammed with so many options, modes, and characters, it's downright incredible. It is quite literally one of the greatest fighting games ever made. From the smooth and customizable controls to the depth of the fighting system itself combined with the huge number of characters and levels, Brawl makes a fighting game with such a definitive style, unforgettable charm, and tremendous amount of options that you'll be hooked immediately. If you have a Wii, this is the game for it. Nintendo and Mashiro Sakurai took extreme care of Super Smash Bros. Brawl and it shows. Brawl stands high above its predecessors and shows a game with so much energy and content, giving you just more Smash spirit than ever before. If you're looking for a nominee for Game of the Year 2008, then Brawl has all the components required for such a title, and then some.

Reviewer's Score: 10/10, Originally Posted: 03/18/08

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