Super Smash Bros. Brawl Review

Summary:

Multiplayer nirvana for Nintendo fans.

Pros:

+ Tons of modes, options, ways to play, things to do...

+ A huge variety of characters and fighting styles that's pretty well balanced

+ Large attention to detail in graphics, gameplay, animation and sound

+ Custom Level Builder can be great for dedicated creators

+ Probably the most comprehensive video game soundtrack ever

+ Purely addicting multiplayer design

Cons:

- Most modes and options will get tossed aside in due time

- Adventure Mode is a good effort but is ultimately bland

- Custom Level Builder could use more options

- Online matches suffer from lag and connection issues

- Loading times are occasionally too long

Review:

[My Zentendo review from March 2008. Bear in mind that I have yet to play a successful match of this game online without lots of lag. And I'm sure this review probably seems pretty biased -- this is currently about my favorite game ever...And I do ackmowledge many flaws it has but simpyl feel it really has so much going for it even from an objective standpoint.]

Any Nintendo fan knows the big happening of March '08: Super Smash Bros. Brawl has finally been released. It's been over six years since the last entry in the series came out, and right up until Brawl's launch, a devout set of followers were still playing it. With Brawl finally here, many fans are hopping onto the new train, joined by a flurry of newcomers -- others, stubborn in their ways, refuse to join the new bandwagon. To each his/her own: Brawl, like Melee before it, is another flavor of a great formula. Was the wait worth it for this newest iteration? Of course it was. But just how does Brawl live up to such lofty expectations? Does it merit the massive hype? Well, that's all a matter of opinion. Objectively speaking, though, Brawl has so much going for it that any fan of the series would be a fool to pass it up, and Nintendo fans in general -- or just fans of gaming, for that matter -- will likely be wooed by its completely obsessive catering to its fans through nostalgia, customization, replayability, and complexity.

Smash Bros. is deceptively simple at first glance, so it's no wonder that so many more hardcore gamers write it off as a n00b's fighting game, but this is because Smash Bros. is a very different kind of fighting game. Rather than stamina-based, it's more like a sumo-match, with players trying to ring each other out. Attacks increase a damage meter, and the higher the meter reaches, the farther characters are sent flying.

Is Brawl Super Smash Bros. Melee 2.0? That's all a matter of perspective. Hardcore fans will see the differences between the two (mechanics-wise) like night and day, while more casual players may hardly notice a difference. Either way, Brawl is sure to satisfy both camps. There's a lot more polish into subtle nuts and bolts in the game's engine which make it easier to play for newcomers and help make the engine more smoothed out and sensible for hardcore players. As a long-time Smash player, I have to admit that I am overall very pleased with the changes in the game's mechanics, not to mention the subtle ways characters have been reworked so as to better balance out the game. Brawl incorporates a number of minor tweaks to help keep things balanced and interesting, from items backfiring to stale moves getting punished, to ease of use in many of the techniques.

To further aid in enhancing the gameplay, a ton of new characters have been thrown in, adding to the wide variety of fighting styles. Yes, there are some clones, but even the clones feel more differentiated than ever, serving as alternate takes on the same fighting style. A few characters (such as Mario and Luigi) appear to be clones at first, but a few minutes of playing and you'll realize that they are quite different, only sharing similarities in a few of their moves. Characters like Olimar, Snake, and Sonic all offer something completely new as far as fighting styles go. One of Brawl's biggest appeals from a gameplay standpoint is perhaps learning each fighter's style and mastering everyone -- and this time around, every character is even more fun to play as than ever. Playing favorites is inevitable, but you will likely be much more curious and interested to try out everyone than in previous entries. More so than most fighting games in general, players will be interested and coerced into getting familiar with the entire group.

While the gameplay itself has been retooled and smoothed out even further in proper sequel style, one of Brawl's biggest draws is its wealth of options and modes. Players can play with any controller they want, edit button configurations, change a large number of parameters and rule sets...the possibilities are quite great, and no matter what type of player you are, Brawl will accommodate to your style. Even players who don't like the wide variety of excellent new (and old) levels will be able to create stages that fit their standards in the new Stage Builder. Speaking of which, user-generated content is in Brawl in a big way compared to most Nintendo titles of recent memory. Take snapshots at any time, save replay data from matches and certain events, build levels, and take pictures of your goody collections -- then share it with your friends through the internet service. It's a great deal of fun, and creative players will soak up hours upon hours playing with the Stage Builder and other user-generated content.

There's simply so much to see, do, collect, and complete that it's ridiculous. Video games as a whole mostly pale in comparison to Brawl myriad of modes and unlockables. Trophies and stickers (which come in the hundreds) serve as a delightful trip through Nintendo's history over the years. Some Virtual Console demos can be unlocked, as well, aiding the cause of making more modern gamers aware of Nintendo's storied past. So many elements of Brawl, from specific character animations and moves to collectible objects and stage elements all congeal into one fangasm of Nintendo goodness -- not to mention the third party doors that have been opened with Snake and Sonic, who fit in flawlessly with everyone else.

There are so many more details that could be pulled out in support of Brawl, but what complaints can be had? There are a few, minor as they may be. For starters, the Stage Builder can feel somewhat limiting. This may frustrate some, but others will embrace it and use their ingenuity to create all types of great stages -- just as users have created unbelievable Miis in the Check Mii Out Channel. One noticeable issue is that of loading times: the game needs roughly ten to twenty seconds of start-up loading whenever it's booting, and throughout gameplay, loading times are sprinkled throughout -- this can be a tad annoying at first, but gamers have dealt with this issue for years now, and if some loading times are the price to pay for such a truckload of content, the trade is worth it. Trophies can also feel a bit confined, since they don't feature the same breadth as trophies in Melee -- but again, this is counterbalanced by the humongous collection of stickers which cover anything you can imagine from the house that Mario built. Nintendo also seems to have trouble with the online component, and since I could not successfully use the online gameplay aspect of the title, I can't recount any solid facts on this matter except that the fact it's there in the first place will satisfy many fans -- the ones it decides to work for.

My final issue with the game is, in some ways, a non-issue, as it involves something completely optional and unnecessary to the game's core: The Subspace Emissary. These days, players expect campaign modes from FPS titles, but not from fighting games. Brawl attempts to deliver a large, side-scrolling, 2D action/platformer/beat-'em'up...It succeeds in its basic goal, but does not have near the same level of polish as the multiplayer component. The level design is usually bland, the enemies are mostly generic, and the locations are almost always ordinary in design, as well (detailed as they may be). Only two boss characters and two or three normal enemies actually spawn from Nintendo games. The rest are generic baddies that come off as the cousins of the Heartless from the Kingdom Hearts series. This is missed potential, not to mention that some characters just don't work as well within the context of platforming. That said, this mode acts as a single-player (or co-op) focused means of unlocking all of the secret characters and other goodies (something that can be done in multiplayer if you wish it). Despite its issues, it is still mostly enjoyable to play in bursts, though it would likely feel repetitive to many in a marathon play-through. Back with Melee, players complained and said they wanted a revamped Adventure mode. The Subspace Emissary is far from perfect, but fulfills that request in most every facet one could hope for. And really, it's just an OK cherry on top of a big-ass sundae that's amongst some of the best you can share with friends. Take the cherry off and it's still miles apart from most multiplayer titles, so that cherry existing doesn't really hurt the experience at all since it's completely optional and completely extra.

As for fan requests for characters and all manner of other things, it's impossible to please everyone and include everything, but Brawl's roster and stage selection are quite large and packed with quality. However, one aspect of great note that will not disappoint any reasonable fan is the soundtrack. Comprised of over two hundred musical tracks, some remixes, some original versions, Brawl's soundtrack is one of the largest and highest quality collections of tunes video games has ever bore witness to, and for every song a player dislikes, there's just as many, if not more, that they'll love, and the My Music option lets players choose which songs they want to hear on levels. Such a wide variety of composers and sources of music makes the soundtrack quite a crowning achievement.

As for the graphical presentation, Brawl delivers some stylish and comical cutscenes in The Subspace Emissary, as well as colorful menus bursting with subtle animations. The game's graphical detail is great, though some areas lack a bit -- but the artistic design pushes this up to one of the Wii's best-looking titles. Perhaps more noticeable than the graphical details, however, is the animation: a smooth-as-silk sixty frames per second brings all of the characters to life more than ever before, and their animations are so finely detailed (including a wide variety of facial expressions) that it adds to the satisfaction of playing it just to see the characters move so fluidly. Let's not forget the careful thought paid to character's abilities and how they move, so much of which is direct homage to their games and is melded in perfectly.

Bottom Line:

What more is there to say about Smash Bros. Brawl? I could say a lot more, honestly. There is simply so much content packed in this title that it makes fifty dollars a ticket to many, many hours of playtime. Take into account the deep customization, barrage of unlockables and game modes, online components, and the polish and balance of it all, and Brawl is quite a force to be reckoned with, expanding those hours of value into months, if not years of good times. Any crazed and stubborn fanboy who is disappointed with Brawl is blinded by pride, as this title is top notch value, fanservice, and multiplayer mayhem. For the Nintendo fan, the Smash Bros. fan, or the fan of video games in general, be they newcomers or hardened veterans, Brawl is a must-have title that has far too much to offer to be passed up, and bends itself to accommodate to gamers of all types with its myriad of options and customization. This is simply as good as it gets in the medium of multiplayer video games. This title is packed to the brim with everything a gamer could want -- the only question is: How will Nintendo outdo this brilliant title? The good news is that they won't have to worry about it for another six years if they don't want to, because many gamers will still be enjoying it.