Following in the footsteps of a game as widely acclaimed as Super Smash Brothers Melee for the Gamecube (with 7 million copies sold) isn't easy, even more so when there's a huge amount of hype surrounding the game as well. With that in mind, does Super Smash Brother Brawl live up to the legacy that Melee represents, or to the level that pre-launch material indicated? Short answer for both: reasonably so.
Super Smash Brothers is a Nintendo crossover fighting game series featuring characters from almost every Nintendo franchise. Favorites like Mario, Link, Kirby and Samus duke it out in battles of up to four people on stages that are also taken from Nintendo series. Rather than direct combat, SSB focuses on the more cartoonish option of beating up an enemy and then launching them out of the stage with a powerful attack. Plenty of items and stage events keep the game an incredibly fun party experience.
Brawl adds to the formula perfected in Melee by adding new characters, new items, and new stages, as well as some new features. There are a total of 26 characters; new additions to the cast include Pit from NES classic Kid Icarus, a Pokemon Trainer and three of his Pokemon, Pikmin's Captain Olimar, and the Mario series' villain/evil twin, Wario. Furthermore, two non-Nintendo characters are available, in a series first: Snake of Metal Gear fame and Sonic the Hedgehog both join the cast. In total, the cast additions include some pleasant surprises, but also some disappointing removals (characters like Roy and Mewtwo have been nixed, although they have been replaced with similar characters from newer installments of their respective series').
There are a bevy of new items in the game. Foremost among these is the Smash Ball; when attacked enough, it grants the attacking character a "Final Smash" - a devastating attack that varies between different characters. For example, Mario shoots a screen-wide barrage of fireballs, Link catches one opponent in a Triforce symbol and slashes away at them, and Kirby cooks all his enemies in a giant pot. Unfortunately, some Final Smashes are copied or reused; for example, one hidden Zelda character copies Link's Final Smash exactly, and every character from Star Fox (three in all) use the Landmaster Tank as their Final Smash. However, some are definitely really neat and welcome changes to the gameplay - a sort of temporary bonus minigame for whoever manages to get the Smash Ball.
Another new item is the Assist Trophy, which is similar to the Poke'ball item in that it summons an invincible helper to fight the enemies of whoever summoned them. For example, Samurai Goroh (from F-Zero) attacks enemies with a katana, as does Lyn from Fire Emblem (in a single swift cut). Kirby's friend Knuckle Joe delivers a barrage of blows and a mighty uppercut that KOs almost anything in its path. Little Mac from Punch-Out!! uses his speed and strength to deliver a startlingly fast jab. Jeff from Earthbound launches rockets at his enemies. Andross (in his Star Fox for the SNES incarnation) lurks in the background and shoots damaging 3d panels. Not all of them have good effects, though; The Nintendog covers the screen, making seeing the battle almost impossible. Mr. Resetti from Animal Crossing goes on one of his famous rants, the text of which blocks the upper half of the battle completely. All of them contribute greatly to the chaos and hilarity of Smash Bros fighting.
There are some new stages as well. The famous Bridge of Eldin from the Legend of Zelda serves as a long, flat stage occasionally broken by a bomb planted by a rampaging Moblin rider. The Frigate Orpheon from Metroid Prime occasionally flips upside down, causing the playing field to shift. Smashville is an Animal Crossing-themed level, and like its source will change depending on what time the level is played. Pictochat has the enemies fighting among the doodles and illustrations of the DS' built in chat program. Most of the new stages are good, but some of them (particularly Delfino Plaza from Super Mario Sunshine and Lylat Cruise from Star Fox Assault) are simply platforms on a moving background, and lack any real extra themes or effects. It's also possible to build your own stages with a variety of parts and backgrounds, which is a fairly intuitive process that can produce some insanely fun results.
Besides multiplayer, the game has a new single player mode as well: "Subspace Emissary", a story told through cutscenes and action stages. The former are well directed but unvoiced / unworded, relying heavily on body language to get their message across. The story involves an evil plot to destroy the world of Smash Brothers perpetuated by the game's villanous characters (Bowser, Wario, and so on). The Smash Bros cast must team up - splintered at first, but then united - to combat this menace. The interactions between characters have some real gems - for example, Lucas from Mother 3 using the Pokemon Trainer as a sort of big brother role model, or Diddy Kong dragging Fox and Falco off to help him rescue Donkey Kong. The story is difficult to make out, however (though it's explained in detail on the Smash Bros. site), and the final boss is nothing short of eye-roll material (hint: he's a new original character, not an established Nintendo character). The story is mostly enjoyable for the little tidbits, and those are good and plentiful, so they make it worth it.
The action stages are 2d side-scrolling classic platforming, with characters fighting against the mysterious and somewhat generic enemies unique to the game. The mechanics are similar to regular gameplay, but directed at a multitude of enemies rather than a small number of skilled opponents. Stages range from generic and boring to generic and frustrating - from "random jungle" to "random ruins" to "random flying space-lab". Other than the playable characters and some enemies from the Mario games, there's nothing "Nintendo" about the game mode - you feel like a Nintendo character playing in some other non-Smash Brothers game. So, in that way, this mode feels like it could've been done a lot better.
Other bonus parts of the game include the return of trophies from Melee, new unlockable tracks for stages, and a variety of new event matches and sub-games. Furthermore - perhaps most importantly - the Wii allows SSBB to be played online, either with friends (added by inputting their unique code) or with strangers. This mode is pretty well coordinated, and there are no real complaints about it. The option also exists to spectate matches and bet on the winner, adding to the stylish, crowd-pleasing dynamic that the game entails.
The gameplay as a whole is great, but it feels less sharp than Melee; some moves feel too slow, unresponsive, or just "wrong". The sense of controlled chaos that Melee evoked has been replaced by rampant and uncontrolled chaos, and a lot of the "art" of playing has gone out of it. The graphics are in general improved, with some good details on characters and stages, but for the most part everything's moving too fast to notice it. The sound is mostly improved - any poor changes in, say, the announcer's voice, or quality in general are offset by the sheer number of music tracks in the game.
As a whole SSBB is a solid, fun, enjoyable game, with some minor bugs and annoyances. There's a lot added, but the jump from Super Smash Bros. to Melee feels stronger than the jump from Melee to Brawl. However, by itself it is a good game with a wide variety of characters and stages from every part of Nintendo's history.
9/10.
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From the manufacturer
Super Smash Bros. Brawl - Wii
The Brawl to end them all.
Welcome to a brawl for the ages, where anything can happen, anyone can show up and all bets are off.
This action-packed fighting game features a ridiculous number of characters that have appeared on Nintendo platforms, from Mario to Link to Pikachu ... to Solid Snake! As they square off in famous locales drawn from the rich history of Nintendo, literally anything can happen - and usually does. With limitless customizing options, items and weapons that boggle the mind and a wealth of modes, this game has truly infinite replayability.
Super Smash Bros. Brawl features a sprawling adventure mode called The Subspace Emissary that's a full game in and of itself. Players jump and brawl their way through enemy-packed side-scrolling levels, meeting up with other characters, watching incredible cinematics and taking on massive bosses.
For the first time, this celebrated series is going Wi-Fi, allowing up to four players to brawl, no matter where they may be.
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Game StorylineIn multiplayer games, characters from all Nintendo universes meet up in Nintendo locales to duke it out. In the solo mode called The Subspace Emissary, the world of Smash Bros. is invaded by an entity called the Ancient Minister and his army of creatures, called The Primid. Normally, characters come alive in the world of Smash Bros. to do battle, then turn back into trophies when defeated. However, the Ancient Minister starts turning characters into trophies to harness their power, then detonates bombs that suck pieces of the world back into his realm of Subspace. Eventually, all the characters must work together to defeat the invading creatures from Subspace - this is accomplished by playing through side-scrolling levels. |
How to Progress Through the GameFor multiplayer games, players pick characters, set rules and locations for where they want to play and then duke it out. In Solo Mode, characters play through a long, side-scrolling adventure, beating up enemies along the way as they watch short cinematics starring their favorite characters. Characters: Mario, Samus, Bowser, Donkey Kong, Solid Snake, Meta Knight, Kirby, Pikachu, Zero Suit Samus, Link, Zelda, Pit and Wario, to name just a few. Anyone and anything from a Nintendo universe could appear in this game in one form or another. |
Special Powers/Weapons/Moves/FeaturesAnything from a Nintendo game could conceivably be in this game, whether it's a musical score, an obscure item or a character that shows up to help the fighters. Super Smash Bros. Brawl is eminently customizable, so players can choose the frequency of items appearing, adjust musical scores and basically play the game however they'd like. Items range from baseball bats to proximity mines to Poke Balls to Assist Trophies, which spawn characters like Hammer Bros. and Sim City's Dr. Wright to attack others. |
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Damaged product
I received a blatantly damaged product. The game disc has a scratch cutting into the surface of the reflective side. While the game boots up as it should, the possibility remains that it can stop working or get stuck at a specific loading screen/spot during gameplay. The condition was rated "used, good" In reality the product is used, poor/damaged.In the future, please do not sell damaged goods with wishful thinking that the product will operate as intended. That is not fair to the customer and shines poorly on your business. I'd ask for a refund, but it's not even worth the trouble for me to send it back. I'll update my review if the game stops working or any issues occur.
Top reviews from other countries
Marc Heck
Maekellosen
Reviewed in Germany on March 27, 2024
Marc Heck
Reviewed in Germany on March 27, 2024
Anbei war noch ein gaming Booster und ein mauam Stick
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Djilly L.
Still an appealing game
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on January 28, 2021
Djilly L.
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on January 28, 2021
As a classic game Super Smash Bros instantly hit the right spot with my son. The controls seem fairly easy to master and he is progressing through it neatly so the game play must be strong. There are a lot of characters that appear and that can be played.
All in all it seems to be quite exiting and good fun. So very pleased with this game from the digital stone age.
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