Super Smash Bros. Brawl is the third installment in the famous Super Smash Bros. series by Nintendo, dating back to the N64. The game pits (pun!) both old and new Nintendo characters against each other at a number of classic Nintendo venues.
Category: Fighting
Players: 1-4 Simultaneous
ESRB: Teen for Crude Humor and Cartoon Violence
Synopsis:
SSB hits the scene again, this time with even more stages and characters, including Pit, Captain Olimar, Pokemon Trainer, and Sonic the Hedgehog. The single-player modes this time around include the Classic Mode from the original SSB, Adventure Mode from SSBM, and the new Subspace Emissary. Don’t forget the new Smash Ball feature.
Visuals:
This game looks good…for a Wii game. That’s a disclaimer on pretty much every Wii game out there. It may look good, but that’s not saying much on a Wii. The stages come to life with vivid colors, and Nintendo has done a wonderful job of re-vamping the characters of yesteryear for this new installment.
Score: 9.5
Sound:
The soundtrack is put together by some famous orchestra, and the level music is beautifly remixed from 
original music from the games from which they came. You probably won’t find yourself ready to shoot your eardrums out.
Score: 8.5
Functionality:
If it’s not broken, don’t fix it. Nintendo obviously understands, and therefore allows you to play with the Gamecube controller, which leaves nothing to be desired. The Wii remote is not so fantastic, as the Quick-Smash C-Stick on the Gamecube was made into an option on the Wii remote, which can be performed by flicking the remote. Not as convenient as it might sound, as an accidental smash attack could mean life or death. Also, the online play is severely crippled, reminding gamers of the early days of XBox Live, which is to be expected with this being Nintendo’s first venture into massive online play. It’s incredibely frustrating, however.
Score: 8
Entertainment:
Who doesn’t love these games? To be honest, the new story mode is pretty much garbage. It’s roughly thrown together and not all that impressive. But who has ever played SSB for the story modes? The multiplayer is still fantastic. The new Smash Ball was a nice thought. It doesn’t make-or-break the game unless you’re in a really short match, but it’s in interesting variation. It does seem a little lacking compared to its predecessors, however. Something seems to be missing, though I can’t place it. Plus the addition of a stage creator! It’s nothing special, as most stage creators, but it’s better than nothing. But did anybody else want Krystal from Star Fox Adventures as a character?
Score: 9
Replay Value:
Very High. Not only are the new challenges freaky hard, but even when you finish that, there is the multiplayer to draw you back time and time again. The online will probably be fixed eventually, which will make it even more addictive. That is, if you collect enough friend codes. To be honest, any Wii game with friend codes for the online isn’t any fun until you collect a bunch through some sort of web site forum. For the record, mine is 3179-7504-3355, but I’ll tell you right now that I’ve given up on the online until my GameInformer tells me they’ve fixed it.
Score: 9.5
Total: 44.5/50
E-Clev Game Reviews Score: 8.9
Game Informer Score: 9.5
In closing, this game was pretty rocking, despite the fact that it seemed to be missing something. But that’s okay, it’s still totally worth it. Fantastic game, well worth the cash. If you own a Wii, but not SSBB, there’s something wrong with you. Have a V8, stay at a Holiday Inn Express, and then buy this game.
Comments:
I recently recieved a comment regarding a further installment. To be honest, with the way the Wii is going with hardcore gamers, Nintendo may not live to produce another system, lest one that has games with anything above an E10+ rating. Haha, just kidding. They actually have a new system slated for 2011(?) and I’m sure that with it will come a new SSB game. I’m already looking forward to it.
