Stage 1: Impressions |
Stage 2: Analysis |
Stage 3: Evaluation |
Welcome to Super Smash Bros. Brawl, the third installment of Nintendo's mascot fighting franchise. Like its predecessors, Brawl looks to be the reigning reason to own a Nintendo console.
This time, the developers have gone beyond just a great offline multiplayer game. Online matches, sending replays and screenshots, a single-player mode reminiscent of every major Nintendo game to come out since the Nintendo Entertainment System, classic game samples, stage building and sharing, the greatest soundtrack ever made and graphics to fit; all of this and we're still looking at the surface.
Are you ready to Brawl? You better be!
What's different from Melee? Quite a lot. While the fundamentals remain the same, Game Creator Masahiro Sakurai clearly put much effort into tweaking the finer parts of the mechanics, which will be listed shortly. Are all of the tweaks perfect? No, but all of them are like learning a new bicycle after replacing an old one. Sure you've had that old bike with that great seat and the rusty chain for years, but adjusting to the new bike makes for an overall better experience. Like the Nintendo 64 version to the GameCube version, players need to learn new things and forget old ones.
Other characters, like Mario, have new moves, as well.
Multiplayer is as satisfying as it ever was. The colors are beautiful, the detail is amazing and the music is as close to perfection as a gamer can expect (with customizable playlists to boot). All characters have unique color schemes, such as Link's "Dark" form, Peach looking like Daisy and Samus wearing her suit from Metroid Fusion. From time limits to lives to items, nearly every aspect of battle can be set by the player or be randomized for those not wanting to bother.
It's the little touches that make you happy on the inside.
Although the two controller options involving the Wii Remote work, and may be attractive to newcomers, the GameCube and Classic controllers provide the smoothest play experience for dedicated fans. A fast-paced game like Brawl demands perfect responsiveness, and the d-pad just doesn't seem as good as the analog stick in this regard. Anyone worried about tiring motion controls can be at ease, as none are forced (although a shake of the Wii Remote can be used for smash attacks).
Don't feel tied to one, play them all!
In the next Stage, we will cover more of the Subspace Emissary, collecting items, and the ever-interesting online matches. Without at least 100 matches online, it's hard to critique a game whose predecessor enjoyed a console lifetime of popularity, so stay tuned.
Stage 1: Impressions |
Stage 2: Analysis |
Stage 3: Evaluation |
