Super Smash Bros. Brawl Review

31 Jul 2008 at 15:24:01 by
Systems used to review this title: (WII)

I fondly remember my first gaming experiences on the rubber keyed Spectrum 48k and the Commodore 64. I wasn't as fond of waiting patiently for the cassettes to load so they'd inevitably crash causing bedlam in my bedroom as I pounded my head in despair. All of that disappeared with the advent of console gaming, just stick the cart in and away you go.

The creative team at Nintendo had evidently been imbibing toadstools in their tea again since the release of Super Smash Bros. Melee on the Game Cube and the best selling sequel to Super Smash Bros. released on the Nintendo 64. Super Smash Bros. Melee sold some 6 million copies worldwide and was a game chock full of extras and collectables. Nintendo have taken Super Smash Bros. to a whole new level with even more characters (the plethora of characters are not just limited to Nintendo releases, with the likes of Solid Snake and Sonic the Hedgehog being unlockable), extras, unlockables and collectables.

The idea is a simple one, up to four players beat seven shades of crap out of each other on-line or off-line until their opponents damage is at a stage where they can knock them off the stage and literally into the stratosphere. Simple? Yes, but that really is only scratching the surface.

The solo adventure campaign is a side, vertical and horizontal scrolling beat 'em up, very old school in design but potentially repetitive, called the Sub Space Emissary. It does allow two player co-op play, and those that choose to play through it will unlock additional characters, but the real meat of the game lays in the Brawl solo and group modes. Controlling the multitude of characters is straight forward, normal attacks and combo's are achieved by pressing the A button while strong attacks are managed by hitting A and pushing the control stick in the direction desired. But the fun really kicks in with the smash, special and final smash moves. Each character from the Nintendo universe has an a**nal of special moves at their disposal unleashed with the B button and when you want to launch your foes a quick tap of the stick with the A button unleashes a variety of smash attacks that pummels your opponent into next week. The final moves are a joy to behold, break open a Smash Ball that randomly turns up throughout bouts to humiliate and K.O. your mates and CPU players.

Although simple, it is a fighter that is controlled by two buttons and thus could be seen as a kids game, like the recent Dragon Ball Z fighter. However there is a lot of complexity within the control system. Random button mashers will fair well, but those who learn to time their Smash attacks correctly really will cut the wheat from the chaff. The sound is amazing, the development team having employed nearly 40 musicians, including those that scored Metal Gear Solid 4, producing something akin to a pair of fluttering Nintendo hands massaging your ears. The longevity of the game is without doubt a major bonus. Apart from the fact that that you and up to four mates can happily knock each other into oblivion into the wee hours of the morning, the game offers a multitude of modes, unlockable's and tweaks. The game is fully customisable, you can choose to elect which items and power ups will appear during brawls, how you use your controller: whether its an old Game Cube pad (cool), classic controller, Wii remote sideways or with the nunchuk. You can build your own levels to fight in with the awesome stage builder tool. Save and record your brawls with the replay option and take snap shots through out the game and store them in your album. There is also a fantastically addictive mini-game called coin launcher, basically space invaders where the ammo that you have is the coins that you have collected during your solo campaign, it is a simple yet fun way to acquire new stickers and trophies.

All Nintendo fans will enjoy the cut scenes, the characters are all rendered beautifully in colourful amusing and often action packed sequences. However do not expect to fully understand the plot from these as the characters often seem randomly thrown together and I could not get my head around what was going on.

There are some downsides, some of the load times are on the lengthy side particularly at the character and stage selection and likewise during the load times during the solo play can break up the flow of the game and it is easy to see that playing though the solo adventure mode Sub Space Emissary mode will become repetitive.

Nintendo has been a major architect in developing the games world we know today and Super Smash Bros. Brawl is a celebration of all things Nintendo and old school and this makes it great.
Super Smash Bros. Brawl is an epic fighter that will have you busy for weeks and months to come, if only slightly marred by the repetitive solo adventure mode. However with all of the customisable options, trophies to collect, challenges to complete and iconic game characters to unlock and master, it will keep you coming back for more brawling carnage whether you are an old or young Nintendo fan.

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