Super Smash Bros. Brawl
Nintendo’s lineup of original characters stands out as the most recognizable in the video game industry – Mario, Link, Samus Aran might come to mind as some of the longest-running personalities, but there are plenty more as well. And with precious few exceptions, when Nintendo announces a new game in one of its many popular franchises, you can expect a triple-A title that’s well worth the time and money you’ll spend on it. So what happens when all of these characters come packed into a single experience? The only complete answer to that question is Super Smash Brothers Brawl, a game that in its best estimates attains perfection, and in its worst offers a simply epic compilation of the golden legacy left behind by the timeless classics of days past. It’s a must-buy for any Nintendo gamer, hands down.
At its core, Brawl is the logical continuation of its two predecessors on the N64 and GameCube. All of Nintendo’s biggest characters (along with some lesser-known ones) join together in gigantic battles across a vast array of different arenas. It’s the same concept, but much more grandiose than ever before, and it shows from beginning to end. The opening sequence screams epic, larger-than-life, a gathering of heroes and villains unrivalled in any other setting. A booming operatic soundtrack rolls forth with Latin lyrics as the fighters are revealed in tip top form, and you know immediately that it doesn’t get any better than this.
From a gameplay standpoint, you’ll have two primary options: The Subspace Emissary (SSE), which comprises the “story” mode of the game, and Brawl mode. Brawl mode is, of course, the classic king-of-the-hill style fighting that made the series famous: battle your opponents for the privilege of being the last one standing when the dust settles. SSE is similar to the quest/story mode found in Smash Bros Melee, but manages to be somewhat larger in scope.
In Subspace Emissary, you’ll take various Nintendo heroes up against such classic antagonists as Bowser, King Dedede, and Wario, all of whom are working toward some unknown goal of nefarious intent by turning the good guys into trophies and carting them away. Ultimately, the evildoers discover that they are only pawns in the grasp of a much more powerful and far-reaching entity, and they must band together with their sworn enemies to avoid ultimate destruction. It’s essentially a 2D platformer that utilizes Brawl-like controls. While the idea of SSE’s clashing of worlds is amazing, and the environments are absolutely beautiful, the execution ultimately wears thin too fast. It’s just not the kind of fun you’d get from a normal platformer, possibly because Smash Bros’ control scheme wasn’t meant to be applied that way. Still, it’s a decent enough way to unlock the game’s hidden characters. You’ll also get an English-text translation of the Latin voices in the Brawl theme song at the end.
It’s the Brawl mode, however, that provides the true reason to play the game. And it’s an experience not to be missed. The roster has ballooned in size to 35 playable characters (more if you count the alternate incarnations of some characters). The game features so many additions to the item list that it’s impossible to cover them all in a standard review, but suffice it to say that you’ll see everything from the good old baseball bat and fire flower to the incredible new assist trophy, which summons a random Nintendo character that jumps into the combat in its own special way. You might be joined by a pack of 8-bit Excitebikes that mow down your enemies, or perhaps by SimCity’s Dr. Wright as skyscrapers sprout up from below at the good doctor’s direction.
Brawl’s new stages are a collection of chaos on a disc – and that’s a good thing. A few of the Melee arenas make a comeback, but most of the stages are original and you’ll find a surprise in each and every one of them. On Summit (the Ice Climbers’ stage), you’ll begin on an icy mountain peak. The peak doesn’t stay stationary for long – it breaks off and begins to slide down the side of the mountain, taking all of the brawlers along with it. Ultimately you’ll land in an arctic ocean inhabited by a hungry fish. Or perhaps Delfino Plaza is more your style, where floating platforms take you on a tour of the island as you duke it out in several familiar areas. Want to climb a waterfall while you lay the ownage on your friends? Try the constant upward-scrolling of the Rumble Falls arena, where you’re guaranteed to lose if you’re left behind.
From a graphics and sound perspective, there is essentially nothing better on the Wii. All of the characters are updated with high-polygon models and painstakingly detailed textures, and stages like Bridge of Eldin (Zelda: Twilight Princess), Distant Planet (Pikmin), and Castle Siege (Fire Emblem) are testaments to the wow factor that the game can inflict upon players. The musical tracks are orchestral reimaginings of the highest order, bringing classic game melodies to life in ways you’d always dreamt of but never dared to hope. As though the initial tunes weren’t enough, many more can be unlocked as you play the game.
Super Smash Bros Brawl has its downsides as well, though. In addition to the Subspace Emissary, the online mode is widely regarded as a failure. Many players (including myself) have faced unbearable lag, or even the inability to connect to a battle at all. Given the success of Mario Kart Wii’s online offerings, Brawl’s lackluster networking component is probably its biggest black eye. Lastly, SSBB is ultimately a victim of its own success; it must necessarily be the last of its kind. Its sheer scope and feature set cannot be duplicated without its replacement being branded as a rehash. Smash Bros has remained essentially the same for three iterations thus far. Although Brawl is undeniably the best of the trio, it’s doubtful that a fourth nearly identical installment will meet with such favorable reactions. If there is to be any sequel, it will have to be a complete disruption and reinvention of the series. Admittedly, if anyone can disrupt Smash Bros to the extent that is needed, it would be Nintendo and its partners – but we’ll have to wait and see.
This review only scratches the surface of all that is Super Smash Bros Brawl, but even if this were all there is, it would still be worth buying. I won’t go into detail on sticker and trophy collection, the Challenges vault, the Events and Stadium contests, and the Stage Builder, but rest assured: it’s impossible to play Brawl without realizing that this game is its developers’ greatest labor of love. The culmination of the past two and a half decades of video gaming is wrapped up in one dual-layer DVD, and its importance cannot be understated.
| Graphics | 9.5 | Painstaking care evident in every character and every stage. |
|---|---|---|
| Sound | 9.9 | To call it merely incredible is almost an insult. Rarely has a game managed to achieve the aural perfection found in Brawl. |
| Experience | 9.0 | More of the same, with a handful of gameplay enhancements and a plethora of new challenges and modes. |
| Lasting Value | 9.3 | Perhaps infinite replay value when you play it with friends. Not so much if you tend to play alone. |
| Overall: 9.0 (Not an average) | ||
