Review :: Super Smash Bros. Brawl

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March 11th, 2008 posted by Link in Reviews, Wii

After a six-year haitus, Smash Bros. is back and better than ever.

Easily the most highly anticipated Wii game since the console’s launch, Brawl is much more of an evolution of the original Super Smash Bros. than Melee. It boasts tons of new multiplayer modifiers, online play, strategic items, and more collectibles than you can wrap your head around. None of this would matter if the core gameplay was sacrificed along the way, but it’s obvious that Nintendo took their time tweaking every little element. The characters are much more balanced this time around, and even though it only adds ten to the roster count, they feel much more different from each other than in any of the previous games. The production value is off the charts: it features one of the best soundtracks in any game ever composed by literally dozens of industry geniuses, tons of levels, polished graphics, minimal loading times, and great blend of action and comedy in everything it does. Nintendo took longer to make this game than any of the other Smash Bros, and it really shows.

Melee fans will be glad to hear that the game is fully compatible with the Gamecube controller. New players will be disappointed to hear that the game is difficult to play if you use anything other than the Gamecube controller. The game is by no means unplayable if you use the other control schemes, but I’ve found that unless everyone playing uses the same type of controller, the person with the Gamecube controller always ends up doing better. It’s just a lot easier to use. Try them as you wish, as this is purely a matter of personal preference, but I wouldn’t sell all your ‘cube accessories just yet.

Multiplayer is where the series shines. Because the game is so much more balanced this time around, you’ll find players constantly switching characters. There are no longer one or two “good” characters amidst a slew of mediocre ones. Rather, all the characters are different enough that each one plays very differently. The differences between attack range, speed, power, and special attacks are magnified more than ever. The levels are much more interesting than before and many of them have clever events that directly interfere with gameplay. Another cool addition is the “Smash Ball,” an item that allows anyone who gets it to perform a devastating attack. It makes the gameplay all the more frantic as players stop everything and rush to get it first every time it appears. The Smash Ball briefly pauses the action but integrates well into the flow of the game. Brawl is different enough from Melee to move the series forward, but at the same time familiar enough for fans to easily grasp.

The biggest complaint I have with Brawl is the new single player mode. The “Subspace Emissary” story was ambitious in scope but largely incoherent in execution. The game’s many characters encounter each other in somewhat random ways, and no explanation is ever given for what’s going on. For example, at one point in the game, the Ice Climbers race Meta Knight to the summit of Icicle Mountain, where they meet Lucario. They fight, and then they all jump onto the Halbird where they meet up with Snake, who happens to be hiding under a box in one of the ship’s corridors. All of this happens with literally no story progression. You’re never told why the characters are where they are or why they’re doing what they’re doing. I think it’s cool that Snake is in Smash Bros, but if they were going to try to introduce him into a story involving a ton of Nintendo characters they should at least explain what’s going on. Perhaps more importantly, the gameplay gets dull about an hour in. The levels are extremely similar and the only variation to the formula is when you control a new character. Perhaps knowing WHY you’re running into a bunch of ancient ruins or WHY you’re fighting enemies who look like they’re ripped straight from Kingdom Hearts would have added some incentive to the package. The CG cutscenes look pretty, but pretty looking poo still smells. Subspace Emissary had potential to be interesting and it’s a shame that it has so many loose ends.

In the end, Smash Bros. is all about the multiplayer, and Brawl delivers. This is a game that belongs in every Wii owner’s library.