The day we have all been waiting for, is finally here.
Super Smash Bros
started as a budget, Japan only title with an all star cast of Nintendo
Characters. After selling a million copies in Japan they decided to bring it to
the rest of the world and it became one of Nintendo’s hit titles. A sequel was
followed with the Gamecube. Melee introduced more levels, more characters and
better graphics and still managed to keep the classic fighting style that never
got old. Now Nintendo keeps the same tradition going with Brawl on the Wii and
trust me that is a good thing not a bad thing.
The game introduces a
full cast of characters and two, 3rd party characters(Sonic and
Snake) that are thrown into the fighting. Each character has its own unique set
of moves as well as theme music and stage. Classic mode is back and it brings
all the fun that we have enjoyed in previous installments of Smash Bros. Along
with Classic mode, a new story is introduced that takes players deep into the
world of Smash Bros.
The story first starts
off with Mario and Kirby at a standoff inside a stadium. As the player you can
choose who you want to play but are limited to the only characters that are on
screen for certain event. Once the match is over a dark cloud appears and are
thrown into battle. As you go on through the story mode you will encounter new
friends and characters as well as unlock most of the characters that you will
use later on in Multiplayer or Classic Mode. As the story mode progresses you
will fight countless battles and collect various trophies, music, and Assist
trophies. Fighting can be interesting at times but no matter how much fighting
is going on you barely get to fight anyone from the smash bros cast. Even
enemies who are out to hunt you like Bowser, Ganondorf, Wario and King DeDeDe
will not face off against you. You will however face off against some dark
versions of themselves.
At the most the most
epic fight in adventure mode besides the final boss is the fight between: Link
and Yoshi VS Mario and Pit. Link is my favorite all time character besides
Kirby and fighting and defeating him killed me a bit inside. All the characters
are introduced and match perfectly with the story line. Even Snake from the
Metal Gear Solid series makes an appearance and a funny one may I add. The
story in Brawl could probably be by far one of the best stories ever told. You
will be awed and into the story that you will not want to stop playing until you
beat the game.
While the story may be
awesome, it does get repetitive at times. Especially in the end when you are
about to finish the game. On top of that some enemies are annoying as well
since they follow you until you move to another scene or kill them. It is
understandable that the game is suppose to be challenging but at times when
they all attack you at the same time it will get you angry no matter how
understandable you are.
Brawl is all about team
work on both story and classic mode. While teamwork may not be on your side it
is on the enemies you fight. In classic mode most of the matches will feature
some type of team effort for example: team Bowser or Donkey Kong and Diddy
Kong, Mario and Luigi, Link and Zelda, etc. Just like in classic mode you can unlock
secret characters once you beat the game and met certain requirements. At the
end of classic mode you will face off against that secret character and you
must win if you wish to play or unlock him/her. If you lose then you must start
over from the beginning. As well as classic the game features: Break the
Target, Homerun contest, training co-op events and stadium all which add to the
list of what to do in Smash Bros Brawl.
Each character has their
unique movement, as well as status. A heavy character may move slowly but their
attack power is greater than that of a light character. However, there is a
trade off just like in any other fighting game. Power for speed or speed for
power, you can choose one or the other. Or you can choose a middle weight
character like Link, Mario, Yoshi, Zelda, Pit, etc. On top of that each
character has their special Smash attack in which depending on the character
can have a one hit KO, can easily be dodged or it’s just completely worthless.
However, the smash power is not used on both story and classic mode. It is only
used on the Multiplayer part of the game from what I’ve seen. Having a smash
ball is not the only time where a player can get a one hit KO, you can also get
Kirby’s glider, get a strong Pokémon, or come up with a strategy that will get
your opponent to the ledge and force him to fall off without recovery.
The soundtracks in all
Smash Bros games have always been a mixed of the current soundtrack that is
featured on every game. Brawl features a full soundtrack that is not only one
of the best soundtracks in a game but also the most enjoyable. As I’m typing
this I am looking for the Official Brawl soundtrack online….. It appears that
it’s not available yet. As you progress through the game you can unlock more
songs and even pick the ones you want played on the options menu. Not only does
it feature a great soundtrack but it also has some stunning sound effects that
will make your gaming experience even more enjoyable. The characters still don’t
talk throughout the game, not even Snake who is a big talker throughout the
Metal Gear Series. All the talking there is in the game is when fighting and
the characters are doing his or her battle cry.
The Graphics in Smash
Bros shows that the Wii is capable of some amazing graphics. The environments and
characters all have great detail and can be easily seen that it is a major
upgrade from Melee. The game runs smoothly and the only lag there is, is the
loading screen in the beginning when you first start up your game and on
classic mode when you are about to start a match which takes anywhere between 5
to 15 seconds but this Is just a minor draw back compared to other games that
take forever to load.. The Levels are so huge and interactive that you can lose
yourself while playing. At times I thought that I was dead when in reality I
was still standing and the opponent was the one who was knocked out. Also I did
not know where I was until the stage cleared up but at that time it was already
too late because I fell to my death. Other than losing myself I really have no
complaints on the graphics department. If anything these could be the best
graphics on the Wii game until Factor 5 release their own game on the Wii. Each
level has its own unique style and at times you will lose track of your
character just to appreciate what is going on in the background. Just like
previous installments of the game each level is based off a game. Each
character seems to have their own level which is unique in a way.
Controlling a character
using the Wii-mote can take a lot of practice and getting used to. However it
is not difficult to master and you can also use the Classic controller and the
gamecube controller. Brawl does not use the Wii’s innovative motion control
which can be a good thing because you are not forced to point and click or
shake the Wii-mote in a certain way. This goes to show that even Nintendo can
choose not to use the motion sensor on the Wii.
There is so much to do
in Smash Bros Brawl that you can spend an entire day and still not have
unlocked everything. Even if you do you still need to go online and test your
skills against your friends or other opponents. Brawl is a game that you will
continue to play on and on without tiring. Wi-Fi can be a bit slow at times and
on a rare occasion the game can freeze for a couple of minutes. Unless you want
to turn it off and start over you can but the game can fix itself and continue.
You can also take snapshots of any scene or create a level and share it with
your friends via Wi-Fi. All these are just extra features that are there, but I’m
sure not a lot of people would use but then again I could be wrong.
Closing Comments:
Absolutely the best game on the Wii. If you’ve
played Smash Bros in the past you will know that it is a great game, if you
haven’t then what are you waiting for. This game is a must buy for anyone that
has a Wii.
Story: An Epic story that will have you at the edge
of your seat as well as the good old classic mode. 10/10
Game Play: Mixes the old with the new and makes it
all look new. 9/10
Graphics/Sound: An absolutely great soundtrack.
Probably one of the best looking titles on the Wii so far. 10/10
Controls: Choose your controller and start kicking
ass. 10/10
Life Span: There’s always something to do. This
title will be played for years to come. Wi-Fi is also a nice addition but lags
at time at the moment. 10/10
