Super Smash Bros. Brawl

Brawl is a Smash Hit

When Nintendo brought out Super Smash Bros. for the Nintendo 64 back in 1999, it was a neat idea, but more of a novelty then anything else. Two entries later, and this is a hit series that's just reaching it's stride. With a ton of characters, both old and new, stages that are a blast to play, the long and fun Subspace Emissary mode, a simple stage editor and even online play, this is easily the best Smash entry yet. It's also an early contender for 2008 Game of the Year.

The first thing you notice when you fire it up is that it takes very little advantage of the Wii's unique controls. Betasim played exclusively with the Wii remote and nunchuck, but the only Wii-specific benefit it provides is a motion-based smash attack. Even the menus, which would be perfect for the Wii remote, don't use the remote's motion sensitivity for selecting things - you still use the nunchuck's analog stick. The game plays fine this way, but it's obvious that it's built for a more conventional controller, like the Wavebird. Another thing you'll notice is that the game controls almost exactly like Melee for the Gamecube. If you use a 'Cube controller, it is exactly the same. This isn't a bad thing, since it works perfectly fine, but it could have been a little more tweaked for the Wii.

Once you're actually playing, you'll find there's quite a few characters on the fighter selection screen that weren't there last time around. Fighters like King Dedede from Kirby, the Pokémon Trainer (don't call him Ash) from Pokémon, and Captain Olimar from Pikmin among them. Pretty much each of them has a very unique style, particularly the Pokémon trainer and Olimar. Olimar relies on his Pikmin that he can pick at any time for fighting, and the Pokémon trainer himself is invincible, being in the background during the match, tossing one of three Pokeballs (Charizard, Squirtle or Ivysaur) into the fray at any given time. Unlockables include the devastating Solid Snake, Mario's little bro Luigi, and Sonic the Hedgehog, who is a surprisingly fun and active character.

Powered by Bravenet.com