Kotaku
Back in 1999, Nintendo released Super Smash Bros. for the Nintendo 64, taking their most popular characters and dropping them into a simplistic fighting game that captured the hearts of millions of gamers around the world. Its sequel, Super Smash Bros. Melee, was the best-selling title in the entire GameCube library, so you can see why Super Smash Bros. Brawl has a lot to live up to. The game is bigger, with more characters, more stages, and star cameos from a few non-Nintendo properties like Sonic the Hedgehog and Solid Snake, but does it live up to the legacy of its predecessors?
The results are plain as red and blue.
Loved:
* Tons of Characters: Impressive from the get go, once you've unlocked all of the characters that Super Smash Bros. Brawl has to offer you'll have one of the greatest assemblages of video game legends of all time at your disposal.
* Excellent Music: The musical talent assembled for the game reads like a who's who of famous Japanese game composers. Akihiro Honda, Koji Kondo, Yoko Shimomura - the soundtrack alone is worth the $50 price tag.
* Their Level Design, Your Level Design: As always, Masahiro Sakurai and his team have done an excellent job of creating fighting game levels that incorporate the elements of classic games. Rather than just being backdrops, the level you are fighting can determine how you play. Don't agree? Then see if you can do better, using the relatively simplistic level editor to create and share your own levels with your friends.
* Pretty Graphics: Some of these characters have never looked quite as good as they do in Brawl. Nothing too complex, but pretty enough while still maintaining a blazing frame rate.
* Extra, Extra: The game is filed to the brim with extra bits of fan service goodness. Trophies, game demos, music, and even a history of Nintendo game releases current as of December.
* Finally Online: Despite some issues with lag, online fighting via Nintendo WiFi is a dream come true for fans of the series. Extremely fun, while still quick enough to grab yourself a quick match before heading off to work or school. Potentially dangerously addictive. Even while not playing, I could watch Spectator Mode for hours.
Hated
* Wii Controls: If you don't own a GameCube controller, now is a good time to pick one up. Brawl just feels unnatural when played with the Wiimote/nunchuk combo, and the classic controller is too sensitive, which screws up jumping. It's odd when what could be the best game on the console does little to take advantage of the console's main selling point.
* Online Lag: A good quarter of the online matches I've participated in so far have suffered from extreme, stuttering lag, while a few times I had the game freeze in mid-bout and kick me out of the match. Even with a good group, the frame rate still suffers from time to time. Hopefully this is an area Nintendo can improve upon in future updates.
* Adventure Mode: Excellent cut scenes wrapped around 8 hours of poorly implemented platforming with repetitive enemies and some odd design choices. Remember the lesson of Tekken 5 - platforming and fighting game controls don't mix. The plus side? You don't have to play it to unlock characters - it's just a bit faster.
* Friend Codes: Screw the Friend Code system. Enough said.
Despite a few flaws, Super Smash Bros. Brawl is the best thing the Nintendo Wii has going for it right now. With addictive multiplayer, tons of collecting to do, the ability to create your own levels and share them with friends, Brawl isn't just a game that will sit in your Wii for months, it's a game you'll actually play for months, if not longer.
Super Smash Bros. Brawl improves upon its predecessors in every way imaginable - a truly worthy successor to the Nintendo fighting throne.
Super Smash Bros. Brawl, developed by Sora, published by Nintendo, released March 9, for $50. Available on Nintendo Wii, story mode and several characters in solo mode played to completion. All characters unlocked except Wolf.
Comments
Wheres the Official European release date for this Nintendo?
Oh never mind, Datel got me sorted...
/agree
It will come out in Europe one day. I hope. PLEASE NINTENDO.
Could not agree more with you, but I am having a blast playing Adventure mode. I kinda wanna ask, can we have a friend code exchange in the comments?
I haven't noticed any lag online yet, granted I've been playing with friends only.
honestly didnt really mind adventure mode but I would have LOVED it if you were fighting game enimies insted of these new things, whatever the hell they are. And I wish it was more like Melee where each level was a different game.
While I only experimented with it for a few minutes, I found the level creator to be under-developed and lacking in building materials. I know there are some unlockable set pieces, but I'm still a bit disappointed. I really wanted to recreate some NES classic stages - other than the ones thankfully included.
Friend Codes are the worst thing to hit gaming this generation.
Just got my copy at Costco for 43.99 :D I hope the lag issues are resolved and not just crappy netcode.
Friend codes need to go the way of the dodo. We're not going to like them anytime soon, Nintendo, you can stop trying...
An excellent review, Mr. Fahey. Good to hear that the game lived up to the massive amounts of hype leading up to its release. I'll have to pick it up one of these days...when I am able to finally trim down the absurd backlog of games still awaiting me. On a related note, I'm enjoying the new review system and look forward to you guys putting out more of this sort of content down the road.
w00t! a Wii game that is playable! [heh as long as you use the previous gens controller]
I do enjoy the single player campain...
And go in the option, the classic controller work fine. Just change the default setting. (Like up that trigger the jump, silly)
But I agree with the friend code thing. The 360 is years, if not decade ahead of nintendo on online multiplayer.
again love the review format.
and couldn't be more right about the controls
good review.
is subspace emissionary worse than Melees adventure mode? I loved it
I live in the UK...
I hate you all.
@Gas Powered Goose: Friend Codes are now part of your commenter bio. You can add it there for all to see.
Sora? I thought it was developed by GameArts!
I'm definitely going to have to snag myself a region free disc and import this bad motherfucker.
woohoo!
I mostly agree with the review. But I would like to see a number, you know? No review is complete without an actual score.
Me? I give it 9/10
I picked mine up an hour ago and havnt played it yet, This may shock some, but I am playing Saints Row and love it. I will get to SSBB sometime tonight, but I am not going crazy over it. I did spend a good 5 years playing the N64 and GCN games, so I can wait.
Maybe a Friend Code exchange post is in order soon....
A quarter of your matches had lag? ALL of mine had it. With one friend, ONE friend, in the same timezone, the game would seize at most of the control inputs I put in. In the With Anyone online component, no one could be found for me to fight, apparently, as no one connected in the two times I tried.
Could there just be something wrong on my end? Or is it everyone who's having this sort of trouble?
my review copy is now safely on it's way via courier.
nice! because i'm just starting to get excited again!
I think it does live up to the others just on the shear scale of it all. I still can't believe that Mario and Sonic are in a game where they can beat the crap out of each other! (The Olympic game doesn't count) I remember the heated playground debates on who was the better character. This is the game I got the Wii for and so far it's worth it. And now I can go online and flap jack some bitches with Mr. Game & Watch.
@vanderblade: Totally agree, while it wasn't a huge point I expected something a bit more user friendly in the stage creator. Hopefully somebody will write a web widget or something that lets you do it on your computer and create a useable file on an SD card, if not I just won't be creating many stages.
@Diraan: word
The Friend Code System is absolute suck!!
@Diraan: and the Wii.
@DaiMacculate: I didn't even consider that possibility. Here's hoping it somehow finds its way to actuality. Nonetheless, it is better than nothing and does provide at least a minimal amount of flexibility and freshness to the Brawl.
@Vargas: You missed the memo. Scores are dead. ;)
@Gadgetron: Oh no you diddun'...
I think the Wiimote/nunchuck combo works better for me then the gamecube controller. You have to change the controls around a bit, but shaking the Wiimote in the direction you want to smash works very well once you get used to it.
Though if you like to move your hands around alot while playing, it's probably not the best idea.
Just the Wiimote alone though, not good.
@Gadgetron: And annoying Sony fanboys.
@Gadgetron:
and trolls.
I disagree about the Wiimote / nunchuck. At first, yes, it was a huge pain in the butt. I was jumping off ledges because I was mixing up buttons, not blocking or rolling properly, anything. As I worked more and more through the adventure mode (which I didn't mind at all, I guess another thing we disagree on), the controls grew more and more natural to me.
If you have the patience to learn a new control scheme, I don't think it's bad at all.
@Brian Crecente: And we thank you for that.
@Gadgetron: and Gadgetron
(See what I did there?)
Everyone who complains about Frend codes needs to understand why Nintendo uses them.
No one likes them, but since Nintendo strives to be a family oriented business, they cannot allow foul-mouthed teenagers (and/or adults) communicate by voice chat, or be linked with the younger players.
Smash Bros DS! confirm it!
@diablodevil2: Everyone is supposedly having lots of lag trouble and disconnections, so it's likely just rush of way too many players on at once.
I enjoyed the game. That said, for the hype, it was kind of underwhelming - which I guess is unsurprising when a game is hyped this much. Adventure mode is kind of a chore and the standard SSB gameplay is barely touched since the Gamecube title.
But I guess that's what people want...same game with more fanservice. For my money though, this doesn't come close to being as enjoyable as Mario Galaxy when it comes to Wii titles.
Love the game so far. Only had about an hour of SSE... Kinda like it. Better than Adventure Mode in Melee... I'm just playing it to unlock stuff. Well, maybe. You don't have to fight anyone to unlock them in SSE do you?
Maybe I'll do more Brawls to unlock... I do enjoy beating people to unlock 'em. I don't wanna know HOW to do it... I wanna be surprised. But I figure if all else fails... SSE will work.
Oh and I love the Stage Creator. I've only made one stage so far... And its fairly basic with a lot of up and down platforms... But I do so enjoy it.
@Shiryu: I'll be getting it TOMORROW. Fuck you, Nintendo of Europe!
I had a much easier time using just the wii-mote turned sideways than the 'motechuck.
My friend and I put ~4hrs into co-op adventure mode last night.
It was a lot of fun but if you are the second player you are penalized for not being on the screen (1% every second or two) and sometimes you'll just randomly die (crushed?). However, if you do get far enough from player 1 you'll teleport back. This is good in some cases (ie. when you jump into a hole) and not so good in others (when you make it to some tricky spot and then p1 falls.)
Friend Cods are rediculous, as is the lack of REAL communication in game.
Does anyone else find it comical that the 'Biggest' Game on the Wii really can't be enjoyed with Wii controls?
/cough Gamecube 1.5
Friend codes are not the best solution.. but they work.. and let Nintendo out of news like "Wii, the favorite of the pedophiles! See more at 11!" :P
And the Wii+nunchuck control work pretty well.. of course, people who played Melee a lot, are already used to the Game Cube controller.. and it fells more natural to those people..
anyway, good review..
@Mokona: Sorry Friend Codes are shit, there is no excuse.
@Jekht: @Sam: Search for "Brawl freeloader" or similar on eBay, it's about £50