|
This is a Super Smash Bros: Brawl Review by Jack.
Search for Super Smash Bros: Brawl (Wii) at the Game Addiction Store (Click Here).
Well, here it is. The game many people have been waiting anxiously for years now. We’ve seen amazing Gameplay videos, outstanding screen shots, surprising information, and new characters revealed. Does it measure up to the hype? Will it live up to the public’s expectations? You’re about to find out. This is the review of Super Smash Brothers Brawl. Ready…go!
Nintendo
Released 2008
Number of players: 1-4 (WiFi enabled)
Graphics:
The graphics are most definitely a step up from the previous installment in the Smash series. Characters are crisp, the scenery on stages is outstanding, and many other small things that make a difference. Everything from explosions to fireballs will look great…for the Wii. Most of the characters look is improved. The most noticeable is Link and Mario; they look magnificently detailed in Brawl. The graphics are good for the Wii, and I have no complaints about the graphics here. I give the graphics a:
9/10
Sound:
The sound has been redesigned almost completely for the game. Smashes and hits are more deep and pungent. The sound effects from the items aren’t too shabby either, nothing really to rave about though. The most noticeable detail about the sound is most definitely the music composition. It takes our best loved themes from Nintendo, puts a modern twist, and delivers it perfectly; everything from Zelda to Mario, Metroid to Metal Gear Solid, and Pikmin to Fire Emblem. It’s an orgasm for your ears. I give the sound a:
9.5/10
Gameplay:
Ah, yes. This is where Brawl shines the brightest. The ever-adored chaotic Gameplay of Super Smash Brothers. You have your choice of fighters from a multitude of various Nintendo franchises and games (even a few not owned by Nintendo!). You can choose to play a timed match or a stock match. Time includes keeping score and the player with the highest points (based on the deaths of each character) wins. Stocks, however, are a set amount of lives for each character and the last man (or woman, or thing) standing is victorious. You can edit options in the main menu to make for very odd brawls. Such customizable games include playing as metal the whole time, super speed, slow motion, giant characters, and much, much more. The items are back and wackier than ever. You’ll find veteran items (such as the crate, home-run bat, and beam sword) back in the game as well as many new editions such as the smart bomb, volleyball, and the fabled smash ball. The smash ball is a means for each character to unleash a sort of “super” attack. This ball doesn’t come easy, though. You have to bang it around to break it and receive the power inside. Once embraced though, pressing the B-button (or whichever button accommodates the special move button, depending on your control setup) will unleash a massive attack, normally killing people on the spot. An example of this phenomenon would be Mario’s final smash, in which he blasts a wall of spinning fireballs towards the enemy and once enveloped in the fire, there’s no hope. They each have their own strategy, so use them to your advantage! Aside from the mindless Brawling modes, there lays an adventure mode called “The Subspace Emissary”. An evil force threatens the world and peculiar looking bombs are sucking in regions of the planet one after another. It’s up to Mario, Link, Yoshi, Peach…um, Donkey Kong, and well, every character in the game to join forces and stop the menacing threat from swallowing everything into oblivion. The levels are usually very simple. It’s a whole lot of platforming, platforming, and even more platforming, with the occasional boss thrown in. The cut-scenes are interesting though. Seeing the Smash characters in high resolution cinematics is quite a site. Through your trials in SSE, you will unlock every character in the game by the time you are finished. Throughout the story you’ll see newcomers and veterans of the Smash series alike. Some of the new characters are Ike (from the Fire Emblem series), King Dedede (from the Kirby series), and Diddy Kong (from the Donkey series). You want to know the other characters? Well, you’ll just have to play through and find out. As with various Brawl modes and SSE, you’ll also find that there is now an online mode playable through WiFi connection. Matches can be laggy and frustrating a lot of the time, but for the most part, it plays well. There’s nothing really to say about it other than that. The game also sports an event mode in which you complete certain tasks (some are crazy and whacked out) and you’ll earn trophies, levels, and the like. Brawl is such a massive game; I can’t believe I managed to cover just about everything (the other modes you’ll just have to play through to find out). The Gameplay is solid with no noticeable flaws. I give the Gameplay a:
10/10
Difficulty:
Well, this really depends on what level of difficulty you’re playing on. You’ll face no challenge if you play with CPU’s on or below level three, average CPU’s from 4-6, and they get tougher as you progress even higher. SSE isn’t that difficult. Again, it varies with the level you play it on. Playing SSE on intense? Yeah, that’s tough. There’s not much I can describe about the difficulty here. The higher the number, the more difficult it is:
7/10
Replay Value:
This is what Brawl is all about. You’ll always find yourself entertained and wanting to play this game for years to come. Brawl hardly ever gets boring and you’ll almost always have something to do with the game. You’ll be playing through events, getting more trophies, stickers (which are trophies), getting assist trophies (which are just characters who appear to aid you, kind of like pokemon), and much more. I give the replay value a:
10/10
Overall:
The game lived up to the hype, guys and gals. It did everything Melee did and still made it seem fresh with new music, new characters, old and new stages, new features, and a totally new adventure mode. It excels in every aspect and never ceases to be entertaining. I’ll be playing this game for a long, long time. Call me biased, call me a quack, but this is the best game I’ve ever played. On this day of Sunday, March 30, 2008, I hereby grant this game the honorary perfection award, for its outstanding achievements in the field of videogame technology. A:
10/10 |
