Super Smash Bros Brawl - Ness seems to be getting quite angry... SUPER SMASH!
The Nintendo franchise has been blossoming and expanding its fanbase at an alarming rate and the Smash Bros. series has been a great way to showcase this. The idea is simple; characters from different worlds duke it out under one massive roof in order to be the champion, a title that is arguably one of the most anticipated multiplayer titles in gaming. With a roster that includes characters from the Mario, Pokemon and Zelda series to name but a few, you can see the impact it had throughout, especially with its Gamecube outing, Smash Bros. Melee, taking the concept of revamping to a whole new level. It built upon the rather rough Smash Brothers’ first outing on the N64 with a dazzling bright visual, an updated multiplayer and one player modes, challenges, events and a great line up of characters. Would the Wii version of Smash Bros. Brawl continue climbing the uphill curve of quality? We also have to take into account the fact that this monster of a title had taken so long till release, the date shifting backwards and forwards throughout the year. Would it be really worth the wait?
The first thing that strikes you is the graphics: they look absolutely marvellous, especially on the characters as well as the many different levels available, incorporating both old and new. The Lylat cruise level from the Starfox series is a great example of this, as the simple platform takes you on a journey through levels from the N64 outing Lylat wars, displaying beautifully dynamic backgrounds of flying Arwings, constellations and meteors. All franchises have their very own world, including Fire Emblem that takes you through the castle during battle, even to seeing the fire arrows and cannonballs whiz past in the backdrop. Each new level has great added features such as being able to destroy certain parts, or the background influencing the players either by giving items or characters in the backdrop launching their own attacks. There is also the Level designer feature, a much anticipated concept from the previous titles, which can be shared with others. Along with this and new items and characters from the past two titles, there’s a whole lot more to think about when battling.
Super Smash Bros Brawl - Samus lets it all out
There is a whole plethora of characters and levels to unlock by completing various events and one player challenges. The roster boasts an impressive 35 characters, which gives a good mix of different franchises. The only fault in this is that some characters share very similar movesets, but in general they all seem to have more balanced stats than in the previous games, giving equal opportunities to every player. The regular characters are back and visually enhanced like Mario, Yoshi and Peach from the Mario series to Zelda and Link in the Zelda series. There’s a mixture of both surprises and expected unlockables to be had, which makes it a great lasting game. Another great feature that Brawl has included is the use of the Final Smash: an orb that allows each character to perform their own signature move, dishing out some devastating power. There is also tactics to be used when harnessing this great power: rather than just deploying the attack, characters have to either have a close proximity to other players, or you may have to be in a direct line for the attack to land. There’s also a mad rush when the Final Smash orb swoops in on he screen: players fight amongst each other to break it open, so it takes a great effort to land the final attack and line up the move.
However, the best feature arguably has to be the Subspace Emissary: a great story mode that can be either single player or two players for co-operative play, much like Streets of Rage for the Megadrive. This is a great addition as two players can work together to figure out puzzles, traps and fight bosses both new and recognised from all of the different franchises. The storyline boasts a huge amount of levels and different scenarios due to the choices you make throughout the game, linking all of the characters together rather impressively. The beginning depicts a stadium in the midst of battle, where it is interrupted by the enemy, several dark creatures plotting to destroy the arena. You decide who is saved and who is defeated, and the plot thickens with some nice surprises along the way. It’ll take quite a long time to complete but the levels are so varied and challenging, from battles in the sky to barrel blasting across jungles and tripping across conveyor belts that it won’t really be a hassle to finish, although some puzzles can be quite hard to follow, such as some doors refusing to open until all creatures on the screen are defeated. It’s a refreshing change from the classic Smash Bros formula and is graphically superb.
Super Smash Bros Brawl - C4 Snake
Another great concept in Smash Brothers Brawl is the online play, allowing you to challenge anyone from around the world: there’s a multiplayer opportunity waiting for you at any time of the day! The only issue with this is the anonymity for main online play: you’ll only have the name of your character displayed if you don’t play with registered friends, and no specific online records of your wins and losses will be kept, which is a great shame. A nice redeeming factor is the chance to view other people’s battles and even bet coins on the victors if you’d prefer to take a backseat and simply watch all sorts of players battle.
Even if you don’t want to duke it out, there is still plenty to do. Like the Gamecube title, Super Smash Bros. Melee, you can take part in several events such as the Homerun Contest, whereby you hit a sandbag across a track by accumulating damage and smashing it with the home run bat within a tight10 seconds of play to hitting targets in the quickest time. Brawl also allows you to play co-operatively with one other player, which makes you rethink your tactics for a much faster time. Like Melee, there is also the collectable element to the game by picking up trophies and now stickers from all the franchises to rearrange and take photos of in the gallery. Coins can win all sorts of trophies and stickers in the launcher game, which harks back to the old shooter pinball-esque titles.
The gameplay and value of this game is incredible, especially for a game in the beat em up genre. There is something to do for everyone and was certainly worth the wait.
