JBond007's Reviews: Super Smash Bros Brawl

[JBond007]

I quite enjoy writing reviews, but have never really had the time to sit down and write them, until now!

I will just start my review by saying that a Wii = SSBB. If you own a Wii, you must have this game to go with it. When someone asks me what the game is about, I struggle to give an answer. All I can say is "Lots of Nintendo characters beating the crap out of each other!"

But that statement doesn't do the game justice. Yes you have lots of Ninty characters beating the crap out of each other, but there is so much more to it. The unlockables are enormous in number, from characters, to stages and music. You have so much to collect, with hundreds of trophies and stickers to gather whilst playing through the game. There are also a variety of game modes which allow you to play more in order to beat your previous score (see Break the targets and Homerun contest)

Now I wouldn't go so far as to say I'm a Nintendo fanboy. Yes, I have many of their consoles, but this is only because I prefer the games on offer to those on a Playstation or Xbox. And when you have a game which combines all of the Ninty elements that you've grown to love, you're on to a winner. Characters new and old all in one game with original music and stages based on the games. The trophies, such a simple element of the game, allow you to delve into the history of Nintendo and possibly reveal things you didn't know already.

Anyway, let's move on to the game modes. Classic mode from the previous entries remains. This allows you to battle through a number of stages, facing a number of different characters, some with different characteristics, for instance they could be extra big, or turned into metal to make the job much harder. There are 5 different difficulties. All Star mode also returns, where you have to beat all of the game’s characters with one life and with limited health boosts.

Now we move onto the adventure mode, now more commonly known as Subspace Emmisary (SSE). Gone is the adventure mode of Melee, which I didn’t like the news of to begin with. But then as I learnt they’d incorporated the old features of adventure mode plus loads more into the SSE, they were soon forgiven. You follow the levels around a map, gradually building up a story. The nice additions are that you can unlock characters easily through this mode and gather trophies. You occasionally meet bosses; usually one’s from old Nintendo games. With around 10 hours plus of gameplay, with the length of some games nowadays, you could mistake this as a standalone game. The fact it is part of a game with so much more to offer, makes it all the better.

Also, unlike previous SSB games, an online mode has been included. This is a feature that many have been waiting for, since Nintendo never really developed the Gamecube’s online features, thus SSBM was strictly for you and your friends who happened to visit. But now, when (more like if!) you get bored of the single player, you then have so many more possibilities by playing against people from all over the world. Especially handy on this forum, to really decide who is the best Brawler.

Downsides of the game? There are a few, and this is with me being picky. There are some Melee stages on offer, some of which need to be unlocked. However, I think all of them could have been included, unless it was a matter of not enough space. Also, I would have liked to have seen some of the characters included replaced with better ones. But that’s my own opinion, and some people would beg to differ. However characters like Ness and Lucas are from game’s never released in the UK, and with the time between the Japanese and European releases, they could have easily been replaced by other, more familiar characters, like Dry Bones, or Waluigi (although it took 3 games to get Wario and third party characters included at long last, so I best not complain!)

Now a quick rundown of the key features:

Graphics: For the Wii’s standard, the graphics are pretty good, second only to Mario Galaxy. Nothing more to be said – 92%

Audio: Probably the best soundtrack you will hear in a game (unless we have another SSB). The opening song says it all. Old classics from Nintendo’s back catalogue are in place, and can be played on stages related to the game they featured in. The only way they could improve is to add more songs – 100%

Game Modes: Classic Mode and Adventure Mode have already been discussed above. Classic mode can get a bit tedious when you have to complete it with 34 characters, to say you’ve fully completed the game. However the SSE more than makes up for this. Events, Training, and Stadium Modes all add to the game as well. All Star mode also returns from Melee – 96%

Innovation: Classic mode is practically the same to Melee as are the basic brawling system. However, the inclusion of a completely new feature, ie. SSE, massively boosts this score – 80%

Replay Value: The most important factor for me when buying a game, can I return to playing it again and again. Well although not having the game for long, going by past experience with Melee, this game will last you for ages. Of course, some people will not understand what all the fuss is about, but if you love this game, it will last for months, if not years. Not only is there a 10 hour single player game to make your way through, there’s also Classic and All Star mode to complete with all 34 characters (you get a trophy for each character you complete each mode with). The challenges feature will keep you going as well. If you are like me, you won’t want to stop until you’ve got all of the trophies, so completing all of the events, challenges and completing the game modes with every character will mean you’re most of the way there. Replaying of SSE is crucial as some trophies can only be found there – 100%

Overall thoughts: If you have liked previous SSB games, you will know what to expect and have probably already got this game. If you have been drawn in by the hype, give in and buy the game. Some have decided it is like a Marmite game; you either love it or hate it. If the former, you will be playing this game for months to come. If the latter, return it and speak nothing more of it, and carry on with your Mario Karting!

Overall Rating: 95%

[FooFan]

Excellent review JB!

Pretty much sums up my thoughts for the game as well.

It's probably worth mentioning that the online play is not as good a service as MK. It's still one of the best available on the Wii, but certain things let it down and all players require a good connection to have a lag free game.

That said, it's still a game that people will be playing online until the Wii's death!

Awesome game, but as we've seen on the forum, if it's not your kind of game, it won't turn you!

[Ricksta7]

Cracking review 007! sounds like a really good game, I think I am the only one on WiiTalk not to own it Although you make it sounds very very tempting and if it was not for my limit Wii time at present I would go out and buy it today

[<mojo>]

I don't know what it is that i'm missing in this game . It seems that everyone and their dog love this game but I can't bear to play it for more than 5 minutes !

Oh Ricksta ...Fancy a trade ? See sig if yer do

[Ricksta7]

That's like me Mojo. I was unsure If I fancey it... I mean I like Tekken and Street fighter games and that, but Just feel I would be in the same boat as you. I would either play it twice and think.... Oh well. Back to Pro Evo / Resi Evil lol.

[ynneBenny]

Good review there JB!! When I got the game way back in March, I thought - what is all the fuss about? After playing the SSE and unlocking more characters I still wasn't convinced. It wasn't until I played 4 player with some mates for around 5 hours that the fun factor set in. Once you have an understanding of how the moves work, combos, smash attacks and using items and the Smash Ball special moves - imo, it is is a great game!

When that smash ball appears and everyone suddenly starts chasing it - that makes me laugh! Also I've grown addicted to the coin launcher lol! But in order to get coins you have to play Brawls (online or off line), complete classic, all star, boss battles etc. Finishing SSE gives you a good amount of coins, and revisiting levels helps. I had 9999 coins on my NTSC copy lol!! But then there was over 60 hours of play time on there and over 500 brawls played.

[sherlockisback]

I just do not have the patience for this particular game. I never got into the series and played this once. I found it fun to play with friends, but I never thought about dropping $50 on it when there are other games coming soon that tickle me more *cough*Madden*cough*.

It seems like its a fun one, but considering how much time I've spent, or rather, haven't spent, on the Wii lately, spending $50 on a game I may or may not replay often just doesn't seem practical to me.

[JBond007]

Originally Posted by ynneBenny

Once you have an understanding of how the moves work, combos, smash attacks and using items and the Smash Ball special moves - imo, it is is a great game!

Also I've grown addicted to the coin launcher lol!

My friends were a bit overwhelmed to say the least when they first played it. I knew this would be the case, but I also knew that the only way to learn how to play is to play loads of brawls until you've mastered what all of the items and buttons do. In a couple of hours, they were getting into it and starting to give me a run for my money (although I did win more than anyone )

As for the coin launcher, I could spend ages on that if it wasn't for the limited coins you have to play with. There's nothing better than not playing it for a while, and then coming back and seeing 1000+ coins to play with. Then you just have to sit back and win those trophies!

Btw, thanks for the kind comments. Hopefully, I will get around to writing more reviews soon. Watch this space!

[J-Monkey XD]

Great review really detailed and concise

Rick go out and buy it! You donb't know what your missing

[dappleyard]

i want this game!!!!! but im broke atm ...to many family birthdays in a row and my brothers still to come