Super SmashBros: Brawl for Nintendo Wii

What is Super Smash Bros Brawl?

Super Smash Brothers is a conglomerate anime-platforming fighting game featuring Nintendo's mascots from the various video games they've been making since the 1980's. Similar to most other fighting games you may be aware of – like Street Fighter or Mortal Kombat – there is a huge character roster which allows you to choose a character you may or may not be familiar with and fight other players who are using their own characters.
SSB Brawl for the Wii is the second sequel to the first SSB which was released almost 9 years ago on the Nintendo's Ultra 64 console – followed by SSB: Melee on the Gamecube in 2001.

The gameplay is fairly straightforward: you must use the Nintendo's controller to fight the other characters by attacking them, guarding against their attacks and utilizing your environment to help your attacks have greater impact.
Considering the fact that the Nintendo Wii's control design is specifically motion based via use of the Wiimote and the Nunchuck, I wondered how Super Smash Brothers: Brawl would handle, considering the Wii has failed to impress me with its other fighting games, such as Mortal Kombat Armageddon. Fortunately, the Wii allows players up to 4 different control schemes in order to satisfy everyone.

Fighting on the Wii in this game allows up to 4 players to duke it out.
The goal is to knock enemies out of the arena with offensive, high energy, "smash" attacks. The amount of damage each character has sustained is measured by a percentage meter, and the higher this percentage is, the farther he or she will fly when hit. Battles are fast-paced, highly-kinetic, and fun for the current grade of kids who have been steadily vegging out on epileptic seizure inducing Japanese "anime" cartoons and their related video games.


CONTROL

The first control scheme makes use of the Wiimote and Nunchuck. There are basically only two attack buttons (one for normal offensive attacks and the other for special moves). Depending on which way you tilt your control stick when you hit them, they can produce a wide array of effects that include the "smash" attacks. A gamer may opt to disconnect the Nunchuck and use the Wiimote alone since the Wiimote on its horizontal axis is very similar to the original NES controller with the exception of its bulk.

A gamer may also opt to use the Gamecube controller they inherited from their days they spent playing SSB: Melee. Most likely, these controllers are just taking up space in a closet so rather than leave them in the dark, all you need to do is flip open the Wii's dorsal port and you can plug in up to 4 GC controllers. If you don't have a Gamecube, you can opt to go to your local game store and get a GC controller, or you can buy the Wii Classic control pad ($20)

The Smash Brothers games have always allowed easy accessibility for young gamers and newcomers alike and its very intriguing to see such flexible controls, however, I haven't gotten used to the free air Wiimote and Nunchuk so I opted for the Gamecube controller which closely resembled the Xbox 360/ PS3 hand grip control I'm used to. The Gamecube controller is small for adult hands so older gamers might be more comfortable with the Wii Classic controller.

The character list is fairly large and contains a wide variety of fighters: 35 in all – with 14 hidden (unlockable) characters that can be accessed with regular play of the game.
Nintendo's mascot, Mario is the most recognizable face, while other characters such as Link (from the Zelda series), Yoshi (from Super Mario World), Samus Aran (from Metroid) and Star Fox's Fox McCloud help bolster the roster. There are even characters from other systems joining such as Sonic the Hedgehog from Sega and even Snake from Konami's Metal Gear Solid (which debuted on the Playstation).


GAME MODES

Though Brawl offers a robust off-line gaming experience, the Nintendo WiFi's online connection was the first segment of the game I was interested in. Playing by yourself isn't as much fun as violating others the world over. First, you must establish a connection with your router or modem to get online. Then you must choose your typical "friend codes" in order to be recognized by friends. The Wii's "Friend codes" are nowhere near as convenient as XBOX Live's gamertags and has become a dreaded part of Wii / Nintendo DS online gaming. Despite their inconveniences, friend codes can be used to unlock features of the game that would normally be inaccessible. Friend matches allow customization of an online match the same way you might customize a local one (something I liked about newer games such as HALO3 and Call of Duty 4) . As an added bonus, you can add in extra local players (people sitting next to you in your room playing at your Wii) – that just isn't possible if you are playing with a stranger.

Latency to the server – or "Lag" as it is called in PC gaming - is normally a problem when gaming online with lower bandwidth internet connections and has been a regular problem when attempting to play fighting games online. A lag of just a few milliseconds can reduce the effectiveness of attacks and blocking tremendously. Fortunately, "Brawl" has a smooth internet code and manages to stay virtually lag free on Cable and especially FIOS – with matches so smooth, they feel as if they are "offline". Therefore, I am certain the majority of this game's pleasures will be offered on the internet.
Having taken plenty of notes from newer Cooperative online games such as Halo3. Brawl allows 2 players to coop play through the singleplayer modes or fight each other - or fight as a team against other players online.

Wiiconnect24, similar to Halo3, allows you to save instant replays of a battle that lasted less than 3 minutes. You can then send these battle data replays to friends via the internet for them to watch. Also, at anytime during gameplay, you may also pause the game and position a camera matrix on the screen to take screenshots that too can be sent to friends online.
If your interested in altering the gameplay, Brawl has an editing mode which allows you to mix and match game backgrounds with music, – as well as the ability to alter arena options such as gravity (allowing you to jump higher) or handicap the player's health/power options. You cannot use these customizations online, but, you can save them to memory and send them to friends just as you would a screenshot.
The Wii hardware is nowhere near as robust as the Xbox360 or the PS3 so these media sharing features are consequently weaker than those featured in Halo3. An SD card only saves so much!


The single player mode this time around is referred to as "Subspace Emissary mode and it is comprised of typical Nintendo platforming – highlighted by cutscenes to advance the story. At face value, its a deeper version of the "adventure mode" offered on the earlier SSB game.
Playing through the game is quite similar to playing through the classic 2D side-scrolling stages of Super Mario World. There are plenty of Nintendo themed items to collect such as "Pokeballs" from the Pokemon series, fire flowers, stickers for the "Trophy case" awards system, and unlockable stages. (You will need an SD-card to save your unlocked awards).

Many of the stages you'll fight through are modeled after the games that the characters themselves come from - Norfair from Metroid is here, Kong Island from the Donkey Kong games is here and more interestingly, a modeled Shadow Moses Island from Metal Gear Solid is here among the many, many others. What truly made me smile was the cameo's of enemies such as Goombas, Koopas and even Nintendo devices such as the Super Scope 6 which was a short lasting peripheral on the Super NES – in Brawl, the SS6 allows you to shoot enemies as if it was an RPG launcher.


Many people will love the 10 hour+ Singleplayer campaign, of Subspace Emissary mode while others will feel its unnecessary. Many levels, especially the side scrolling levels feel too hard because it just so happens that some characters platform better than others. Kirby for example can suck in air and fly for a little while many of the characters from the "Fire Emblem" games cannot. This becomes a hassle when attempting to cross the various "bottomless pits" laid out before you.




GRAPHICS and SOUND

The graphics and sound are easily the best quality, you'll find on Wii. They manage to be more refined than the lackluster edgy polygons of Super Mario Galaxy, mostly because the game manages to maintain a fine 2-dimensional look. Backgrounds are highly detailed, and as hard as I looked for glitches, I could not find any. The characters have a variety of animations and are highly detailed – especially on an LCD HDTV. The frame rate remains solid as a rock and even with 4 players on screen, the game is smooth and responsive.
The sound has been modeled and edited by Nintendo chief sound editor, Masahiro Sukarai and the in-game music has been provided by upwards of 35 composers. The tracks are mostly remixes and samples of the themes we already recognize from Nintendo's long list of game mascots and supporting characters. It is easy to point out "music from Metroid" or "music from Mario Brothers" which only adds to the enjoyment of the game for those of us old enough to remember the midi's from the NES, SNES and Ultra 64 days.



OVERALL
I personally did not enjoy this game as much as my younger cousin did. In the age groups that this game targets (especially the pre-teens) Super Smash Brothers games are gold but, for me, its much too hyper-kinetic and feels like a fine place to lay blame for the ADHD symptoms and the loud, hyper, in-your face attitudes, in American children. I've sat down and watched kids playing games such as Dragonball Z and Naruto and the violence level in these games is considerably excessive yet there is no sense of consequence. At least in Mortal Kombat, there is blood and amputations to remind you that people are actually mortal and do feel pain. In these bloodless, ultra-violent games marketed towards American kids, there is a sense of apathy towards pain and a sense that the fighting system is lacking in depth. As an educator, I easily see how these games affect kids on a psychological level – its almost all they think about when they come to school.
I won't fault the game because I feel it is stupid fun…but, I will fault in on what I feel is a simplistic, and shallow combat system. How much depth do you expect from a fighting game with 2 attack buttons anyway? This game's fights come down to button mashing. If you pick a strong character who has devastating button mashing attacks, it is very unlikely that most opponents will be able to beat you – and vice versa. The game is designed for team-based battles and the gameplay can be edited to allow for WWF style "tag team" fighting – when one guy gets hurt, the other jumps in. Unfortunately, this only decreases the psychological impact of each match. I can actually remember specific details of matches I've fought against friends whilst playing games such as Tekken4 and Mortal Kombat - from over 4 years ago…but, I played SSB:Brawl within the last 10 hours and the entire thing is just a blur.
There is a lot to like in Super Smash Brothers Brawl, so, I am certain it will probably be a top selling Wii game, and system pusher for quite a while. It can be a fun game in small doses and offers the best that the Wii is currently capable of both on and offline.

My Rating

As a Wii game SMB is above average (and possibly 4-star excellent) but I felt that nearly identical fights qualify the game for an average rating.
I will only rate the game above average because it offers the kids I've played it with, enjoyment and visceral excitement. I also feel I am giving it "above average" because the platforming singleplayer game was fun.
There are numerous cutscenes that provide some comedy relief during gameplay. My favorite cutscenes were Snake and the Colonel discussing the other opponents ludicrous characteristics.

Colonel - "Snake, beware of Wario - he farts and the gas can harm you. He also farts to fly...
Snake - "farts to fly around? ARE YOU KIDDING ME !?!"

I play all types of games so I try to approach this one without bias.
This game and I just didn't connect well despite the fact I grew up playing with these characters in their respective environments.