[GRWC8] Super Smash Bros Brawl [Review]
Posted: Thu Sep 04, 2008 11:48 pm
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Anonymous wrote: Super Smash Bros Brawl
Nintendo hate us, it’s obvious, they focus on those “casual gamers” we hate so much and don’t give us anything! Odd then that since the release of the Wii at the end of 2006 we’ve enjoyed new games from six separate Nintendo franchises, which firmly puts the theory that good ol’ Ninty don’t like us any more to sleep. The latest franchise to receive an update was Super Smash Brothers Brawl, released in late June, five months after the Japanese and two after the Americans, it’s easy to understand how anticipated it was amongst the Nintendo faithful. In fact it goes to show that no matter how high the level of moaning aimed at the company, hardcore gamers will continue to jump on command for any new scrap of the old Nintendo magic. However, at the risk of going off topic it’s probably best to move onto the game.
Perhaps though, Super Smash Bros Brawl can fend off the scorned fans for longer than previous AAA titles. It is after all the fan-service game; in fact the level of fan service has shot through the roof this time around. Almost everything a Nintendo fan would want is in here, almost because having absolutely everything a Nintendo fan would want is nigh on impossible due to their very nature. The game does a sterling job in just about every area. The array of characters is fantastic, the Nintendo figureheads are available from the start with many more to unlock. As many know, Sonic and Snake are available to unlock but there are many more which should be left as a surprise. Of course to unlock these characters there are certain tasks that need to be completed. These can be reasonable like completing classic mode with Zelda or Link on Hard difficulty to fight Ganondorf or a bit farfetched like playing two hundred and fifty versus matches to unlock another character. Luckily the majority of hidden fighters can also be unlocked through playing the game’s story mode.
Called the Subspace Emissary this is the primary single player mode with the classic mode secondary. It’s a story not too far removed from fan-fiction but that adds to the charm. It’s completely non-sensical but it brings together all the main characters to fight one enemy so it doesn’t particulary matter although the level of dedication put into it by Nintendo and developer Sora Ltd is obvious through the enlistment of Kazushige Nojima, who has worked on the Final Fantasy series, to create the story. There are plenty of cut scenes, all of which are graphically excellent and well realised. Throughout the game characters will meet other characters, then groups will meet groups and so forth until the conclusion. Gamers can choose which character they wish to play as first and which will be their backup before playing a series of platforming sections similar to the classic 2D Mario games which are split up by boss fights fought in the long-established Smash Bros way. It’s also a hefty single player game amounting to roughly 10 hours which is longer than most recent blockbuster games.
This shows how much effort has gone into production because in the end, the subspace emissary isn’t the main attraction; that would be the multiplayer. In fact the single player is only usually necessary for unlocking certain characters to use in the multiplayer! Now let’s get this straight, the game’s basic mechanics aren’t particulary intricate or complicated but only Nintendo seem to get it right. Now when it comes to Melee I did think it was slightly overrated because it was Nintendo and I do feel it wouldn’t have been given the praise it got if it was another series of characters but this time round I think they’ve nailed it. Brawl boasts both the simple controls and ease of access that makes it a blessing for fighting newcomers but remains deep enough and broad enough to satisfy the veterans of the genre. However when the two mix, it’s nothing but frustrating for the button-masher who see’s all the fun of the game sapped straight out of it by someone focused on knowing every nook and cranny of it. This can make the online aspect of the game a scary place for the casual players but online play isn’t the main focus for Nintendo.
And it never was. Online gaming is the only part of the industry that leaves Nintendo completely dumbfounded, they have no idea what people want from online play and the result is an utterly broken system. Not just for the game but the console itself, no voice chat is absolutely unforgivable and instead we’re treated to typing out our own phrases to appear in the speech bubble when characters taunt. This resulted in my Marth shouting “WANGS!” at the top of his voice as he thrusts his sword in the air. Then there are friend codes which make absolutely no sense, if they’re meant to protect children from the millions of paedophiles who clearly love playing Smash Bros online then its working because the Pedos themselves probably can’t be bothered with writing down a list of friend codes let alone the children. If Nintendo had a system identical to that of Microsoft or Sony they would see a lot more people playing online. Once the friend codes are out the way, or a player has opted to play random people instead, the game is the same as the offline aspect bar a few bad connections but that’s to be expected.
Super Smash Bros Brawl epitomises fun, it’s simple enough to be enjoyed by all and has the depth to keep them interested for many, many hours. As a fighting game it may be merely above average but as a pure gaming experience it’s one of the best this year.
8/10
All comments and feedback welcome. Thank you.