"A perfect blend of fun, nostalgia, and replayability!"

Super Smash Brothers Brawl is a game that elicited hype from the Nintendo faithful, like no game since the legendary Super Mario Brothers 3. In an industry chocked full of yearly rehashes, Smash fans were left to wait six and a half years for the next iteration of their beloved franchise. With an incredible amount of hype, and the crushing weight of impossible expectations, could Brawl possibly defy the odds and deliver on its promises, or does it fall short, destined to fade into gaming obscurity?

For those unfamiliar with the series, Brawl is built on a premise, not of simply eradicating your opponent, but softening them up so you can launch them into the stratosphere. Battles take place on two-dimensional, sometimes multilevel battlefields. Traditionally, fighting games have simply been about depleting an opponent's energy before they deplete yours. Smash participants, instead, have a percentage that quantifies how much punishment they have absorbed. Victories are attained by knocking your opponent so far off the stage that they cannot possibly recover. As the amount of damage increases, so too, does the distance they will fly. Damage them enough, and it spells certain doom for your opponent. It's a mechanic that's largely unique to this series, and it's what sets Smash apart from every other series in existence.

Super Smash Brothers has always been a series that has prided itself on the wide array of different modes and challenges it offers, and Brawl takes that to a new level. The Classic and All-Star modes are still present in all their glory. For those who are unfamiliar, Classic mode tasks the player with completing twelve matches of varying types, while All-Star mode will have you brawling it out with every character in the game. There are also small diversions such as “Break the Targets” or “Home Run Contest,” that offer the player a chance to game for a few minutes at a time and brush up their skills in the process. Event matches are largely similar to classic mode, but each features a unique challenge and theme. The list of different modes is to large to list in its entirety, but rest assured; there is enough variety to keep anyone gaming for weeks, or even months at a time. My only complaint here is that character specific courses for “Break the Targets” have been removed in favor of five far more generic courses.

The largest evolution in the single player theatre comes in the form of The Subspace Emissary. For veterans of Melee they essentially took the Adventure Mode and transformed it from a half hour diversion, into a full-fledged 6-8 hour campaign. Think Mortal Kombat Mythologies, but without the mediocrity. It combines simplistic platforming with the Smash style of fighting. The platforming segments are solid but not spectacular. It can be occasionally frustrating in that you'll likely die a few times just trying to figure out where it's safe to jump or land. It's pretty enjoyable, just don't expect a Mario or Ratchet and Clank level of polish. The story is a bit nonsensical, though definitely enjoyable. It really is a treat to see characters from different Nintendo universes interacting, cooperating, and battling with each other. I suspect the Nintendo fan base will derive the most pleasure, though anyone with a passing interest in Nintendo should get a chuckle or two. Oh, and don't even think about skipping it. The Subspace Emissary is central to acquiring many of the games unlockables, secret characters being chief among them. They can be gotten through other means, but this, by far, is the most efficient. Besides, it's enjoyable enough to warrant at least one play through.

The primary reason for Smash's unparalleled success lies in its wonderful multi-player, and I'm happy to report that this is the premier version of the franchise. New stages have been added, and many of them are among the most inventive we've seen yet. One stage has you ducking into a capsule to avoid a lava shower in the heat of battle (pardon the pun), while another is so large in scope that it takes substantial amounts of damage to even think of finishing your opponent, and another will have you dodging the attacks of random Pokemon, loitering in the background. There are a wealth of stages representing many of Nintendo's best franchises over the last 25 years. Fear not Melee fans, many stages from the previous entry are present here as well.

If the standard stages don't suit your palette, there is a decent, albeit simplistic, stage creator. You choose from one of just three preset backgrounds, select theme from the track list (there are a whopping 258 in all!), and begin construction of your stage. There are basic parts such as pillars, platforms, bricks, clouds, conveyors, and several other things. The problem is that most of these components are rather generic, and can leave your creation looking a bit bland. Even so, those with a will and a vision can craft some pretty complex fighting arenas. It's a great addition to the series, but here's hoping that they flesh it out more in the next iteration.

Items play a large part in determining the outcome of a match, and Brawl heaps on items new to the series. Most traditional fighters are just that, traditional. The special items in Brawl take it from intense to frenetic and unpredictable. It's not uncommon to have an opponent on the brink of defeat, only to have them grab a bob-omb and pelt you with it, thus claiming victory in the face of defeat. Hammers, healing fruits, land mines, baseball bats, and beam swords are just some of the many items that will appear randomly and turn the tides of battle. Assist trophies make their debut in Brawl. Think Pokeballs with non-Pokemon characters. Like Pokeballs, they can help turn the tide of a match, and they offer a way to pay tribute to lesser known Nintendo icons without creating an entirely new playable character.

Perhaps the most influential item is the brand new smash ball. It appears randomly and begins floating around the level, seemingly just out of reach of everyone. Hit it a few times and it becomes yours. It's nearly always interrupts the match, but why all the fuss? Obtaining a smash ball allows your character to unleash a devastating “Final Smash” attack. These range from ultra-powerful, to incredibly annoying, to just downright bizarre, but all of them will either spell instant death for your foe, or set them up to be obliterated. Most characters have their own unique attack, though a few are duplicated. A bit more effort would have been appreciated as that does come off as a bit lazy, but it's minor in the grand scheme of things.

If everything sounds insane thus far, take heart, customizable is Brawl's middle name. Don't like items skewing your matches? You can simply turn them off. You can adjust specific items, both whether they appear and how often; tailor it to your tastes. There are many rule sets available such as timed matches, stock matches, and coin matches. Want to tinker with gravity, change the size of your character, or have everyone begin with maximum damage? You can do that and so much more. With all the options presented to the player, there are nearly limitless match types to choose from.

With Brawl's release, smashers have now been given their first opportunity to battle it out online. As is par for the course with Nintendo, they have implemented the use of friend codes. It's generally pretty easy to connect with friends and duke it out, and it's relatively lag free. All though you will be able to see the names of the combatants, there is, unfortunately, no way to communicate with them. Given that Nintendo implemented voice chat into its own DS, it seems inexplicable that it's absent from Brawl, and the Wii in general. By no means is it a deal-breaker, but it would have been a welcome addition to an otherwise pedestrian online effort. It's also possible to battle without friend codes. Unfortunately, these random matches are mediocre at best. It can take a considerable amount of time just to find a match, you'll have no idea who you're fighting, and lag is far more prevalent than it is in a match with friends. It truly feels like battling the CPU with varying levels of difficulty. It's certainly a passable online effort as a whole, but it had the potential to be oh so much more.

For all you collect-a-thon junkies out there, fear not, you have not been forgotten. Brawl has taken Melee's rewards, increased them greatly, and streamlined them as well. Most everything you unlock is centered around the new challenge board. The board is comprised of 128 squares, each representing a different challenge or achievement in the game. Complete a challenge and you will receive the corresponding reward, as well as the ability to view clues for obtaining the surrounding rewards. They range from incredibly simple to fiendishly difficult. There are several characters and stages to unlock, as well as 500+ trophies, 700 stickers, and 250+ CD's. Even the most dedicated gamer will spend weeks trying to gather everything that Brawl has to offer.

Brawl is one of just a few Wii games to date that has not utilized the Wii's motion sensing functionality, and it feels all the better for it. The player is offered one of four different control schemes: Wii remote, remote/nunchuk combo, classic controller, or Gamecube controller. In all honesty, they all work exceptionally well, save for the Wii remote option (more on that later). The other 3 options offer analog control that is essential in performing the games smash attacks. They also possess enough buttons to properly and efficiently map each action to a unique button. Veterans of the series will probably opt for the Gamecube controller, as this scheme is identical to that in Melee, and it offers the non-charged smash attack via its additional analog stick. Otherwise, the other two schemes are virtually identical, and it really comes down to personal preference. The Wii remote held sideways, however, is definitely the black sheep here. No analog stick makes smash attacks more tedious to perform. Running is achieved by double-tapping the control pad, while jumping is mapped to the up button. It can be mastered with some practice, but in a game that requires precision and twitch reflexes, an alternate control scheme is just the way to go.

As for the gameplay, I'm happy to report that it's as precise as ever. They took Melee and slowed it down, resulting in a slower, more methodic pace, yet the action remains as intense and frenetic as it ever has. The other benefit of the slower pace is that accidentally scurrying off the edge has largely been eliminated. Most any move present within the game is easy to execute on demand, and it places an increased focus on timing and strategizing. The only hiccup to be found is the random stumbling. At any given time, a character changing directions or attempting to dash, may trip over their own feet, stopping them in their tracks and rendering them momentarily vulnerable. It removes a bit of the skill required to win, and its inclusion is rather baffling. Still, Brawl's controls are nearly as tight as can be, and they provide the backbone for a stellar title.

Brawl's graphics are among the best to date on the Wii. It lacks the effects and polish of Mario Galaxy, but it looks extremely good, and there are never any hitches in the framerate, even when there are four fighters, explosions, final smashes, Pokeballs, and stage-specific special effects all occurring at once. Both the characters and their respective animations are incredibly detailed. If there is a downside, it's that the action can become hard to see when all four combatants are spread out on a large stage. The camera pans way out, and everything onscreen seems almost microscopic, making it more difficult. Overall the graphical gripes are minor and few and far between, Nintendo's flagship characters have never looked so good.

Now for my bold and definitive statement: Super Smash Brothers Brawl has the best soundtrack of any game to date. Between stage specific music, themes from countless Nintendo franchises, and other odds and ends tunes from so many games past, Brawl represents the most comprehensive and impressive soundtrack to date. In all there are 258 tracks included, and so many of them are greatly composed, nostalgic, or hum-worthy. For anyone who has a history with Nintendo, there is sure to be something enjoyable or memorable. Not all clips are available at the start; in fact they represent a rather large portion of the challenge board. They also appear randomly in the form of CD's, during both single player modes and brawls. Each track can be enjoyed in the sound test menu, as well as attached to a user created stage. Pre-existing stages already have multiple tracks tied to them, and you can adjust the frequency that each one plays. I'll say it one more time: Brawl's soundtrack definitely surpasses that of any other game this reviewer has ever played.

Super Smash Brothers Brawl had an incredible amount of hype to conquer, and I'm happy to report that it nearly lived up to it. The roster, save for a couple clones, is incredible, the variety in game modes is massive, the controls are excellent, the graphics very pleasing, the soundtrack is unequaled, and the replayability is through the roof. A few more characters, particularly those the fans clamored for, would have been nice, the online needs plenty of work, and some additional differentiation from its predecessor would have improved the quality even more. Nintendo fans will, by far, get the most from it, while mileage will vary for others. Still, it's hard not to recommend this title to anyone with even a passing interest in the fighting genre; there's really nothing else like it. Super Smash Brothers Brawl is definitely a game for the ages.

Final Score: 9.5 (rounded to 9 for gamefaqs)

Reviewer's Score: 9/10, Originally Posted: 05/21/08

Game Release: Super Smash Bros. Brawl (US, 03/09/08)