Super Smash Bros. Brawl- Biggest Flop of All Time

My review

For more than six years, Nintendo fans have eagerly awaited the arrival of the next generation of Smash Brothers; to see all new characters duke it out in new arenas, with new items, and with new techniques. I was fortunately able to import my copy of Dairantou Smash Brothers X (Super Smash Brothers Brawl in American and Europe), and play through it with a few of my friends. We've always been big Nintendo fans, and we simply could not pass up the opportunity.

However, while it was great fun for a bit, the game's problems gradually became all too noticeable, and eventually diminished our desire to keep playing. Now don't get me wrong – I liked the game (and still do), but some core issues were just too big to ignore.

Graphics – 8/10

The graphics manage to hold their own in Brawl, and indeed manage to stand out amongst the assortment of other high quality titles on the Nintendo Wii. However, when comparing it to most any high-end game on the PS3, 360, or PC, the game's limitations become clear. Nintendo's flagship characters, while they do look bigger and better than ever, are still greatly held back by the sheer physical limitations of the system.

Those qualms aside though, the game still looks quite good, and there were almost no points in the game where I noticed any glaring graphical anomalies, and the overall visual presentation of the game was handled quite well, all things considered.

Controls – 9/10

The controls of Brawl are a big, big step up from its predecessor – not only are you able to use any type of compatible Nintendo controller to play, but you can customize your controls as well! This allows for a huge degree of flexibility, and also allows you to use any of your old GameCube controllers you might have lying around.

The controls themselves are fluid and easy to handle, but granted I've only played using the GameCube and Classic controllers. I've heard there were some issues with the two Wii Remote configurations that might cause a few problems, but thanks to Nintendo's foresight on the issue, it'll never be a problem that can't be fixed by picking another control scheme.

Storyline - 6/10

In a surprising change of pace for a fighting game, the Brawl team decided to place a heavy emphasis on the storyline this time around, in the form of the Subspace Emissary. In the SSE, your favorite Nintendo characters team up against the Subspace Army, the overarching enemy of the game dedicated to plunging the world into the rifts of space. It takes place in various side-scrolling stages where the objective is always more-or-less to simply run to the end of the level and fight the boss.

The story is quite entertaining at times, and is obviously much more in-depth than Melee's Adventure Mode ever was. However, when I had completed the Subspace Emissary in just a scant three and a half hours (And that was with several deaths along the way), I couldn't help but feel like all the time the developers put into it couldn't have been better used improving the gameplay (more on that soon). In fact, it's part of why I gave this aspect such a low score - while the story itself may be good for an 8 or a 9 based on what it was trying to accomplish, the knowledge that its development detracted from other elements of the game is what brought it down considerably.

Generally speaking though, while it's certainly no Metal Gear Solid (Even though its most famous protagonist does make a surprise guest appearance), it actually reminds me of the original Devil May Cry in terms of story – very cheesy and over-the-top, but still quaint and easy to grow fond of.

Gameplay - 5/10

Unfortunately, this is where the game really suffers, and truly turns Brawl into more of a “party game” than a “fighting game”.

To put it simply, the game is just too slow. It's the slowest game in the series, and makes no attempt to hide it. The quick, edge-of-your-seat action from Melee has all but vanished, as all characters now move slower and take longer to return to the ground. Final Smashes, a new sort of "super-move" for all characters, also suffer from this; while they're cool to watch at first, eventually you get so sick of how much they slow the pace of the game down that you'll be reluctant to even pick them up at all (as flashy as they may seem).

From what I've read, these change were done to encourage more mid-air combat – and while it certainly does help that aspect, it doesn't do much for the game in general. And when there is something wrong with the core physics of the game, you can't help but feel bad for the developers, who have otherwise poured so much time and effort into the other aspects of the game.

Speaking of which, there are many other elements of the game which help redeem its poor mechanics. There are a wealth of gameplay modes (both single and multiplayer) to enjoy, as well as tons of things to collect. Personally, I'm big fan of Nintendo history, and for me collecting all the various pieces of memorabilia was probably my favorite part. However, if that's not your thing, you can also try your hand at the various other gameplay modes such as Event Mode, Multi-Man Brawl, or heck, even design your own stage! There is truly is a lot of different things to do in this game - the question is, do you actually want to do them?

Sound – 7/10

When it comes to fighting games, nothing is more satisfying than that “crunch” you hear when you know you've nailed your opponent right where it hurts. That's why I was a bit disappointed by some of the sounds in this game – unlike in the original and in Melee, some of the attacks don't sound nearly as forceful as they once were. I'd like to say it's a minor concern, but I think the game loses a little something when I don't hear a forceful and definitive “POW!” when sending a 900 pound gorilla flying off the edge of a medieval castle.

However, all that aside, the sounds of Brawl are fairly decent. Some of the characters voices can get tiring after awhile, and the noises on some of the items will drive you off the wall around the 20th time you've heard them, but still good nonetheless.

Music – 10/10

As many flaws as this game has, the soundtrack alone almost more than makes up for it. An almost unfathomable amount of composers were hired to conduct the soundtrack to this game, and the end result was absolutely phenomenal. Never before had I heard so many of my favorite Nintendo tunes in one place, remixed and orchestrated to provide a sensational listening experience. The fact that the sound test is available from the minute you pop in the disc makes it just that much better. Even if you don't end up buying the game, at least do yourself a favor and pick up the soundtrack - I'm sure you won't regret it.

Replay Value – 4/10

For a fighting game, this is where it really hurts. The core gameplay of Brawl just does not stand up to its predecessors, or most any game in the fighting genre. The physics changes make the game too predictable, and Final Smashes (Which admittedly are cool the first 15 or 20 times), slow the game down to a point where it's not even worth having them toggled on – which makes me question why they put so much effort into them in the first place.

And, while the Subspace Emissary is a nice 4 hour romp the first time you play the game, it's really not the type of thing you'll go back playing again and again, despite the varying difficulty levels. Which is a shame, really – as I've said, all the time spent developing the adventure mode could have been put towards refining the gameplay instead. Ah well.

Conclusion

Don't let the genre fool you – Super Smash Brothers Brawl is not a fighting game. It is a party game, through-and-through; surprisingly similar to Mario Party, in fact. However, just like MP, its appeal will wear off after about a week of playing, and it's really doubtful that you'll ever find yourself coming back to it except for big occasions or some such. However, it is still a fantastic (probably unrivaled at this point) collection of Nintendo nostalgia and memorabilia all packed onto one disc. Tons of trophies, stickers, songs, and other items help give you more info about your favorite Nintendo character – as well as introduce you to a few you may not have even heard of!

In short, if you are a Nintendo enthusiast looking a great party game, pick it up. If not, you'll probably be better off saving your money for something else.

Reviewer's Score: 6/10, Originally Posted: 02/01/08

lol gamefags copypasta

Why is there 2 threads just like this?

Originally Posted by sugarpoultry

Why is there 2 threads just like this?

Because he pasted two different reviews.

Whoever wrote that review is a liar. 3 hours, no, I will never beleive anyone beat SSE in 3 hours unless they skipped everything and ran through ignoring all enemies...on easy.

Wow, ssbb is not a party game and it's not slow what so ever the final smahes do not slow the game down as much as you say. Also when was the last time you saw a FIGHTING GAME with a story line as good as this? For most games it's just a few matches in some vage made up story. This one has an atchual story line to with thing in it besides fights and don't completely suck. So you got to cut it some slack.

Oh,
this could end badly.

*Quotes movie* This will all end in tears, I just know it.

Originally Posted by rajin95

Wow, ssbb is not a party game and it's not slow what so ever the final smahes do not slow the game down as much as you say. Also when was the last time you saw a FIGHTING GAME with a story line as good as this? For most games it's just a few matches in some vage made up story. This one has an atchual story line to with thing in it besides fights and don't completely suck. So you got to cut it some slack.

...Since when did a fighting game need a storyline?

And no, "cutting slack" is just another way of lowering the standards.

That being said, Brawl is a great game, but calling it flawless would be ignorant.

You're stupid.
If you don't like it, then don't go & complain about it to others, who actually ENJOY it & will play it well into next year. There's no point.

It's not that the gameplay got worse, it's just very different, and you don't like it, I don't think it got better, but I like it much more than the Melee gameplay, how do final smashes slow down the game? I actually think they speed it up, as you can die at a much lower damage %.
Yeah, the storyline is bad, but I don't think that should affect the game score at all, why it has to suffer by something the others didn't even have? and I don't see how the adventure mode detracted development for the other aspects of the game, it's not like the game was made by one person, and even if it did affect on the other parts of the development, it is unfair to attack it just because of that.

I do agree in part of the sounds, while I really like some of the new sounds, like the new star wars like beam sword, I really miss some of the old sounds, like the sounds of the swords, and Kirby's HIIIII!

My score to Brawl is 9/10, why? it's just plain awesome, but to me, everything can be better than it already is, there is no such thing as perfection...unless no one in the world complained, and making it better was 100% impossible, but there will be always those guys that are like "if it has 1000 characters to choose, why not 1001?"

Well one thing I can say is that SSBB's online mode was the biggest flop of all time. The rest of the game is excellent.

...

This is why I don't follow the advice of reviews.

Brawl is a great game. The items are way better than Melee's. But it is a lot slower paced than Melee. Before you all jump at me for saying this, play Brawl, then Melee, then Brawl again. There are way more delays on the character's attacks. But I still think Brawl is a great game, but equal with Melee.

You do realize why they moderated the combat speed in Brawl, right?

So people would use characters other than Sheik, Fox and Marth. Look at any Melee tier list for five seconds and you'll see that speed is basically the only important factor in a character's performance, which constitutes a severe balancing issue that Brawl remedied admirably. Anyone who still wants ridiculous speed now has Sonic to play with.

Biggest flop of all time?
Have you even played it?