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| Super Smash Bros. Brawl | 
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| From: Nintendo
Category: Video Games
List Price: $49.99
Buy New: $24.49
You Save: $25.50 (51%)
Buy New/Used from $24.49
Avg. Customer Rating:  (294 reviews)
Sales Rank: 23
Format: Nintendo
Platform: Nintendo Wii
ESRB: Teen
Media: Video Game
Autographed: No
Memorabilia: No
Batteries Included: No
Age: 12 - 20 years
Shipping Weight (lbs): 3
Dimensions (in): 0 x 0 x 0
MPN: WI-RVLPRSBE
UPC: 045496901103
EAN: 0045496900397
ASIN: B000FQ9R4E
Release Date: March 9, 2008
Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days
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| Customer Reviews:
 Fantastic for some... March 19, 2008
1 out of 1 found this review helpful
The smash series has been going on since the nintendo 64 era and I have stayed faithful to this landmark series since. To me, the aura and core of the smash series is essentially multiplayer gameplay. Sure theres some single player content thrown in but the real thing that makes this game what it is, is having some friends over for a good long brawl. The first game was surprisingly successfull and Super smash bros. Melee was the best selling gamecube title after that. And now we have brawl. When I bought this game I was expecting a polished and clean experience.(This game has been in developement for over 2 years, not to mention countless lauch date delays)And to tell the truth, I wasn't dissapointed one bit. I played a couple matches and dove into the new single player adventure mode, The Subspace Emissary and immeadiately got the sense of balance to the game. Melee had very fast paced and quick battles. Brawls matches are slightly slower and the characters seem to stay in the air longer. I think that the game designers made this change to satisfy new or first time players. After all, the philosophy for Wii is to bring people who say things like "those games are too complicated and I dont play those things" to pick up, play and enjoy the experience. This game absolutely satisfies those new gamers out there and it also takes care of the hardcore audience that has stayed with the series since the first game. The gameplay is still similar to those of its predecessors and it also adds a couple new things as well. This includes characters, game modes, and stages. But I dont believe that game modes, characters, or stages make a good game. It's the unique and new feel. The core gameplay. You could have a game that has billions of game modes or characters, it all goes down the drain if the game concept and feel is dull or frustrating. The one problem I had with this game only applies to those who are hardcore smashers. It's that the gameplay becomes almost too familiar. Now obviously the newer smashers wouldn't have to worry about this, but the ones who have played smash for a while will still feel the same about this game. Great, not perfect, but great. So to those of you who are new to this series, buy this game. It will be one of the best games of the year and its sure to be a Wii bestseller, this is a must-have game. And for the hardcore its still a must have just because of the fact that its a new installment in the series.
Melee vs Brawl March 19, 2008
1 out of 3 found this review helpful
Compared to Melee, Brawl has...
1. nearly the same game play (disappointing if you are expecting a lot of new stuff, but on the plus side it is as good or better than Melee in every area) -- it feels like the exact same game with a few new characters, levels, and features
2. some new fun things to do in single-player: longer adventure mode, more prizes to win (and it gives metered hints on how to get those prizes which is fantastic)
3. 16:9 aspect ratio available
4. online play (buggy :(, but expecting Nintendo to improve it)
BTW, if you are a Melee fan, plan to use the GC controllers for any serious play.
cj March 18, 2008
1 out of 4 found this review helpful
Don't be fooled by the pictures in the ads...this game is 2-D, not 3-D like Galaxy. My kids love it, but it is mostly just frantic button pushing. The multi-player games are fun. I would like it better if they used some of the uniqueness of the Wii controller (point, shake, etc..).
Overall, good but not great. Maybe Nintendo set the bar too high with Galaxy...
 Game of the Year March 18, 2008
3 out of 4 found this review helpful
I am an avid Smash Brothers Fan and this game lives up to its hype. What makes this game great is that is does not dramatically deviate from the old Smash bro. The gameplay is similar, if not the same, and the characters and options are more abundant and improved. I highly recommend this game to people who enjoyed the old smash bros.
SSBB: The Fun Fighting Game Where You Throw Things! March 18, 2008
2 out of 4 found this review helpful
Firstly, wow. Nintendo has done a pretty good job in making this game what it was expected to be; a "smashing" sequel to the "super" Super Smash Brothers Melee. On a scale of 1 to 10 (one being the lowest and ten being the highest) I will rate this game's features as well as compare it to SSBM (another fun Nintendo hit you should check out).
Controls, 8: This game is versatile with what you can control the characters with. You don't have to use the wii remote and nunchuck as you can also use the wii remote alone (tilted sideways) and I think you can also use traditional controllers (gamecube, etc.). If you don't read the instruction booklet before you play the game (like I often don't) it's easy to overlook how many ways you can control the characters. A valid point made by many is that the controls are mostly traditional. There is very little usage of the wii pointer (you use it mainly for character select) and no shaking, waving, or any of that jazz. You just push buttons. The speaker on the wii remote is used very little, but for what it's worth, I think the usage of it was creative (it's used for characters to make a signature noise when you select them). Plus, I don't think I recall any other games that even bothered to use that feature. One more thing, you do need a traditional controller of some sort to access all of the trial games (like an F-Zero racing game that's unlockable); which is one part I dislike.
Adventure mode storyline, 9: Now this was something I wasn't expecting. A storyline with an actual plot; not just a character randomly running through everyone else's worlds. Unlike SSBM, you don't just simply pick a character and go through the same trials over and over again. This time, all of the characters get involved; and you'll have to control different characters at different parts of the storyline. The plot is interesting, but confusing. Half of the time, I wasn't really quite sure what was going on, or why someone chose to oppose someone else. This confusion, however, oddly adds to the desire to progress in the story, and get your bearings on what is going on. "What is the plot?" I hear a few of you ask. Well, I think it's slightly open to interpretation, but here's what I think: Kirby and Mario are having a practice match to decide who's the strongest or whatever. After their battle, one of them gets turned into what looks like a trophy (to signal he's been beaten. This is a common theme of the plot), and the winner touches him to bring him back to life. Then they get attacked by what appears to be creatures kind of like heartless (you know, from the Kingdom Hearts series? If you don't, they are like evil creatures who spawn from dark puddles and have simplistic, but creepy faces). During the course of the match one of them gets blown away (for me, it was Mario; but you choose who to fight as in any situation that calls for fighting. That may affect the outcome as I chose Kirby.) and Peach and Zelda get kidnapped by one of those oversized piranha plant kids (think Super Mario Galaxy). You can only rescue one (I was aiming for Zelda, but I accidentally rescued Peach) before you cream the oversized weed. The remaining one then gets shot by a strange weapon that also turns fighters into trophies. The shooter of the weapon is the hideous Wario on his specially built bike. Why did he do it? I finished the story and even I don't know. What I do know is he won't be the only villain involved. Either way, Wario kidnaps the trophesized princess and takes off. The stadium begins to fall apart, and the remaining hero takes the remaining princess and escapes. Meanwhile, Pit (from Kid Icarius) witnesses the whole thing. His goddess (I have forgotten her name) gives him a bow and arrow which doubles as a dual blade weapon. Then, Pit flies off. Who will Pit aid? Will the hero who got blasted survive? What will become of the trophesized princess, as well as the remaining princess and the remaining hero? What is the real evil plot behind Wario's actions? Who else is and will be involved? You'll have to play the game and decipher for yourself. But rest assured, all characters (except one that I know about) will play a role in this epic adventure. The reason it's I rated the storyline a 9 is because some characters play a bigger part than others (I'm referring to the fact that Sonic the Hedgehog didn't get a very big part, and Snake did... While I don't have a problem with Snake, the Sega mascot should have had a much bigger role). Also, there was no dialogue (what, they can't speak each other's languages?)
Characters, 8: This stands for a large number of things. Personality, variety, role in adventure mode, the likableness of the characters themselves and even availability. I won't grade on accuracy to previous games because there are some characters I haven't even known before now. Firstly, the characters that I'm absolutely positive you can play out of the box are: Mario, Peach, Bowser, Yoshi, Wario, Donkey Kong, Diddy Kong, Pit, Link, Zelda/Sheik, Kirby, Meta Knight, King Dedede, Samus/Zero Suit Samus, Fox, Ike, Lucas, Ice Climbers, Olimar w/ Pikmin, Pikachu, and Pokemon Trainer/Squirtle, Ivysaur, and Charizard. Also, these characters come with a new, more realistic look. You can see every stitch on Mario's overalls; and they look like real overalls! While there are many characters you can play right out of the box, fans of Sega are probably asking, "Where are Sonic and Snake?" The sad truth of it is that they are unlockable characters. I was disappointed because it was like a cruel joke; I waited so long to play Sonic the Hedgehog in SSBB, only to find out I had to go through the trouble of unlocking him first (and he wasn't easy to unlock either). It wasn't like he was even kept secret within the game itself as they had teaser trailers of both Sonic and Snake within the games movies. Sticking to Sonic for a while, the main reason I was so inspired to buy this game was the knowledge that he was in it. In adventure mode, however, he didn't get the respect he deserved. He only barely showed up at the last minute before the final boss; and while he made a cool entrance, it was almost like he had nothing to do with the story at all. In fact, it almost seemed like he was completely separate from the other characters. I have my suspicions and theories; I'm not sure Nintendo intended on having him in this game at all. That's not to say they favored their own characters; Snake got a very good part in the plot, and if I didn't know any better I would have almost guessed he was a Nintendo character. It's almost screaming to me, however, that they planned the story around the other characters; maybe Yuji Naka balked about letting Nintendo have him at first, or maybe the Nintendo company were late in figuring out what the public wanted, but I'm unable to verify whether or not these claims could be true. Still, did anyone else notice that SSBB came out a little later than it was supposed to? It makes me wonder if that extra time was used to include a character that wasn't originally planned to be in there. Either way, Sonic didn't get a big role in the storyline, but maybe big Sonic fans can find solace in some of the other features pertaining to him. For example, Sonic's design is very good. He looks great, his taunts pertain to his voice and personality, and his moves and final smash are really cool. The only awkward things about his design is he never smiles except when he's taunting (which isn't really like him) and his attacks are kind of hard to use. I can almost guarantee he is the fastest character, though (faster than even Pikachu!), and he even has a trophy and music section to himself. Shadow shows up as an assistant character, using chaos control to slow the enemies down. In the Green Hill battle field, look in the background at the loop; you'll sometimes see Tails and Knuckles running (you'll only see their backs) that loop. Now, I don't know how many are acquainted with Snake (I certainly wasn't) but he's a funny character. He thinks that when he's under his cardboard box he's invisible. Some characters are endearing, and others I could live without (I'm thinking I don't like Wario). The characters are indeed various, even more so than last time. The personalities are great and apparent with each character. As well as the many characters available from the start, most unlockable characters are actually somewhat simple to unlock in adventure mode, and I think you could also unlock some of them in Classic mode. Unlocking Toon Link probably gave me the most trouble. What impressed me the most was how many old characters made it back. I wasn't expecting the likes of Mr. Game and Watch, Marth, and Falco again. In fact, the only characters who didn't make it back (so far) are Roy, Pichu, and Mewtwo; everyone else seems to be accounted for. Except, I don't know about Young Link (is Young Link and Toon Link the same thing?). If Toon Link is considered Young Link these days, then he's back; but with a completely new look. Think of the Link from Windwaker or Phantom Hourglass. The addition of new characters such as Meta Knight and Lucario, are awesome and well deserved. Overall, probably the best thing about this game is it's variety in characters; but before I close this section, does anyone else think Pit looks like Sora with angel wings and a laurel crown?
Graphics, 9: Okay, I'll try to cover the next sections quickly; I've already rambled for too long. The graphics are just as good as SSBM, but while some things are completely different, others seem to have stayed the same. Characters like Mario and Link, as stated before, are more realistic in a seeming attempt to escape the cartoonish look. Kirby, on the other hand, looks practically the same; and Pikachu has only gone through tiny changes. Some backgrounds have the air of a 3D role playing game; others look like they could fit right in with the old SSBM. Either way, the graphics are just as good as the precessor; they're just changed for the most part.
Features, 10: It's not all about fighting anymore! Take pictures of the action using less memory, watch teaser trailers and other movies you've unlocked, listen to music from all of the characters, arrange trophies and stickers and take pictures of them, etcetera! There is a lot you can do. The trophy lotery has become a fun and interactive shooting game, where you can shoot trophies with coins to nab them. The Home Run contest is back, along with all the melee works (cruel melee for example), and Break the Targets (the target fields are not specialized by character this time, however). Do the events, and even select your difficulty for them! Either way, if you get sick of Classic mode, it's easy to escape the repetition.
Overall, 9: So there you have it. This game isn't perfect, but I say the hype it received isn't a joke. Before I close, I offer you a tip that actually relates to my title: if you are having trouble defeating your enemies with your own character's moves, find something, anything at all, and throw it at that character to watch him get boo boos and fly off the field *laughs evilly* bear in mind, however, that he should be at least slightly weakened first.
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