Read the full review, not just comments, of the most expected game of all time
General Aspects
Graphics: This is when you start asking yourself why you said the Wii had crappy graphics. Everything in this game looks great. The characters models are now more detailed and have more sharp- looking weapons, clothes, etc. Also, the game ALWAYS runs at 60 frames per second and never slows down. This shows how much time was spent in polishing characters animations and the like. The stages also look great, and have some actions happening in the background that I love like, say, knuckles, tails and the other white guy running in the background in the green hill zone stage. The menus look better and that, strangely, makes them more user friendly. Even trophies look sharp, especially the ones with the final smashes. Overall, the graphics of this game are really good, but not at the level of SMG, which borders perfection of what can be achieved in the Wii. Grade: 9.5/10
Sound: Absolutely breathe taking. The sound of this game is a good as it gets and has tons of songs to unlock. Almost every song in this game is orchestrated and sounds great. I have actually turned on my Wii only to hear them. They are THAT good. The sound effects are excellent and make you feel inside the battle. Also, the unlockable songs are actually worth unlocking, and the grade of customization you have over which song plays when is amazing. That is done in options. For example, if you like the Wii sports opening song, you go to my music and select the Pictochat stage (which is where this song plays) and increase the chances of it playing in that stage. You can even reduce the other songs chances so that only this one plays! That is great since there are some songs I like more than others (but there's not one song I dislike). Overall, the sound is definitively a strong point of the game, and even better than SMG´s superb track list (I am going to stop with SMG comparisons now). Grade: 10/10
Gameplay: Remember that in Melee sometime controls where hyper- responsive? That problem has been solved and now the controls are spot on. The four control schemes available (Wii remote, Wii remote and nunchuk, classic controller and game cube controller) have pros and cons, but I personally prefer Game cube controller because it is what I am used to. Someone who does not fear for a little change should try the Classic controller, though. In pure Gameplay aspects the only major things that have happened are the addition of final smashes and the elimination of wave dashing. For me, these are welcome changes, because wave dashing was very complicated to use and final smashes add a great depth of strategy. But for those fearing that Brawl was going to be dumbed down for casual audience, fear not! All of the past advanced techniques are still there, and some new ones (like gliding and the ability to dodge various times in midair). Gameplay does not go too chaotic if you ask me, and that's better. Melee players should notice that, in essence, all of the past characters are still the same, which just a few changes (Link's gale boomerang, for example) and that all attacks (smash, strong, special, etc) are executed the same way as in melee. Overall, the Gameplay is still as good as melee with a few tweaks that makes it even better. Grade: 9.5/ 10
Value/Replayability: This is the Wii equivalent of the orange box. There are tons of modes that assure that this game will never spend time in your drawer and replayability is through the roof. This is definitely a party game and everytime your friends come over they would want to play. Also, all of the single player modes (except classic) are playable with a friend. You will always want to play at least one brawl per day. Be assured that the tons of modes and options will make you want to play everyday. Grade: 10/10
Content: Clearly the guy who made this game made a deal with the devil to fit all of this in the game. There are tons of things in this like the stage builder, the amazing amount of trophies and stickers, masterpieces, the subspace emissary (which I will comment on later), the ability to save replays and screenshots, the music, the challenges, event matches, the number of stage available and all of the modes in the game. All of this stuff makes you feel that the 50 bucks you spent on it are nothing. Grade: 10/10
Game Modes
Group
This is the essence of SSBB. Here, you can jump right into a brawl with a friend or a computer player, with tons of options to choose from, like what type of match, what items will appear, etc. Also you can play a special brawl, a tourney, rotation or enter names. This is the strong point of SSBB, and definitely a place where you will spend a lot of time.
Solo
Subspace Emissary: This is Brawl's substitution to adventure mode. Now, we got a full single player adventure (or co-op adventure, if you desire) with lots of boss battles, cool 2d platforms sequences, and some amazing cut scenes. The single player is good, fun, and lengthy, but suffers from some repetition and sometimes this can be overly frustrating. It is a very good addition to Brawl, but something you definitely don't want to buy this game for.
Classic: Classic is still here, and it's just about the same as melee. But now, you don't get too much 1 on 1 battles, instead, you get giant battles, mega battles, team battles, etc, all leading to master hand ( the final boss).
All Star: One of my favorite modes. You basically go defeating opponents from various franchises (Mario, Zelda, etc) with only one life and three heart containers, which replace all of your health. It is challenging, fun, and the best of all is the prize you get at the end of it…
Stadium: Here, you can do a target test contest, multi man brawl, home-run contest, and a secret mode. I love them all, especially home run contest. You can really spend great amounts of time in these 4 modes since they are fun, addictive and simple, just what SSBB is about
Events: Here, you take place in battles in which you have to accomplish goals certain goals. I loved the events from melee, and this ones two, as they can be challenging, but I feel a bit ripped of, since there's only 41 events, but there's also 21 coop events. Nice!
Vault
Here is where all of the amazing content packed into brawl is. Here, you can do various things, like:
- Build a stage with the new stage builder, which is great since you will be able to always experience a new stage.
- Look at your trophies, arrange them, read their descriptions and take a snapshot of them. Also, you can participate in coin launcher, a minigame in which you shot coins at trophies to earn them.
- View you stickers, arrange them in an album and take snapshots of them.
- Play masterpieces, which are trial versions of classic Nintendo titles, like Super Mario Bros., F-Zero, The Legend of Zelda, Donkey Kong, Ocarina of Time, Super Mario World, Kid Icarus and many more!!!!
- View the challenges section, which shows what unlockable content you have unlocked, and clues to unlock the rest.
- View replays, which are videos of home-run contests, battles, etc recorded by you.
- View Snapshots.
- And other things
This section of the game lets you view everything you have. I simply love that.
Nintendo WFC
The most anticipated feature of SSBB and it doesn't disappoint. The matches play lag-free in most with anyone matches and in all with friends matches. The ability to send stages, replays and screenshots rocks! Also, I love betting in matches, and watch the pros play. The only complain I have is the lack of options in with anyone matches. Only 2 minute brawls? Oh man…
Data
Watch your fight record, which helps you know how good you are. I also like very much this feature, but it doesn't affect much your enjoyment of SSBB
Options
Here, you can customize your music, controls etc. Does not really affect your enjoyment of the game either…
Final Verdict:
Braw is an excellent game, with lots of replay value and options. The few flaws it has, like a bit much of load times, don't affect that your experience with brawl will be the best you will have for years to come…