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noopnomad's Super Smash Brothers Brawl (Wii)
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| [February 7, 2008 03:47:33 AM]
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GAMEPLAY
In addition to the lack of air-dodge, there is another game play flaw: tripping. Even after playing more of this game, I don’t understand why characters randomly trip. It tends to happen when a lot of buttons are pressed but the idea of tripping isn’t explained in the tutorial. Worst of all, the character is left vulnerable after fallen on the floor. This tripping element is extremely frustrating and it unnecessarily complicates the controls.
It is also important to note that Brawl features some of the best co-op game play that I’ve ever seen. Nearly all of the single player aspects of the game allow for co-op. This means that many returning fan favorites such as multi-man melee, home run contest, event mode and even adventure mode can be played in co-op. The inclusion of such a rich and varied co-op mode means that bystanders can freely join into the game – even in the “single player” mode – making Brawl an incredibly rich social game.
DESIGN
It is also worth noting that Brawl has an incredible reward system. There are additional playable characters that can be unlocked in multiple ways, stickers to collect as items in fights, CDs to pick up to unlock new songs, and so much more. Even if playing one simple match, you’ll unlock coins that can be used in a simple SHUMP-like mini-game to earn trophies and coins. Nearly everything in Brawl unlocks something else and you’ll find yourself losing track of time while playing this incredibly expansive game.
Furthermore, each of the different levels had a unique feel to it. Besides the game play altering aspects such as gravity changes and moving platforms, the different soundtrack in each level adds to the feeling of truly unique stages. For example, the dog howls in the Animal Crossing stage's song contributes to light hearted feeling of that stage while the opera soundtrack creates a much darker tone for the Final Destination stage. From flying shy guys bearing food in the Yoshi’s Island stage or the mini-games in the Wario Ware stage, each stage has been well thought out and each presents different new challenges while retaining the core game play.
With a little less then a month left, Smash fans will soon be happily united with Brawl. This game was given 5 stars because it rightfully deserves it. Despite its flaws, Brawl is an features good controls and is incredibly fun in groups or alone. If you don’t believe me, try it for yourself in early March.
This entry has been edited 1 time. It was last edited on Feb 8th, 2008 at 20:07:42.
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| [February 7, 2008 12:18:42 AM]
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SUMMARY
For this Gamelog entry, I chose a game that needs little introduction, Super Smash Brothers Brawl, a game developed by Nintendo, Game Art, and Sora, in which characters from Nintendo’s past and present games fight one another. Like past Smash Brother titles, the game features deep yet deceptively simple controls. Brawl is the third installment in the Smash Brothers series, with the director hinting that it could possibility be the last.
**Remember that I am playing the Japanese version of the game and that some elements of this game may change before Brawl’s March release on American shores. One other thing to note is that this entry is spoiler-free!**
GAMEPLAY
The Smash Bros series has always been able to draw a crowd from hardcore and casual gamers and Brawl is no different. This is because most of the characters are instantly recognizable to Nintendo fans and non-fans alike. Mario, Kirby, Princess Zelda, and Pikachu are characters, to name a few. I was only able to play one verses match before my roommate quickly joined into the battle. Seeing Yoshi hurl an egg at Link is sure to grab the attention of bystanders and don’t be surprised if you can’t hear video crowd over the oh’s and ah’s of an actual one soon forming around you. Simply put, Brawl is a social experience.
Particularly unique about Brawl is its ability to accommodate the many controllers that the Wii supports. More specifically, the Gamecube controller, Classic Controller, Nun chuck and Remote, and the remote alone can all be used in this game. Veterans of the now-seven-year-old Super Smash Brothers Melee will instantly want to grab a Gamecube controller and while the game controls virtually the same, there are a few key differences to keep an eye out for. The Z-button doesn’t attack in midair and taunts are mapped to all directions of the D-pad. It’s certainly nice to see that the game makers kept Gamecube controller support in Brawl as it will certainly be veteran smashers’ controller of choice.
Controllers aside, there are several other changes. Characters grab onto the ledges even when facing the opposite direction and items are easier to grab since sweeping moves and air dodges pick up items. On the topic of air dodges, their importance in the game have been reduced as its range has dramatically decreased. However, to compensate for this, multiple air dodges can be done, instead on only one-per-fall as was the case in Melee. Players can still move slightly left or right using the air dodge in midair but overall, Melee’s air-dodging system much more responsive, interesting, and overall, effective. This new system makes Brawl’s game play much slower then Melee and is sure to have angry fans banging on Nintendo’s door asking for yet another sequel.
This entry has been edited 3 times. It was last edited on Feb 8th, 2008 at 20:13:48.
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noopnomad's Super Smash Brothers Brawl (Wii)
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Current Status: Playing
GameLog started on: Wednesday 6 February, 2008
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