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Thursday 21 February, 2008
Gameplay 2:
For my second entry I was playing solo so I concentrated on the single player mode and the training levels, rather than just playing multiplayer versus computer controlled characters or something else as equally dull. The single player is pretty basic, you just choose a difficulty level and progress through a series of fights, ranging from 1v1s to 2v2s or your character vs. eight Kirbys etc. The single player can actually be pretty challenging if its set on the highest difficulty, as its hard to make it through all the stages without losing a life (the challenge I set myself). The levels do progress in difficulty, although its not really noticeable until the last couple stages. Two somewhat harder levels are at the end where one fight is you vs. a metal mario who is very heavy and difficult to knock off the level, and another fight where its you vs. 30 porygons who are rather weak, but build up damage on you pretty fast. After beating the game once or so on the hardest difficulty, the novelty wears off and I found myself bored of this game mode already.
The training modes can be pretty entertaining for someone like me who likes to set and break new records, but aside from that challenge they get old quick. There is a 'break the targets' challenge where every character has their own stage with an array of targets they have to break, and a 'race to the finish' mode where each character has a different level to make it to the goal as quickly as possible. I'm a perfectionist in some games when it comes to setting time records for things like this, so I kept myself pretty amused trying to break all the targets in as short a time as possible. All in all, the single player aspects of Smash Bros. isn't too enticing, but it can stave off boredom or a homework assignment successfully for a little while.
Design:
A lot of people say they prefer many design elements in the Gamecube version of Smash Bros. over the N64 one. I may be one of the few that will take the 64 version over the Gamecube one anyday. I'm a huge fan of the Gamecube Smash Bros. as well, but I prefer the simplicity of the level design and the smoothness in character movement and control in the 64 version over its more advanced Gamecube sibling. The level design in this one is pretty simple, but it makes players focus more on the fights at hand than the seizure-inducing level designs of the Gamecube version.
The sound design is great for the game, as it incorporates all the distinct sound styles of the games that Smash Bros. takes its fighters. Distinct Nintendo sound affects and music is also incorporated upon using items like Pokeballs or an invicible star from the Mario series. All in all the sound design of this game may be its most error-free quality, as most of the same concepts were adopted for the Gamecube version.
The brilliance of the design is shown in the 4 player Versus battles, where the level, sound, and control schemes all interact in such a way as to create hectic, yet smooth looking battle sequences that allow the players to get socially involved in playing the game. Except for a few annoyances on some of the levels, the player is focusing most of his or her attention on the other players at hand and not on distracting design elements like sound or jarring controls.
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