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By Scott N (11th Jul 2008)

Hands up everyone who wants to knock the stuffing out of that annoying little yellow rat Pikachu? Well boys and girls, here’s your chance to vent all of that bottled up rage and, quite literally, knock him (or his wimpy trainer) out of the park. Welcome to Super Smash Bros. Brawl (SSBB), the new Wii game that pits all your favourite and most hated Nintendo characters against each other in a battle royal of epic proportions. There has been a lot of talk about this one, and some very impressive wraps that have got my hopes up and I am sure most of yours as well. Does it have the goods, or is it a marketing tool to take advantage of decades of successes?

For those of you unaware SSBB is the sequel to Super Smash Bros., a fighting based game that saw popular Nintendo characters beating each other senseless. Of course this happens in SSBB, however there are many upgrades, new characters and completely new game play that puts this one in a slightly different category. There is still the base of the game, which is the fight arena. Here you can fight with up to four players simultaneously and call upon trademark moves and actions unique to each Nintendo star. The initial selection of characters is quite wide and includes favourites like Mario, Link and Donkey Kong and less well known ones like Kirby, Lucas and the Ice Climbers. There is also a lot of unlockable familiar faces, with two in particular (Sonic and Solid Snake) that many have been waiting for. The style of this is basically identical to its predecessor with a bit more beef, which is what you would expect from a more powerful machine. It is the new additions that give this game a bit more depth.

The new ‘Adventure Mode’ adds a big positive to the game package. Basically it is a platform game that has elements of the classic fighting game at random intervals and when you face the end bosses. I must say this was an important addition to the game for me as I think it would not have held my attention for a great period otherwise. Having said that, don’t get too excited! The story line is very vague and with no actual speaking a little hard to follow. The general gist of “The Subspace Emissary” is that the bad characters are turning the good characters into trophies, and randomly blowing things up.

Each level sees you play the role of a different character from the Nintendo vaults, fighting against all of the old foes you remember from your childhood…..or for our younger readers, the really badly animated games that daddy played when he was young. If it was a stand-alone platform, not connected to the rest of the game it would be a little ordinary and probably not rate overly highly. However, it isn’t, so it adds entertainment value and a welcome change from finger mashing.

There are also a number of other smaller game types that have both novelty value, but also earn you trophies. Most of them are fight based, but there is a funky little one that sees you smack a boxing bag as hard as you can, with awards given for distance. What can I say, I’m a sucker for a senseless disregard for sporting goods! There is also a ‘trophies’ section that gives you hints on how to unlock some of the extras throughout the game. I found this quite useful as it gave me something to shoot for rather than just cranking though the levels with little purpose other than to see the next cut scene.

Graphics wise, it was exactly as expected, colourful and elaborate backdrops and foregrounds, near flawless animation and some very nice rendering. I did find some of the battles zoomed out a bit too much and it was very easy to lose your character. Usually I wouldn’t mind this too much, but you can get blasted off the platforms quite easily in these scenarios. There is also an option to sharpen or soften the visuals depending on personal preference. I personally didn’t see a huge amount of difference, though I did prefer the ‘soften’ option.

As far as the audio goes, for me the game had its ups and downs. The soundtrack itself is suited to the feel that Nintendo has had with their games over the last few decades. Mainly an electronic orchestral style that changes pace with perfect timing depending on the game play. The issue that I found a little annoying was during the game play and cut scenes of ‘Adventure Mode’ there is no speaking at all. Given that, in the past, most of the Nintendo developed games do not have speech it is not completely unexpected. However some sub titles to assist with plot development etc. would have been nice. As I mentioned earlier, the story line is a little vague.

The controls were a major let down for me. I guess I was expecting a very active and wrist cramping adaption for the Wii controllers. Instead, Nintendo has decided to generalise the controls so you can have a consistent game experience with the Wii Remote/Chucka, Sideways Wii Remote or the traditional controller (Game Cube style). Although this is all well and good for 3-4 players I really felt like the innovative style of control that the Wii is now known for was really not utilised.

So, now to the big question ... is it any good? There is a lot of positive talk about the game, and to be honest, I haven’t heard an average, let alone a negative word about it. Although I don’t have anything ‘bad’ as such to say about the game I certainly don’t see what all of the hubbub was about. Don’t get me wrong, it is a good game, but certainly not worth the rave buzz it has been receiving! I thought the overall package was quite good and relatively entertaining. I mean who wouldn’t have a cheeky grin controlling a fight between Princess Peach and Zelda?! But for me to call a game amazing it has draw me to it, and you should drink your local 7-11 out of their stock of Red Bull just to squeeze that extra game play time. I didn’t get that with SSBB. I think if the game was released on a lesser machine, like the Game Cube, I would have been firmly in its corner, with the rest of the world, singing its praises. I was expecting a lot more, and it just didn’t deliver on as many levels as I was expecting.

For Nintendo stalwarts, from the original console in the 80’s, through the SNES, 64 and the Cube, this would probably be a must have. All the characters are there, the moves, the levels, but it lacks the feel of a real Nintendo classic where the story line has been refined and everything polished to a fault. As I said, it is a good game, but it needs another level to be a great game.