Banana Scoop

Alrighty, time for another game of the week. This week I’ll be covering a somewhat oldie but definitely a goodie, Super Smash Bros. Brawl. This amazing third installment to an amazing fighting game really took the world by storm (at least those of us who got a Wii), and really brought a lot of things to the table that fans were asking for.

With an amazing roster, cool new items, and a relatively unique single player campaign, SSBB immediately became a must-have game for anyone that owned Nintendo’s latest console. I’ll be covering the ins and outs of the game as a whole, while reminiscing with you lot about how amazing this game is for friends to play around the couch. Hopefully you’ll enjoy this review to the latest game in the Super Smash Bros. series.

First and foremost, I’ll cover the gameplay mechanics of Brawl. At the bare minimum, each character has a series of normal attacks that can be used with the directional pad or joystick and the A button for those of you still using a Gamecube controller. These attacks differ depending on which direction the d-pad or joystick is tilted. They can be pressed and held simultaneously to charge up a more powerful attack called a ‘smash’ attack.

Additionally, each character has their own specific set of special moves that can be activated by either leaving the joystick neutral, or tilting it in a direction and hitting the B button. The player can jump using the x or y buttons, and can either dodge or shield attacks using the shoulder buttons. Using these in combination lead to a very effective smash player, and one that can definitely hold his own against his friends. There are more dynamics involved with this such as animation canceling and other fancy professional tricks, but I won’t cover those as they don’t interest me as much as the actual game.

SSBB brought a ton of new items into the mix as well, from the hot and spicy bowl of curry to the slug-fest inducing Smash Ball. While many of the other items are easy to use and get a hold of, the smash ball is equivalent to the holy grail of items. When one spawns on the map, any player who knows what they’re doing rushes for it in a mad gab to grab it first. Whichever lucky player manages to break the ball gets to use an amazing and usually map wide special ability called the ‘final smash’. Stronger than any other normal or special attack in the game, a well-timed smash ball usually guarantees a kill with a skilled player. My personal favorite would be a tie between either Zelda’s or Snake’s, but those are mainly because I love playing those characters.

The storyline was interesting, although I didn’t really get the gist of what was going on without any voice overs. The general idea that I got was that an evil force (more powerful than Master Hand) attacked the Brawl universe, turning many of our heroes into statues or trophies. The player gets the option to make many choices during the game that directly influence which characters you get to play (such as either Peach or Zelda). You go through the motions and play through a variety of side-scrolling levels including Meta Knight’s ship, the Halberd, and a lot of places reminiscent of Mario levels. This all culminates in a final battle with a being known as ‘Tabuu. After saving the world, the heroes then enjoy the rest of the game beating the tar out of one another until either time runs out or someone else runs out of lives.

Overall the game is an enjoyable play for anyone of all ages, and something that I definitely recommend for anyone that is a fan of the original games. With a wide assortment of lovable, timeless characters and an even wider assortment of fun game types and maps to play through, Super Smash Bros. Brawl is a definite must-have game for any Wii owner. The storyline, while not fresh and exciting, is an amazing jump from the original arcade style of the game’s predecessors. Anyone that has not picked this game up or at least tried it is missing out on an amazing experience involving their favorite video game characters. Hopefully you enjoyed reading this review as much as I enjoyed writing it. Leave your comments in the section below and let me know what you thought about it.