Brawl has a huge, well-balanced cast with superb game play and proves that this series keeps getting better and better.
THE GOOD
-Excellent multiplayer mode
-Fantastic soundtrack
-Creative level design
-Lots of customization
-Most of the characters are well-balanced
THE BAD
-The online is a huge disappointment
-Story mode can get cumbersome with a friend
OVERVIEW
Super Smash Bros. Brawl had a lot of hype before it was released and I think that this game did live up to the hype. SSBB took all the good things from Super Smash Bros. Melee, fixed the bad things, and added new stuff. SSBM relied mostly on the great multiplayer mode but now SSBB has the same great multiplayer mode but also a good single player mode called the Subspace Emissary. Along with Subspace Emissary you'll be able to play some of the old solo games like the Home Run Contest, Break the Targets, Classic single player and much more. There is plenty to do in this Smash Brothers so you'll get your money's worth with the replay value.
GAMEPLAY
There are plenty of things to do in this game either by yourself or with others. From the main menu you have the option to go to the solo section, group section, vault, Wi-Fi, options, and the data section. In the solo section you have the option to do the following things: The Subspace Emissary, All-star mode, Training, Classic Single player, Stadium, and Events. In the Subspace Emissary, which is probably considered the main solo game, you and a friend can go through the story for SSBB. The story itself is a little weird but you get a chance to play as all the characters in the game. Most of the stages are played like a regular platformer but there are some parts in the game where the screen is fixed (which usually means a boss fight). This part of the game takes about 8 - 10 hours to complete and the fact that it is 2 player is a nice touch. Unfortunately, the camera only follows the first player so second player gets "left in the dust" and off the screen a lot of the time. If the second player gets to far away from the first player the game will teleport that character to the first player. After every stage there is a cut-scene with some story. None of the characters talk so all the cut-scenes are actions only.
The All-star mode in the solo section lets you play as anyone in your quest to defeat every character with only one life. Between fights you get a break and have the option to use one of your three heart containers. So, use them wisely. The Training mode lets you practice with any unlocked character. Plus, you can pick your "punching bag" character to perform your attacks on. The classic mode is just like the solo game in Super Smash Bros. Melee. Here you select a character and play against the computer just like in the multiplayer mode. After a few matches there are bonus Target Smash games and then the Master Hand awaits you at the end.
The Stadium has a bunch of fun mini-games to challenge yourself. The Target Smash, Home-Run Contest and Multi-Man fights are here just like in SSBM with some new editions like the Endless Brawl and Boss Battle Brawl. In the Boss Battle Brawl, you'll get to face all the bosses from the Subspace Emissary and Classic mode. Lastly, the solo section contains the event matches just like Melee. Here you'll either get to select your character or use the default as you try to complete the objective for each event.
The solo portion of the game has plenty of fun things to do but so does the group section. In the group section you can customize your brawl with up to 4 people or computer players. You have the option to do a free-for-all or team game in three different types of matches like stock (play with a set amount of lives), coin (battle to collect coins) and time (fighting against the clock). This is where the previous Smash Brother games have excelled and Brawl excels and then some. There is complete customization over almost every aspect of the match. You can set certain things like the difficulty of the computer players, toggle items to appear in the match and the frequency of items appearing. Along with playing in a normal brawl you have the option to setup a tournament or rotation mode if you have more than 4 people. Also, just like in Melee, you can enter in your name to keep track of your stats and the button configuration per controller. The group section is great for parties and is where you'll likely spend most of your time, in this game, with friends.
Speaking of controller schemes, Brawl gives you the chance to play with the Classic Controller, Wii Remote only, Wii Remote and Nunchuk and the GameCube controller. Each of the controller schemes work well with the game and are completely customizable. There is even an option to use the motion sensors in the Wii Remote to perform attacks.
The next section that you can enter, from the main menu, is the Vault. Here you can look at your collected trophies and sticker achievements, use the Stage Builder, view replays, listen to music and look at pictures taken in matches. The Stage Builder is the notable for this section and a great new feature for the Smash Brothers series. In the Stage Builder you can create your own battle arena. You're not given a lot of material to work with but you are able to create some elaborate levels. Also, you have the option to enter your created stage at anytime to test things out.
The next section is the Wi-Fi or internet game section. This could have been awesome but the online play is very "bare bones" in quality. You only have the option to play in a team or free-for-all timed game. You can play with friends or with random people but there isn't a way to communicate with the people you are brawling with, which sucks. Also, the lag for the game is terrible. Disconnects happen often and with the lagged game play, it is almost impossible to attack with accuracy. Again, the online mode is very disappointing.
The last section on the main menu is for the Options and Data. Here you can change all the aspects of the game like the controls, sound, and rumble settings. Then you can view all the statistics that each Brawl character or user has accumulated. Again there is a lot to view here and plenty to brag about with your friends.
The character selection is the largest and best ever in the Smash series. Most of your favorite characters from the previous games are back with some new faces like Ike, Pit, and Metaknight. Unlike Melee, the characters in Brawl are well balanced which makes using all the characters fun to use without putting yourself at a disadvantage. Along with a great character selection, Brawl offers a lot of the same items from before plus some new items like the Final Smash Ball. Once your character breaks the ball he/she has the power to unleash a final smash attack. Everybody has a different and unique attack which can completely alter the outcome of a match. Some of the old levels are back along with some new ones. For the most part the level design is very well done but there are a few of the newer levels that are frustrating to play on.
GRAPHICS & SOUND
For the Nintendo Wii, the visuals for this game are very good. The character and level designs have a lot of nice detail. The graphics really enhance the quality of the game play in Brawl.
The music for the game is incredible. Since there are a bunch of playable characters, there is a good variety of music from each of there respective games. Plus the sound effects are just as good, if not better, as Melee.
CONCLUSION
Super Smash Bros. Brawl is an awesome game with tons of replay value. With a huge character selection and plenty of things to do you'll find it pretty easy to spend lots of hours playing this game. Plus, with the huge customizable option, the variety will seem endless. I would recommend this game to anyone from a beginner to an expert gamer. Nintendo put a lot of time into this game and it does live up to the hype.