This sequel to one of the greatest fighting games ever made does not live up to the hype.
Let's start with the single player campaign. The Subspace missionary is entertaining but gets far too repetitive by the end of it. It's nice to see all the Nintendo characters getting together to fight an unknown 'Big Bad' who is terrorizing all the Nintendo worlds. However, the story takes 7 hours and after one or two theres really no point to continue playing it because the gameplay just gets way too repetitive. And at the end of the game you have to go through a maze which is basically the entire game again and takes roughly two hours. And the storyline just comes to an end with some random moments which includes Sega mascot Sonic. While the single player experience has always been a big meh in the Smash series, Brawl actually takes very good steps to improve it. I just wish that the characters would talk because the cutscenes, while entertaining, are also boring because there is no dialogue in the game.
Now I always believe that a game either has to have a gripping storyline or an amazing multiplayer experience. (or both ) What Smash lacks in its single player campaign it shines in its multiplayer. Melee's multiplayer was amazing. The problem is that Melee is now 6 years old and most people want a unique experience. Brawl adds only adds one major thing to the multiplayer experience - Smash Attacks. Smash Attacks are fun for awhile but you'll turn them off eventually. These attacks change the gameplay for the worse. Hardcore Brawlers will most likely take off items anyway.
Brawl also adds a dozen or so new characters to the franchise. While some of them are unique (Snake, Olimar, Ike), most of them are just clones of other people (Toon Link, Wolf, Lucario).
Melee was almost perfect because it improved the original game in many ways. Brawl is basically Melee except they forgot to improve the mistakes that Melee made. The characters are still clones and that was a huge complaint that most people had with the original game.
The other big complaint was that online was nonexistant in Melee. Unfortunately, my Brawl online experience was horrible. It took me 15 minutes to finally get in a game and of course the only type of match you can play is a 2 minute brawl which is horrible. No one in their right mind wants to play timed, they want to play stock. Also, I really despise how you can only play with 1 player through searching for games. Now I know most people say Friend Codes is where its at but the only people you'll really be playing with are people who own a Wii near your house. I'd rather have people come over and play if I'm playing with people I know in real life. And I just want to state that I played one game with my friend who lived a couple blocks away and there was lag. My PERSONAL online experience with this game was broken and for such a multiplayer game thats just not acceptable.
Besides the online, Brawl has a huge lifespan that's definitely worth checking out. Collecting the trophies, unlocking the stages and people, and accomplishing all the challenges and events are worth it. I especially enjoyed the Boss Battle modes. The music in the game is amazing. Every classic Nintendo, Sonic, and Metal Gear song are includes in the game. Gerudo Valley theme definitely brings back memories. Also, the build your own stage editor is a very nice addition that unfortunately again could be further utilized in future games in the franchise if there are more.
Overall, Smash Bros Brawl feels more like Melee. Nintendo decided to play it safe instead of expanding the experience and making a huge leap like Melee did from the original. The game is still a definite purchase for Wii owners and has a great multiplayer experience even though the online is broken. My only suggestions is that (if there is another Smash game) the online play is done right, more characters are added that are actually unique, and there are bigger flat stages that don't really have alot going on.