Spring Break
'Brawl' Fights Its Way To The Top
Fernando Dutra
Issue date: 3/20/08 Section: Focus
Since its announcement at a 2005 E3 press conference, the next evolution of the "Smash Bros." franchise was something both the general public and Nintendo fan base were equally frothing over. Demand for information on the game was so great that a Web site was launched in May 2007 with daily updates on information about the game, ranging from character insights, mode details and any modification to the series formula. "Super Smash Bros. Brawl" for the Nintendo Wii has been the longest game in development for the series, and the dedication and polish truly shows in its variety.
For those unfamiliar, the "Smash Bros." franchise is a fighting game boasting characters from various Nintendo titles - ranging from Pikachu from "Pokémon" to Samus from "Metroid," along with everyone in between - and has been described by numerous publications as a "Nintendo aficionado's wet dream." Unlike technical fighters that require rote memorization or frenetic button tapping, "Super Smash Bros. Brawl" sports simplistic controls that are easy to pick up and play, but difficult to master. Normal attacks are assigned to a single button, while special attacks are assigned to another in conjunction with a direction on the control pad or joystick.
"Super Smash Bros. Brawl" offers four different control setups, including the Wii Remote, the Wii Remote and nunchuck attachment, the Wii remote and the classic controller attachment or a GameCube controller. A player chooses a character and can play through either a single player mode or against other people in multiplayer mode. The multiplayer mode has been the main draw for the franchise, and "Super Smash Bros. Brawl" is no exception, though it takes it a step further by adding online matches to the mix.
"Super Smash Bros. Brawl" beefs up single-player mode by offering a more substantial story mode - this time featuring a plot and cut scenes - and co-op play with a second player, a series first. Called the Subspace Emissary, this single-player mode puts players in control of various characters as they traverse the world to fight a spreading evil. By playing through the Subspace Emissary mode, secret players can be unlocked when they join your party. This is a quicker way to unlock characters, though veterans who prefer to accomplish specific feats (such as reflecting 10 projectiles with any character in a match, for example) and defeat a secret character in a challenge match can still do so. Though the Subspace Emissary is excellent polish, it does little for the franchise, especially since the story is lackluster and the design in some levels is abysmal. Other single player modes include: Classic mode, where players simply defeat characters in matches to advance, All-Star mode where players must defeat all the roster characters using limited recovery items, Event mode, which sports challenges under specific conditions, Stadium mode, which features a plethora of challenges ranging from target smash to boss battles, and Training mode for players to test out characters or learn the controls.
For those unfamiliar, the "Smash Bros." franchise is a fighting game boasting characters from various Nintendo titles - ranging from Pikachu from "Pokémon" to Samus from "Metroid," along with everyone in between - and has been described by numerous publications as a "Nintendo aficionado's wet dream." Unlike technical fighters that require rote memorization or frenetic button tapping, "Super Smash Bros. Brawl" sports simplistic controls that are easy to pick up and play, but difficult to master. Normal attacks are assigned to a single button, while special attacks are assigned to another in conjunction with a direction on the control pad or joystick.
"Super Smash Bros. Brawl" offers four different control setups, including the Wii Remote, the Wii Remote and nunchuck attachment, the Wii remote and the classic controller attachment or a GameCube controller. A player chooses a character and can play through either a single player mode or against other people in multiplayer mode. The multiplayer mode has been the main draw for the franchise, and "Super Smash Bros. Brawl" is no exception, though it takes it a step further by adding online matches to the mix.
"Super Smash Bros. Brawl" beefs up single-player mode by offering a more substantial story mode - this time featuring a plot and cut scenes - and co-op play with a second player, a series first. Called the Subspace Emissary, this single-player mode puts players in control of various characters as they traverse the world to fight a spreading evil. By playing through the Subspace Emissary mode, secret players can be unlocked when they join your party. This is a quicker way to unlock characters, though veterans who prefer to accomplish specific feats (such as reflecting 10 projectiles with any character in a match, for example) and defeat a secret character in a challenge match can still do so. Though the Subspace Emissary is excellent polish, it does little for the franchise, especially since the story is lackluster and the design in some levels is abysmal. Other single player modes include: Classic mode, where players simply defeat characters in matches to advance, All-Star mode where players must defeat all the roster characters using limited recovery items, Event mode, which sports challenges under specific conditions, Stadium mode, which features a plethora of challenges ranging from target smash to boss battles, and Training mode for players to test out characters or learn the controls.
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