The Super Smash Bros. series is easily one of the most popular game series of all time. The concept of bringing together Nintendo’s most popular characters from various franchises into one game was definitely a genius move. The first two games became living legends right away so there was a lot of pressure on Brawl to deliver. I’d say that SSBB definitely did a solid job and delivered everything that I could have wanted in the game.

Brawl had a pretty solid array of game modes to play around with. Classic Mode has stayed true to formula and is definitely the most traditional mode for the series. All Star mode lets you challenge all 35 Smash characters in a long marathon of battles. Boss Battles mode is a new choice that debuted in this game. There are 10 bosses to challenge and completing this mode on intense difficulty is truly an impressive feat. There are many other modes including the Homerun Contest, Event Mode, Break the Targets, and Multiman Brawl, all of which have a co-op option as well as the normal single player version. SSBB is definitely rich in content and you will find yourself playing it for hours. If you want a break from brawling, there are now other modes to appease your gaming needs. Coin Launcher is a mode where you use your coins to shoot at trophies and objects that drop stickers. It’s a pretty fun minigame and definitely an improvement from the lottery machine in Melee. With 700 stickers and over 500 trophies, you’ll definitely be using this mode a lot! A unique feature that was added to this game was the stage builder. It is pretty fun for a while, but eventually you find yourself wishing that they had added more objects and background to customize with. Brawl is the first game in the series to add Challenges. Meeting the requirements for each challenge unlocks a trophy, stage, or CD. They’re definitely fun incentives to make sure that you play every facet of the game and none of them are outrageously long or difficult. (The 100 hour of vs mode gameplay may seem daunting, but you’ll likely have played that much by the end anyway)

Let’s get on to Brawl’s story mode: The Subspace Emissary. (Which you can play with a friend using the co-op feature) The other modes which I’ve already mentioned were great and very fun to play, but the Subspace definitely blows them out of the water. Brawl’s story mode is what earned the game it’s place as the 2nd greatest game of all time. The story mode was perfectly done, featuring many of the characters that were playable in the game. The characters all set about to stop the Ancient Minister and the Master Hand from destroying all of the worlds. The game did a good job of making the story into a very compelling and deep one that made you want to keep on playing without stop. Some subplots may have not been too exciting (Like Pokemon Trainer and Lucas’s) but others will keep you on the edge of your seat (Samus and Pikachu) Once the climax begins, the heroes all rally together to stop the ultimate enemy The Master H-Tabuu! Tabuu is a character made exclusively for Brawl’s story mode and I’d say that the game did a great job with him. Having the appearance of a cosmic entity and an aura of mystery, Tabuu quickly showed off his power as he managed to defeat Nintendo’s all stars. Things definitely appeared dire for the heroes, but to learn the ending you’ll need to buy the game for yourself.

The core gameplay of Brawl is pretty similar to Melee’s, but there have definitely been some changes. The gameplay has been slowed down and the characters are actually able to trip now. I’m not sure if I agree with either change, but I am glad that the developers took some initiative to make sure that it wasn’t just a copy of Melee. Brawl contains 10 more characters than Melee with the most notable of them being Sonic The Hedgehog. The characters are decently balanced (but good luck using a power type to take on someone quick like Fox or Captain Falcon) and all of them have their unique abilities. Many of the characters seem to be weaker than their melee incarnations, but it helps to balance out the game. The animation definitely holds up to this day, but I would say that it’s a bit of a step down from Melee.

In the end Super Smash Bros Brawl is definitely a solid addition to the Wii’s lineup and a must buy for any gamer. It is currently my 2nd favorite game of all time and it is unlikely to be passed by anything (Aside from future Smash Bros titles) anytime soon.

Overall 9/10 Replay Value 9/10

Achievements
Beat Game
Beat Classic Mode with everyone
Unlocked all characters
Unlocked all Stages
Got all music
Beat All Star Mode with everyone
Beat Boss Battle Mode
Beat Classic Mode, Story Mode, Allstar Mode, and Boss Battle Mode on all difficulties

Things to do
Get all stickers
Get all trophies