Super Smash Bros. Brawl addresses the same
universe-merging urge as Alan Moore's League Of Extraordinary Gentlemen. This fighting game for
the Wii mashes up elements from nearly every Nintendo game into the kind of
cross-property bouillabaisse that keeps licensing departments up at night. It's
a toy-box mentality, one that can't be bothered with segregating characters,
weapons, and playsets. "Fight 'em all," the game says, "Let the players sort it
out."
Matches play like a Destroy All Monsters mêlée, with up to four
players duking it out until the last man, or Pokémon, stands. This free-for-all
attitude frequently puts beloved characters in situations that would otherwise
tarnish their family-friendly reputations. Imagine a droog-like Pikachu
clutching a baseball bat, poised to crack Princess Peach on the noggin. Mario,
who usually favors fireballs, isn't adverse to grabbing a laser rifle and
shooting from the hip.
There's a jaw-dropping array of personalities and
implements of peril in play. And with Super Smash Bros. Brawl's variety comes nearly
endless potential for surprise. Still, the game shows welcome restraint in its
controls. Fighters have become increasingly complex since the days of Street
Fighter II. Super Smash Bros. Brawl is simplistic, shifting the focus away from the memorization
of arcane button combos. The brilliance is that every character controls identically;
only the actual character moves vary wildly. Familiarity and strategy trump
twitch-reflexes in the best way possible. Some may call it button-mashing, but
the sane, accessible approach to virtual combat makes Super Smash Bros.
Brawl the
best way to pummel friends and strangers.
Beyond the game: Still can't find a Wii?
They're only going to get scarcer with this killer app on shelves.
Worth playing for: Two non-Nintendo
characters drop into the roster: Snake from Metal Gear Solid and Sonic The Hedgehog.
Frustration sets in
when: The
game's online matches don't support any kind of chat. That's probably why God
created Skype. Tuckered players can spectate at random online matches, though.
The ability to bet on these anonymous horse-races is surprisingly compelling.
Final judgment: A kitchen-sink battle
royal.