Super Smash Bros. Brawl

Finally, after months and months of waiting we get our hands on Smash Bros. Brawl.

Smash Bros. Melee was one of the greatest games on the GameCube and a huge amount of unlockable content helped it stand the test of time longer than any of the others. Since the Nintendo Wii was launched we’ve been teased with animated trailer sequences of the next Smash Bros title, but launch delays and a longer wait for European gamers to get their hands on the game have tested the patience of many of us.

But now it is here we can all breath a sigh of relief, grab our Wiimotes and prepare for battle. As with its predecessor, this is a brightly-coloured, manic 2D fighting game, with a host of special moves that need to be honed. Nintendos usual roster of characters are joined by Sonic The Hedgehog and Solid Snake this time around. As the battles progress a plethora of different items drop, allowing you to pick them up and use against your foe. Stickers are new to Brawl and once picked up in Subspace Emissary mode may be added to your characters to increase their powers in different areas. There are 700 in all and many are specific to certain characters. There are also 27 Assist Trophies which call forth an assistant to help with the battle.

Classic Mode is similar to Smash Bros Melee with 14 levels for one or two players, while The Subspace Emissary replaces the Adventure mode. Here you fight through levels with predetermined characters, opening doors to new rooms and finding the eight bosses hidden throughout the Subspace Emissary. Once completed you unlock Boss Battle mode, allowing you to fight any of these eight in a one-off brawl.

The addition of online multiplayer is a welcome one, with gamers able to battle against friends or strangers either one-on-one or in teams of two. Setting up a battle is easy but once all four players start using items and jumping around the screen it does get frustratingly jerky.

Smash Bros Brawl is an incredibly addictive game. Pick it up and before long you’ll be wondering where the time went. In an age where we are constantly told that next gen is the way forward, its refreshing to see such a traditional 2D platformer fare so well. The graphics are still nice, but you do wonder how much better the boss battles would have looked if the Wii had a bit more power under the hood.

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