Product Description

Engage the rage with Super Smash Bros. Brawl! The third instalment of the incredibly successful Super Smash Bros. series is now on the Wii, The roster islonger than ever, but that just means more butt to kick across over a dozen different, graphic-rich stages with original moves, new modified moves, and a brand-new super attack called Final Smash! Old favourites like Mario, Link, Peach and Kirby are now joined by such exciting newcomers as Wario, Solid Snake and Sonic the Hedgehog. With a variety of new modes, an absolutely epic soundtrack and the ability to play with distant friends through online multiplayer, this is a game you'll have to break your own fingers to put down. Original soundtrack from 36 different artists Online Multiplayer

• See your favourite Smash Bros. character, redesigned from their most recent games, brawl onto your screen once again!
• A host of new characters to fight with, including Sonic, Pit from Kid Icarus, Wario and Diddy Kong
• More than a dozen gorgeously-rendered stages
• New special moves and attacks, including the groundbreaking Final Smash
• New items and assist trophies

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Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #392 in Computer & Video Games
• Brand: Nintendo
• Published on: 2008-03
• Released on: 2008-06-27
• ESRB Rating: Teen
• Platform: Nintendo Wii
• Number of items: 1
• Dimensions: .55" h x 5.41" w x 7.51" l, .36 pounds

Amazon.co.uk
The third instalment in Nintendo’s popular Super Smash Bros. fighter franchise debuts on the Wii in Super Smash Bros. Brawl. Loaded with all the characters and features players have loved from the two previous versions, plus much more, it is a worthy addition to the series and yet another must-have title for the Nintendo Wii.

The Brawl comes to your Wii

Brawl with old friends .

Or new ones like Pit from "Kid Icarus." .

The Smash Ball is the key to success. .

Battle to your hearts content. .

Characters: More Than Just Mario and Friends
The lifeblood of the Super Smash Bros. series has always been the depth of the character line-up that each instalment has been able to bring and Brawl not only keeps with tradition, but does it one better. Just as in Super Smash Bros. and Super Smash Bros Melee, players can expect to pit their favourite Nintendo characters against each other in head-to-head and multiplayer battles, but instead of insisting on characters exclusively from the Nintendo universe, Brawl adds variety in the form of superstars Sonic the Hedgehog and Solid Snake from Konami’s Metal Gear franchise. This is a first-time addition and one that will delight veteran players and newbies alike. But these two characters are only a sampling of the new additions to the game’s line-up. The other ten come from classic Nintendo titles and bring the complete line-up of playable characters to a whopping 25. See the full list on combatants below:

New Comers: Pit from the Kid Icarus series, Wario, Zero Suit Samus, Ike from the Fire Emblem series, Meta Knight and King Dedede from the Kirby series, Pokémon Trainer, Diddy Kong, Lucas from the Earthbound/Mother series, Pikimin and Olimar from the Pikmin series and of course Sonic and Solid Snake.

Returning Veteran Fighters: Mario, Link, Kirby, Pikachu, Fox McCloud, Samus, Zelda/Sheik, Bowser, Donkey Kong, Yoshi, Princess Peach and Ice Climbers from the NES title Ice Climber.

The Rules of the Brawl
As in previous releases in the series, Brawl places players within a different, but easy to use fighting system. Players choose a character, select one of the numerous stages--which are levels based in the game worlds represented in Super Smash Bros.-- and try to knock their opponents off the screen using a range of standard techniques and combos as well as a variety of special attacks and ‘Smash Moves’ specific to their chosen character. A Smash Move can only be performed after securing a ‘Smash Ball.’ These precious items, marked with the Smash Bros. logo, fall randomly and can be used by either player, but they must be cracked open before they can be used. To keep things interesting they can also can be stolen if not used right away, so when a player sees one it must be grabbed quickly and cracked to avoid an unfortunate turn of events.

Also, keeping with the game’s "E" rating and player’s affection for the characters, instead of displaying health bars the game uses a percent system to indicate character status and strength. The more damage done to a character, the higher the percentage and the farther back he/she is knocked back when struck by an opponent.

Many Ways to Play: Multiplayer and Single Player Options
Just as in previous instalments of Super Smash Bros. there is fun to be had whether you choose to fight in multiplayer or single player mode, but Brawl again pushes the envelope even further by providing additional ways to play within these areas and the possibility of others added later. Here are just a few of the modes that you can expect to see:

Multiplayer

• Standard Multiplayer Brawl - A standard battle between 2-4 players.
• Special Brawl – Take down your friends in matches which you can customize with as many rules as you would like.
• Tourney – Choose the number of players and rules you want and have at it in a round-robin battle against many foes.
• Online Multiplayer - For the first time play against registered friends or randomly selected opponents from anyplace in the world via a Nintendo Wi-Fi connection.

Single Player

• Training – Start on the path to Brawling like a pro as you learn to string standard moves together into combos.
• Classic – Fight your way through semi-randomly generated battles where each match features an arena or opponent from a particular game series and may feature unique battle conditions.
• Stadium: Target Smash - Practice your aim as you break ten targets within a set time limit.
• "Subspace Emissary" - The world of Smash Bros. is invaded by an entity called the Ancient Minister and his army, called "The Primid. As this villain starts turning characters into trophies to harness their power, declare a peace with your quarrelsome companions and work together to defeat the invaders in an engrossing side-scrolling adventure.

Stay in Control
Because the Super Smash Bros. series has a huge following and an even larger list of characters from the Nintendo catalogue, it only makes sense that players may have a preference for a particular Nintendo controller from the era of their favourite game. Because of this the game’s creators have incorporated all four of the major Nintendo controllers into the mix. Whether you prefer the Wii Remote, the Wii Remote with Nunchuck, the Wii Classic Controller or GameCube Controller it makes no difference. All four are fully compatible with all the features of Super Smash Bros. Brawl, although the handling of each is a little different. Choose the one you are most comfortable with, or explore all your options. The choice is yours.

A Barrel Full of Customization
Finally, created with an eye towards providing year’s worth of fun, Brawl comes with extensive built-in customization possibilities. Dive into the game’s seemingly endless list of game modes/mini-games, battle stages, in-game items and musical playback options to make the game your own and Brawl the way you want to.

Manufacturer's Description
Compatible with both the Wii and GameCube Consoles. Turbo Fire. Built in Rumble feedback. Analogue L & R Trigger Buttons

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Customer Reviews

Still the best multiplayer out there!
I'll address this review to people who aren't too familiar with Smash Bros, since those who are, probably already have the game and don't need any convincing from me.
Basically this is a very unique fighter since instead of walking around, trying to depleat each other's health bars (yawn), you jump around building up you opponents' damage. The aim is to knock your opponent off the screen using a huge variety of moves and techniques, and the more damage they have, the further they fly. Of course the game is packed with old and new Nintendo characters, plus Solid Snake and Sonic. The game is very wacky and Japanese-y so don't expect it to make a whole lot of sense.

SINGLE PLAYER- The thing to remember is that this is a multiplayer game. Single player is really there to brush up on your skills for your next multiplayer match. Of course single player is good fun- but not the key focus of the game. The new Adventure mode (subspace emissary) is so-so. You play through arcade-style levels. Whilst it's cool seeing your favourite characters from different games interact, it's a shame that the levels aren't set in the characters' games (levels and most enemies are just unique "Smash bros" ones). All this is still a great addition for old Nintendo fans, but definitely not the primary reason for buying the game.

ONLINE- You can play against friends online, with loads of options, but so far I have only tried random matchmaking. Two problems I found with this was: Long waiting time to connect to other players, and some laggy slowed-down play. As I understand, however , playing friends online is a much better experience.

NINTENDO NOSTALGIA- This game is packed with it. All I need to point out in this category is: If you don't know much about Nintendo and it's past games, a lot of the game's elements will be lost on you. But that's not to say you won't enjoy it.

So overall I'd highly reccommed this game, just as long as you know what you're getting. People who buy this based on hype alone with no understanding of what the game's about may fail to grasp the nature of it (which is always the case when someone has a negative opinion of it). But if you have a wii, a few mates (if they're Nintendo fans that's even better), and a touch of competitiveness, then chances are that you'll be enjoying this for years to come.

Grab and Smash
You've got to hand it to Nintendo when it comes to taking an old game format (some would say `tired' while others would say `classic') and turning it into something new and wonderful. They did it with the racing game (Mario Kart), the platform game (Super Mario Galaxy), and now they've done it with the fighting game with SSBB.

It seems that Nintendo follow a few simple rules when developing games: simple on paper that is, but not implemented by every game developer by any means. Their rules appear to be (1) keep it simple, (2) keep it varied, (3) keep `em coming back, and (4) make it beautiful.

First off, this is a very simple game to describe and to play. A brawl has up to four combatants. The aim is to knock them off the screen, and avoid being knocked off the screen yourself. With every hit, your damage goes up. The higher your damage, the easier it becomes for your opponents to knock you perilously off the screen. If you've been knocked off the screen, you lose a point, and the player who KO'd you gains a point. Repeat until the time is up. Game over. Dead easy, right? Well yes, but this makes for some very subtle strategic play. For example, just because you are the fighter that inflicts the most damage on another doesn't count for anything: only KOing an opponent gains you points. That means that another fighter can wear down an opponent, and you nip in at the last moment to deliver the killer strike and get the points! This makes for very competitive and vigilant play, where you keep your eye on everyone's damage and all end up picking on the same guy, or beating away anyone else who tries to get to your quarry. The controls are also very simple. There are twelve attack types: four basics corresponding to the four compass points of the joystick, four special attacks, and four smash attacks. There are no block manoeuvres to remember, just a single block and dodge function that puts a shield around you or allows you to roll out of the way. This has a limited lifespan and is depleted by damage. All moves are accessed very simply with single button presses or joystick manoeuvres on the Game Cube controller at least: other control methods are less satisfactory. All the moves are modified by your position on the screen, such as moving or standing still, in the air or on the ground, facing towards or away from an opponent. Fortunately the controls are always the same. This is not a game where you have to remember great lists of button combos for different characters. The strategy in using the different attack types is in deciding whether you want a quick attack that causes little damage, or one of the super or smash moves that takes a little longer, and is therefore easier to dodge, but inflicts more damage.

Despite the simple gameplay, SSBB is incredibly varied. You already know that there are umpteen characters that you can play as, and almost as many stages that you can play on. The characters have various strengths and weaknesses in terms of their power, manoeuvrability, speed, handling, and their ability to recover from being smashed off-screen. The stages too vary in their size, shape, number of platforms and dynamics. That is, some stages are fairly simple and static, while others morph, move and change as you play, meaning that you have to change your position to avoid being transported off the screen by the stage itself. Additionally, there are dozens of usable items (power-ups and pick-ups) that can change the course of a fight. The most dangerous of these is the glowing `Smash Ball' which, when collected and used correctly, will deliver a fatal blow to every other fighter on the screen. Standard pick-ups range from the usual weapons and health bonuses, to the more unusual `assists' which place additional fighters in the game that defend you and attack your opponents. One of the most hilarious of these is the Nintendogs puppy who... no, I won't spoil it for you! There are also loads and loads of game modes. The one I've described here is `Brawl', which can be played alone or in multiplayer. But there is also `classic' mode (defeat fighters in a sequence of battles), event modes (complete a number of specific challenges), boss battles, `stadium' minigames, not to mention the Subspace Emissary adventure mode. The last one is where you unlock most of the additional content, and combines fighting with platforming, boss battles and exploration, and is great fun. If this isn't enough variety, nearly every player-selectable aspect of the game can be tweaked, such as time limits, frequency of assists and other pick-ups, CPU difficulty, etc., etc. Basically, the game is endlessly tweakable.

The main things that keep you coming to SSBB are the simple but addictive fun it offers, and the vast variability of the game that stops it becoming predictable. On top of this though, the game is stuffed with unlockable content. The most useful stuff is obviously fighters and stages, but there are also trophies (3D artwork and descriptions of various characters and features of Nintendo's back catalogue), stickers (which can be stuck on Subspace Emissary fighters to improve their stats), music soundtracks, new game modes and difficulty levels, new challenges... Oh, and then there's the replays, photos... Enough! There's loads of stuff in this game, just take my word for it!

Finally, Nintendo have not only made SSBB beautiful, they've made it sublime. It may be a 2D fighter at heart, but it's got beautiful 3D graphics, fantastic music and sound effects, perfect gameplay and controls, speed and ease of game selection - all the basics are covered. What it also has that most other games do not, however, is a complete infusion of humour, nostalgia and love. How many games have you got where you enjoy looking at the `extras' like videos, development artwork and the like? Not many I bet. The trophies in SSBB on the other hand are genuinely funny and interesting to look at and read. The soundtracks are a pleasure to listen to as background music when you're just mimbing around (I particularly loved listening to the Sonic music again). The characters HAVE character. Who could fail to smile at seeing Mr Game and Watch, in all his two-frame animated flatness, beeping and buzzing seven shades out of Solid Snake?

Faults? Er... hmmm. Really, this is a game with no serious faults, and that can't be said for many games. I know. It'll consume your life, eat up you time and make your hands and eyes ache. They're not really proper faults though, are they? Please buy this: your Wii will love you for it.
PS: not played this online, but this might be THE game to get me to take the plunge and take my Wii online.

Everything you could want in a Super Smash Bros game and more...
I've been playing the Super Smash Bros series since its debut on the N64, and really must credit it as being one of the finest multiplayer games of all time. The Wii version brings far improved graphics, an online mode and a host of new characters made possible by their deals with Sega and Konami.

I must admit I haven't yet tried the online mode (my internet is playing up a bit), but it is a welcome (perhaps overdue?) addition to the game.

It's very hard to review this game on its own, as it isn't as much of revolution over its predecessors as, say Super Mario Galaxy is, and makes no effort what-so-ever to take advantage of the Wii remote's unique capabilities (a welcome break, in my opinion), but brings whole new dimensions to the game (perhaps I'm exaggerating) with new items such as 'Final Smash', which is great fun, as chaos breaks out as all the players are suddenly chasing a glowing ball which allows the obtainer to perform a move of immense destruction unique to their character (for example, Fox summons a flying tank which blasts players off the screen).

Single player, though not as fun as playing with mates, has its perks too, with a storyline with some very nicely animated (and skippable!) cut-scenes and side-scrolling action remenissant to Super Mario Bros with the ability to smash anything that gets in your way off the screen, as opposed to tamely jumping on it.

Summing Up:
To those of you who loved the last games, buy this one. This is the first Super Smash Bros game I've ever actually owned, and it's endless fun. All the best bits from the last game are back in full-detailed texture, including moves, scenarios, and there are loads of new features.

As for those of you who are unfamiliar with the series, buy this with an open mind. Your expectations are wrong, and you cannot get a real feel of the game simply from trailers and images. Play it with a few mates, and you'll see why this game is the holy grail of multiplayer mayhem. If your the type that spends every Saturday night in with pizza and Assassin's Creed, then don't expect any wonders from the single player - it's just not that kind of game.

For the rest of us, a colourful near-flawless must-have to brighten up an increasingly stale collection of Wii titles.