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During Nintendo’s holiday press briefing today, we got a chance to finally get our hands on the newest version of the big N’s fighter, Super Smash Bros. Brawl. We’ve been fans of the game since it first appeared on the N64, and we couldn’t wait to get our grimy mitts on it. Even after playing for several hours, we only saw a bit of the game—gameplay was restricted to 2-minute Melee-style matches, and we could only pick characters and stages. We didn’t get to see the newly rehauled Adventure mode or the character-specific challenges. What we did see made the sting of having to wait until Feb. 10 a little less painful. If you enjoyed the last two games, you’re probably going to have a great time with Brawl.
Playable levels from today’s event included the Smash Bros. Battlefield, Delfino Plaza from Super Mario Sunshine, the Bridge of Eldin from the Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess, the Halberd from Kirby Super Star, Yoshi’s Island from the same game, Norfair from Super Metroid, Lylat Cruise from Star Fox, Pokemon Stadium 2, Castle Siege from Fire Emblem, Sky World from Kid Icarus and Smashville from Animal Crossing Wild World. We were able pick from a limited (but still beefy) selection of fighters, including Mario, Sonic, Donkey Kong, Link, Samus, Fox McCloud, Pikachu, Yoshi, Peach, Ike, Meta Knight, Pit, Diddy Kong and Bowser. Noticeably absent from the roster were Solid Snake, Lucas (from Mother 3) and Wario, though we had plenty to keep us occupied.
We had two of the four control options at our disposal, the Wii Remote and the Classic Controller. Of the two, we preferred the Classic Controller. The Wii’s Remote just didn’t seem up to the task—even though the Smash games don’t use a lot of buttons, the ones they use should be easy to access. Holding the Remote like an NES controller makes it tough to reach the Z button for blocks, and having to reach over and hit the – button to grab or throw is tough to do in the middle of battle. The Classic fared better, though it was still a little difficult to hit the Z buttons for throws and grabs—it certainly made us excited to dust off our Wavebirds and play the game with the controls we’re accustomed to. Nintendo did say that players will be able to map buttons to their liking, which we weren’t allowed to mess with at today’s event. Maybe with the right configuration, the Remote could be a viable option. We didn’t get to see the Nunchuck controls today, either, and none of the control sets we saw took advantage of the Wii’s motion-sensing controls. Perhaps there’s a configuration option that would allow you to activate Final Smashes by shaking the controller. Who knows, at this point.
The announcement of Sonic as a playable character was a bigger coup than the addition of Metal Gear’s Snake. The blue guy and Mario had been at each others’ throats for decades, and now they finally had a chance to duke it out (Olympic competition doesn’t really count). Sonic fans will be pleased to know that he’s as fast as you might imagine—playing a lot like Fox. His special attacks have him rolling into his signature ball to attack enemies with ease or avoid trouble. He can zip back and forth on platforms, damaging anyone who gets in his way, similar to Jigglypuff’s roll. Just like that pink puffball, it’s easy to lose control and zip off the screen entirely if you’re not careful. Mario has a few new tricks, most noticeably the introduction of FLUDD from Super Mario Sunshine. Overall, he plays pretty much like he has in the past, and he’s still a good choice for players just starting out. Pit is one of the new additions to the series, combining aerial maneuvering with ranged and close combat skills. His bow allows him to pick off enemies from afar, and it’s one of the fastest projectiles in the game. His blades may not do the most damage, but they’re also pretty quick, enabling skilled players to get in, get a few hits in and back away to safety. Newcomer Ike plays much like his Fire Emblem friends Marth and Roy, though Ike’s sword is larger and slower. Fortunately, he can deal out the damage pretty well, too. Probably the biggest hit today was Meta Knight. Kirby’s rival is about as big as Bowser but much more agile. His sword attacks are dizzyingly fast, and the character himself is just as quick. Once players started figuring out how he moves, Meta Knight was a pretty tough opponent to beat. Keeping a distance seemed to be key, since things got out of hand quickly once he got close up. While he might not have the flashy moves or ability to terrorize foes like some of his fellow fighter, Diddy Kong was a capable brawler, as well. He could toss banana peels and shoot peanuts out of his popgun, though he had a tendency to get himself tossed around as easily as Pichu did in Melee.
A new addition to the game is the introduction of Assist Trophies. They act like Pokeballs did in the first Smash games, though the summoned characters are pulled from a vast library of Nintendo History. We spotted Mr. Wright from SimCity, who developed a towering skyscraper beneath an unwary opponent’s feet—sending the hapless combatant off the screen. A small army from Advance Wars made several appearances, with cutesy Game Boy Advance-style tanks scurrying across the screen, sweeping up opponents. Samurai Goroh from F-Zero shows up, too, chasing after enemies and slicing them up with his katana. Probably the most entertaining cameo we saw, however, was Mr. Resetti from Animal Crossing. The long-winded mole blathered on about nothing in particular for more than a minute, his text box obscuring a large portion of the screen. Try as we might, the four of us playing weren’t able to knock him off the stage. To call him a distraction is a bit of an understatement—though it was pretty hilarious. Brawl finally makes it possible for Mario to have a Hammer Brother do his fighting for him, too. The Smash Bros. games have had tons of Nintendo references in them before, and Brawl somehow manages to even top previous efforts.
There are a slew of new items in the game, some that bring entirely new gameplay concepts, and others that are variations on things we’d seen in other Smash games. We saw another hammer type, with a Wrecking Crew-style sledge accompanying the trusty mallet from Donkey Kong. It moves even faster than the old hammer, though it didn’t appear to pack the same wallop. There are a couple of new bomb types, too. A sticky bomb does exactly what it sounds like—it sticks to its unfortunate victim until either the time runs out and it explodes or the victim brushes up against another player and transfers the problem to him. It seemed like a great way to lure turtling players back into the fight. The Smart Bomb from Star Fox is in Smash Bros. Brawl now, and it’s probably the biggest explosive device we’ve seen in the game so far. It’s essentially a portable version of the explosions the Bullet Bills made in Princess Peach’s Castle in Smash Bros. Melee.—you’re not going to want to be near a Smart Bomb’s blast.
The Final Smash’s are a cool addition to the game, and they seem to fit in with the frantic gameplay perfectly. Every once in a while, a flashing Smash Bros. logo will appear, floating in and around the action. Unlike other items, you can’t just pick it up or break it open with a few hits. Whatever these things are made of, it’s resilient. Pounding it open is worth the effort, though. Once it’s open the player who broke it open starts to glow and can access a Final Smash attack by pressing the special attack button. Each character’s Final Smash is different, but all of the ones we saw today were powerful in their own ways. Bowser turns into Giga Bowser, growing to epic proportions and becoming even more powerful than before. Fox summons up his trusty Landmaster, which hops into the air, giving players a choice--continue the fight on its back or stay behind, risking a knockout. Peach blows a kiss, sending waves of hearts around the screen, putting opponents to sleep temporarily and dumping—you guessed it—health restoring peaches onto the playfield. Those are just a few of the highlights. Final Smashes are a one-shot attack, so if you use Samus’ Final Smash charge beam and miss, you’re out of luck for a while. Fortunately, you won’t have to wait very long. In our matches, which were set for a 2-minute time limit, it wasn’t uncommon to see three Final Smash balls appear.
While each of the Final Smashes might have been different, we did see some similarities between a few of them. Diddy Kong and Sonic both fly around the screen, damaging opponents in theirs, though Diddy is propelled with his bongos while Sonic channels his Super Sonic powers. Ike and Pikachu both control little balls of electricity, darting around and annoying (and damaging) their enemies. Meta Knight’s is as shrouded in mystery as the character himself—the screen turns black and slices open with a flash of his sword, hurting anyone close by. We were a little skeptical about how the Final Smashes would change the gameplay, but after seeing them in action we can say with certainty that we’re glad to see them. While they are powerful, they’re not overpowered. If a character doesn’t use it soon enough, opponents can knock the Final Smash right out of their being by attacking them enough. Then, it’s up for grabs again. And if a character should acquire the Final Smash and then immediately take a dive off the stage, they won’t get another shot at it when they rejoin the game. We did that on purpose, right? Final Smash balls can even be destroyed, by either player attacks (Why’d you have to do that, Samus?) or environmental hazards, like a charge from King Bulblin on the Bridge of Eldin stage.
Of course, Pokeballs are still in the game, with plenty of returning favorites and a few new faces. Gardevoir shows up, creating an impenetrable barrier, which protects anyone within its range from thrown objects. Piplup uses its surf ability to create a wave of water that washes away unsuspecting fighters. We also spotted tons of old ones, including Snorelax and the always useless Goldeen, who’s still as floppy as ever.
One of the highlights in previous Smash Bros. games has been the levels. Fights have taken place in a variety of well-known locales, and the situation is no different in Brawl. As with the others, each level has its own little gimmick. Delfino Plaza starts with characters placed on platforms, which then swoop over the ocean and around the plaza. The paths appear to be random, and the battle changes depending upon the location. While moving throughout the air, combat is limited to the platforms. When it lands, you might find yourself hopping on those familiar rock formations or tiny islands, only to be swept up and moved again after a short while. Kirby’s level follows a similar structure, only this time players swoop around—and eventually on the deck of—the spaceship Delfino. Norfair is similar to Brinstar in Melee, with platforms poised above deadly lava. This time, giant streams of molten rock occasionally pour down the sides, making that area especially deadly. It drops from above, too, creating a situation where players have to balance their need to get cover versus their need to kick their foes off the stage. It pays to be aggressive, sometimes. Sky World is set in the clouds, which is probably not a coincidence. It’s composed of several platforms, buffeted by clouds, which can be cracked and shattered during the course of the match. Pikachu’s lightning attack, which summons a bolt of electricity from the sky, does a particularly good job at destroying the tiles. Once destroyed, we noticed that sometimes we could walk on the clouds, and other times we fell to our doom. Whether this is a design decision, a glitch in this build or something else entirely remains to be seen.
A couple of levels show off the passage of time, though in different ways. Yoshi’s level features the same hand-drawn art style from his games, with bouncing clouds and smiling faces. This time, a pair of gigantic Chain Chomps closely monitor the action from the sides, occasionally showing more than a passing interest in what’s going on. Watch out! As the timer ticks down, the sun sets and eventually it even snows. It’s all cosmetic stuff, but it looks really great. Smashville might seem like one of the more boring stages in the game, with its lone, static platform, but it’s clever in its own right. The stage is tied into the Wii’s internal clock, and the level’s appearance changes according to the actual time you’re playing at. Midnight will be darker than sunrise, for example. K.K. Slider will even make an appearance and play a song for you if you show up at the right time. Additionally, the roster of spectators will change from match to match, so Animal Crossing fans will probably see some old friends in the crowd.
Overall, the game definitely felt like Smash, as we affectionately call it. The graphics are slightly improved over the GameCube’s Melee, which still is one of the best-looking games on that platform. The soundtrack is appropriately majestic, and even the announcer seems like he’s having more fun. The action is just as quick as ever, with a constant race to get items, use items and avoid getting hit by items—yes, tournament players, items were turned on. It’s not a completely new game, but it’s a solidly refined update of one of last-gen’s most beloved games. We’re stoked to see how it plays with the other two control options, especially the Wavebird. We’re also interested in playing some online matches, to see if the game’s netcode is capable of providing a seamless experience—lag could really make or break this game. Above all, we can’t wait to see what else is in store for players. The Adventure mode sounds like it could be more than the amusing distraction it provided last time. We know the game is complete fan service, but this is the kind of service we could get used to.
Playable levels from today’s event included the Smash Bros. Battlefield, Delfino Plaza from Super Mario Sunshine, the Bridge of Eldin from the Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess, the Halberd from Kirby Super Star, Yoshi’s Island from the same game, Norfair from Super Metroid, Lylat Cruise from Star Fox, Pokemon Stadium 2, Castle Siege from Fire Emblem, Sky World from Kid Icarus and Smashville from Animal Crossing Wild World. We were able pick from a limited (but still beefy) selection of fighters, including Mario, Sonic, Donkey Kong, Link, Samus, Fox McCloud, Pikachu, Yoshi, Peach, Ike, Meta Knight, Pit, Diddy Kong and Bowser. Noticeably absent from the roster were Solid Snake, Lucas (from Mother 3) and Wario, though we had plenty to keep us occupied.
We had two of the four control options at our disposal, the Wii Remote and the Classic Controller. Of the two, we preferred the Classic Controller. The Wii’s Remote just didn’t seem up to the task—even though the Smash games don’t use a lot of buttons, the ones they use should be easy to access. Holding the Remote like an NES controller makes it tough to reach the Z button for blocks, and having to reach over and hit the – button to grab or throw is tough to do in the middle of battle. The Classic fared better, though it was still a little difficult to hit the Z buttons for throws and grabs—it certainly made us excited to dust off our Wavebirds and play the game with the controls we’re accustomed to. Nintendo did say that players will be able to map buttons to their liking, which we weren’t allowed to mess with at today’s event. Maybe with the right configuration, the Remote could be a viable option. We didn’t get to see the Nunchuck controls today, either, and none of the control sets we saw took advantage of the Wii’s motion-sensing controls. Perhaps there’s a configuration option that would allow you to activate Final Smashes by shaking the controller. Who knows, at this point.
The announcement of Sonic as a playable character was a bigger coup than the addition of Metal Gear’s Snake. The blue guy and Mario had been at each others’ throats for decades, and now they finally had a chance to duke it out (Olympic competition doesn’t really count). Sonic fans will be pleased to know that he’s as fast as you might imagine—playing a lot like Fox. His special attacks have him rolling into his signature ball to attack enemies with ease or avoid trouble. He can zip back and forth on platforms, damaging anyone who gets in his way, similar to Jigglypuff’s roll. Just like that pink puffball, it’s easy to lose control and zip off the screen entirely if you’re not careful. Mario has a few new tricks, most noticeably the introduction of FLUDD from Super Mario Sunshine. Overall, he plays pretty much like he has in the past, and he’s still a good choice for players just starting out. Pit is one of the new additions to the series, combining aerial maneuvering with ranged and close combat skills. His bow allows him to pick off enemies from afar, and it’s one of the fastest projectiles in the game. His blades may not do the most damage, but they’re also pretty quick, enabling skilled players to get in, get a few hits in and back away to safety. Newcomer Ike plays much like his Fire Emblem friends Marth and Roy, though Ike’s sword is larger and slower. Fortunately, he can deal out the damage pretty well, too. Probably the biggest hit today was Meta Knight. Kirby’s rival is about as big as Bowser but much more agile. His sword attacks are dizzyingly fast, and the character himself is just as quick. Once players started figuring out how he moves, Meta Knight was a pretty tough opponent to beat. Keeping a distance seemed to be key, since things got out of hand quickly once he got close up. While he might not have the flashy moves or ability to terrorize foes like some of his fellow fighter, Diddy Kong was a capable brawler, as well. He could toss banana peels and shoot peanuts out of his popgun, though he had a tendency to get himself tossed around as easily as Pichu did in Melee.
A new addition to the game is the introduction of Assist Trophies. They act like Pokeballs did in the first Smash games, though the summoned characters are pulled from a vast library of Nintendo History. We spotted Mr. Wright from SimCity, who developed a towering skyscraper beneath an unwary opponent’s feet—sending the hapless combatant off the screen. A small army from Advance Wars made several appearances, with cutesy Game Boy Advance-style tanks scurrying across the screen, sweeping up opponents. Samurai Goroh from F-Zero shows up, too, chasing after enemies and slicing them up with his katana. Probably the most entertaining cameo we saw, however, was Mr. Resetti from Animal Crossing. The long-winded mole blathered on about nothing in particular for more than a minute, his text box obscuring a large portion of the screen. Try as we might, the four of us playing weren’t able to knock him off the stage. To call him a distraction is a bit of an understatement—though it was pretty hilarious. Brawl finally makes it possible for Mario to have a Hammer Brother do his fighting for him, too. The Smash Bros. games have had tons of Nintendo references in them before, and Brawl somehow manages to even top previous efforts.
There are a slew of new items in the game, some that bring entirely new gameplay concepts, and others that are variations on things we’d seen in other Smash games. We saw another hammer type, with a Wrecking Crew-style sledge accompanying the trusty mallet from Donkey Kong. It moves even faster than the old hammer, though it didn’t appear to pack the same wallop. There are a couple of new bomb types, too. A sticky bomb does exactly what it sounds like—it sticks to its unfortunate victim until either the time runs out and it explodes or the victim brushes up against another player and transfers the problem to him. It seemed like a great way to lure turtling players back into the fight. The Smart Bomb from Star Fox is in Smash Bros. Brawl now, and it’s probably the biggest explosive device we’ve seen in the game so far. It’s essentially a portable version of the explosions the Bullet Bills made in Princess Peach’s Castle in Smash Bros. Melee.—you’re not going to want to be near a Smart Bomb’s blast.
The Final Smash’s are a cool addition to the game, and they seem to fit in with the frantic gameplay perfectly. Every once in a while, a flashing Smash Bros. logo will appear, floating in and around the action. Unlike other items, you can’t just pick it up or break it open with a few hits. Whatever these things are made of, it’s resilient. Pounding it open is worth the effort, though. Once it’s open the player who broke it open starts to glow and can access a Final Smash attack by pressing the special attack button. Each character’s Final Smash is different, but all of the ones we saw today were powerful in their own ways. Bowser turns into Giga Bowser, growing to epic proportions and becoming even more powerful than before. Fox summons up his trusty Landmaster, which hops into the air, giving players a choice--continue the fight on its back or stay behind, risking a knockout. Peach blows a kiss, sending waves of hearts around the screen, putting opponents to sleep temporarily and dumping—you guessed it—health restoring peaches onto the playfield. Those are just a few of the highlights. Final Smashes are a one-shot attack, so if you use Samus’ Final Smash charge beam and miss, you’re out of luck for a while. Fortunately, you won’t have to wait very long. In our matches, which were set for a 2-minute time limit, it wasn’t uncommon to see three Final Smash balls appear.
While each of the Final Smashes might have been different, we did see some similarities between a few of them. Diddy Kong and Sonic both fly around the screen, damaging opponents in theirs, though Diddy is propelled with his bongos while Sonic channels his Super Sonic powers. Ike and Pikachu both control little balls of electricity, darting around and annoying (and damaging) their enemies. Meta Knight’s is as shrouded in mystery as the character himself—the screen turns black and slices open with a flash of his sword, hurting anyone close by. We were a little skeptical about how the Final Smashes would change the gameplay, but after seeing them in action we can say with certainty that we’re glad to see them. While they are powerful, they’re not overpowered. If a character doesn’t use it soon enough, opponents can knock the Final Smash right out of their being by attacking them enough. Then, it’s up for grabs again. And if a character should acquire the Final Smash and then immediately take a dive off the stage, they won’t get another shot at it when they rejoin the game. We did that on purpose, right? Final Smash balls can even be destroyed, by either player attacks (Why’d you have to do that, Samus?) or environmental hazards, like a charge from King Bulblin on the Bridge of Eldin stage.
Of course, Pokeballs are still in the game, with plenty of returning favorites and a few new faces. Gardevoir shows up, creating an impenetrable barrier, which protects anyone within its range from thrown objects. Piplup uses its surf ability to create a wave of water that washes away unsuspecting fighters. We also spotted tons of old ones, including Snorelax and the always useless Goldeen, who’s still as floppy as ever.
One of the highlights in previous Smash Bros. games has been the levels. Fights have taken place in a variety of well-known locales, and the situation is no different in Brawl. As with the others, each level has its own little gimmick. Delfino Plaza starts with characters placed on platforms, which then swoop over the ocean and around the plaza. The paths appear to be random, and the battle changes depending upon the location. While moving throughout the air, combat is limited to the platforms. When it lands, you might find yourself hopping on those familiar rock formations or tiny islands, only to be swept up and moved again after a short while. Kirby’s level follows a similar structure, only this time players swoop around—and eventually on the deck of—the spaceship Delfino. Norfair is similar to Brinstar in Melee, with platforms poised above deadly lava. This time, giant streams of molten rock occasionally pour down the sides, making that area especially deadly. It drops from above, too, creating a situation where players have to balance their need to get cover versus their need to kick their foes off the stage. It pays to be aggressive, sometimes. Sky World is set in the clouds, which is probably not a coincidence. It’s composed of several platforms, buffeted by clouds, which can be cracked and shattered during the course of the match. Pikachu’s lightning attack, which summons a bolt of electricity from the sky, does a particularly good job at destroying the tiles. Once destroyed, we noticed that sometimes we could walk on the clouds, and other times we fell to our doom. Whether this is a design decision, a glitch in this build or something else entirely remains to be seen.
A couple of levels show off the passage of time, though in different ways. Yoshi’s level features the same hand-drawn art style from his games, with bouncing clouds and smiling faces. This time, a pair of gigantic Chain Chomps closely monitor the action from the sides, occasionally showing more than a passing interest in what’s going on. Watch out! As the timer ticks down, the sun sets and eventually it even snows. It’s all cosmetic stuff, but it looks really great. Smashville might seem like one of the more boring stages in the game, with its lone, static platform, but it’s clever in its own right. The stage is tied into the Wii’s internal clock, and the level’s appearance changes according to the actual time you’re playing at. Midnight will be darker than sunrise, for example. K.K. Slider will even make an appearance and play a song for you if you show up at the right time. Additionally, the roster of spectators will change from match to match, so Animal Crossing fans will probably see some old friends in the crowd.
Overall, the game definitely felt like Smash, as we affectionately call it. The graphics are slightly improved over the GameCube’s Melee, which still is one of the best-looking games on that platform. The soundtrack is appropriately majestic, and even the announcer seems like he’s having more fun. The action is just as quick as ever, with a constant race to get items, use items and avoid getting hit by items—yes, tournament players, items were turned on. It’s not a completely new game, but it’s a solidly refined update of one of last-gen’s most beloved games. We’re stoked to see how it plays with the other two control options, especially the Wavebird. We’re also interested in playing some online matches, to see if the game’s netcode is capable of providing a seamless experience—lag could really make or break this game. Above all, we can’t wait to see what else is in store for players. The Adventure mode sounds like it could be more than the amusing distraction it provided last time. We know the game is complete fan service, but this is the kind of service we could get used to.