"Super Smash Bros. Brawl" a masterpiece

• By NICHOLAS SCHEURICH
• 2theadvocate.com Staff
• Published: Mar 14, 2008 - UPDATED: 2:00 PM

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Before the dawn of the century, when video games like Street Fighter and Tekken were the undisputed kings of the fighting genre, HAL Laboratory, Inc. crafted a fighting game unlike any other.

Dubbed "Super Smash Bros.", the goal of the game was to knock your opponents off of the screen, rather than deplete their energy meters. Furthermore, the path to victory lay not in the memorization of complex button combinations, but in strategy and resourcefulness. Coupled with these new gameplay mechanics was a roster of all-star Nintendo characters from series like "Super Mario Bros.", "The Legend of Zelda", and "Metroid."

The game, and it's successor, "Super Smash Bros. Melee", became a huge success, garnering universally favorable reviews and a fan-following unlike most other video games. Following the recent release of the much-anticipated third game in the series, the question is: Does "Super Smash Bros. Brawl" for the Nintendo Wii deliver? Allow me to answer with a resounding "yes." Maybe even a few.

"Super Smash Bros. Brawl" can really be divided into two separate parts. The classic multiplayer battles of "Smash Bros." make up one part and a single-player (or two-player coop) adventure game, "The Subspace Emissary," the other.

The multiplayer battle mode, called "Brawl" mode, is a culmination of everything great about the past two "Smash Bros." titles and is as honed and polished as one might hope.

While maintaining the fluid, responsive controls of "Melee," overall gameplay in  "Brawl" has been tweaked to maximize character manageability and add a sense of weight and substance to character movements and attacks.

New to the game is the inclusion of a powerful ability for each fighter called a "Final Smash." Final Smashes can entail anything from a health or power boost to an all-out, super-powered onslaught. While oftentimes turning the tide of battle, these special moves are not unfairly overpowered and still require some amount of skill to make them effective.

The battle stages included in "Brawl" are the most imaginative and numerous seen yet in the series. They range from small to expansive and offer completely static and also volatile, ever-changing environments. Most stage themes are drawn from the same video games as the fighters, and oftentimes add unique gameplay mechanics based upon those games. The WarioWare, Inc. stage, for instance, breaks up the action with intermittent micro-games that fighters must successfully complete in order to gain power-ups or avoid damage.

One of the key elements in the "Smash Bros." series is its inclusion of popular first-party and second-party Nintendo characters. In addition to the biggest and most diverse Nintendo roster yet, "Brawl" exceeds this standard by being the first in the series to welcome third-party fighters.

Sega's mascot, Sonic the Hedgehog, dashes onto the "Smash Bros." scene in "Brawl", much to the joy of longtime video game fans. Also, Konami's Solid Snake, the anti-hero protagonist of the popular "Metal Gear" franchise, makes his series debut in "Brawl."

Apart from the multiplayer battle mode is "The Subspace Emissary". This plot-driven side-scroller unites all of the "Smash Bros." fighters on a quest to defeat a mysterious alien threat. While "Melee" introduced a rudimentary side-scroller mode made up of disjointed scenarios, "The Subspace Emissary" could  almost stand alone as its own game. The focus of "The Subspace Emissary" is still primarily beat-‘em-up action, but platforming and puzzle elements pop up occasionally. This varied gameplay really helps "Emissary" feel like more than just an add-on.

Graphically, the game isn't the most cutting-edge title out there, but it definitely looks good. The character models and environments are quite detailed and a huge improvement over previous "Smash Bros." installments. Flashy special effects add an interesting feel to the game and are used only in moderation, most often in conjunction with each character's Final Smash.

One realm where "Brawl" really shines is that of audio, especially in-game music. Dramatic orchestral renditions of classic Nintendo songs, original compositions and nostalgic 8-bit tunes provide a pleasing and appropriate soundtrack for the game's frenetic duels. Many talented composers had a hand in the "Brawl" soundtrack, and its variety and quality is outstanding.