Super Smash Bros. Brawl

Okay, yes this isn't melee. The characters aren't as fast, you can't wavedash or dashdance or L-cancel, and competitively this game is not as fun to watch, unless you're a fan of meta-knight. But all things considered, the game in itself is pretty good. First off, the amount of new characters introduced in Brawl would lay the groundwork for all the smash games after it, and for its time, seeing such a diverse roster was like a fever dream. We now had Wario, Snake, IKE, King Deedeedee, Metaknight, Olimar and Pikman, Pit, Wolf, Diddy Kong, Sonic the Hedgehog - a fan favorite originally supposed to be in Melee, however Sega had contacted Nintendo too late - and plethora of other new characters. Additionally, we had the introduction of a bunch of new items, stages, and the infamous super smash ball, which caused a guarantee K.O unique to each player. Collectables increased as well, as the game introduced two new incentives to keep grinding the game; stickers and music. They also added a ton more trophies too and a cool new way to obtain them. Instead of the mechanical slot from Melee we now had an actual pinball game. Events in event mode also increased, all of which were in my opinion, as fun or even more fun than melee. Then there was the classic and all star mode, amazing in their own right. Another aspect of this game that set it apart was the stage building mode. You could basically create a stage from scratch using the provided platforms, spikes, traps, levers, and a bunch of other objects provided. I remember having a shit ton of fun making these back in the day. The creative and asinine stages you could build, and then subsequently force your friends to play was immaculate. However, the one aspect many people do agree on that made this game stand out, was the Adventure Mode named, The Subspace Embassy. Okay, so before we get into the good stuff, I'll get onto the bad. The gameplay for the adventure mode could get really, really repetitive. Most of the gameplay, especially the sections where you were "traveling" from one area to the next, consisted of the same enemies, and much of the same obstacles. If you weren't fighting one of those robot guys, you were possibly fighting a Rob. And over time, you were essentially just using the same smash mechanics to progress through the levels. Yes, there was a bit of differentiation, but it's not the degree one might expect. For instance, if I wanted to, I could have just jumped over each enemy to make my merry way through, unless it was necessary to defeat the enemies to progress. However, it's wasn't horrendous. It could be fun. I'm simply just stating I felt as if the FUN didn't last as long as it could have, that's all. But now onto the great part of this mode: The god damn story man. Sure, after the 100th robot, and a spike that has hit me into the wall on 8 consecutive levels, it's normal to begin to contemplate whether Banana grams blindfolded would potentially be more fun. But, I will say the one thing that kept one going despite it all, was the allure of the cutscenes paired with the anticipation of what would happen next in the story. The game truly blends all these characters together, in a way that you have to play to understand what I mean. In fact, this story is so God Damn good, I make it a point to rewatch the cutscenes on YouTube every few months, just to tickle my emotions. Some people search up war veterans coming home or deaf people hearing for the first time to get a good cry. I search Brawl Adventure Mode Cutscenes. We are NOT the same. Anyway, the adventure mode goes like this: The world of Mario integrates with kirby, peach, zelda, who then meets link and yoshi, who somehow meet fox, DK, diddy, and falco. Then in another world, you have captain falcon and Olimar, who eventually run into the pokemon trainer and lucas. From there? Pikachu and Zero suit samus meet marth, roy and metaknight, who then meet Lucario and the ice climbers. King Deedee links up with Nes and Luigi, who then meet the mario crew with link and yoshi. Bowser integrates with ganon who works with Wario on the villian side. And then they ALL eventually converge together as a team little by little. The satisfying party was the seemingly randomness of some of the characters they decided to pair together, in addition to the cutscene of when the groups link. Also, when you reach the end you realize ganon and bowser were getting bossed around by Masterhand, but then you see that even the master hand was being controlled by Taboo. God, it's such a beautiful story and you just have to experience it yourself. We have never seen anything like this in a Nintendo game, and we most likely never will again. So, for that, I will be giving this game a high rating. The deduction though is due to the bit of mundaneness in the adventure mode, and the poor multiplayer mechanics. However, I still LOVE this game even with the aspects I deem unfavorable.