Super Smash Bros. Brawl

It can certainly be argued that the new installment of the Super Smash Brothers series is one of, if not THE best game in the Wii's library thus far.
Its combination of cute graphics and in depth gameplay make it a very accessible title over a wide range of audiences. But has it got something for everyone?

Firstly, the character roster has been expanded a lot, whereas in previous titles there were a lot of characters that were hardly any different, such as Mario and Dr. Mario, Pikachu and Pichu, Marth and Roy, etc, Brawl has taken that aspect of the previous title and ditched it for favour of a whole new line of characters. It is most impressive to see some other non-Nintendo characters make their appearance in all their glory, like Sonic and Solid Snake, who are both a valuable addition to the game's roster.

In most cases, it must be said that Super Smash Brothers Brawl definetly caters for a wide audience, while the gameplay is centered around one specific target; annihilating your enemies. The fluid controls (in all of the forms, the GameCube pad, Classic Pad, Remote and Nunchuk or the Remote singularly) are used in conjunction with the speed and flow of the game to great effect, helping it to be a very immersive experience without the graphical capabilities of some PlayStation 3 titles, which is an achievment in itself for the Wii.

Moving on to the available play options, well... There's a lot to mention. There are many modes to keep new players and returning players entertained, the newest addition being the "Subspace Emissary", a revamped adventure mode for Brawl. If you're thinking this is the same deal as the adventure mode from Super Smash Brothers Melee, you'd be dead wrong. The SSE has quite an in depth story, albeit a confusing one at times, but it is linked into the gameplay spectacularly, allowing you to see the story form from the viewpoint of all the characters in the game. Each character on the roster has a small role to play in the story, and the player has the option to choose which to play through first. The lush CGI scenes work well when blending back into the gameplay, especially the colourful freeze-frames which take place when it is the player's time to choose their character for that segment of the story. SSE will keep players gripped and playing for a long time, even for experienced gamers, there is still quite a bit of meat here to get your teeth into. The only possible "downside" to this mode, is that nearly all of the characters (excluding Wolf and Jigglypuff) can be unlocked in one playthrough of the SSE, which may leave it to be a dead part of the game for many people after the first completion, but overall, I feel it is a huge success.

I would go out on a limb to say that SSE is the "main beef" of the game, but in hindsight, the 4 player battles in the previous titles have held replay value to its maximum, and it hasn't changed with the arrival of Brawl. A huge array of items and play modes are available, quick timed games or drawn out survival battles make for some chaotic, explosive fun, and more often than not, quite a few arguements aswell. The introduction of the "Smash Ball" makes battles turn into a frantic scrabble to see which player can break it first, thus unlocking their Final Smash ability, which really puts the odds in their favour. These, along with the character models and insanely well designed arenas help to show off the Wii's graphical potential. It's quite shocking to see the difference from the original Smash Brothers to Smash Brothers Brawl, in both gameplay and graphics, it has advanced so well.

For those times during the times of Melee, whenever you couldn't bring your friends over for a few bouts, it was a case of setting up 3 enemy CPUs. This could get somewhat tedius, even when playing at the highest difficulty level, once you figured out the way that the AI played, you could easily overcome it. With the new release, this has been counteracted somewhat by the introduction of ONLINE PLAY. (Finally... Right?)
For the majority of the time, this works astoundingly well (although the forced anonymity in the matches is somewhat of a letdown) and is a major asset to the game. While it is fun to search for randomers online to beat down on, it is again a lot more fun to play against people you know. Players have access to their own customisable profile when playing online, making their name viewable, and customisable taunts to be used in battle. More often than not, hilarity ensues with the constant "LOL" "YOU SUCK" "HAHA FAIL" bubbles appearing mid-fight, and it helps to make the Brawl experience more fun when your friends are not sat in the same room as you, keeping gameplay fresh and fun.

Overall, I think this is a great game for the Wii and can arguable re-define fighting games in its own unique way. The fun is unmatched in most multiplayer games, and there is a lot of unlockable content available for the more hardcore fans making this game a lengthy, enjoyable experience.