Super Smash Bros. Brawl (2008)

I had played melee on the gamecube and enjoyed it, but I was much too young at the time to be interested in the competitive scene, so why do I have a negative opinion of this game? Even more I loved the single player aspect of this game and I think Subspace Emmissary still holds up in 2024 as the best single player aspect of any smash game, by a lot. So, why do I have a negative opinion?

It's because I can empathise. I have many friends who ARE very interested in competitive smash bros, and they had to wait all the way from melee to ultimate for a fun experience (I haven't played smash 4 at all, but my friends liked it even less than brawl).

I can't attest to any of their lived experiences with this game, but I've heard it enough now that my opinion has soured. This game is an unfortunate relic of a time when Nintendo would do ANYTHING in their power to not be associated with adults, or serious gamers. They really wanted to court the youth and casual audiences, and were mostly successful, although we saw the concequences. I think brawl was a good game, but it was a symptom of the times, and it would come to contribute significantly to the immense failure of Nintendo's next console generation.

Finally, play Subspace Emmissary. It's very fun, but if you want to play games with friends, I recomend melee or ultimate. Simply better games for that.

This was my first Smash games and one of the first proper games I ever played so giving it any less than 5 stars is impossible for me.

Nostalgia aside, its still pretty good. The balancing was questionable (this is an understatement) but the Story mode was so epic, it had cutscenes and story and everything, it was awsome, especially as a kid. I mean you get to see all your favourite characters fighting together against evil all in one game? Heck yeah, count me in. Man I wish Ultimatte had a story mode that good.

Super Smash Bros. Brawl is a very divisive game. Many love it for its cast of characters, stages, mechanics, and content. However, many credit this as the worst Smash game in the series due to it being unbalanced, slow, and just not competitively viable compared to Super Smash Bros. Melee.

I fall in the middle area with this game.

However, it is a very important game to me and I credit it as one of many games to kickstart my love for gaming and the art of it. It's very meaningful to me.

Firstly, the gameplay is slow and a bit weird. I do prefer the fast-paced action the other games have, but the game is still fun to play. Especially Meta Knight as he the best character in the game and the most fun because of it.

The music is powerful and triumphant with an extremely beautiful main theme that is just the theme song of my childhood. Watching the intro for the first time in almost 10 years brought a tear to my eye.

The cast of characters is pretty solid too. Characters from Melee being Dr. Mario, Young Link, Pichu, Mewtwo, and Roy, were cut from the cast which is both good and bad. Brawl cut the filler and replaced it with more fitting characters. (However, I'd argue that Mewtwo should have been brought over). The new characters were Zero Suit Samus who would be part of Samus as a two-in-one, Diddy Kong, Pit, Meta Knight, Pokemon Trainer (Charizard, Squirtle, and Ivysaur), Ike, King Dedede, Wolf, Lucario, Wario, Toon Link, R.O.B., Olimar, and Lucas. AND the first-ever third-party characters ever added in Smash with Snake and Sonic. 39 Characters is pretty impressive.

This also saw the debut of new stages, Assist Trophies, and the Smash Ball which allowed you to unleash a powerful special move.

We can't talk about Brawl without mentioning The Subspace Emissary, the story mode of this game. The story may not make sense, but the cutscenes are beautiful and it's an absolute masterpiece of a mode.

There are many issues though. The visuals are pretty lackluster as Nintendo wanted to make the game darker and more realistic which doesn't work for Smash, the gameplay is slow and the addition of tripping is very stupid. Classic Mode and other modes have been nerfed which are a little disappointing, and it just doesn't have any reason for competitive Smash players to pick up as it is just not viable and the fact that the roster is unbalanced, as Meta Knight rules the game.

Super Smash Bros. Brawl is very meaningful to my childhood. It introduced so many franchises to me such as Kirby, Star Fox, Metroid, and Zelda, and I'd probably not be as into video games without it. Sure, the game isn't perfect and it's nowhere near as good as Melee, Wii U/3DS, and Ultimate, (It's better than 64 to me). But it will always hold a special place in my young gaming childhood

Thanks, Smash Brawl, Nintendo, and Masahiro Sakurai.

3/5

Would Recommend

1001 Games - #878

Pros: best single player experience in series, packed with unlockables, stage builder feature

Cons: irritating tripping mechanic, character balance issues

Recommendation: Brawl is by no means a bad game, in fact I played probably as much Brawl as I did Melee. That being said, I feel that it lacks the competitive edge that Melee & SSB4 have. Best used as an entry point to the series, as the slower pace makes it easier for beginners to play against more seasoned players. Also, the single player Subspace Emissary mode is fun to play through at least once.