Smash Bros Brawl review!
This review is going to be a little incomplete, as I've only been able to play it for a few hours. My first reaction is that this is NOT the same game as Melee. Even if the graphics aren't significantly updated, the game itself has a different feel from past games. That's not to say that you'll have trouble if you are used to playing Melee or 64, because some skills transfer over. Being more specific, what's most obviously different is the game's physics. All characters are floatier than in Melee, though not necessarily slower. Some subtle mechanics have changed. For instance, ducking after a run isn't instantaneous as in Melee. If you run and try to down tilt the opponent like you did in Melee, it'll end up as the running attack. Also, recovery from the edge is much easier. Melee players can only dream of the distance you can get in Brawl. Oh yeah, and air dodging won't move you in a specific direction, so Wavedashing is out. Sorry, veteran Melee players, but you can't pull your normal mind games anymore! I'd like to play a bit longer for a full analysis, but overall the game looks and feels great. My only beef is that using the Wiimote on its own is a very awkward way to play. Use the classic controller or a GCN controller if you can.
My brothers are probably still convinced that 64 is the best Smash. But come on, Fox is WAAAAAAAAAAAAY better in Brawl, Ness feels similar to Melee's Ness but possibly better, and I haven't played Jigglypuff yet but I think she's probably similar too. Get with the times, you guys!
I'll do character reviews, or at least of the ones I've played so far.
Pikachu: Pikachu has been my main since the beginning, and will always be in future Smash games. He isn't very different from Melee, what affected my playing style was just the changes in the general physics of the game. The timing for up+B is slightly different and its range feels longer. Side+B launches Pikachu faster than before, making it actually decent as an attack move. Other than that, Pikachu is still the balanced, mid-tier goodness he was in Melee.
Peach: The biggest notable change is that down+B isn't broken like in Melee. It really feels downgraded from before, and I think it's going to take Peach off the top-tier list. She still has her float which works exactly as it did in Melee, which is good. Press and hold the jump button and press down at the same time to get an instant hover without the vertical lift. It's a great move and still makes Peach the queen of areal attacks, second only to Jigglypuff.
Marth: He's a tad slower, but still pretty good. If one practiced the timing changes in his attacks, he'll be as cheap as ever with that long sword of his.
Zelda: Side+B is actually a good ranged attack! There's almost no delay after you release the B button, so your opponents instantly get a face-full of fire. Besides that she feels pretty much the same. The only problematic difference is that her up+B doesn't cover as much distance as it used to, which I think is disappointing. It's going to make Sheik fans over the globe cry out when they fall to their deaths, because it was the only move Sheik players used Zelda for. That's not to say it's a horrible move though, it'll still get you to the edge 80% of the time.
Ness: Again, almost no changes from Melee, except there may be less delay after using PK Fire. So go ahead and bat the enemy after landing one! PK Thunder may be quicker too, but I can't confirm it.
Time for some new characters!
Lucas: For those who don't know, Lucas was the star of Mother 3, or as it would have been known had it been brought to the US, Earthbound 2. Lucas looks and plays similar to Ness, making a lot of people wonder why they even needed Ness anymore. But there are a number a subtle changes, for better or worse. First of all, PK Freeze, Lucas's equivalent to Ness's PK Pulse, isn't as useless. It's quicker to charge and stuns the enemy by freezing them for a second. The trade-off is that it's not as powerful, but seriously, that PK Pulse was probably the hardest move to hit with in Melee. Lucas grabs with some kind of snake (probably a weapon he used in Mother 3?), giving him a fairly quick, ranged grab. He doesn't have Ness's mid-air stomp (I know my brother will be disappointed to hear that), but it's a decently powered move that has less delay and can hit multiple times. He's a fun character to play. If you play Ness, I urge you to give Lucas a try, at least once.
Ike: Wow. In terms of speed and power, he's like Melee's Ganondorf. He's going to take a few more hits than the speedy characters, but he'll be dealing more than enough damage himself. One of his best moves is neutral+B. It has great vertical range, stabbing downward but sending fire up and around. His side+B is chargable and launches him forward, even in the air. That gives him much better horizontal recovery than Marth. His counter, fortunately, once activated lasts about as long as Marth's. I'm not sure how much damage it does, but it's definately not as powerful as Roy's.
Pit: I only played with him twice, but I can already tell he's high-tier. Think of him as Marth with wings. Scary, right? But he's also got an accurate and quick long range attack, with that bow of his. Unrivaled recovery, excellent close combat, AND long range? I wouldn't be surprised if he became top-tier above Fox, Falco, and Sheik.
Snake: I had a little trouble playing with him at first. The best way to think of Snake is that he's Link without a sword. Three of his four special moves are strictly long range attacks. His down smash doesn't hit right away, Snake buries a mine in the ground which explodes after a while or when someone steps on it. The way he fights is not very straight-forward at all, which I guess fits for someone who sneaks around. I didn't play him very well, but I can tell someone who likes to play mind games with the enemy will enjoy Snake a lot.
Sonic: Since the beginning of video gaming, I've always prefered Mario over Sonic, and it still applies here. I'm afraid I can't give an unbiased (aka positive) review of Sonic, but I'll do one anyway. Sonic is indeed the fastest character, I think fans would throw a fit if he wasn't. But the way he runs isn't consistant, he starts slow and speeds up exponentially. By the time you're at top speed you've probably run past the enemy already. Three of his specials are virtually the same: the spinning ball form. What's different with each special is what he does while in that form. I know that Mario has had a greater variety of moves in the past, but is this all Sonic can come up with? I get really tired of rolling around in a ball, and that's what you'll be doing like 90% of the time. A good thing about Sonic is that his good weight and speed give him great recovery.
Olimar: Wow, this guy's more unorthodox than Mr. Game and Watch! A lot of his attacks require his Pikmin. But don't be afraid to use them, Olimar pulls them out of the ground as fast as Fox can use his reflector. I wasn't very good with him the one time I played him, but I can safely say you'll want to try to keep the maximum six Pikmin around with you as much as you can. Use attacks like normal and pull more out when you can. If you do that I doubt you'll ever completely run out of them. Olimar has potential but I probably won't be playing him a lot.
And that's the end of the review. I think I'll play Sonic a bit more, I really do want to say more good things about him. I don't hate him either, his games were good. There's just something I don't like about the guy.
My brothers are probably still convinced that 64 is the best Smash. But come on, Fox is WAAAAAAAAAAAAY better in Brawl, Ness feels similar to Melee's Ness but possibly better, and I haven't played Jigglypuff yet but I think she's probably similar too. Get with the times, you guys!
I'll do character reviews, or at least of the ones I've played so far.
Pikachu: Pikachu has been my main since the beginning, and will always be in future Smash games. He isn't very different from Melee, what affected my playing style was just the changes in the general physics of the game. The timing for up+B is slightly different and its range feels longer. Side+B launches Pikachu faster than before, making it actually decent as an attack move. Other than that, Pikachu is still the balanced, mid-tier goodness he was in Melee.
Peach: The biggest notable change is that down+B isn't broken like in Melee. It really feels downgraded from before, and I think it's going to take Peach off the top-tier list. She still has her float which works exactly as it did in Melee, which is good. Press and hold the jump button and press down at the same time to get an instant hover without the vertical lift. It's a great move and still makes Peach the queen of areal attacks, second only to Jigglypuff.
Marth: He's a tad slower, but still pretty good. If one practiced the timing changes in his attacks, he'll be as cheap as ever with that long sword of his.
Zelda: Side+B is actually a good ranged attack! There's almost no delay after you release the B button, so your opponents instantly get a face-full of fire. Besides that she feels pretty much the same. The only problematic difference is that her up+B doesn't cover as much distance as it used to, which I think is disappointing. It's going to make Sheik fans over the globe cry out when they fall to their deaths, because it was the only move Sheik players used Zelda for. That's not to say it's a horrible move though, it'll still get you to the edge 80% of the time.
Ness: Again, almost no changes from Melee, except there may be less delay after using PK Fire. So go ahead and bat the enemy after landing one! PK Thunder may be quicker too, but I can't confirm it.
Time for some new characters!
Lucas: For those who don't know, Lucas was the star of Mother 3, or as it would have been known had it been brought to the US, Earthbound 2. Lucas looks and plays similar to Ness, making a lot of people wonder why they even needed Ness anymore. But there are a number a subtle changes, for better or worse. First of all, PK Freeze, Lucas's equivalent to Ness's PK Pulse, isn't as useless. It's quicker to charge and stuns the enemy by freezing them for a second. The trade-off is that it's not as powerful, but seriously, that PK Pulse was probably the hardest move to hit with in Melee. Lucas grabs with some kind of snake (probably a weapon he used in Mother 3?), giving him a fairly quick, ranged grab. He doesn't have Ness's mid-air stomp (I know my brother will be disappointed to hear that), but it's a decently powered move that has less delay and can hit multiple times. He's a fun character to play. If you play Ness, I urge you to give Lucas a try, at least once.
Ike: Wow. In terms of speed and power, he's like Melee's Ganondorf. He's going to take a few more hits than the speedy characters, but he'll be dealing more than enough damage himself. One of his best moves is neutral+B. It has great vertical range, stabbing downward but sending fire up and around. His side+B is chargable and launches him forward, even in the air. That gives him much better horizontal recovery than Marth. His counter, fortunately, once activated lasts about as long as Marth's. I'm not sure how much damage it does, but it's definately not as powerful as Roy's.
Pit: I only played with him twice, but I can already tell he's high-tier. Think of him as Marth with wings. Scary, right? But he's also got an accurate and quick long range attack, with that bow of his. Unrivaled recovery, excellent close combat, AND long range? I wouldn't be surprised if he became top-tier above Fox, Falco, and Sheik.
Snake: I had a little trouble playing with him at first. The best way to think of Snake is that he's Link without a sword. Three of his four special moves are strictly long range attacks. His down smash doesn't hit right away, Snake buries a mine in the ground which explodes after a while or when someone steps on it. The way he fights is not very straight-forward at all, which I guess fits for someone who sneaks around. I didn't play him very well, but I can tell someone who likes to play mind games with the enemy will enjoy Snake a lot.
Sonic: Since the beginning of video gaming, I've always prefered Mario over Sonic, and it still applies here. I'm afraid I can't give an unbiased (aka positive) review of Sonic, but I'll do one anyway. Sonic is indeed the fastest character, I think fans would throw a fit if he wasn't. But the way he runs isn't consistant, he starts slow and speeds up exponentially. By the time you're at top speed you've probably run past the enemy already. Three of his specials are virtually the same: the spinning ball form. What's different with each special is what he does while in that form. I know that Mario has had a greater variety of moves in the past, but is this all Sonic can come up with? I get really tired of rolling around in a ball, and that's what you'll be doing like 90% of the time. A good thing about Sonic is that his good weight and speed give him great recovery.
Olimar: Wow, this guy's more unorthodox than Mr. Game and Watch! A lot of his attacks require his Pikmin. But don't be afraid to use them, Olimar pulls them out of the ground as fast as Fox can use his reflector. I wasn't very good with him the one time I played him, but I can safely say you'll want to try to keep the maximum six Pikmin around with you as much as you can. Use attacks like normal and pull more out when you can. If you do that I doubt you'll ever completely run out of them. Olimar has potential but I probably won't be playing him a lot.
And that's the end of the review. I think I'll play Sonic a bit more, I really do want to say more good things about him. I don't hate him either, his games were good. There's just something I don't like about the guy.