"Gameplay: 9/10
What can I say? The classic brawls between your favorite Nintendo characters, except we have SONIC and SNAKE this time around for the fun. The character roster may possibly disappoint some, which I whole-heartedly understand, but if you can't find SOMEBODY in this 35-man roster that you enjoy, feel confident with, and overall master, then you should just get a better life. One complaint is that compared to Melee, the game is toned down a bit in terms of speed. Instead of the super fast paced characters, almost every character is toned down to about the speed of Mario in Melee, which is standard. Even the fastest characters, like Captain Falcon, are toned down and don't seem that fast anymore. Sprinting across the screen with Fox was just not as crazy as it was in Melee. Either way, the game is still fast paced, especially with the inclusion of final smashes, a sort of super move for each character that adds to the non-stop fun. Not to mention the huge story mode, classic mode, events, multi-man melee...what more could you possibly want in terms of gameplay?
Sounds: 10/10
The music here is perfect. The massive amount of tunes to collect and listen to will just bring back many memories. It brought a tear to my eye when I found Stickerbrush Symphony from my favorite game of all-time, Donkey Kong Country 2. However, some of the songs here are slightly remixed, and, not as good as the original. Sort of a complaint, but with the practically 100+ songs to unlock, how could you be dissatisfied?
Graphics: 10/10
This score is based on terms of Wii. Please, take a moment and pop in every Wii game you have. Then pop in Brawl. You will notice such a big difference you may have a heart attack. The only Wii game that could even touch the surface of Brawl's graphics is Super Mario Galaxy, but I still think Brawl's graphics are better. Never have I seen such detail and beautiful effects and lighting in a Nintendo game. It even beats graphics on some 360 games!!
Story: 7/10
The Subspace Emissary...a nice 4-5 hour story mode through the world of Nintendo, battling an army controlled by the evil Ancient Minister. Well, it holds its own as a decent story. Some cutscenes can get funny, and some cutscenes get intense, and there's even a plot twist or two, which on its own made the story's score better. The story is fine, but you'll be having fun pummeling on the Subspace Army and the fun as heck boss battles rather than paying much attention to the story.
Controls: 10/10
The only possibility that you can't find a control scheme that doesn't suit you is if...well...no, it's impossible to not find a control scheme. Play with Wiimote, Classic Controller, Gamecube Controller...I mean, no matter what you say, you can find a scheme that you are confortable with and that works fine for the action ahead in Brawl. It's brilliant!
Online: 8/10
I added an online score mostly because online is a huge addition to the Smash Bros. series in Brawl. The online play can get pretty dang fun, to say the least. It's sad that you can't see anyone's names or have a leaderboard or keep you statistics, but even so, you'll find some competitive challenges here, and it can get intense.
Replay Value: 10/10
There's too much to do here. Trying to beat Subspace Emissary on intense, collecting everything, beating the events, unlocking characters, stages, it's just way too much to simply play the Subspace and call it quits. You will be playing this until you 2012, if not longer.
I'm not exaggerating either.
Overall: 10/10
This game is the best game probably ever made. With the thousands of trophies, stickers, songs, and who knows what the heck else to collect, you'll be hooked. The additions of wi-fi, final smashes, assist trophies, a neat character list, landmasters, and EVERYTHING makes the third game in the highly acclaimed Smash Bros. series the best yet.
Buy or Rent?
um...Buy. Buy 5 copies and give them to your friends. Buy 20 copies and keep them in a closet until the future where you sell them for hundreds. Whatever you do, even if you don't have a Wii, get your hands on this game. Even smell the plastic, it smelled oh so good.
Reviewer's Score: 10/10, Originally Posted: 02/01/08
Game Release: Dairantou Smash Brothers X (JP, 01/31/08)"
