I LOVE BRAWL!!!
A common misconception about competitive players(me included) who say they don't like Brawl is that they mean the game as a whole. Most people on these boards are gamers like you and me who appreciate a good game. I enjoy Brawl, I find it fun, I like SSE and the for some reason the Coin Launcher is really addictive. That said, I don't like Brawl as a competitive game, but I don't have to because I don't have to play it as a competitive game.
Thanks for posting that. I think a lot of competitive players share this viewpoint, they are just really frustrated about some of the things in Brawl. It is really hard to adjust your thinking, when you've been looking forward to something for a long time, and then it turned out to not be what you were expecting.
There are a lot of things that disappoint me about Brawl too. Though on the other hand, there are more than enough new aspects of the game to make me enjoy it more than Melee.
Personally, back in the day I didn't want to move on to Melee from Smash 64. I thought it was too fast-paced and crazy to ever be balanced. I realize I was wrong back then, and have been playing Melee religiously for years. But now that I see how Brawl has changed, in my eyes it has mostly changed for the better. I know that other people disagree... many people preferred that super-fast-paced action Melee provided. But there are actually many of us that prefer the style of Brawl. Its just hard for them to see that from their perspectives.
Really, the Smash Bros. series have always been my favorite games of all time, since the N64 days. But not because of their competitive nature, because I simply enjoyed playing them. I played them to have fun, not to compete against others. Not that competing isn't fun... on the contrary, I enjoy it quite a lot. But that isn't the reason I play.
So hopefully over time, once people have a chance to vent and come to terms, things will settle down quite a bit. Some people will still play Melee, I have no doubt. And there is nothing at all wrong with that... in fact I respect that decision if thats what they would prefer.
But the rest of us will move on to Brawl... some more happily than others... but I think in time more people will come to respect the game as a competitive challenge. The game has barely been released, and everyone is still new at it. Sure the strategies will be very different than they were in Melee. Which is expected... this is a different game. I honestly don't know if Brawl will ever compare to the glory of Melee on the competitive scene. But regardless, I will play it, and have a blast all the way.
Kirby approves!