Wii Super Smash Bros. Brawl Review

 

 

Released in Australia on 26 June 2008, Wii Super Smash Bros Brawl is rated PG for 1-4 Players with Wi-Fi Compatibility.  Following on from previous Smash Bros Games, there is plenty of brawling action, modes, characters and customisations available.

Gameplay:

When you first load the game, you get to watch an excellent movie introduction.  You can play single or multiplayer and there’s a good choice of fun characters to choose from, all coming together in the one game, including Mario, Sonic, Kirby, Fox, Pikachu, Snake, Luigi, Princess Peach, Yoshi and more.  Each character has their own special combat moves. 

For instant fighting action you can select Brawl Mode/Team Battle with up to 4 players, and set rules for time limit, coins, stock and handicap, damage ratio and stage choice. 

Special Brawl makes gameplay more interesting with settings such as mega/mini to change size of your character and build up damage percentage.  Add flowers or bunny ears to your head, which enables you to jump higher or run faster.  Or change your body to metal for more strength and clear for invisibility. 

In Solo Mode, you can play Classic (1 player) or Adventure – the Subspace Emissory, where you play through stages with up to 2 players, including video footage inbetween each stage.  As the game is pretty fast-paced, it’s handy that you can perfect your fighting moves through the Training section first if you need to. 

Battle and smash your opponents through stages such as Pokemon Stadium 2, Distant Planet and Final Destination, utilising powerful old and new items with different effects, from invincibility against attacks, slow opponents down, to damage replenishment and more.  Other customisations include curry for fiery breath, reflect to deflect any items thrown your way.  Go light or heavy for different gravity effects, or set speed to move slow or fast.  The camera can also be fixed or angled.  Play tournaments with your friends offline, or online with up to 32 entrants. 

There’s a good selection of mini-games for 1-2 players, such as Target Smash and Multi-Man Brawl, or put yourself to the test and play challenges by yourself or with a friend and complete specific objectives. 

Gameplay is lots of fun and controls well, with fast combat moves, platform jumping, and great effects when using your item attacks. You can unlock new characters, stages and music throughout the game.  I also love the fact that you can take snapshots during gameplay by pausing the game (and pressing A), which you can view anytime in your album and send them to friends through WFC.  All the menus are clearly laid out and easy to navigate.

The Vault: 

The Vault is one of my favourite sections and contains a lot of extras and Nintendo gaming memorabillia. Under various sub-menus, this is where you can view all your items, trophies won, music and characters.  Play Coin Launcher, a fun arcade style game where you shoot coins at different objects to score coin points, plus relive some older classic time-trial arcade games such as Donkey Games, Ice Climber, Super Mario Bros and The Legend of Zelda.  Take a trip down memory lane and view the history of older Nintendo games or check out your photo and sticker albums. 

Stage Builder is another great feature where you can create new stages, test during creation and then play (or send to friends through WFC). 

Graphics and Music: 

Impressive, clear and crisp, colourful graphics with a good 3D effect between platforms and backgrounds.  The music encompasses tracks from past games, including Sonic, Animal Crossing, Pikmen and Pokemon to name a few. 

Other interesting tidbits of the game:  When selecting your player you can change their outfit colour or accessory appearance.  Rumble can be turned on and off and you can use Wii Controller (Remote or Classic), combination of Wii Controller and Nunchuk, or Gamecube controller.

Overall: 

An entertaining and well made game overall, with plenty of fast and furious fighting action, jam-packed with extras and unlockables.  Including a nice selection of past arcade mini-games also gives a special touch between old and new style gaming.

 

 

Wii Mario Kart Review

Wii Mario Kart, one of the most anticipated games this year, has now arrived in Australia (24 April 08).

The game features 10 Stages and 16 new race tracks, with older classic tracks from SNES, Nintendo 64 and DS, Gamecube and Gameboy Advance.

 

Buckle up as all your favourite Mario characters from Luigi, Peach, Yoshi, Donkey Kong and Toad to name a few.  Race well and unlock Mii play.

 

Play Modes include single player or race up against 3 of your friends in Versus or Battle Modes.  Connect to Wi-Fi and compete against your mates or anyone around the world (compete with up to 11 other players).  With Mario Kart Channel, you can check course rankings, add a friend to your Friend Roster and more.

 

Plenty of items to collect from the classic Banana to POW Block, Mega Mushroom to Bullet Bill.

 

Mario Kart also comes boxed with the Wii Racing Wheel for more realistic gameplay.  Fit the Wii Remote in the wheel and you’re off and racing!  We found the wheel has good control with driving, and can also be played with the Wii remote combined with Nunchuk, Classic Controller or Gamecube Controller.

 

This is another fun game reinvented for the Wii console that stands the test of time with providing entertainment for all ages.