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Mon Jun 26, 2006 11:10 pm |
 Post subject: Wii Editorial: How Super Smash Bros. Brawl Could Be The Grea |
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Wii Editorial: How Super Smash Bros. Brawl Could Be The Greatest
Goodbye Jiggly Puff, hello Little Mac?
Nintendo Wii Editorial: Super Smash Bros. BrawlThe Super Smash Bros. series is quickly becoming one of Nintendo's most prized franchises. Making its debut on the N64 in Japan on January 21st, 1999, the franchise quickly distinguished itself as an easy and unique fighting game. With most of Nintendo's top franchises being represented (Mario, Kirby, Starfox, and Metroid, to name a few), Super Smash Bros. was a huge success. The game's success prompted a sequel in Super Smash Bros. Melee, which was released for the Gamecube in Japan on November 21st, 2001. A faster paced game that featured twenty-five characters (thirteen more than its predecessor) and a myriad of modes to play, Melee was widely considered one of the greatest games of all time. It would go on to sell over six million copies worldwide.
So how can Masahiro Sakurai, designer of Smash Bros. 64, Smash Bros. Melee, and currently Smash Bros. Brawl, make the Wii version the best ever? First let's break it down into the following categories:
Characters
Gameplay
Graphics
Items
Levels
Online Play
Music
As has been stated, some characters from Smash Bros. Melee will not be returning for Brawl. It is in this writer's opinion that Young Link, Pichu, Game & Watch, Falco, Dr. Mario Ganandorf, and Jiggly Puff not make the cut. Pichu, and Jiggly Puff could stay as Pokemon characters, while Game & Watch could remain in some form as an item. I also have some doubts about Marth and Roy, though they would seem to fit in perfectly with the gameplay and music shown in the Brawl trailer. I've also been hearing that the Ice Climbers will not be making their second appearance, but only time will tell.
Let's now move on to what characters should be added. We know so far that Wario, Meta Knight, Zero Suit Samus, Kid Icarus, and Snake will be making their debut. The appearance of Snake opens the door for hundreds of more characters, as the game is not limited to Nintendo franchises. However, there should be a limit on how many characters there are, or else the game will become too convoluted. With that said, I feel that fifty characters is the maximum amount of characters that should be in the game. Here's my list (which invariably includes the characters we know will be in the game), which is short of fifty, but bigger than Melee nevertheless:
Mario
Luigi
Peach
Yoshi
Fox McCloud
Samus Aran
Link
Ness
Captain Falcon
Donkey Kong
Mewto
Pit (Kid Icarus)
Zero-Suit Samus
Wario
Pikachu
Marth
Geno (Super Mario RPG)
Sonic
Kirby
Solid Snake
Zelda
Bowser
Sylux (MP Hunters)
Ice Climbers
Olimar (Pikmin)
Isaac (Golden Sun)
Magic Koopa
Goku (DBZ)
Fulgore (Killer Instinct)
MegaMan
Little Mac (Mike Tyson's Punch Out!!)
Cloud (Final Fantasy VII)
The key is to avoid a repetition in moves- Ganandorf is too much like Captain Falcon, Falco too much like Fox, and so on. In this list, every character has unique moves, and is not merely a carbon copy of another fighter.
Next comes the gameplay. Supposedly the gameplay is going to be a little slower than Melee, which may not actually be a bad thing. It took me a while to get accustomed to the fast pace of Melee, and even when I did I still found myself randomly falling off the stage. Also the controls cannot be too difficult, and could even stand to be simplified (some of the dodging in Melee was unnecessary, though most were essential).
The graphics aren't too much of an upgrade, though Nintendo fans saw this coming. The Wii isn't going to be a powerhouse like Playstation 3, but it's nevertheless going to be respectable. After watching Mario, Pikachu, and Link undergo their transformations from Melee to Brawl (in the official trailer), I feel reassured that Brawl will look significantly better than Melee.
Items are another big factor in Smash Bros. But what items should be removed from Melee? The fan, parasol, and food are three items I can think of right off the bat that should be removed. I think adding Luigi's weapon in Luigi's Mansion would be cool, and the power-up items that were featured in the trailer seem like a good idea, adding a whole new element to the game. Again, I think quality should be emphasized in this field over quantity, so items like food should not be carried over to Brawl.
One of the things that made Melee significantly better than Smash Bros. 64 were the levels. Corneria was more dynamic in the Gamecube version than in the N64 one, as were the Zelda, Kirby, and Metroid Levels. Brawl has to continue this by making the levels even more dynamic. This doesn't just mean more platforms, elements, and better looking levels, though this will be expected. Rather, some 3D elements would give the game a more immersive feel for the gamer. In the Mario level, for instance, you could have the Bullet guys come from behind the level and shoot right at you, instead of coming from right to left. The levels have to be more expansive and more detailed than in Melee.
Now for the most important aspect of Brawl: Online Play. I have always touted to my Xbox and PS2 friends that if Smash Bros. Melee was online, Gamecube would have been a more premier system. But alas, the Nintendo slogan of the time was to not go online, but rather to just stick as a traditional gaming system. But when the Gamecube began to fail before Nintendo's eyes, the plan quickly shifted, and online play is becoming an integral part of the Nintendo franchise. With Smash Bros. Brawl going online, a few things have to be done right. First, there has to be four player play. Two, most of the levels and items have to be available for online play. Three, all the characters have to be available for online play. And four, there must be a lobby where you can find games, so that playing matches is not random and not always four player play. This way, the forming of clans is facilitated, which will entice people to play even more online. My biggest qualm about Mario Kart DS is the fact that I don't know who I'm going to play, nor how many people I'm going to play against. I'm confident, however, that the DS wifi service is an experiment, and will be tweaked significantly for the Nintendo Wii.
And finally we have the music. Masahiro Sakurai wants the music to be all orchestral, with professional singers and musicians accompanying the fighting of Brawl. We cannot undermine the significance of video game music, for it sets the mood for the entire game. If Brawl is going to be accompanied by this genre of music, then the levels, items, and even the gameplay are going to be affected by it. This may be why the gameplay is slowing down, and why we may see some significant changes. From what I heard in the trailer, the music sounds great, and as long as the game has a soundtrack as great and expansive as Melee (if not better), the game will be fine.
There you have it. If all of this is done, then Smash Bros. Brawl is set to be the greatest game on the Nintendo Wii.
http://www.nintendorevolution.ca/06242006/11/wii_editorial_how_super_smash_bros_brawl_could_be_the_greatest |
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