Super Smash Brothers Brawl

© 2006 Nintendo of America
$50, Wii
Teaches: logic, creativity, timing, cooperative and competitive play, Nintendo triva
CTR Rating: 96%
Editor's Choice

CTR Review

"It's finally here!" screamed our testers (two 13-year-old girls) as they saw the box of Super Smash Brothers Brawl. Soon they were fighting for the chance to fight in the first Super Smash Bros. game for the Wii (called "Brawl"), for one to four players. The first step is to choose a Nintendo character to represent you. New characters include Meta Knight (the sword-fighter from Kirby); Pit (the archer from Kid Icarus); Zero Suit Samus (from Metroid--minus the armor); and Wario and Snake (from Konami's Metal Gear series). In the solo mode called "The Subspace Emissary," you fight against the Ancient Minister and his army of creatures. This game is a celebration of Nintendo culture, with bits of musical scores or obscure items from other games. So how does it work? Like "king of the hill," this fast-paced game uses either the GameCube controls or the Wii Remote and Nunchuk in a traditional fashion, with no motion sensing. Your job is to jump, shoot, kick and knock other players out of the game. This game plays a lot like the last version; only with more frosting. Our testers liked the ability to create their own levels, and there's now a cooperative mode so two players can gang up on one player. For the first time, you can play with others over the Internet. The experience would make a great game for a party, or a family to play together, although novice players will quickly meet their demise from more experienced players. As the name implies, the Super Smash series is the poster child for animated cartoon violence; however, this was not a concern for any of our test families. Still, it helps to note the ESRB descriptors. There's no formal learning in this game, but it is a great opportunity to apply some logical thinking at a high rate of speed. There's also a good deal of fine motor motion, with simultaneous jump/kick motions required to win. Clearly, the people who made this title had as much fun as you will when you play it.