Need some help understanding what's so great about Smash Bros. Brawl?

(First of all I'm new to Goozex and this seems like a friendly community so I thought I could ask this question without getting flamed so here it goes...)  

Background:  for some reason the original Smash Bros. and then Melee were games I just missed out on.  Though I had always liked fighting games (SFII, Mortal Kombat, Tekken, etc.) at the time those were released I was just starting off in the work force and was starting to play more single player games since I had less time to play with friends. 

Flash forward to today and I tried Brawl out in Gamestop.  First of all it LOOKS great.  Controls great (and I was using the nunchuk and remote) but I gotta say I just don't get it.  I couldn't really tell what was going on and the matches seemed short (then again I was getting my butt kicked).  Considering the love this game and the series gets I'm clearly missing something.  Can someone help me out here and explain Smash to me?  Is it a game that you really need to play with friends to really enjoy?  Thanks. 

I’m in the same boat as you, I did get Brawl through Goozex a couple weeks ago, but I do plan on giving a try online at some point with fellow Goozexers, maybe that will add to the experience. To me, it doesn’t seem like anything special when playing single player. I guess fighting with your favorite Nintendo characters is something.   

Some people don't get the Super Street Fighter II thing, or the Soul Calibur thing.  Some people, including myself, are over the GTA thing.  But the SMASH phenomenom is exactly as silentshawn has stated...fighting with beloved Nintendo characters and about fifty dashes of nostalgia.

Imagine how gangbusters GTA Mushroom Kingdom or GTA Mario would sell. 

It's all about Nintendo pron, love, and nostalgia. 

Alright then, that makes sense.  GTA Mushroom Kingdom would be pretty sweet.  I wonder if there would be sniper missions...With Mario's 'stache he's kind of got a dimunitive Solid Snake thing going for him...could be interesting.  

I'll have to get Brawl soon and give it a thorough going over.  Thanks for the help. 

P.S. I haven't received a game yet (I just mailed out my first trade yesterday) but I'm totally psyched about Goozex.  Thanks guys.

 

Hi manny,

 I'm new to goozex too.  Funny thing is I actually joined to unload SSBB because I found it completely unplayable.  What can I say, I bought into the hype and had never played a previous iteration of this game, and was completely let down.  I like fighting games a bit, I loved Street Fighter, Mortal Kombat back in the day, and I think Soul Calibur was a superb game, but I just couldn't keep up very well with this one.  I read you almost had to use a gamecube controller to have good control.  I don't have them.  But no matter what, I could tell right away my wife would never be able to enjoy this game because of the speed and difficult control and this isn't one of the games I would want to play by myself.  So I sent it back the week I got it, which was also the week it was released.

In retrospect, I see how it would be an awesome 4 player party game, at least if you had 4 people really into fighting games.  Instead of tag-team or tournament type play you just kind of kick each others butt for a set amount of time and the one who did the most damage is the champ.  That's a nice way to keep everyone involved.  I rarely play with anyone but my wife, so that is not enough of a selling point for me.

ok now just to let u all know...it is better if u played the privious ssb... (64 and melee) but really u dont need to. if ur brand new to the game here is a few types to enjoy and understand the game: 1 play as EVERY Character...u never know who u will be good with... 2 use the GameCube controller... a whole lot simpler to use then the wiimote and nuchuck... (just getting use to the nunchuck myself...had game since it came out) 3 remember... (on gamecube) L and R are shields...they will save u sometimes... also learn to roll...just tap left or right when shielding... 4 B is specials...practice each one and wat they do... (in brawl there is 4... (b), left or right and (b), down and (b) and up and (b) which is usually a 3rd jump...not allways 5 A is basic attacks... each direction and a will change ur attack... but if u tap a direction and A at the same time...u do a smash attack (hold the a button in to charge and increase the damage....will leave u open to attacks though) 6 Practice all A and B attack in the air... 7 instead of using up on the control stike to jump...use X or Y... makes double jumping easier... 8 Go to solo > training to practice against a bot who will Stand, walk, evade, or attack... or if u have a friend... set it to human and now u can both practice (u can make who u fight at the char select screen and even make 3 humans so if u need 4 ppl to just train) 9 after u practice ur moves and u understand them... start to chain them...or atleast try to... helps u get the most damage to ur opponent 10 allways use different attacks... using the same attack will make the power of it deminish slightly..very slightly but can be problematic if u like that attack :P 11 after ur done ur training sessions...start a brawl match and fight a lvl 1 bot...just 1 so u dont start to fast... 12 when ur getting better start adding more opponents or increase the lvl of the bot(s) u have. 13 if u got friends to practice with thats even better... but as some advice dont jump online till u can handle a lvl 7 or higher bot... trust me... u can try if it will be fun to u... but u might not win... 14 if u can challenge skilled players. If you lose, consider it a learning experience. just try to remember the strategies they used and see if it can make u better. these r just basic rules...of course each get harder as they go along...but just be calm...and really go throught he game at ur own pace... if ur new dont start fighting lvl 9s... trust me i know from experience lol

As Lurk said, it's a game for Nintendo fans and people who enjoy seeing various Nintendo icons bash each other to bits. It is definitely a game that you miss 75% of the fun playing alone. I remember only somewhat liking this game when it originally came out on the N64, but loving it on the Gamecube because at that point I would play it with some friends and we'd have a blast figuring out all the little nuances of the references to past games.

Smash Bros. is definitely in need of a new direction, though. Brawl suffers from not having much new, more than anything. You could put the new Brawl characters into the original N64 or Gamecube versions and many people wouldn't know the difference.

I think the same problem is going to pop up with Mario Kart Wii. People are going to get tired of it faster than they expected.

While most of the previous posters hit the nail on the head, I think that too many people who are "gamers" who dive into brawl don't like it becuase it is not what they are expecting. It is not a fighting game for people who like fighting games. It really is for the person who doesn't like fighting games. 

It's an incredibly polished, floaty fighting game.

Leave items on and play with your friends. You'll love it. If you start getting the "FOX ONLY NO ITEMS FINAL DESTINATION" mentality, though, the game starts getting horrifically boring.

Hi there!

 I just joined goozex a few months back and am loving it, I don't really read the forums but I was bored at work and saw the SSBB topic and thought I would share my feelings.

 I can't really come to you with the mentality of not playing the previous titles because I played them both. I LOVED the N64 Smash Bros when it came out, it was a great party game, and had lots of secrets and unlockables. This alone gave me a reason to play as I love unlocking and completing games to their fullest. I personally HATED the cube version (melee) because I hate the controller. I still hate the controller actually... =)

I was very excited for Brawl mainly because it was the game that I loved back on the N64, with more characters, tons of nostalgia, and the ability to customize my controls. I played the game with the Nunchuck, with the wiimote alone, with the gamecube controller, and with the classic controller. My favorite configuration is the Classic controller, with the wiimote alone being a close second.

 As for the draw to the game: The game itself is simple. You have essentially three buttons... attack, special, and block.... when you play the game with the wiimote alone you realize this and think "my lord, how simple." However after playing for a bit you realize that with just these three buttons you have thousands of different combos and abilities at your finger tips, all using three damn buttons!!!! Now if you play with any controller other than the wiimote alone you will find that you can 'hotkey' your jumping to a button instead of just the up button, and you can 'hotkey' your grab instead of just holding block and attacking. 

In essence its a simple game that anyone can pick up and play with three buttons and have a blast, or you can learn how to play a bit better and play one of the more technical fighters on the market. Thats what I find appealing anyhow. That and having Solid Snake kill Pikachu.... Thats nice too :P

 As a non-fan of the series, I will say it does great Nintendo fan service.

Just accept that you don't like the series and move on (like me ) .  There's plenty of other great games on the Wii.

That's what I did, and that's how I got started with goozex... to unload it.  :D

 Right now I'm really enjoying mario kart and some older games....

It is easy to pick up and hard to master.

You're right, it isn't as good unless it is with friends, in person.

For me, fan service is little to none of the draw - it is just a great fighting game, and the items and floatiness of it make it unique.

Also, it is unlike other fighting games because it is essentially king of the hill done perfectly. Your sole aim is to stay on the stage (hill) as long as possible and knock others off of it.

N64 version is still my favorite though, as the other iterations are a little too busy even though you get used to it after a while. 

It's a love or hate game. If you don't have friends or relatives to play with, don't bother getting it cause the single player is incredibly boring.  But then again, there's always people to play with if you register the friend codes in the Brawl MVP thread..