Review: Super Smash Bros Brawl

Fighting games can really only evolve so far. In the end, you can't avoid the fact that you're just hitting each other until one person dies. That said, Smash Bros Brawl still feels like an incredibly deep, layered and intensely competitive addition to the genre.

..gameplay..

The Smash Bros series works like this: When a match starts, everyone's health is at 0%, as you take damage, your percentage goes up. The higher your percentage, the farther you'll fly when you're hit. If you get knocked off the screen, you lose a life. What makes it great though is that there's no combos to learn - press a direction on the stick and either A or B and you're doing a special move, so newbies can jump in and start doing cool stuff. But the more you play you realize that there are very minute and subtle things you can do to give yourself a huge edge.

Each character has their own nuances and anomalies. Some are very strong, but super slow. Some can recover great distances to avoid death time and time again, while others may be rock solid damage sponges. Some characters are extremely easy to use while others may seem impossible (like Ice Climbers) but every character, in the hands of someone who can use them properly, has the potential to be a walking death machine. That balance is what's great about the game.

In Brawl, Nintendo added a heap of new characters, all new levels, and new items. However, the biggest game-changer to the time tested Smash system was the addition of the Smash Ball.

Smash Ball.

For most characters, getting this coveted item will give them the ability to unleash their Final Smash - a devastating move that can take out one or all characters on the screen. The genius of this item is that you can't just touch it and activate your Final Smash, you have to attack it, and every time it appears it takes a different amount of hits to activate it. So when it shows up, its a mad dash to get this thing and it really changes the way the game is played.

The main attraction in Brawl is obviously the 4-player mayhem of fighting your buddies. However, Stadium Events, Classic Mode and Training Mode all return for you to enjoy the game on your own, but they also added a mode called "Subspace Emissary" which is a full fledged, side scrolling single player adventure. It's a nice addition, but in the end, its not very compelling. Bland story, simplistic level design and while the moves each character have are great for fighting, they feel clunky in side scrolling stages.

Ah. Simplicity.

On a personal note, I'd like to do a quick comparison between Brawl and the N64 original. Obviously the games have to grow with each iteration, but while I was training for the tournament, I played the original game on N64 and found it so much simpler - in a good way. A full cast of only ten characters, simple stages, time tested items - it's just perfect. There isn't a pixel wasted in the entire game. Going back to Brawl felt like a bloated mess of A.D.D. - so much was happening. Stages were moving and actively attacking you, the Smash Ball makes the game almost completely different, extra moves were added to every character - it's just a little too much. Between the three games in the series, I think the utter simplicity of the N64 version wins out and makes it the best of the bunch.

 ..presentation..

One thing that cannot be argued is the quality of the presentation. This is not only one of the best looking and sounding games on the Wii, it runs at a constant 60 frames per second - vital to a fighting game where two pixels makes the difference between life and death. Tech stuff aside, this game really is gorgeous and in fact, wouldn't look out of place on an XBOX 360 or PS3. It makes you wonder why so few games on the Wii were capable of this level of polish. 

The music is also phenomenal - offering hundreds of remastered tracks from Nintendo's rich history, all fully orchestrated and beautifully executed. And if you don't like a song, there are customization sliders to allow you to choose which pieces of music you hear on which stage - it even lets you customize the main menu screen. 

Smash Bros Brawl is really the ultimate love letter to Nintendo fans. Including music, levels, characters and unlockables that reach back far into the history of the company, even before they made video games. If you loved Nintendo as a kid, and can handle a quick paced fighting game, you owe it to yourself to invest a month of your life into this game. Even if the first one was better. 

Ice Climbers - Defeated!

As you may recall, I signed up for a Smash Bros tournament. I lost. I lost hard. It was double elimination, and I lost two games in a row. I did end up losing to the two guys who took first and second place, though - so that's some sort of consolation, I guess. However, my goals were accomplished:

1) I wanted to play enough Smash Bros to feel like I can cross it off my list. I've done that.
2) I wanted to compete in one more tournament. I've done that.
3) I wanted to surprise people by picking Ice Climbers. Everyone was pretty impressed that I could actually use the little Eskimo duo - they would've been more surprised if I had won a gal dern match - but I showed people the power of the Climbers, and I am satisfied.

The guys in this tournament were no joke. Like, apparently there's "tiers" of Smash Bros characters? They were all - 

"Oh, Falco is a Tier A character, and Samus was a Tier B character in Melee, but they nerfed her for Brawl and now she's a Tier D character."

A-ha! Meta Knight is in a class all by himself! He is banned from regulation tournaments! Gad ZOOKS!

What?! I just know that Down + B make me shoot ice breath!

The guys were totally cool though and the venue actually rocks! If you guys are ever in the Denville area and looking to kill an hour, they have a really sweet setup.

Good times. I'm crossing Smash Bros Brawl off my list.

Back to Xenoblade.

Nintendo Power

The very first issue.

Back in the Summer of 1988, Nintendo released it's first issue of Nintendo Power. Now, almost exactly 24 years later, they announced that the magazine will be no more. Most would see this an an inevitability with the rise in internet news, others might even be shocked to hear that the magazine was still in publication. Either way, it was a cornerstone of many of our childhoods and I feel like a brief retrospective is in order.

Let's look back at the very first issue of Nintendo Power.

If you were anything like me in the Summer of 1988, you were obsessed with Nintendo. Then something like Nintendo Power comes out and your brain explodes. Going back and looking at this first issue was absolutely shocking. Not only did it announce Super Mario Bros 2, it blew the lid off the game entirely! You got TWENTY pages of strategy, walkthroughs and warps. And that was just the beginning!

From there it went on to provide a full strategy guide for Zelda's 2nd Quest, a full map of Metroid showing the location of every powerup, the Contra Code(!), how to beat Tyson in Punch Out, a full walkthrough of Double Dragon, a list of upcoming games, a Top 30 and more. It's stunning to see how much stuff was crammed into this first issue. You're lucky to get a well written game review in magazines these days.

Sure this was all a thinly veiled 100+ pages of advertisement. I mean even looking at it now makes me want to go out and buy these games, but this was all incredibly helpful information - especially when your only other source of information was that jerk Ken from school who made up lies about his uncle who worked for Nintendo.

Another thing I want to point out is the perception that of a lot of these old games are pretty bad. And yes, looking at them now, objectively, a lot of Nintendo games were rubbish. But there was a certain magic about those gray Nintendo cartridges and the boxes they came in. Each game held a completely new world to explore, a completely different way to play from the last one, and completely new music. It was almost like going to a different country every time you popped in a new gamepak. I mean look at this:

I can identify at least ten sub-par games in that picture. But it didn't really matter if the game was good or not. It was the experience of adding that new world to your collection of worlds. Pulling the wrapping paper off of a game like Karate Kid, which by all accounts sucks, would still make me pee my pants in excitement. It was a new challenge. It was something for me and my friends to ponder and work through together.

And while you didn't always get the games that graced the pages of this beautiful magazine, reading the articles and guides was like taking a virtual tour of those lands. And that's what I will remember Nintendo Power for. Reading it was the next best thing to actually playing Nintendo.

The last issue will be printed in December, and they have promised something really special for it. I think we should all pick that one up as a memorial to our 8-bit childhood.

So long, Nintendo Power. You were radical.

Nintendo Power Issue 1.pdf
Angry Video Game Nerd Discusses Nintendo Power

Up Next: Super Smash Bros Brawl

So I came across this place called Power Play Gaming up in Denville that's hosting a Smash Bros tournament on August 25. I figured the few weeks leading up to the tournament would be the perfect opportunity to get in some smash time. The Smash Bros games can't necessarily be beaten, so winning a tournament would be a great completion of sorts to feel OK about calling it complete.

I've had a long and romantic relationship with the Smash Bros series. I never owned an N64, but I played the BALLS out of the first Smash Bros game at friends' houses in high school. We would have what we called "99-99 sleepovers" where we'd do a 99 minute KO match followed by a 99 lives stock match. I won't lie - it got a little tedious - but I think a 99-99 night is in order pre-tournament.

In college, I got a GameCube with Smash Bros Melee. If I played the "balls" out of the N64 game, I played the URETHRA out of Melee. My roommates and I would play every night for hours upon hours upon hours. My one friend always used Fox - and as any of you regular Smashers know - Fox is the CHEAPEST character. I would constantly fall for that stupid reflector shield he uses. I'd get the mega blaster, charge up a nasty shot, fire and prematurely celebrate and he would hit the reflector button at the last minute and send the giant projectile back at me, which sent me flying off the stage. He would constantly beat me - I don't think I ever had a positive win percentage against him.

EAT. MY. BUTTHOLE.

I would get so pissed from losing that I would go to the dollar store and buy dozens of little things to keep next to me to destroy when I lost. I had a sledgehammer and countless precious moments figurines specifically for Smash Bros nights. There was one night where I got so frustrated that I turned off the Cube, turned it upside down and said "Get out. Get out right now." He left quietly laughing to himself. I never said another word to him - until the next night when he came over and beat me again. Jerk.

The interesting thing in all of this was that I never had a favorite character. I bounced between Dr. Mario, Jigglypuff, Yoshi and Mr. Game and Watch, but never felt at home with any of them. Eventually I started investigating the character that we always made fun of; the character we would pick as a joke and lose on purpose with; the character that generated scoffs when the announcer proclaimed it loudly on the character select screen. Of course I'm talking about Ice Climbers.

YUP!

 I figured that if everyone was under the impression that this was a character that should never be used, then if I got really good with them, I could catch people by surprise. I only competed in one tournament with them, and while I didn't win - I got a good amount of respect for my skills with the little icy duo.

When Brawl was announced for Wii, I could focus on nothing else until it came out. I read the weekly blog from the developers which detailed all the new features prior to its release. I talked to everyone who would listen to my rants and raves about - what in my mind amounted to - the second coming of Christ.

I went to the midnight release/tournament at a GameStop in Holmdel, NJ. This was interesting. I will readily admit to being a nerd, but the level of nerd at this release was unprecedented. Just to give you a taste, the following sentence was uttered in front of me.

"Luigi has always been second banana to Mario. Yet, clearly he is the superior character."

Yes. 

Aside from the cream of the crop of the nerds debating which plumber was better, the place was mostly filled with pre-adolescent boys. I ended up coming in second place in the tournament which I was really happy with - even though I mercilessly trounced a couple kids in the process. Coming in second awarded me the opportunity to jump to the front of the line - after the 20-year old kid who came in first. As the first place kid was accepting his first copy of the game, a mother pulled me aside and said:

"Can you believe he would come here and beat all these little kids? It's not fair."

I replied, "I know, not fair. Totally disgusting."

The store manager then said "And our second place champion, Brandon Murray! Please come up and get your game!"

I turned to the mother and said "Excuse me." and walked up and proudly purchased my copy.

I am really excited for this tournament. I hope I can show off the power of Ice Climbers one more time before I retire from the Smash game for a while.

Wish me luck, fellow nerds. I'll let you know how I do.

Review: Uncharted 3

A couple months ago I started playing Xenoblade Chronicles. After getting about 15 hours in, I got - distracted - let's say. Since then I have played Kirby's Epic Yarn, 50 Cent Blood on the Sand (lost save file half way through), and have now finished Uncharted 3. It's hard to justify an artsy RPG on the Wii when playing this one.

Uncharted 3 is the pinnacle of cinematic gameplay and storytelling, and once again the developers show the world of developers how to properly pace a game. It is impossible to put down.

Here's my full review.

..story..

This ring will be PERFECT for my character on Damages. 

The story in Uncharted 3 is sorta hard to critique. On one hand its incredibly simplistic; characters are either good or bad, there is one main goal throughout, and the finale really doesn't deliver the emotional payoff you'd expect for the last piece of a trilogy. On the other hand, the story is delivered with such care and thought to its acting and scripting of events that it's hard to knock it for a basic tale. 

One of the best parts of the story comes very early in the game via a flashback scene. This shines a light on the history of Nate and Sully's relationship. It's certainly a nice nod to fans of the series and really creates an even stronger emotional connection to the two characters.

..gameplay..

It feels weird to say that Uncharted 3 is the same old thing as the past two games. Weird because that same old thing is so expertly crafted and polished. But what you're getting is the absolute best cover-based third person shooter in existence. The shooting feels just as smooth and responsive as ever, and there isn't a single thing that feels out of place or doesn't work. Mix this top-tier shooting with excellent, and improved climbing and pakour elements and you have a must-play experience.

The huge, cinematic moments return as well. Climbing huge structures, blowing up priceless, ancient artifacts and puzzling your way through historic deathtraps will keep you on the edge of your seat for the 8-10 hour experience. The pacing must also be mentioned. These guys can make a game that your brain refuses to put down. They know exactly how long humans want to shoot things before they start climbing things. I never got bored in this game and every level/chapter flows into the next so seamlessly that you literally have to force yourself to stop playing.

Uncharted is also well known for those "set piece moments" - the sections of the game which are so huge and scripted that anyone walking by the TV would be forced to sit down and watch. The cruise ship level in this game gives the vaunted train level from Uncharted 2 a serious run for it's money.

Train Level. Respect.

The formula of the series is starting to get a little tired. That formula being:

Travel through area to get to destination.
"You wait outiside, [supporting character] I'll climb my way in and unlock the door"
"Looks like the coast is clear"
Climb around until you find a way through the site.
Solve a puzzle which triggers some sort of trap.
Escape.
Oh my god there's like a thousand guys trying to kill me!
Escape with building blowing up behind you. 
Sully: "I'm getting too old for this shit."

Don't get me wrong, it's still the most entertaining game ever made, but it's just a little formulaic at this point. I think Naughty Dog was wise to end it at the third game.

..presentation..

Remember when Metal Gear Solid came out and everyone was like "OMG! It's just like playing a movie!" Yeah - if a movie consisted of 40 minutes of a conversation on a black screen, it's just like that! Uncharted is as close the gaming world has gotten to being an interactive participant in a blockbuster film.

The voice acting and script writing and motion capture are magnificent. The best in the business. Everyone in the voice acting business take note. This is how you voice act a video game. Nate and Sully are sort of larger than life characters, but the love interest Elena is the most believable character in a video game ever. From the facial expressions to the delivery of the lines she felt like someone I knew and wanted to be friends with. And also give her a hug and a blanket and a warm cup of cocoa.

Fast forward to 6:00 for the stuff from this game, and there are SPOILERS, but take a look and be amazed.

The music and graphics are also something that should be envied by every game designer ever. The level of commitment to excellence is insane. Stuff that shouldn't even have that much detail is loaded with it. Where they could've gotten by with simple music, everything is fully orchestrated and scored by expert musicians. The series theme song feels like a Lucas theme. Everything just exudes excellence. The guys at Naughty Dog are true masters of their craft and they deserve every game of the year award that Uncharted 3 received. 

As technically perfect as Super Metroid was when it came out. The absolute pinnacle of game design. Uncharted 3 should not be missed by anyone. Please do yourself a favor and purchase it and play it immediately.