For Nintendo addicts weaned on wholesome heroes, explosive action and retina-sizzling visuals, Super Smash Bros. Brawl is the biggest, messiest wet dream imaginable.
A frenetic four-player fighter starring a flurry of familiar faces from series stalwarts Mario, Donkey Kong and Link, to new faces such as Sonic The Hedgehog and Metal Gears Solid Snake and staged on dynamic levels that ape the Japanese behemoths past glories, SSBB is like a nostalgic roller coaster ride through gaming history. And while the lickety-split brawling follows the same routine as its N64 and GameCube cousins, new fighters, tweaked attacks and a host of fresh items that drop onto the arenas to change the course of every battle help bring extra pace and depth to the frantic fisticuffs.
Pugilists accustomed to the slower, more deliberate pace of classic beat em ups such as Street Fighter and Tekken will doubtless find the action bewilderingly fast and difficult to follow, but less hoary players willing to learn the games myriad moves and master its dizzying gait will find months of pleasure in this irresistible scrapper.