One of the best-selling franchises in the history of Nintendo has finally made its way to next-gen and the Nintendo Wii. This is the release that almost every Wii owner has been waiting for and everyone else who is still trying to locate a Wii is green with envy. Super Smash Bros Brawl is here. The classic 4 way multiplayer experience has returned and done so with more hype than any game on the console to date. Was it worth the wait? You bet Samus’ sweet ass.

Presentation and Graphics: For next gen standards, the graphics are not that mind blowing, but for the Wii, it does the console justice. Running at 480p, the background textures and lighting are some of the best on the system to date. There are a ton of stages and you will want to play them all before picking your favorite. The character selection scene is also very well done. Everything is laid out in front and you don’t have to scroll through what will be a formidable lineup once you unlock all the characters. It can be hard to see the items at times. The detail here lacks a little. In a 4 player brawl, you really need to focus or be sitting very close to the TV to make out some of the items that are dropped. Also, some of the finer details on the characters are not as great as they could have been, but overall the game looks very good. There is a ton of things happening on screen at any given time and you do get a full 60 frames per second which is a testament for the games’ ability to bring out the best the Wii has to offer processing wise. The menus can be a little confusing at first, but once you get a hold of it, you’ll be fine. 9 out of 10

Sound and Music: If you think Zelda was the best sounding game on the Wii, well, this has knocked it off of its pedestal. The musical score absolutely kicks ass. Each stage has its own feel to it with the music that is matched up with. This makes for a truly memorable experience. The true beauty of Brawl however lies in the characters’ voices. They simply nailed it. You can close your eyes and you will know exactly who is on screen. Each move and hit sound beautiful. An example, is if you land a huge uppercut with Mario, it sounds like he is breaking bricks for coins. Little things like that give the game that overall sound that you smile when you realize the insane amount of detail that went into it. Hook up Brawl to a surround sound system and you will see what I mean. 9.75 out of 10

Gameplay: Many a gamer was afraid that if they were not familiar with the Super Smash Bros. and Super Smash Bros. Melee, they would have a hard time adjusting. Not so. The game is easy to pick up but hard to master. That’s the beauty part. A person playing for the first time can hold their own against someone with experience, if they know the moves. Each character has their normal punch and kicks and Special moves that are indigenous to their character and their back story. You can also use the Wiimote, with or without nunchuk, the classic controller, or even a Gamecube controller. All the buttons can be seen in the thorough strategy guide. A new caveat this year is the Final Smash. It’s a finishing move that can be only acquired by breaking open a Smash Ball and then by pressing B. You unleash a furious attack that will make you opponents damage meter rise to unprecedented heights or even knock them clear off the stage for a win. You can also save yourself by using recovery moves, but I’ll let you explore more for yourself. Its definitely worth it.

The single player mode, The Subspace Emissary, is not as fun as we all hoped. It is 8 hours long and you do get hidden characters for completing it, but it can get repetitive. The cutscenes are nice. It’s a nice change of pace from the Brawling aspect, just not as fun as we all hoped. Other than that, the game is a blast to play. 9.5 out of 10

Multiplayer: For many, this is the first multiplayer experience on the Wii over WiFi. While the game is still phenomenal, Nintendo screwed the pooch here. There is no live chat. There is basically no communication outside of pre-written text messages. You can only have 64 friends. You also need to retrieve a NEW 12 digit friend code which is exclusive to Super Smash Bros. Brawl. Nintendo will be making codes for each game now, so you will have a friend code for every single game you play. They are about 10 years behind in multiplayer. The game also will freeze from time to time and this is mentioned in the manual saying its normal. If the game was not so damn fun to play, this would be a disaster. Still, 4 player brawls with your friends is amazing. We just talk through Skype here at Loot Ninja. Offline is a 10. Online is a 5. So, we’ll split the difference. 7.0 out of 10

Lasting Appeal: You will be playing this game for years. There are a ton of characters to unlock, stickers to collect, moves to master, a deep single player game, though its not great, it adds to replay value. Oh yeah, beating the shit out of your friends over and over is great too. We waited a long time for a game like this and will be playing it even longer. 10 out of 10

Final word: If you own a Wii, just buy the game. Zelda and Mario Galaxy are great titles but are really single player. This is the party game that every Wii owner was waiting for. Whether you are 5 or 35, you’ll love Super Smash Bros. Brawl. This is the Goldeneye of the Wii. We have a game of the year frontrunner already folks. Fifty bucks for years of good times is the easiest gaming choice you will make. A little better graphics and an improved online multiplayer and this would be the perfect title.

Overall: 9.5 out of 10