videogamesandyou

We here at My Computer, Inc. have made an executive decision to begin giving basic guides to popular video games so that:

(a) parents can know what their kids are asking for, and

(b) kids can know what they are asking their parents for.

I will try and stick to newer games, or to popular older games.  Also, I will try and stick to those that I have a little experience with.  So, to begin, we have Super Smash Bros. Brawl!  Or, SSBB.

If you didn’t know, this game was one of the fastest-selling Wii games so far.  It is the third in the Super Smash Bros. series.  The first, Super Smash Bros., was released for the Nintendo 64 and featured something new: Nintendo’s main mascots fighting each other.  This new game brought with it a new style of fighting game.  Normally, fighting games use health meters, and each hit decreases your opponent’s health meter, until they pass out.  In this game, each hit increases your opponent’s damage percentage, and when someone is hit, they fly a distance determined by their percentage.  So, the more you get hit, the farther you fly.  If you fly off, you lose.  This new style rocked the world.

In the second installment, Super Smash Bros. Melee for the GameCube, the number of fighters increased from 12 to 25, and the gameplay changed dramatically.  With additions of mid-air dodging, which allowed players to avoid hits in mid-air, the insanely dedicated could become nearly untouchable.  In fact, if you go to Youtube and search for Zelgadis (not a shameless plug, he’s just that good), you will see what a dedicated player can do.

SSBB removed this problem.  It changed the formula, which had been radically redesigned from SSB to SSBM, back to somewhere inbetween.  Of course, the game will never be perfectly balanced, and there are some of the 35 characters that are just easy to use.  However, with time, anyone can be good with any character.

This game is rated T for Teen, mostly due to the cartoon violence.  However, in my opinion, this is not a major deal.  For the ultra-concerned parent, the female characters in this game are rendered beautifully; one character is a female in spandex, so if you are concerned about that, then your fears have been realized.  If you are a horny 15-year-old and your mother hasn’t read this, get the game.  But actually play it, you perv.

If you are looking for a game to play with your friends, you can’t go wrong with SSBB.  It ranks right up there with Mario Party and Mario Kart as Nintendo staples for groups.  However, to unlock every character takes some dedication in single-player mode, so be prepared.  Specifically, Snake and Sonic, the non-Nintendo characters, are easiest unlocked in Single-Player Campaign.

Is it recommended?  Yes.  This game is pretty darn good, and if you have friends, then you will like it even more.

Tomorrow: Rock Band.

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