"For the 3rd installment, expect more of the same with enough new to warrant your money."

Super Smash Bros. Brawl.
Truly an engrossing game within a series of insanely fun games.

Story:
What praises can be sung for a story without words? Many in the case of Subspace Emissary mode and all that it brings to the table. Throughout the story you follow the intertwining tales of some of the biggest characters to hit Nintendo over the years. With each choice you make you impact some of the events to follow, and choose at early points which character to do your immediate battle with. Just playing through the story at a rushed pace is guaranteed to take several hours, even on the lowest difficulty or with a second person assisting you. Despite all that the story mode offers, some people seem unsatisfied with the final stage, an immense maze which can take upwards of two hours to complete for those who don't immediately grasp its simplistic design. To this I say, use the start button before you complain!
Overall I give the story a 10/10.

Music:
There will always be nay-sayers of certain modes of play, characters, and even stages, but the one thing most can agree on is that the musical compositions in the game are top-flight. Even if you utterly hate a level's design there's a good chance you will enjoy the music it provides. There are even classic tracks and remixes for longtime fans of the individual series that make up the game. I would go so far as to say that most stages have at least one excellent piece. Overall, the music provides a stark contrast to the rapid paced battles, allowing for a balance of storm and calm.
Thus I give music a 10/10.

Difficulty:
Most games in recent years boast of a variety of difficulty, something for everyone to enjoy. The problem is, most games don't handle the difficulty properly and end up with a less than gradual slope in difficulty featuring a zero line that separates too easy from too hard. This is one of the points that Super Smash Bros. Brawl begins to falter at, which is not surprising as it is a quite common problem, though it is fairly strong in this area too. It ensures quality on every level but doesn't quite measure up to the top tier difficulty one would anticipate from such an acclaimed title.
For this I give difficulty a 9/10

Gameplay:
There are many aspects of the gameplay that make Brawl special, and many that are the same as or similar to other games of the same genre. One of the things that has many people thinking of Brawl are the varieties of gameplay that have continued throughout the series, with the most popular staying within while the less-so died out. The game has a fantastic fighting system which I'll touch on in control, but let's first look at the sub-game's that push the game along, such as Break the Targets. Modes like Break the Targets are omnipresent in the Super Smash Bros. series but it received a bit of an adjustment for this game, mostly from the changing of the stage design and variety. Then there is the everpresent Homerun Challenge which pits you against the sandbag in a grand slam battle. The other thing which makes the gameplay fun is the variety of battle modes, all within Special Melee, allowing for a wide variety of choice in your options.
I give Gameplay a 9/10

Controls:
The beef and potatoes of the game, the controls offer something for every player of the game. They allow use of all the controllers available, ranging from Wiimote + Nunchuck, Classic Controller, all the way back to the humble Gamecube Controller. This allows for a truly customized feel for the control. Add this to the already excellent control setup to allow for a truly comfortable feel. The control of combat works very well, with quick response times and multitudes of items to alter your combat itself, you're sure to be coming back to the soon familiar control scheme.
For this the Controls get 10/10

Sounds:
Since the earliest days of Super Smash Bros. one of the things most apparent are the sound effects present during combat. Ranging from the familiar sounds of the turtle shells sliding across the screen, to the ever familiar Falcon Punch, Super Smash Bros. Brawl lacks little in terms of sound, and what it does lack it makes up for in quality. The only problem is the lack of proper sound for a few moments, such as a sharp kicking sound for the soccer ball item. There are loads of crisp clean sounds in the game though more than adding up to a very successful display.
Overall I give Sounds an 8/10

Variety:
In the overall, this game has more variety than people seem to give it credit for. It has thirty-five characters for use in any mode you choose, a wide range of challenges and gameplay types, and a stage builder that lets you construct an arena to suit your own tastes. Amidst this it has a variety of specific character gameplay challenges that allow you to improve your skills with any given character, and an online mode which allows you to fight people all over the nation.

Extra:
Let's look now at what makes for more bang for you buck in Brawl. The first thing is the Masterpiece series that allows you to play a demo of several of the oldest games in the Nintendo lineup. These are short demos but don't be dissuaded as the games are available on the Virtual Console. The next thing that covers the majority of the extras is the sheer amount of unlockables the game offers, bound to keep you busy for many weeks to come, including a variety of trophies soundtracks and other things to keep your thirst for more quenched for quite some time, though admittedly there could be more.
I give the Extra's 8/10

Online:
I'll give you that the online has started off very rocky, mostly due to server problems preventing the “With Anyone” option for random play. “With Anyone” is also tragically limited in design and scope for options. The Spectator mode feels a little useless overall compared to the otherwise fast paced involved modes. Friend matches are definitely the bread and butter of the online as they allow you to pit yourself against your friends in all the same matches you would expect offline. The final item to address in online is the sharing of stages made by friends with one another, and in this Nintendo has begun to hit home, allowing for the fun to be spread across to everyone you know.
Overall, I give the Online a 7/10.

Representation:
The biggest thing of importance to most players, who can we use? I won't go into details for those not wishing to have the roster spoiled but there are several representatives from Pokemon, Star Fox, Legend of Zelda, and Mario, with solid representation from several other series. Including in boss fights, even the Metroid series arrives finally at decent representation, and with the assist trophies, there are literal tons of more characters to work with.
From this point I give Representation a 9/10

These are the reasons I love SSBB, and all things considered I call it a fantastic game at a rock solid 9/10.

Reviewer's Score: 9/10, Originally Posted: 03/18/08

Game Release: Super Smash Bros. Brawl (US, 03/09/08)