It’s been a long time in coming, and we’ve had a massive wave of hype as we waited for this game to be released. It’s easy to get sucked up in these hype waves and then be disappointed when a game doesn’t get perfect 10’s across the board. Don’t let any less-than-perfect scores get you down, though: Super Smash Bros. Brawl is one of the best damn games we’re going to see for a long time on the Wii, or any system, for that matter.

I’ll start by addressing the core gameplay, it being the key element that will make or break this entire game. I could go into how character X got nerfed, or how you can no longer perform technique Y, like a few websites on the internet (you know who you are); I’m not going to do that. I could talk about how the gameplay is slower, or faster, or floatier, or some other general comment about how the game plays now; I won’t do that either, if only for the fact that I can’t put my finger on exactly how it’s changed. The only thing that really matters is that Smash Bros. is as fun as it’s ever been. The core fun of the whole thing is exactly as it’s always been, and Brawl is a blast to play. Certain people may want to know more specifics, and I’m sorry I can’t really provide them, but I can assure you that after a period of adjustment you will come to love Brawl just as you did the other two entries.