Tag: smash
Like it or not, the Smash Bros series wouldn’t be what it is without its most maligned entry
Super Smash Bros. Ultimate is painted with much acclaim from critics and fans alike, but one game before it often gets maligned by fans: Super Smash Bros. Brawl. Tripped up by its controversial own tripping feature and bad online implementation at the time of its release, Brawl deserves more praise: it laid the foundations for Ultimate to succeed. 15 years after its release, I am here to tell you why this maligned entry in one of the most sucessful gaming series of all time deserves more respect.
The Super Smash Bros. series is known for its epic character crossovers. And the eclectic cast just wouldn’t have worked without The Subspace Emissary tying them all together. A follow-up to Melee’s Adventure Mode, The Subspace Emissary is packed with high-quality cutscenes weaving together an entertaining story. It’s not easy to bring characters like Snake and Mario into one cohesive world, yet Brawl does it masterfully with this mode.
You’re always invested in what’s going to happen next, and the story it tells is the ultimate love letter to video game history. The Subspace Emissary also introduced lite-RPG elements with stickers you can equip to each character, adding stat boosts. This paved the foundations for the Spirits system in Ultimate; you can’t run before you can walk, after all.
The Finals heads into closed beta, and you can smash its destructible environments right now
The first time I glimpsed The Finals‘ bonkers environmental destruction (some might say “levelutions”) last August, I couldn’t quite believe it was real. But it is real, and you can play it today. Following its closed alpha last September, the first-person shooter is now having a closed beta test for the next two weeks, and you can join the mayhem simply by requesting access on Steam.
Why Minecraft Steve Is Causing Drama in the Super Smash Bros. Community
The io9 Guide to Everything Everywhere All at Once’s Evolution, From Early Rumors to Critical Smash
We here at io9 have been fans of Everything Everywhere All at Once since we heard the first rumblings of a second film from the Daniels in 2017. I mean, how do you top Daniel Radcliffe as a magical farting corpse in Swiss Army Man? The answer is, of course, a multiversal romp through diasporic trauma with kung fu…
Lost Smash Bros. Slamfest ’99 Photos Put Pikachu, Mario, and Yoshi in a Real-Life Ring
Rihanna’s Super Bowl halftime show would make a great Super Smash Bros. stage
Add Rihanna to Smash, you cowards
Kirby’s new Switch remaster has the chaos of a Smash Bros. match with 4 players
Part party game, part platformer, for everybody
There’s a Smash Bros. fight in the Mario movie
The latest trailer shows Donkey Kong and Mario facing off