 | ON: Content is age-appropriate for kids this age. |
 | PAUSE: Know your child; some content may not be right for some kids. |
 | OFF: Not age-appropriate for kids this age. |
 | NOT FOR KIDS: Not appropriate for kids any age. |
Super Smash Bros. Brawl
- Nintendo Wii
- Price: $49.99
- Genre: Fighting
Common Sense Media says
Fun, cartoonish, multiplayer Wii fighting game.
Parents say
QUALITY
Kids say
QUALITY
What parents need to know
Parents need to know that this title -- at its core -- is a fighting game, so those opposed to violence of any kind shouldn't buy this for their kids. This brawler is over-the-top and cartoonish; the fighters don't look real; and there's no blood, gore, or excessive violence. This game handles hand-to-hand combat in a non-realistic and less-graphic way than most fighting games. It's fun to play with up to four friends on the same Wii, or online. The "crude humor" warning likely refers to the character, Wario, who lets out gas from his buttocks!
What's it about?
Ever wanted to see who would win in a fight between Mario and Sonic? Now you can in SUPER SMASH BROS. BRAWL for the Nintendo Wii. Veteran Nintendo fans are familiar with the idea behind these cartoon fighting games: Duke it out with and against popular Nintendo mascots such as Mario, Link, Pikachu, Donkey Kong, Bowser, and Wario -- each with their own unique abilities and power attacks. Now you also have access to new playable characters from other video games, including the Zero Suit Samus (from Metroid: Zero Mission), Meta Knight (from the Kirby games), Pit (from Kid Icarus), and even Solid Snake (from Konami's Metal Gear Solid), and Sonic (from Sega's Sonic the Hedgehog series). The goal is to use your special way of fighting so effectively that you weaken your opponent and they fall off their platform.
Is it any good?
Having all of these familiar and beloved characters in one game is a treat, not to mention you need to unlock new characters by winning matches since not everyone is available right from the get-go. Up to four players can compete together on one Wii, which makes this a great game to play with friends. New to the series is online play, so you can brawl against friends on another Wii in another city, which works surprisingly well. There's also a new lengthy story-driven mode called The Subspace Emissary, which is essentially a side-scrolling game where one or two players fight against more difficult "boss" characters.
Another aspect of this game that makes it so good is the ability to customize the game. You can tweak everything from the character's special powers, weapons, and moves to the musical score and how the game is controlled (whether you prefer Wii Remote, Wii Remote and Nunchuk, Classic Controller, or the GameCube controller). You can even design your own levels to share online with friends. This eagerly anticipated title is great fun for those new to the franchise or longstanding followers.
What families can talk about
Families can talk about types of violence in games. Do cartoon characters and some over-the-top combat moves make this brawl game feel less violent, even with the constant fighting? How do gore and realism in games change how you feel about the gameplay? Which type of game is more fun? Which would you prefer to play and why?
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- Teens & kids
AGE
Great fun but not necessarily the best influence
I have to admit. I love playing Brawl. I have three kids, and they love it too. The kids their age at school and church love it. They play it online together, and even organize parties where they have tournaments. From an entertainment standpoint this game is a clear winner. But there are some concerns. Although the violence is cartoon violence, it is still violence. If a person spends hours trying to inflict maximum damage to other players on screen, how can it not carry through to real life? My kids seem more aggressive and less tolerant during and after playing this game. I feel it too when I play.
Also, because the is so entertaining, game play can easily override other concerns in a kid's life like school work, hobbies, and the like. After getting this, for a while, life in my house ended up seeming like one big Brawl-fest. Things have calmed down little, but it seems like Brawl is still the most popular thing among the kids.
So while I recommend Brawl as an enjoyable game that can bring kids (and even their Dads) together, I think parents should take care to limit game play, and take action to ensure the violence in the game does not carry over into real life.
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Kid, 11 years old
July 22, 2011
AGE
A Great Game
I've been playing this since I was at leat 8, which is the inly reason I say 8+. It's nothing TOO violent, there's no blood, so I could say it being E10+ at least. My Mom approves of this, and she's SUPER stingy about what I play. It's not hard to use, but I don't think children will enjoy it much, just because their kids, but I LOVE these type of games, and this really DOES rock!
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AGE
This is an EXTREMELY good fighting game. I really reccomend it. There is no blood, but tons of cartoon violence. Your goal is to launch the opponents off of the course, and you can launch them easier by beating them up. Violence includes punching, kicking, lazer guns, bombs, grenade launchers, baseball bats, hammers, and tons of other weapons. Sometimes when you launch characters tey slam into the screen. There are tons of modes, characters, rules, items, and stages to keep you entertained. You can also maneuver the camera when paused and take pictures. The only iffy stuff besides the violence is that one character can toot as an attack, and one female character wears very tight clothes. 10/10
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AGE
Great game
i really don't think this should be rated T, it should probably be rated E. the violence is NOT bad at all. I mean, you wouldn't be wanting your 5 year old playing this, the violence does not affect younger kids.
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AGE
A Mindless Game of Non-stop Violence
My son begged me to get him this game. I wish I hadn't. I asked the clerk at the game store why it was rated T, and he said it was only because of the "Wario Waft", and was otherwise a very fun game with just cartoon violence. Yes, it doesn't have any blood or gory violence, but the game is relentless hitting, punching, kicking, shooting, crashing and mindless violence. It doesn't seem to utilize the Wii remote in any interesting way; they just continually press buttons to hit each other. On the plus side, there are a lot of characters that the kids like, and my kids (9 and 11) and their friends really have fun playing it. I think a rating of E-10 would be appropriate for this game.
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AGE
Fun game. Some parents won't like it.
Obviously violence. There's no blood or gore, but the aim of the game is to use your character's various fighting moves to cause other characters' "damage" (represented by a percentage at the bottom of the screen). The higher the damage, the further the characters will fly back when you hit them. The objective is to get points by hitting characters off the screen. Weapons range from turnips to laser guns. The characters are from various other video games, some of them rated T for reasons other than violence. One character, Snake, is from Metal Gear Solid, a game rated M, and uses modern weapons like hand grenades and missile launchers. A character named Wario farts as an attack. A female character named Zero-Suit Samus wears a tight suit (which covers her entire body except for her head) and has a Barbie-doll body. I would understand why a lot of parents don't like their kids playing this game.
It's loads of fun, though, especially its multiplayer mode.
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Kid, 12 years old
May 20, 2010
AGE
Nintendo's masterpeice is definetly the king of fighting games
I really like it. it is my favorite game right now. it is so good because you can use like 30 charachters, who each have like 10 different attacks(ranged and melee), 50 courses plus making your own courses, and a ton of items. there are also different types of brawls, and it is especially fun on multiplayer.
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AGE
A Pure Nintendo Classic
This game is non-stop fun. Still playing it as of today, starting from the very first day it was released. The 'T' rating is completely incorrect, cartoon violence with minimal blood falls under more of the E 10+ rating.
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Kid, 12 years old
February 22, 2011
AGE
AWESOME FAMILY GAME
AWESOME FIGHT GAME.my 8 year old brother loves to play it with my dad and me.its ENDLESS FUN FOR THE WHOLE FAMILY.this game can bring back memories too,like one of the courses is the classic donkey kong game setting.its very easy to master,no online interactions (except CPU) so buy it NOW
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AGE
LOVE IT!
This is one of me and my brother's favorite games! I love how you can play with friends via the Wifi connection, and we do that a LOT. It's fun, easy to learn how to play, and it can keep you busy for hours. The violence isn't too bad- I mean it's real cartoony and fun- I mean you can shoot grenades at people, but it's not bloody or anything. I consider it "Tom and Jerry" violence. With grenades...
Safety CAN be an issue on only one term: if your kid jumps up screaming at the TV cause one of his friends beat him in a match or he lost to a computer. Yeah, been there done that :)
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| Platforms: | Nintendo Wii |
| Available online? | Available online |
| Genre: | Fighting |
| Developer: | Nintendo |
| Release date: | March 9, 2008 |
| Price: | $49.99 |
| ESRB rating: | T for Cartoon Violence, Crude Humor |
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