Video game review: You won't get tired of this 'Brawl'

GAME TITLE: "Super Smash Bros. Brawl"

PLATFORM: Nintendo Wii

STUDIO: Nintendo

RATING: T for Teen

SCORE: 9.5/10

THE REVIEW

It's "Mortal Kombat" with all the Nintendo characters you know and love! Mario takes on Link, Donkey Kong, Star Fox, Yoshi, Pikachu, even Sonic the Hedgehog and any other character you can think of in this all-out brawl. Playing either by yourself or with (or against) friends, you battle it out in a number of environments. The game allows you to create your own battle stages, and one of the highlights is using the WiiConnect to play with friends online. If you're playing by yourself, there are enough matches against the computer or the story line game, "The Subspace Emissary." There's a reason this game is one of the most anticipated of the year.

GAME PLAY: The game is pretty easy to pick up and play, with simple controls to master (A button for attack, B button for special attack, etc.). While battling it out, various weapons are dropped to help you take out your opponent. Destroy a "Smash Ball" as it floats around the battlefield and watch a special finishing attack that will wipe out your opponents! It's a traditional beat 'em up game, but it unlocks new characters, levels, music and other options as you keep playing. It's also hard to get tired of playing this game with so many options, levels, characters, etc.

GRAPHICS: The graphics are well done, and it's amusing to see the cartoonlike Mario or Yoshi paired up with or against the more human-looking Link or Snake. The backgrounds range from the weirdness of Mario or Yoshi to the jungles of Donkey Kong or space scenes like "Metroid." One of the most interesting ideas is letting you create your own battlefields. Through play, you can unlock additional features to create more interesting and more complex battlegrounds.

AUDIO: The score is fantastic and diverse, with the themes from "Legend of Zelda," "Super Mario Bros.," etc.

THE WRAP-UP

PARENT'S TAKE: It's cartoon beat 'em up violence, but it's hard to be offended when Princess Peach is whomping on Bowser, or Pikachu delivers a finishing blow to the Pokemon Trainer.

FINAL WORD: Seriously fun and worth the money, you'll enjoy "Super Smash Bros. Brawl" for hours and hours and hours ...

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E-mail: bwinslow@desnews.com