So, there’s good news and bad news here. First, the good news: Nintendo has finally confirmed and revealed the details of online multiplayer for what might be the biggest Wii game (and by game I mean game, and not some bizarre brain training jumping up and down simulation) this year. You’ll be able to pre-enter and assign messages to the Dpad directions on the controller when you’re playing with friends, which kind of makes up for lack of voice chat, except not, but against strangers, you’re running silent.
This also brings us to the bad news, that being that this is online multiplayer on a Nintendo console, which means Friend Codes. While stats will be tracked for battles with friends, strangers are unranked games, which makes this a Bizarro world version of matchmaking based multiplayer in the console world: ordinarily, games with friends are unranked, and games with strangers are what really count. Oh well. At least it’s there right? Right?
Personally, I didn’t really enjoy the previous installments in the series (I know, I know), but I know a lot of people did (given that it’s the best selling Gamecube game pretty much ever I believe), and this should sort of give them what they want. Besides, in its own way, Smash Bros Brawl is a party game, there for when you have friends over to slap on the shoulder and call unprintable names when they knock you off the stage. Again. So online multiplayer is just a bonus really. Hope you all kept those Gamecube controllers.
-Aegies