Sometime around 3 pm on Monday, I finally got my copy of Smash Brothers Brawl into my Wii. Aside from a brief break to cook dinner for my wife, I spent a solid six hours with the game. Since there is only one of me, I dedicated my time to the one player options today. Sure, I could have spent some time messing around with computer opponents, but I’ve already made plans to spend tomorrow evening with a few good buddies to test out the multi-player action, so why bother? I’ve torn myself away from the game to offer you my very first impressions, in my usual scattershot fashion. I’ll be back tomorrow with my multi-player first impressions. Give me a week and I’ll give you a full on review.

Here we go, in no particular order: (beware, Spoilers after the jump)

# This game is very clearly an audition for Pit to get his own title. Yes, Kid Icarus is in absolute full glory. He’s not just a “hey, look who we found” afterthought addition. He has a wicked cool bow, a set of very good moves, and a starring role in the Adventure Mode.

#And speaking of Adventure Mode … wow. What a major improvement from the old one-player “hey, let’s string together a handful of weirdly arranged battles and end with fighting a giant hand” system. Don’t worry, that’s still around and useful for unlocking stuff, but it isn’t the only option for your single player enjoyment. The new adventure mode comes packed with a full story.

#The game is pretty. It is certainly a step up from the Cube version — but not a huge step. We all know the Wii isn’t a graphic beast, but Nintendo usually pulls the best out of their machine. The cut-scenes are fantastic, but the regular game, like many Wii titles, feels mostly like Gamecube Advanced.

#I absolutely can’t decide which control scheme I prefer. I haven’t allowed myself to use the Gamecube controller yet. It’ll probably be the easiest, simply out of familiarity, but I really don’t want to be tied down by cables again. I’m living in a cable free world and I love it. And no, I don’t own any Wavebirds. Currently I’m doing best with the nunchuck and wiimote combo.

#Gameplay is very fluid, just like we’ve come to expect from the franchise. Some changes were made, but not a ton. New levels, new characters, new items, and some new game modes — but really that’s all basic changes. They’ve done very little to alter the fundamental gameplay of the game, which is absolutely the correct decision. Why mess with perfection?
#The story of adventure mode feels a bit weird, because it shoves together characters we’re not used to seeing in the same world — the Kirby family co-existing with the Mario family co-existing with the Zelda family. However, it pulls it off very nicely. Each character gets a full-on title shot reveal at his first introduction into the story, which is a very nice touch.

#Stylistically I really enjoy the finishing moves - or power moves, or whatever they are called. They look fantastic and are a lot of fun to pull off. Not sure how they’ll affect the strategy of a good old fashioned melee fight, however. More on that tomorrow.

#There are a LOT of characters in this game. And even more levels. It’s almost overwhelming, but in a very good way. Nintendo is really trying to pack as much in as they can. And that unswerving commitment to going the extra mile, even for little things like new and varied characters, is why you can almost always trust Nintendo to hand you a very solid product.

#I can’t wait to try the level editor.

#Loved the little first appearance of Solid Snake. Just the box with eyes peering out through the slot. Well played. So far, it doesn’t feel weird to see non-Nintendo characters popping up in this game. As I mentioned before, the clashing of typically separate worlds is a bit weird, but seeing Sonic and Mario coexist is no weirder than seeing Mario and Kirby coexist.

#Did I mention how much I like Pit? Here’s a good way to explain. I’m a Yoshi guy. Literally every Mario game which provides me the option, I play as Yoshi. Kart, Tennis, Soccer, Party, it doesn’t matter. The green guy and I are old friends. I might find myself defaulting to Pit in this game. I’ll know for sure when I’ve had the chance to test his skill sets against my friends, who always offer tremendous competition. That’s a tremendous endorsement right there, friends.

#In the Adventure Mode, there is a group I like to think of as “A-Team.” They are clearly the big guns, and the story involves them more than anyone else. Right now (30% in) A-Team consists of Pit, Mario, Yoshi, Link, and Kirby. Typically, you can pick four of these to take into a mission with you. You know who my odd man out is? Link. I know, I know. I don’t understand it either. But for whatever reason, I just can’t wrap my brain around using Link’s skill set. Never have been able to in the Smash Brothers games.

#While we’re on the subject on Link, allow me to point out that the Hero of Hyrule is left handed again, as is right and proper. I know all you crazy righties out there think you can’t use the Wiimote in your left hand, and so we get a blasphemous right handed Link. But we all know he’s really left handed.

#Why must we continue to insist on Luigi being an unlockable character? It is completely ridiculous. Luigi is a full fledged charter member of the Nintendo-verse, and I’m tired of him getting pushed to second rate status. This is a complaint which extends far beyond Smash Brothers, mind you.

That’s all for now. Come back tomorrow for more thoughts after an evening of multiplayer mayhem.