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Everybody just relax. What may be the most anticipated game of 2008 is here after multiple delays, yes, but that's no reason to get all excited and crazy. It's not like Super Smash Bros. Brawl is the most ridiculously extensive piece of fan-service to ever hit a videogame console as well as a kickass fighting game.

Wait, that's exactly what it's like. Okay, get excited.

Kitchen Sink? Check.

Super Smash Bros. Brawl is, quite simply, everything anyone could love about Nintendo rolled into one ridiculously jam-packed game. From the huge character roster to the inventive new stages to the extensive Adventure mode, it's everything Melee was but bigger and better. Especially welcome is the lack of “clone” characters in the hidden roster. Nearly everyone in the game is a unique fighter, even similar-looking ones like Lucas and Ness. Perhaps best of all, the inclusion of third-party characters Solid Snake and Sonic the Hedgehog help make Brawl feel like a true battle royale of gaming royalty.

The base game remains the same. Two to four Nintendo characters beat the living hell out of each other using fists, weaponry, and numerous Nintendo-related items that drop onto the playfield. Knocking an opponent offscreen will kill them and score you a point. Highest score or last man standing wins. The formula works, and the balance remains as tight as always. Other than a slight speed reduction, this is the same gameplay that has made the Smash Bros. series a perennial favorite in living rooms, dorms, and even tournaments the world over.

No less than four controller schemes are supported. Players can choose to use the Wii Remote with Nunchuk, the classic controller, a GameCube Controller, or just the Wii Remote held sideways by itself. The last method does simplify the controls substantially, which allows more casual players to compete admirably. Most Smash veterans are going to want a GameCube controller handy, though, preferably a Wave Bird.

Finish Him

The one major addition to the fighting gameplay is the Final Smash. Every once in a while a rainbow-hued ball bearing the Smash Bros. logo will float by. This is known as a Smash Orb, and attacking it will net your character the ability to use his or her Final Smash, a super-powered finishing blow that can turn the tide of a battle in an instant. These attacks are over the top, deadly, and add a lot to the strategy of the game. None of them are noticeably overpowered, so the trademark balance of the game remains intact.

Smash the Planet

One of the few downsides of the Smash Bros. series has been the fact that if you don’t have anyone to play with, the game’s kind of dull. For the friendless, Brawl has added near-flawless online play. Anonymous and friend battles can be played via Nintendo WFC, and it’s so lag-free it's hard to tell you're not playing with people on your couch.

When playing with friends, the full range of match options is available, so it really does replicate the offline experience exceptionally well. Anonymous matches are more restrictive, but it at least guarantees that multiplayer Smash Bros. action is never more than a couple of button presses away.

Mushroom Kingdom Hearts

Lurking on the solo side is The Sub-Space Emissary, an expansive adventure for one or two players that takes you through the rudimentary storyline of the game. This eight to ten hour romp feels a little like Kingdom Hearts, with all the cameos and crossovers going on. With no dialogue and fairly repetitive platforming levels, the story is a little underwhelming, but there’s a big secondary reason to play this mode. Conveniently, finishing The Sub-Space Emissary will unlock all the hidden characters by the end of the tale, which is good for people who don't want to play hundreds of versus matches just to access their favorite fighters.

Game of the Forever

There is no shortage of things to do even after the Adventure Mode is over. You have the event challenges, Classic Mode, the stage editor, hundreds of trophies and stickers to collect, and dozens of music tracks to unlock. There's enough content in Brawl to keep you busy for months, if not years.

Clearly, even in this era of mini-game collections and voting channels, Nintendo has not forsaken the hardcore. Super Smash Bros. Brawl has lived up to the promise that has been dangled in front of us for so many years and should be snapped up by just about anyone willing to hold a controller.

Review by: Matt Keil