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Then we have the newcomers, and let me come right out and say it, even though a lot of great potential choices did not make the cut, the newcomers in Brawl are far more fun to play with than the vast majority of newcomers that debuted in Melee. Just to name a few of my favorites, you've got Meta-Knight, Pit, Captain Olimar, King Dedede, Pokemon Trainer, Wario, Zero Suit Samus and of course as you should know if you haven't been living under a rock, Solid Snake, and Sonic.

What is great about a lot of these newcomers is how many of them bring an entirely different strategy and play style to the game. Olimar, for instance, requires the player to keep a constant eye on what Pikmin is coming up next since each color has a specific use.

A good Pokemon Trainer knows when to switch out his pokemon since keeping the same one in for too long causes a drastic drop in that pokemon's power. Good Metaknight and Pit players must take full advantage of their extra jumps and insane comeback potential by constantly chasing after knocked away fighters with the hope of limiting their comeback ability.

Brawl is not limited to offering just an awesome roster of characters either; it also manages to pack in about 41 stages that all manage to perfectly capture the feel of the game world that they attempt to recreate. Take the Wario Ware level for example. You start off on a fairly normal platform amidst the crudely drawn elevator background that accompanies most Wario Ware games.

Start playing for a little though and the elevator doors will open, the scenery will change, and a microgame will start that makes you not only focus on smashing your enemies, but also on completing the task that the stage asks of you. Failing the microgame doesn't penalize you, but if you successfully follow directions, you'll be rewarded with temporary invincibility or a mushroom, both of which can easily change the tide of a battle.

The cause of wavedashing's demise is actually due to the game's new air dodge system. In Melee, when you air dodged it would cancel any momentum you had and you would air dodge a short distance in whatever direction you were facing. The distance you moved was fixed, and after air dodging, you would be completely helpless. Brawl changes this by making the distance you travel when you perform an air dodge dependant on your momentum. In addition to that, you can now air dodge as many times as you want without losing your ability to come back to the stage.