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The biggest addition to Brawl’s combatants is each fighter’s Final Smash; A super finishing move that can turn the tide of any battle in an instant. Final Smashes can be activated when a character breaks open Smash Balls that occasionally drop from the sky and start floating around the screen. The character will then either unleash an ultimate attack or transform and be given temporary new powers to punish the competition with (Or in the case of Samus, both).

Using Assist Trophies summons a random Nintendo character for an attack like these Excite Bikers.

All of the game modes from Melee have also made a comeback, including Classic Mode, Event Matches, Home-Run Contest, Target Smash and of course the crème de la crème of the Smash Bros. series: multiplayer. Nearly all of these modes have been expanded to offer a greater challenge and more replay value; And in case you didn’t get the memo yet, Smash Bros. now has online multiplayer.

Let’s divulge a little more about that online multiplayer, shall we? In addition to duking it out with three of your buds on your living room couch, Brawl gives you the opportunity to battle for wi-fi supremacy as well. You can choose to fight people on your Wii friend list or take on random players from anywhere in the world. All the while, the entire match is virtually lag-free (although Nintendo admits the closer you live to your opponent, the less likely connection problems will develop). While fighting online you can even activate an “Allow Spectators” option, whereby people will be able to bet on your match and win coins (used to purchase trophies and stickers) if their man is the last one standing.

The Vault lets you view all of your unlockables, including the hundreds of trophies you can collect.

Fear not single-player fans, Nintendo hasn’t forgotten about you. Smash Bros. Brawl introduces an ambitious new adventure mode known as The Subspace Emissary. This lengthy platforming romp – notably penned by Final Fantasy VII writer Kazushige Nojima -- takes all of the Brawl characters through the game’s official storyline. Told through beautiful full-motion animation cut scenes, you’ll be tasked with guiding a multitude of Smash good guys through just about every Nintendo locale you can think of while making allies, fighting giant bosses and collecting stickers to power-up your characters. At over eight hours, and considering the depth of this new mode, The Subspace Emissary is practically a full-on game within a game. Plus the fact that you can complete each stage under multiple difficulty levels and with a friend, should you choose, means you’ll be coming back here almost as much as you come back to the multiplayer.