Games that utilize more technical features will help improve players' motor skills, coordination, reflexes and gaming expertise. "Super Smash Bros. Melee," a game released in 2001, masterfully tested players' skills and improved upon them. By allowing players to skillfully chain together complex combos under a desirable set of physics, Melee took its place as one the best fighting games of all time (fact, not opinion). "Super Smash Bros. Brawl," on the other hand, destroyed these technical complexities, eliminating the need for skill. Released in 2008, this game catered too heavily towards casual gamers, ridding the world of delicious combos. Here is a list of reasons why Brawl doesn't live up to Melee's legacy.
Terrible physics.
If you play a game of Melee, full of speedy comboing and swift movement, and then play a game of Brawl, it feels like you have been dumped into a vat of marmalade. Slower jumping, reduced gravity and less maneuverability all remove the ability to effectively combo from the equation.
No wavedashing/L-cancelling.
Those who are familiar with Melee are familiar with these two skills. Utilizing quicker movements and attacks, these skills were the cornerstones of juicy comboing. Their lack of inclusion in Brawl contributed to the lack of comboing potential.
No edgeguarding.
Nothing is more satisfying and dastardly than watching your opponent fall to their death while you grip their only hope of survival: the edge. Melee benefited from this technique, forcing players to come up with new ways to maneuver and outsmart the opponent. Brawl, on the other hand, lacked this feature and ultimately suffered because of it.
In an age of casual gaming, it is unfortunate that Nintendo decided to pander towards this casual demographic. If Brawl would have taken after Melee more thoroughly, perhaps gamers would be more technically honed and savage. Thank goodness for Project M, a mod that makes Brawl more like Melee (better).
