The Great UK Brawl Build-off

Jul 2, 2008

So, you've spent six months cursing Nintendo with every ounce of vitriol in your being for the obvious reasons. Of course, then you rushed out and bought yourself a copy of Super Smash Bros. Brawl all the same because, you know, it is an outstanding game, even if you might have been a little more happy finding that out alongside the rest of the world. Five days on and we reckon you've probably done at least one run-through of the surprisingly entertaining Subspace Emissary and unlocked a fair few things in the process. Congratulations, you!

"What next, though?!" we hear you cry. Well, we're glad you asked! Sure, there's enough on the disc to keep you going for weeks. However, should your Wii-weary eyes require a spot of brief respite, might we consider paying a visit to IGN's dedicated website Smash Bros. Brawl World? You see, it's a little bit different to other launch centres we've done. Yes, you'll find plenty of the usual Brawl-related content on there. However, more significantly, it's also a veritable hot-bed of user-creativity, with all manner of individually-submitted Brawl stages in attendance, ready to flex your fighting fists on.

If you've dabbled with Brawl's built-in Stage Editor, you'll know that – despite its relatively limited toolset – it's still flexible enough to create a surprisingly diverse array of stages. All it takes, as they say, is a bit of imagination on your part. Here's the neat bit though: with a dash of technical know-how (and we'd suggest that if you can fire-up a web browser, you're already more than qualified), plus an SD card and PC or Mac, your creations are no longer limited to your console. Forget humiliation at the hands of your friends – now, you can upload your masterpieces for the entire world to see, share and slate with unabashed comment-based venom. You can even download a few yourself and participate in what's essentially one huge Brawl orgy – only less sticky and more likely to include dinosaur-tonguing.

We'd thoroughly recommend you go check out the site, have a browse at other people's work and even get stuck in yourself – and not just as a cynical attempt to drive traffic in that direction! No, it also gives us the perfect excuse to flaunt our own grandiose game-designer aspirations! Channelling the greatest creative minds from Uwe Boll to Girls Aloud, the IGN UK team has taken a crack at crafting the perfect Smash Bros. Brawl stage and we lay our thought processes bare below. We've also uploaded them to the IGN's Super Smash Bros. World so you can give them a whirl. Check them out and leave us some kindly words. Really, all we've ever wanted is a cuddle.

Killville - Alex Simmons, UK Editor-in-Chief

"At first I really wanted to create my own little Hyrule, filled with lush trees and sparkling waterfalls. But then I thought it'd be a tragedy to taint such a peaceful haven with killer spikes and rowdy brawlers. That and the fact you can't actually build Hyrule using the bits in the game! So instead I chose another theme – death, with the idea of the level being that whoever survives the obstacles long enough deserves to be the winner. The ladders leading up to the moving platforms and, ultimately, the big wheel in the centre are perfectly set up for a showdown, with two players slugging it out as it spins round while onlookers can pepper them from afar. And if they take a slug in the face? Then they'll fall to their doom on the razor-sharp spikes below!"

[Download Killville]

Softland - Martin Robinson, UK Games Writer

"With Alex and Matt hell-bent on creating arenas of doom, I thought I'd tread a softer path and conjure up a gentle stage. With a bed of springs ready to catch anyone unfortunate enough to topple off one of the many ledges, it's a peaceful zone taking an oversized ferris wheel as its centrepiece – the perfect spot to take a loved one to consume the sights of Brawl, or to stop off for a gentle revolution. It's also a fairly good place to take the high ground in a scuffle should you tire of the more docile life and just want to chin someone.

A little platforming prowess is required to gain a purchase on one of the rotating ledges and those skilled enough to scale the heights will enjoy a small advantage. Should combatants plummet to the bottom, bedlam ensues as they bound up and down on the bed of springs, while the two-tiered stone platforms bring a tactical bent to the fighting. In fact, in trying to create a placid locale for the game's crew, I seem to have made a brutal arena - it seems there's no room for peace in the world of Super Smash Bros. Brawl."

[Download Softland]

Sonic Doom - Matt Wales, UK Deputy Editor

"I've always preferred the more interactive 'event' stages in the Smash Bros. series – the one's that keep you on your toes. Mainly, because they force everyone to explore their entire arsenal of moves a bit more, instead of relying on a handful of guaranteed bone-grinders. There's nothing worse than getting stuck in a fight with someone who insists on hogging the real estate with Donkey Kong's dual-palmed ground pounder or hiding in a corner rattling out Fox's non-diminishing laser blaster. So, it was pretty much a foregone conclusion that I'd try and replicate that frantic run-around sensation using Brawl's Stage Editor tool set. Obviously, there are some fairly severe limitations to what you can and can't do with the provided tools but a bit of experimentation birthed my inaugural effort. Ladies and gentlemen, I present - Sonic Doom!

Essentially, it's as dynamic a level as Brawl allows, with most platforms vanishing from underfoot in seconds. In other words, success requires fast thinking, faster reflexes and, perhaps, a more thorough knowledge of your chosen character's moves than you might normally need. Actually, it's not as fiendishly unfair as it might first look – those two elevators are easily reached if you remember your double jumps. What's more, there are two areas where it's perfectly possible to carry out some more stationary assaults – the upper conveyor belt system and those trapdoors below. Admittedly, both are designed to make permanent loitering more difficult than usual but, hey, at least I'm not a complete bastard. Oh, and why did I choose Sonic Boom as the background music? Simple – it's awesome."

[Download Sonic Doom]