Debbie Fedler

Originally conceived as a Kickstarter reward for another upcoming game starring the duo, _Jay and Silent Bob: Mall Brawl _ is a mostly paint-by-numbers retro beat 'em up with interesting boss fights and a few surprises scattered throughout its levels. Developer Interabang Entertainment captures the nostalgia of the era well, but manages to also incorporate some of its shortcomings, resulting in a fairly forgettable experience outside of the source material's influence on the ti Overall, Override: Mech City Brawl is a worthy entry in the mech brawler genre and it more than earns its price tag with deep enough content and customization, a supremely fun multiplayer mode that proves that indie games can do it just as well as any AAA title, and a campaign mode that, while simple, will keep most entertained. If a fast-paced, giant robot smack down is what a player is looking for, this is the game for t Going by the Nickelodeon All-Star Brawl Stars Online guide|https://brawlstarsfans.com/ box art, Twitter user MaximumFlyer has been figuring out the identities of various characters that appear to be coming to the game. The Nickelodeon All-Star Brawl box art features outlines of Nickelodeon characters without giving away who anyone is, but MaximumFlyer has been able to figure out nearly everyone featured on the box art, and it includes characters who weren't announced as part of the initial rev It's a rare thing when a cartoon-based video game gets as much buzz as Nickelodeon All-Star Brawl has thus far. While they can often be seen as mediocre tie-ins similar to the comic book film tie-ins from years ago, Nickelodeon has shown a surprising amount of consistency with the quality of its games. Developers Ludosity and Fair Play Lab already look like they've done a great job at recreating some of Nickelodeon's most beloved characters , so now it will just be a matter of sticking the landing with the game's rele As is the case with the games that inspired it, Jay and Silent Bob: Mall Brawl feels designed more around local co-op play than solo action. Enemies gang up on an isolated player often, getting off cheap shots that could be avoided with a second character on screen. Playing alone does allow for switching between Jay and Silent Bob at will, so it's not impossible to beat. Still, bringing a friend to the couch is very much recommen That's not the case for Override: Mech City Brawl 's competitive modes, which feature both local and online play. It's where where the game really shines. There's the typical one versus one mode, a Brawl mode with up to four players (either in free-for-all or teams) and ranked play. What makes these modes truly satisfying is the option to have up to four players controlling one bot. It's almost Voltron or Power Rangers -esque in its execution, allowing each of the players to control a limb on the mech. This requires a great deal of cooperation and timing, however, but it's arguably the most reward The best part of Nickelodeon All-Star Brawl 's trailer was undoubtedly the cast of characters that was revealed. It seems that the game is really taking care to make sure that each era of Nickelodeon is being represented, no matter how obscure some characters may be at this point. There have been some concerns, however, about some surprising omissions that certainly seem to deserve representation in this party-fighting game. Luckily for die-hard Nickelodeon fans, the box art for Nickelodeon All-Star Brawl allows some solid predictions for other characters that will make an appeara As far as gameplay goes, both slackers have just a jump and a pair of attacks, letting players perform a dropkick and grab foes when combining the two. It's a simplistic control scheme that gets the job done without much flair, and the lack of something like a life-draining super move is surprising. Then again, it might not need that extra level of strategy thanks to its accessibility. The game is definitely easier than many of its 8-bit contemporaries, offering a true challenge only after the first playthrough wraps up. Not many are going to beat these levels on the first try, but it's easy to make progress thanks to checkpoints at the start of each stage and the familiar old-school feeling of mastery through trial and er Plot-wise, it's clear that Override: Mech City Brawl draws heavily from both classic monster movies and Japanese anime to tell its story. Players start by choosing their mech (of which there are 12 available at launch) and take that character on a globe-trotting adventure to defend different cities on different continents from monster attacks. The mode works by advancing weeks and days of in-game time and allowing players to choose their own missions, while every so often throwing in an important story mission that advances the plot forward. Each mission has a different difficulty level, though the prizes awarded are better the more difficult the miss Anyone picking up Jay and Silent Bob: Mall Brawl _ will know what they're getting into from the jump. The 8-bit action will have a hard time attracting newcomers to this style of game, but it does successfully capture both the spirit of classics like _Double Dragon and the vibe of Kevin Smith's modern output. Co-op play does shine brighter than solo brawling, and the game doesn't come close to modern favorites like Streets of Rage 4 , but there is a lot to like for someone who just needs a new NES-style fix in 2

While Nickelodeon All-Star Brawl 's confirmed roster list seems like a nice homage to the cartoon producer, the game will face some challenges considering its comparisons to Super Smash Bros. One of the biggest potential issues could come from the roster's size. Ever since Super Smash Bros. Ultimate brought party-fighting game rosters close to the triple digits, some gamers have come to expect a wealth of options for who they can play as. While Nickelodeon All-Star Brawl does have some surprising features that Ultimate doesn't , some gamers might get tired of a paltry roster sooner rather than la Nickelodeon All-Star Brawl Stars strategy|https://brawlstarsfans.com/ 's stages appear to be set up very similar to Smash Bros. 's. Some even follow Smash Bros. 's tried-and-true format of large stage with three smaller platforms in a triangular arrangement overhead. Others appear to be built for optimum befuddlement - not unlike certain Smash Bros. stages . Plus, fighters appear to be able to knock each other off of these platforms, hang off the edge, or hit through higher o This may sound rather bare-bones from a content standpoint at first but, for the relatively low price that Modus Games is asking for Override: Mech City Brawl , there's a surprisingly sufficient amount of fun to be had with the game. In fact, while the multiplayer will prove to be the biggest draw for Override: Mech City Brawl , its single-player campaign should not be discounted. It can perhaps a little repetitive at times, but there's a real sense of accomplishment from fighting off a hoard of monsters while trying to save the wo Every detail from the trailer indicates Nickelodeon All-Star Brawl is meant to be ** Super Smash Bros. with Nicktoons. The final Super Smash Bros. ** fighter might disappoint some fans, but two Ninja Turtles is a good compromise. This isn't the first time developer GameMill has remade a Nintendo party game with Nickelodeon characters, either, as Nickelodeon Kart Racers is also an obvious nod to Mario Kart . Be that as it may, in the immortal words of Nigel Thornberry, Nickelodeon All-Star Brawl looks " smashin Even the fighters themselves have several Smash Bros. parallels. Each character seems like they will have a unique move set, and if Reptar's presence is any indication, weight will likely factor into their play styles. Additionally, Nickelodeon All-Star Brawl has wisely chosen to favor its long history instead of leaning on more recent characters. Powdered Toast Man (from Ren & Stimpy _ ) may seem as obscure as Mr. Game & Watch to many, but his presence shows an interest in Nickelodeon's larger legacy. In fact, the large number of nostalgic characters (and Nigel Thornberry, himself often the subject of millennial memes) makes one wonder if _Nickelodeon All-Star Brawl 's target audience is millenni Jenny fits here for all the same reasons as Timmy Turner. She's the main character of her show, her kit basically writes itself, and My Life as a Teenage Robot , while not as popular as other Nickelodeon series, has enough of a following that Jenny would be missed from Nickelodeon All-Star Brawl . Perhaps the most compelling reason listed above is that her kit is a no-brainer, as Jenny could play like a clone of Samus Aran from Metroid since her abilities in the TV show center around energy beams that protrude from her palms and chest. Regardless of how developers would choose to design her kit, there is enough in My Life as a Teenage Robot to make for an enjoyable roster addit Nickelodeon All-Star Brawl is not Nickeldeon's first foray into gaming , though perhaps it's meant as a 30th anniversary nod to the Nicktoon. Nickelodeon's many cartoon hits have been a pop culture staple ever since the fateful night in 1991 when Rugrats, Doug , and Ren & Stimpy _ premiered. Over the subsequent thirty years, Nicktoons continued to garner mainstream success, particularly with _SpongeBob SquarePants . The company certainly has no shortage of material for a Smash -style braw The news comes at an opportune time as well. Super Smash Bros. Ultimate director Masahiro Sakurai recently announced that the final fighter for Super Smash Bros. Ultimate __ will be announced by the end of the year. While Nickelodeon All-Star Brawl definitely isn't a replacement for Smash Bros. , but it definitely fulfills one wish that Sakurai has explicitly said is out of the question for Smash Bros .: it incorporates TV characters, even if an admittedly narrow subset of t While Nickelodeon All-Star Brawl 's release trailer gave fans a quick peek at the game, it also confirmed a handful of characters — 14 in total — that will feature. While the initial roster is fairly star-studded, there are a few contenders that are conspicuously missing. Even though fans should expect that the SpongeBob SquarePants franchise will likely have the most characters in the game, the inclusion of Sandy Cheeks, Patrick Star, and SpongeBob points to a willingness to include multiple characters from one franchise. As such, even though we currently only have Helga confirmed from the Hey Arnold! series, it's likely that fans can expect Arnold himself. Regardless, there are a few more characters who stand out as obvious choices for Nickelodeon All-Star Brawl 's ros