The Game Awards 2021: Best Fighting Game Winner

Right from the first trailer, Nickelodeon All-Star Brawl brought back memories of binging SpongeBob games on the GameCube after school. It feels lovingly crafted by devs who had this childhood too, but it puts its gameplay first, and nostalgia sec


The only variety you can add to the mix otherwise comes in sports mode. But shooting footballs into goals just slows down what’s meant to be a fast game, and doesn’t meaningfully pad out the single player offerings. It’s all saved by how ridiculously well designed the combat is, but Smash’s more casual elements are lack


Few others will be buying the game where SpongeBob fights Nigel Thornberry and Reptar for the combat though. There’s a reason why we’ve been following every announcement from the game’s development: the cartoons themselves. Unfortunately, this is another area Smash has it beat, and by quite a margin - but not for a lack of try


What makes Nickelodeon All-Star Brawl's Aang such a strong character is his light neutral aerial attack. The move - which has Aang spinning his staff in a circle - is fast, hits on all sides of himself, and combos into itself at low percentages. This last aspect of Aang's neutral air is what makes the character so strong for newer players, as it simplifies inputs for combos and allows players to focus more on watching what their opponent is doing. The move continues to be an effective combo starter at mid-range percentages as well, making it one of the most useful attacks in Nickelodeon All-Star Bra


Michelangelo is one of the best characters for players who are familiar with Super Smash Bros . Melee 's fighting mechanics. His close combat specialties thrive in the hands of players who want one hit to string into a zero-to-death combo while using movement abilities like wave dashing and dash dancing, previously seen in Smash Bros . However, Michelangelo's strengths may not pan out well for those who choose to main him in Nickelodeon All-Star Brawl Stars Club Guide . For those who are still wavering on whether to play Michelangelo, the nunchuck-wielding pupil of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles' Master Splinter, here are the pros and cons of choosing the hero in a half-sh


What a pleasant surprise that the game includes faces from throughout Nick's history . Players can expect to see fighters from The Wild Thornberrys , CatDog , Danny Phantom , the Avatar shows, and even Ren & Stimpy . Not only does this avoid recency bias, but it also means nostalgic parents might want to play the game with their k


Evidently THQ Nordic and SpongeBob 's IP holders had a good sense that Battle for Bikini Bottom - Rehydrated would succeed, as just over a year later came the announcement of SpongeBob SquarePants: The Cosmic Shake at the THQ Nordic 10th Anniversary Showcase. If anything can be said for the game based on its trailer, developer Purple Lamp Studios is clearly hoping to continue scratching the nostalgia itch for fans. With references to a number of iconic episodes of early SpongeBob , namely setting the whole thing to David Glen Eisley's "Sweet Victory" as heard in infamous Season 2 episode "Band Geeks," it will likely succeed in drawing more of an audie


Michelangelo’s strengths may ultimately play into his downfall as Nickelodeon All-Star Brawl 's mechanics evolve . As seen in similar games like the Super Smash Bros. series, more complex characters with higher skill ceilings tend to be the best as the meta progresses. Fox and Falco in Super Smash Bros. Melee are the most pertinent examples of this, as their move "Shine" has opened up such a deep pool of options that players are still discovering new ways to use it 20 years after the game came out. Only characters with an extremely broken tool like Jigglypuff’s "Rest" or Marth’s insane grab range have been able to remain viable. Michelangelo has neither the extreme complexity of Fox nor the broken tools of Jigglypuff, making his future in Nickelodeon All-Star Brawl decent but not gr


However, Michelangelo does have at least one broken tool, but it is illegal to use. Michelangelo was banned from Super Smash Con and its Nickelodeon All-Star Brawl tournament because it was discovered he has an endless combo and can infinitely stall games. While both of these options are brilliant to have, they ultimately lead to tournament bans, which discourages players from using characters with them. This issue becomes exaggerated as a game ages because other characters will have much more developed metas than those who are left to the wayside due to tournament exclusions. Michelangelo may face this fate as players become more familiar with Nickelodeon All-Star Bra


As previously mentioned, SpongeBob was not the only Nickelodeon character to receive video games in the past. He could be considered just one part of the network's golden era going by a game like 2005's Nicktoons Unite! that paired SpongeBob with Danny Fenton, Timmy Turner, and Jimmy Neutron. While this trend has continued to some degree with things like the Nickelodeon Kart Racers series , it arguably turned a corner with Nickelodeon All-Star Bra