Random: Stop Calling Nickelodeon All-Star Brawl A 'Smash-Killer', Pleads Lead Artist

I agree, but fans gonna fan. The industry may be lucky we aren't still calling every 2D platformer under the moon "Mario killer" or just "Mario clone".🙄

That's a shame. Obviously it's a really good joke (for me at least), but I can see how the sarcasm can make the product change the public's perception to see it as something lesser. I wish it could be different, but this seems like a situation where you can only fulfill one wish, and not both, so it's better to be nice than humourous. In the end of the day it's just a joke, so it's not as important of an issue as other problems in this world.

I've never called it Smash Killer. I have however called it a Cash Grab.

I have no ill feeling towards the game and the developers whatsoever, but they clearly didn't mind it and ride the free publicity before release, so I guess that's what you get when you can't come up with an original idea and can't promote your game properly

@nhSnork Probably because 2D Mario's aren't considered the best 2D Jump n Runs out there anymore after Nintendo basically released the same game 6 times in a row or something

It's almost as if they're declaring the game's inferiority from the rooftops at this point.

I never understood when people said this, People are saying this about multiversus, again never understood, none of them is going too be the "Smash killer" these people speak of.

As for how NASB went, I blame nick, not only didn't they give them the budget to make the game to begin with, but didn't allow them to make alt colors, and is the main reason why the price is the way it is, even a dev said they didn't think the price was a good idea at all.

Sadly with how nick treated the game, the devs now have to play catch up, wile WB made sure, there game had all the bells and whistles from jump.

(Sorry for this comment that probably makes no sense, just kept writing it in the moment)

Yeah, this was never going to be a Smash killer and no one in their right mind saying that is serious.

I just like how some Twitch streamers who were hyping this game up pre-release(for the rollback netcode and similarities with Melee) completely abandoned this game.

The only thing that's really a "smash-killer" as far as this game is concerned, is the use of rollback netcode and let's be fair; That's a stretch, saying ONE feature kills the rest of smash.

It's all nickelodeon fault they should have given the company more money to invest like alt colours and of course voices nick treated like a joke and it ended up quite forgettable which is sad because the people working on this are trying with the updates but not worth price tag with lack of content and no voices on characters.

Meanwhile WB mulitversus game looks so much on point with characters and voices and once that comes out its going put nickelodeon game further to the ground.

@Gamergirl94 Fun fact, a Mobile nick tennis game got VA, and not this, shows how much they care LOL.

@MrGawain

It's one of the better licensed games out there, all things considered. Sure, there's still no voice acting yet, and it didn't launch with a tremendous amount of content. But the online performance is solid (better than Nintendo's), the game looks nice and performs well even on the Switch, and the fundamental gameplay is a lot of fun with several unique gameplay mechanics that let it stand out on its own instead of just being a by-the-numbers clone.

It's not perfect, but there are several licensed games out there more deserving of the "cash grab" label. SpongeBob HeroPants, which was made to coincide with the second movie, is a prime example. They rushed that game out so quickly, it doesn't even have background music. You go around collecting dozens of coins like a Mario game, but each one makes a generic and annoyingly loud "ca-ching!" noise that doesn't sound like anything out of the show but instead like some stock sound effect they pulled from a library of public domain sounds. It's really not in the same league as NASB, and I don't want Nickelodeon to get the perception that they should just go back to making shovelware because people will complain regardless.

They took a few unfortunate shortcuts with Battle for Bikini Bottom: Rehydrated, but I really enjoyed my time with that game despite the missteps. It was a very faithful adaptation. Now we have The Cosmic Shake to look forward to, and there have been rumors of an open-world Avatar: The Last Airbender game. Not saying Nickelodeon isn't still exhibiting some corporate greed, but it feels like they're actually trying for the first time in well over a decade, which is why I want these projects to succeed. To send the message that quality sells. I understand if you still don't think it's up to your standards and don't want to reward companies for the bare minimum. But for what it's worth, I'd say NASB feels like a more complete experience than a lot of Nintendo's multiplayer games this gen like Switch Sports and Super Rush. I've really enjoyed my time with the game and don't regret purchasing it at full price--though it goes on sale for cheap very frequently.

@Not_Soos I think that's a great perspective to have on this, enjoyed reading that!

@Not_Soos I think in nicks eyes it was a cash grab, in the devs eyes, not In any sense of the word.

Smash Bros at least has voice work and polish

I don't think it even is a Punch Time Explosion killer.

Eh, didn't want this to be a "CN Punch Time is better" comment, but I think it simply is better, it has voice acting and a story mode, hard to beat that when you know the game itself won't be Smash level.

I understand why they don’t like the smash bros comparisons but I feel it’s a bit late to be saying that now. the damage is pretty much done and instead of trying to actually get rid of the memey smash killer stigma the game has, they’ve instead decided to add Hugh neutron who is probably the character most synonymous with that mindset. It’s really quite counter productive but the attention it’s gotten the game imo kind of shows that the game probably wouldn’t have had the legs to stand up on its own without people having that mindset, so it’s a bit of a double edged sword for them to be complaining about it now, especially when that mindset has arguably put them back on the map again whether that be for a longer or shorter amount of time than before.

Hard to be a "Smash killer" when you're forgotten about a week after release.

Nickelodeon All-Star Brawl is a good game, especially now when it is more polished and balanced. The devs are truly great people with the intention to do the very best possible within the constraints the get from Nick! It is not Smash but very good in it´s own right.

It's all in the timing of the game's release and marketing. The moment the developers mentioned rollback netcode and wavedashing, people instantly perceived this as the "Smash Killer."

More like Crossover 2DPlatformer Brawler has finally taken off as a genre.

Nintendo rightfully has the crown on the genre as they invented it and no one has put more polish into their title in the genre as Sakurai and his team have. But before now, the genre only really existed with minor indie titles like Brawlout or Brawlhala where if there were ANY recognisable indy video game characters they were the exception, not the rule. Now we have Brawlers from Nickelodeon and Warner Bros. and of course they're going to have more clout and be able to compete - these are companies with far more IP going for. Frankly, I'm surprised we don't yet have a Disney/Pixar/Marvel/Star-Wars/Simpsons/NatGeo/Kingdom Hearts Brawler title. Just you wait!

Like the game itself, that title was a joke.

Forgot about this game.
It's not a Smash killer, it's a copycat.

People are still complaining that games like Nickelodeon All-Star Brawl and MultiVersus are clones of Super Smash Bros., it's called a genre, you can't own a genre, it's just like all those FPS games, all of them took from Wolfenstein 3D and Doom.

Imagine if id Software patented FPS games after releasing Doom in 1993? We wouldn't have Duke Nukem 3D, GoldenEye, Half-Life, Unreal, Halo, Call of Duty, Battlefield, Bioshock...

Imagine if Chuck Berry patented Rock and Roll? We wouldn't have Elvis, The Beatles, Rolling Stones, Led Zeppelin, Aerosmith, AC/DC, Queen, Deep Purple...

There’s an irony to this statement when before release the devs were saying on streams with professional Smash players stuff like “we’re smash fans, we know how frustrating not being listened to about your game is”

They all but encouraged this mindset for months. Obviously it probably wasn’t this guy specifically but, they were very much indirectly egging it on prerelease

Like many other Nickelodeon productions, the people making it tried, they added a lot of love to it, they wanted to make something good, but in the end, the reason why it didn't turn out the way they wanted is the tie-wearing executives that not only didn't give them a proper chance, but maybe even sabotaged their own product.

This game should have gotten a bigger budget and voice actors since Day 1.

Plus, in order to be a proper Smash competitor, this game needs a sequel, a sequel recycling all the content from the previous game but adding a lot of improvements and content, but most of those Smash clones did not have a sequel.

@wanghosom See above.

Platform fighters are a genre now, there's nothing wrong in making one, especially since Smash Bros. took ideas from other more traditional fighting games like Street Fighter and King of Fighters.

@RupeeClock Eventually, a Halo-killer wasn't needed, Halo fell by itself.

People were referring to it as a Smash-killer? What game was this, again?

Again, a big advantage Smash Bros. has over these clones, is not just the team, the money and the characters available, it's the previous games, 23 years of history that they can recycle for new games.

People complained that Ultimate felt like a microwaved meal, too much from the previous games was reused, but I think that's what made the game so good.

This is why games like this need sequels.

I'm sick of big companies buying small companies, for the whole videogame market, this is bad, but for this game, all we need is Embracer Group / THQ Nordic buying the studio, making a sequel with 30x the budget of the original, while also recycling everything from the original, improving a lot and adding more content, and that's it.

I just wish these games would get the budgets they deserve. Nickelodeon doesn't seem to be supportive at all. The two kart racers are actually very decent but the lack of polish still makes them feel unfinished. This game should be a big deal, but even with so many, it just lacks character and soul.

It's clearly the Smash killer. I may even play it on my Switch killer later today!

Didn't think anyone had made such a suggestion but OK then.

I get where the dev is coming from and empathise with him, but to be honest he’s probably done more harm to the game now than what would have happened if he just left people to say what they want

Honestly, it should also extend to 'Mario Kart Killer' and 'Switch killer' as those terms also get tiresome whether they're joking or not.
If anyone needs to poo-poo on something just to make another thing look better, then frankly they can eat gravel (which they'll likely insist is waaaay better than touching grass on twitter)

Stop comparing our game to the gold standard and creator of the genre! That's not fair!

Without the character voices, it feels like a low-budget indie title, not an official big brand release. Same goes for the Kart racer games too.
At the moment, the WB brawler is set to wipe the floor with this one.

@sanderson72 maybe I'm alone here, but I'm not crazy about how broad the WB fighter is. I'd prefer a new Cartoon Network with Adult Swim brawler over the more vague WB brawler. I know years ago there was a Cartoon Network brawler with Punch Time Explosion, but they could certainly revisit the idea and improve upon it.

@Kainbrightside
@MrGawain
@KryptoniteKrunch
@Gamergirl94

See, here's where things get interesting. While I would never call this a "smash killer," since the general public wasn't different things out of their games, I (personally, and not trying to rile anyone up), believe it to be superior to ultimate in the ways that matter to me.
It feels like a more technical fighter in many ways. And added some neat tricks up its sleeve that smash didn't.

I'm one of the dreaded melee lovers, and while smash bros has continued to grow since that game, its fighting feels like it has dumbed down to me.

For many, the content is the selling point. For me, it's the fighting. And I do believe, again personally, that Nick's brawl game is better there.

Just thought I'd throw out that game superiority can be subjective.

Edit:

Considering other very technical platform fighters exist on switch, the better question in my mind is whether this game can keep up with those. . . And for that, I have no answer.

Can you not mock our game worthy of being mocked?! Please?!

"Seriously guys, the game's not that good. Stop comparing it to Smash plz, k?"

The people that actually thought this would be a smash killer are a special type of delusional.

Just like the same guys that called TemTem the Pokemon killer.

There are a handful of Genres that, for better or worse, Nintendo pretty much owns. If you make a Kart racer, you're going to be measured against Mario Kart. If you make an isometric top-down adventure puzzle game, you'll be held up to Zelda, and if you make an arena brawler, you're going to be compared to Smash Bros.

Said no one ever

The hype surrounding this game felt so fabricated to me. The game looked low quality from the get-go and it ended up being so. Anyone calling it Smash Killer was delusional for thinking a Nintendo clone game was going to surpass the original.

None of those Kart clone games have ever done better than Mario Kart, so why would this? Cash grab and nothing more.

I despise the term "Smash-killer".

Nickelodeon All-Star Brawl is not a "Smash-killer".
Multiversus is not a "Smash-killer".
Rivals 2 will not be a "Smash-killer"

They are all Platform Fighters with a very competitive fanbase.

The only way to be a "Smash-killer" is to kill off any company publishing Platform Fighters, Nintendo Included.

Comparisons are fine but unironically calling a game a "killer" of another is completely pathetic. Especially when that "killer" ended up without lasting appeal anyway.

-initially start to promote the game as a “smash killer” bragging it’s a love letter to melee fans for those not satisfied with Ultimate
-Game had underwhelming reception on release and playerbase largely dwindled since. Even latest dlc didn’t help much
-They now ask to be stopped being compared to Smash

Sorry doesn’t work that way.

@StefanN Hey, thanks a bunch!

So, people stop calling it a Smash killer, serious or in jest. Fine, what next? The internet will find a new sarcastic term to use against the game. Or the game will receive even less social media highlights because no one is using that comparison anymore. Regardless, I don't think this will help the game at all.

@Arawn93 That's really what happened? Hilarious.

Honestly, it is really CLOSE to being a smash killer, or at least a descent rival. if only they would add voices! and items (cant seem to see any in use in the trailers?)..then it def WOULD BE easy. Half baking a fighting game is always the mistake. go all the way or just dont.

So does that make Tekken a Street Fighter killer? Does that make Genshin Impact a Zelda killer? Does that make Undertale a Mother/Earthbound killer?

Frankly, so what if the gameplay is similar to this Nickelodeon game? It's not like Super Smash Bros. has or should have the monopoly on that gameplay style.

People have coined entire phrases for games with gameplay similar to other games. Metroidvania (a melding of Metroid and Castlevania) comes to mind, and no one complains about the similarities there.

Frankly, let game companies make games however they want, and let the people who enjoy those games enjoy them for what they are.

After Diablo every action RPG was a Diablo or Diablo II killer.... Nobody remembers "Nox" now though

Never called it a "Smash-Killer", however, I did call it a cheap knockoff, because lets be honest its all these kind of game are: a cheap knockoff with not even half the mechanics nor the charisma of the original.

I've seen this before many times in this industry, the knockoffs fade, the original remains.

Wait didn't THEY insinuate the game was a Smash-killer? And now that it...wasn't...they wanna take it back? 🤣🤣

@mariomaster96 Really? What is then?

@thinkhector I've heard many refering to DKC:TF as the best 2D plattformer. Or Rayman Legends

And I'd agree that those two are by far much more creative than the hundredth NSMB

Just for that, I'm calling it a smash killer

@mariomaster96 I heard that same thing about Tropical Freeze. I haven't played it yet though. I also remember the complaints about Super Mario U Deluxe that I stayed away from it. That game is VERY fun, if not truly innovative. However, I would say that the most innovative 2D platform game is still a Mario game: Super Mario Maker 2 is something truly innovative and original in this space. Much more than Tropical Freeze even. I'm surprised Mario Maker didn't sell much better though.