Review: Ultra Bash Cousins Scuffle

The Ultra Bash Cousins series has always been a mega hit. Gamers everywhere have been enjoying the addictive multi player formula ever since the original Bash Cousins was released on the Nintendo 65. It's been over six years since Super Bash Cousins Clash on the GameBox. Well, it's been worth the wait. Scuffle has finally hit the Wee in a big way. It comes with over three exciting fighters from famous Nintendo franchises including: Jumpman, the Duckhunt dog, Lanky Kong, Tingle, and Mr. Game & Watch's brother. This time, they've even included third party characters including Bonk, space invader, tetris block, and pong paddle! There's even more levels this time (2 total) that span the entire Nintendo Universe (one from Ultra Jumpman Brothers, while the other is a secret unlock able level). The soundtrack is fantastic as well and includes thousands and thousands of midi pieces that sound absolutely fantastic on one's hi-def TV. That all being said, let's go a little more in depth into each aspect of the game.

First of all, let me say that the game controls wondrously with the Wee's toilet plunger controller. All you have to do is pump the controller up and down in a plunging motion to jump and and push the stick to the right or left to move. Being a dating-simulation-survival-horror game, there's not much fighting involved. However, in the game's few action sequences, which are absolutely incredible, all you have to do is stick the plunger directly on your TV and begin to plunge to attack your foes. Thus is the brilliance of the interactive Wee controls. The single player game is much more fleshed out this time and will take you about 90 minutes to complete (up from 20 in the last game). Not only is it quite lengthy, but it's also unbelievable. All of the famous characters from your favorite Nintendo franchises come together in a stealth-racing-RPG like no other. The plot starts off when Commander Glove throws all of the characters into a reality game show to fight for their lives. Some will make it out, some will not, others will find love, while some will find bagels. I won't spoil the ending, but let's just say it's epic!

If the single player game is the organs, then the multi player portion is the backbone. Nothing is more fun than battling your friends in one of two levels with over three exciting characters! The combat is intense. Nintendo has developed an insulting-your-mother battle system like no other. Each character has unique emotions and insults. There are, of course, some characters that seem like clones such as Jumpman Jr., left pong paddle, and L-shaped tetris block, but once you get into the game you realize that only 96% of their attacks are the same. People often overlook this and assume these characters are clones when in reality they are not. There is no online battling, but there is LAN, which in my opinion is much better. Who would want the convenience of playing with friends miles away when you can set up 50 TVs in your living room? I thought so.

There's also a huge amount of customization in multi player. You can create your own levels with one background and various pieces of landscape from Super Jumpman. The modes are customizable as well. You can turn the item on or off, turn everything green, and even switch between timed matches and stock matches. You can even give combatants two lives in stock matches! Each of the two levels also has changeable music. You can either play the song for that level or the song for the other level which makes for two combinations of levels and music! And damn if that music isn't great! There's the Jumpman theme song and a second secret song that comes with the other level.

The sheer amount of unlock ables will keep you playing forever. The second level requires you to beat the classic mode with all three characters backwards while singing Way Down Upon the Swanee River in a canoe. That, or you can play five versus matches. But not only is there a second level, there's many more characters to unlock as well. 97 of them to be exact. This is truly amazing considering you can have up to 50 people playing at the same time. In huge matches such as these, the frame rate never dips. That's because Nintendo opted to go with 8-bit visuals and sound. I must say, they made the right decision. The game looks and sounds absolutely incredible especially on an HD TV, and contain only a minimal amount of blurriness and fuzzy sound!

All in all, this is the game the world has been waiting for. It's so good that it sucks. There is no doubt in my mind that Scuffle will change the face of gaming forever from and ugly pizza-faced teenager, to a handsome middle-aged model named Sven. If you own a Nintendo Wee, you owe it to yourself to buy Scuffle now OR FACE THE CONSEQUENCES!!!

Breakdown:
Visuals: 12/5
Gameplay: $6
Controls: Dunecat
Sound: 80,000 flapjacks
Replay Value: until you die of the plague
Overall: 0.5/10



I simply couldn't resist. Brawl comes out in just a couple more days! I hope this gave you a little distraction while you wait!