Back whenNickelodeon All-Star Brawllaunched in 2021, my inner fanboy (not Chum Chum) self spent a lot of energy being optimistic and trying to ignore the jankiness, budget feel, dwindling player base, and absence of voice lines. Looking back, I think I just liked seeing Patrick Star getting punched in the face.
One thing I didn’t have to defend was the roster, which was made up of recognisable Nickelodeon legends from across the network’s history, including obvious picks like SpongeBob and Invader Zim to legends like Oblina, Helga, and Nigel. Sure, there were faults, like two of the Ninja Turtles not bothering to show up and fan-favourites like Jimmy Neutron and Timmy Turner’s invitations seemingly being lost in the post, but it was a solid start that represented all generations ofNickelodeon.
Nickelodeon All-Star Brawl 2 might have added some of the most-requested characters like Jimmy, Squidward, and El Tigre,but there are some that didn’t make it like Timmy Turner, Otis from Barynard, and Dib Membrane. Maybe next time, guys.
I’m not so sure that I can say the same about the sequel.Nickelodeon All-Star Brawl 2 improves upon the original game in nearly every conceivable wayand is a solid platform fighter that I can recommend to everyone, but its roster is a confusing mess of good and bad that had me scratching my head more than celebrating.
On the positive side of things, every returning character has been given a massive facelift that makes them play almost like entirely new fighters, with some Nick stars like SpongeBob only having two of the same moves as he did in the last game. There’s not a single character veteran fighter here who hasn’t been significantly improved, from Patrick to Aang.
The problem lies with all of the veteran fighters who didn’t get asked for a rematch. Rosters cuts are standard in pretty much every fighting game except for Super Smash Bros. Ultimate and I didn’t expect everyone to return without some getting such extensive reworks, but 11 cuts is a lot more than usual and the characters who have been kicked to the curb are bizarre choices, to say the least.
By far the biggest loss of all is of Leonardo, Michelangelo, and Shredder as playable characters, once again making it so half of the heroes in a half-shell are present. And yet, April O’Neil is here once again, lacking any of the personality that the turtles bring with them. It’s a similar story with Avatar: The Last Airbender, which has some of the best representation in the game, but strangely chose to cut Toph, one of the most popular fighters from All-Star Brawl, in favour of another character who can firebend.
Those are just the series that are well-represented in All-Star Brawl 2, as it’s even worse for more obscure Nick classics. Oblina, CatDog, Powdered Toast Man and a few other of the most unique fighters from the first game are all missing in action here, and I’m not sure it was worth SpongeBob having five characters if it meant burying more of Nick’s history. That’s ignoring the fact that they also cut Sandy Cheeks, meaning that not even SpongeBob of all things is fully represented.
I’m not just here to whine about all of the cut characters, either, although they are the biggest problem. Most of them are perfect like El Tigre, the Angry Beavers, Squidward, and Jimmy Neutron, but a few of them just made me groan - did we really need Hey Arnold’s Gerald and Danny Phantom’s Ember here instead of more-requested picks?
Speaking of Hey Arnold, my biggest gripe with the roster is with Grandma Gertie who, despite being fun to play, is clearly a marketing move to have a whacky unexpected character, like how the first game added Hugh Neutron, without understanding that people actually wanted Hugh. Not only did Hey Arnold really not need two representatives while cutting the one that made the most sense, but no one was asking for Gertie. It just seems like a misguided marketing attempt, especially with the developers admitting that it was at Nick’s insistence.
I had hoped that the first wave of DLC might make the cuts and weird choices easier to swallow,but it’s actually made things worse. Not only does the TMNT situation get even more frustrating with the addition of Rocksteady instead of someone like Casey Jones or, I don’t know, Splinter, but there are even more bloody firebenders being added to the game with Zuko and Iroh, who bizarrely haven’t been split up into two different waves of DLC.
The only character that makes some sense in the first wave is Mr Krabs, who has been one of the most highly-requested Nick stars to join the brawl since the first game, but even he isn’t welcome since I would rather a new series get a rep over SpongeBob getting the spotlight once again.
Ever since the first All-Star Brawl released, I’ve been hoping that Jimmy Neutron, Squidward, Donatello, and El Tigre would get the chance to join a potential sequel, so I should just be happy that so many of my wishes get fulfilled, but All-Star Brawl 2’s roster is just one big head-scratcher that feels like it’s missed the mark in representing Nickelodeon’s storied history.
Oh, and not bringing Hugh Neutron back after all that fuss was made for the first game is a crime against humanity.
