Today marks the release of Nickelodeon All-Star Brawl 2 on Xbox One, Xbox Series X and Xbox Series S (along with various other platforms), and considering the first game only racked up a Metacritic score of 65, we're very pleasantly surprised to see the sequel faring much better than that with the critics so far.
In fact, All-Star Brawl 2 has even received an "Amazing" 9/10 from IGN, while the folks over at Digital Trends have described it as a "true Super Smash Bros. rival". Praise doesn't come much better than that!
Below, we've highlighted a bunch of reviews we've found from across the web:
IGN (9/10)
"Nickelodeon All-Star Brawl 2 finally lives up to its name, standing as an all-star platform fighter. Not only is it a fantastic sequel that takes criticisms of the first game to heart and sends them to the blast zone, it expands way beyond those adjustments."
Digital Trends (8/10)
"The sequel takes so many steps beyond its predecessor that it nearly feels like a different beast entirely. And the actual fighting at its heart? That’s what makes it an all-star."
Game Informer (8/10)
"Nickelodeon All-Star Brawl 2 is a successful second attempt at the groundwork laid by its predecessor. Fair Play delivers a solid platform fighter that simultaneously improves the franchise's core mechanics and introduces side content to flesh out the overall package."
Press Start (7/10)
"While it may not reach the sky-high standard of something like Super Smash Bros. Ultimate it gives 90s kids like me another way to beat up our friends while reminiscing about the good old days of racing home to watch your favourite cartoons and arguing about which of them could take the others."
Game Rant (7/10)
"The game isn't going to blow anyone away, but it mostly accomplishes what it has set out to do and delivers a platform fighting game experience that outdoes the original."
As you can see, there are a few critics that really don't agree with that comment about it being a Super Smash. Bros rival, but nevertheless it seems nearly everyone is in agreement that All-Star Brawl 2 is an improvement on the original.
It's still early days in terms of a Metacritic score, but it looks like it could settle around the upper 70s or even somewhere in the 80s when all's said and done, which feels like a big success for publisher GameMill Entertainment.