Items are turned off in a competitive environment because of their random nature. Playing competitively is still having fun, DnD. Yes, they don't play the game the way *~it was meant to be enjoyed~*, but really, who cares? These are two different visions of the same game, that's all. Yes, playing with items is fun, and you can learn how to use them good - it's just too random and unbalanced to be considered in "true" competitive play. I'm not saying items are bad - they're lots of fun! However, if people like playing the game without items, then leave them be. It's their way of having fun.DoNotDelete wrote:If somebody asks to play with items turned off they're admitting that they can't win on a level playing field. I generally consider somebody to be a bad Brawl player when they ask to play with items off - because:
1. It suggests they value winning over having fun.
2. They're not actually a very good Brawl player - unable to adapt to the intended Brawl battle dynamic.
3. They are a sore loser (yeah, random Bob-ombs happen; Deal with it).
I'll go one step further and say that items don't even the playing field at all - it makes it more random, true, but overall, faster characters will take advantage of the items more easily. It's simple - Bowser and Ganondorf, for instance, would have more trouble reaching an item than Metaknight or Sonic would. It would change the balance of the game, and it would certainly be interesting, but I don't think it would make the game more "fair". Getting killed by a random Bob-Omb is fun - randomness isn't synonymous with balance, and randomness doesn't have its place in competitive play. Of course, you could say that this randomness affects all the players! Still, competitive play isn't playing Russian roulette.
I'm not bashing on casual play/ playing for fun, by the way. I love playing that way. I was just um, explaining the reasoning behind the deactivation of items in competitive Brawl.
I do remember a Smash Boards thread that was talking about using a certain list of items to keep the game competitive without removing everything. It didn't go very well because the project lacked popularity, alas.
