Picked up Brawl yesterday at Gamestop. While I feel weird about pre-ordering games, basically tying myself to one specific store, something can be said for it: you pretty much KNOW you're going to get a copy, and when you go to Gamestop they don't hassle you about having not pre-ordered it. I'll throw down $5 for piece of mind.
Anywho... the game is really fun. Like I said before, I didn't get much into Melee, so I don't really have any comparisons with that game. Brawl makes me nostalgic for the good old days, playing the first Smash Bros with my cousins on the N64. I was around 5th grade at that time, and Smash Bros was so fun... so magical. Brawl seems to retain some of that magic.
The game looks really good, sounds really good (when using the Wii mote to play ((which I don't recommend)) the character you select says something over the Wii speaker. It's pretty cute), and the unlockables seem to be plentiful. I've toyed around with nearly all of the characters... and I can tell you that Link doesn't seem to be as good as he used to be (back on the 64) and King Dedede is really awesome if you know how to play him. Snake can be really cool with the right player... and I must say he probably has my favorite Final Smash. I'm anxious to try Sonic, but first I have to complete the Subspace Emissary.
Which brings me to my next point, and probably my only real complaint with the game: the Subspace Emissary is pretty lame. The cutscenes are fantastic... but the platforming is very simple and takes forever. I'm only 20% in, and I don't really look forward to the next 80%. But whatever, it's still a fantastic game, and I recommend it to everyone of my friends who happens to have a Wii (as if you weren't already planning on it).
Reggie