WebAnimation Not Perfect, But Damn Close
Let me start by saying I haven't seen many machinimas. Let me continue by saying that this is awesome.
The storyline is interesting with a conceivable end (end of the tournament), has a nice range of characters and their voices (instead of a bunch of teenage guys with the same voice; Bowser's voice is actually gravelly and Pikachu's voice is twitchy and high-pitched, for examples), and the fight sequences just keep getting better. I eagerly check for updates regularly. Once the creator(s) get the hang of hacks and stuff, the story and the characters really come to life. Bonus points to Tigura for making less liked characters (Bowser, Sonic) the focus while making more popular characters secondary (Fox, Marth, Pikachu).
I have a few complaints, though. Much of the voice acting is mumbly, and sometimes cringe-worthingly cheesy. There's a lot of Narm. These fix themselves up some later in the series, but can be a turn-off for people who want more casual voices.
All in all, DEFINITELY something you should check out. 9/10.
WebAnimation Possibly the Best Machinima Out There
Of all the machinima series out there, "Smash King" is probably the greatest.
Featuring an intricately designed story, phenomenal voice acting, and unforgettable renditions of some of gaming's greatest characters, the entire series deserves the amount of praise it receives from fans.
It manages to balance a dramatic, engaging storyline with warm-hearted, comedic tones. The greatest thing about its plot, though, is the scope of it: Tigura, creator of the series, managed to turn the world of Brawl from a generic world centered around fighting to a world that has a storied history, with both joyous moments and dark struggles. What was once planned to be a sappy love comedy evolved into a drama where themes of prejudice and overcoming adversity form the backbone of the plot.
The characters complement the story well, as we get to see gaming icons in a new light. Bowser as a hero with a tragic past? Got it. Mario as the prejudiced anti-hero? Got it. Ganondorf as a sadistic yet well-intentioned extremist? Only in Smash King, folks. The bonds between characters are completely fluid and natural: the best example would be Bowser's friendship with Wario.
But the characters would be nothing without their voice actors. Every VA is filled with talent, with some playing their roles better than any professional voice actor ever could: Tigura21 has become the go-to guy when it comes to voicing Bowser thanks to "Smash King," and CrayZbrawlR (originally Lioncourt) oozes evil as Ganondorf. Some of the actors do an impeccable job at imitating the more recognizable voices of certain characters: JAKShadic and Shadic23 are quite convincing as Sonic and Dedede, respectively.
The one flaw that this series has (which has thankfully been remedied for the most part), is that it suffers from Early Installment Weirdness. Much of the dialogue was hard to understand due to poor mics, and the story just jumped right into things without a whole lot of lore. Thanks to these early episodes being remade, they are now on par with the later episodes (and since the original versions are still up, it makes for some interesting comparisons).
"Smash King" may not reach blockbuster status anytime soon. It's nowhere near as recognizable as Red vs. Blue, but that's fine. Though it lacks recognition, it is certainly a machinima of the highest quality.