At first I was very skeptical about playing Super Smash Bros. on a handheld.
The series has long been one of my favorite games to play with friends while sitting on my couch. The idea of taking out the couch co-op and playing the game on a small screen didn't sound too great. So, with the Wii U version on the horizon, I figured I could just hold out and wait to experience the next generation of Smash.
I didn't last very long.
My will power allowed me to wait a mere 15 hours before I finally succumbed and picked up the new Super Smash Bros.
Let's get the bad stuff out of the way first. My biggest issue with Smash for the 3DS is right in the name; this game is on the 3DS. It's been said before but it's proven to be true again for Super Smash Bros. that the circle pad is not a good replacement for the analog stick.
Smash is a directional heavy game, pretty much every attack is tied to a direction. So when the directional pad doesn't work perfectly, there's a noticeable problem. I have on numerous occasions failed to get the big hit because the game can't recognize the difference between a side smash, a side attack, or a dash attack on the circle pad. It may not sound like a big problem, but as someone who loves to play Smash on a competitive level, this is an annoying problem.
But the circle pad isn't the only problem about playing on the 3DS. As expected from a handheld game, Smash Bros has been downsized. Unlike most fighting games where the combat is focused, Super Smash Bros battles are chaotic and a small screen doesn't fit this style well. I have on numerous accounts lost sight of my character.
While this problem doesn't really pop up in one-on-one matches, its shows its ugly head when you start adding players. Nintendo did realize this was a problem and added subtle black outlines to the characters to help them standout against the colorful backgrounds and the chaos happening on the stage. While this does help, the game is still makes it hard to keep track of your character regardless of what's going on. Overall this, and the issues with the circle-pad, both are attributed to 3DS and sadly bring the game down a bit.
But enough of the bad. Let's get to the good stuff.
Super Smash Bros. for the 3DS is a ton of fun. Even with the little problems associated with the franchise, I have loved every single game and this installment is no different. The childish idea of having Mario and Pikachu fight continues to be fun even now, 15 years after its inception.
There are plenty of complaints towards the series, as it's more of a "brawler" game than a fighting game. Nothing has changed. If you are still expecting Street Fighter from Smash Bros, you're going to be disappointed. The game is less about building up meters and finding exploits and more about beating the crap out of your opponents until they are weak enough to get launched off the stage. That's not saying this game isn't an intense fighter (because it is), but if you've had problems with the franchise in the past, you're not going to be coming away from this game with new and better feelings.
If you're not a grump, you're going to have a great time with Super Smash Bros. for the 3DS. It's the same chaotic fun that you have enjoyed for years and Nintendo definitely delivers with another fun fighting game.
Super Smash Bros has always been a multiplayer focused game. While single player components have always been a big part, there is no doubt that the multiplayer concept is where much of the enjoyment comes from. With the newest installment on the 3DS and without the ability to play multiplayer with your friends whenever you want, I was expecting much more from the single player content. Sadly, it doesn't deliver.
Unless you are perfectly fine with playing against computer controlled players over and over again, the single player content is a little thin. The game includes two main single player modes in the form of Classic and All-Star.
Classic is the routine fighting game mode where you fight 5 opponents, ending with a class with Master Hand. The battles include the special matches like fighting against a giant and metal variant or having to fight off 10 opponents one-by-one. The only real difference in this installments Classic mode comes with the branching paths. Instead of fighting against a predetermined set of characters you now get to choose which character you want to fight before each match. It's nothing groundbreaking but it does let you choose which opponent you want to fight. That's nice when you have a vendetta against certain characters.
The other main multiplayer mode is All-Star. This, much like Classic mode, is pretty much identical to its previous iterations. You fight against every combatant (except the unlockable ones) with the same percentage bar while having breaks between matches to heal up or pick up trophies. The only twist in this version is that you fight your opponents in order of the characters release. So, for example, you fight Mario, Pac Man, and Little Mac first with Shulk and Greninja at the end. It's an interesting idea, but the mode is so ridiculously easy that it isn't much fun to play.
Finally you have the mini games like multiman battles and the home run contest along with the new addition, Target Blast, which combines a home run contest and target practice. All these modes are fun for a round or two but like a lot of the single player content, it gets old real fast and doesn't add much longevity to the game.
If you're anything like me, the reason you are playing Super Smash Bros. is to go up against others. Luckily, assuming you have a decent internet connection, you're in luck.
While you can't have four players play on one 3DS, Super Smash Bros., the 3DS does have its own form of local multiplayer. As long as you have one to three friends with a 3DS AND a copy of Super Smash Bros. you can play with each other on a local Wi-Fi. While the experience may not be the exact same one as using a single console, the local multiplayer works well. I never once found any hitching while playing with people in my local vicinity and it always connected fairly quickly. By all accounts it works well.
However, if you're not lucky enough to have some friends with 3DS's, you can always play against other from all over the world. For starters, you get to choose if you want to play with friends or someone else. If you choose to play against anyone, you then choose to play "For Fun" (casual battles) or "For Glory" (ranked battles). From there you get to choose whether you want to play in a free-for-all, a team battle, or if you choose to play a ranked battle, a 1-on-1 match.
Besides the 1-on-1 match type, the only other real difference between playing for fun and for glory is the stage selection. If you're playing for fun, every stage is available. But if you're playing for glory, every stage is a final destination variant (more on that later).
Perhaps the best thing to come from Super Smash Bros. on the 3DS - in terms of playing online - is that it actually works. Previously the online play in Brawl was awful. While it still isn't perfect (I've had my fair share of bad matches), it is much-improved and hopefully that is good sign that when the game finally makes its way to the Wii U the good online play will continue.
Like every Super Smash Bros. game, it's all about the characters. The mainstays like Mario, Link, and Pikachu make their obvious returns along with 14 new characters like Little Mac, Rosalina, and Wii Fit Trainer.
The total roster comes to an astonishing 48 characters which makes one of the largest I've ever seen in a fighting game. The new roster has a surprisingly good mix of characters with most of them having plenty of originality. For example, Rosalina has the ability to throw her little star guy and have him do the fighting and Shulk has the ability to change "forms" on the fly that change up his speed, attack, and defense. Its little things like this that really make the new characters feel unique.
However, despite how unique the characters are, I'm not in love with the character choices. I can't complain about the mainstays, but were people really crying for the great return of characters like Lucario, R.O.B., and Olimar? I know I wasn't.
While not nearly as important as the characters, the stages in a Smash Bros. game mean a lot and there are some great additions to the franchise. From the Arena Ferox, which changes into different arenas, to Golden Plains, which has you collecting coins during the match, to one of my favorites, Dream Land, which is a scrolling level from Kirby on the GameBoy.
So many stages have cool aspects to them. However, almost every stage in Super Smash Bros. for the 3DS has a gimmick. While this may not sound too great to the veteran smashers who like their Battlefields and Final Destinations, you're in luck. Every stage, with one press of a button, can turn into a Final Destination variant. There isn't too much to this. Basically you get a new rectangular stage with the same background as the original stage. It's not much of a difference, but as someone who hates nothing more than to die thanks to a stage, I do really like playing on a bunch of Final Destination variants.
While Super Smash Bros., in a lot of ways, is just another Smash Bros, one of the biggest changes to come to the franchise comes in the form of customization. In previous entries the most customization you could give to a character was a name and a color. While that was really all you needed in a fighting game, Smash Bros. for the 3DS goes to a whole new level. In the same way that you would get trophies in the previous games, you will now get gear and upgrades after battles. These upgrades can be used to make your personalized fighter stronger and faster, and enables him to take more hits before falling off the stage.
But more importantly, you can give your favorite characters new moves. Now to be fair, you don't really give them new moves, instead you give them variants on their moves. For example, you can substitute Mario's standard Fireball with a Fast Fireball (which is weaker but you can shoot more) or a Fire Orb (which is stronger but slower). It may not sound like much, but it is enjoyable to mix and match with your favorite characters to try and create a fighter that plays to your strengths more than the standard build.
If editing existing characters doesn't really sound too appealing, how about making your own original character? Using the Mii's on your 3DS, for the first time ever you can create your very own fighter in Super Smash Bros.
If you were hoping for a Soul Caliber level of creation, I hate to break it to you, but you're going to be disappointed. Creating a character is as simple as picking a Mii, selecting a class, picking moves, and then creating a costume. It's not too in-depth, but making a character is fun and easy and allows you to greatly expand an already large roster.
I have had a blast with Smash Bros. for the 3DS, but let me be perfectly clear; this is not the place to play the game.
Pretty much every issue I have with the new installment comes from the game being handicapped to the 3DS. Sure it's fun to beat the crap out of Pikachu, Kirby, and others on the go, but the game loses a lot without the couch co-op aspect.
If you love Smash Bros. this should be a no brainer, go buy it. But if you don't have three friends with 3DS's AND Super Smash Bros. and you don't feel the single player content will keep you busy, you may want to wait until the Wii U release on November 21.