We received review code for Super Smash Bros. for Nintendo 3DS and while the battling feels as satisfying as it did during our first hands-on opportunities, I think there's something to be said for the variety of characters available to choose from at the outset.
That isn't counting unlockable characters either. More over, there are far more new characters than I could possibly handle in my first time sitting down with the game. As much as I'd like to see a favorite shake out of the latest additions, I still gravitate toward standards from the Nintendo 64 days.
I won a few matches this afternoon with Link, Fox, Mario, and Pikachu and each has the same diverse moveset you've probably become accustomed to across three previous console generations. Further, it's hard not to immediately call this the best looking Super Smash Bros. game to date with plenty of graphically impressive effects and animations.
Mario's fireballs look almost exactly like they were originally intended on the GameCube version of the game and textures on maps seem to react well to each of the transitions though one awkward moment flashed white and hid all characters for a few moments before I realized we had all gathered on a flat plane.
Yes, I've played a match on Final Destination. The stage still proves satisfying thanks to the way many of the best characters have move sets with precise juggling opportunities and lots of different opportunities for vicious smashes on a flat plane.
For the most part, I'm intimidated by all of the new characters. They don't seem to rely on standards like forward smashes so much as tech-based attacks leave a lot to be desired for admittedly more casual players like myself. I talk a big Super Smash Bros. game even though I'm actually a bit more jovial about the game.
I'd cackle after pressing pause inadvertently during hectic Super Smash Bros. 64 play and while that's taken a back seat to as direct an approach as possible, this 3DS version actually does encourage smart brawling above all else.
Characters move very quickly and charging up a smash attack seems incredibly generous given the lengthy hold periods that allow a smash to wind up to only a little more power than I've previously relied on. Nintendo 64 Fox used to snap diving kicks off like it was no one's business and his reverse-standing A attack often caught opponent's in the neck is stuck out so drastically behind him. This Fox still has the opportunity and reach to earn a forward smash point on the board, though you'll have a follow-up and some of the classic moves didn't seem to have such a crisp finish to them.
That's not to say the game's animations were doing a great job conveying damage, with Mario's spinning fists cracking and walloping the foes caught just above. I'll also have to remind myself to turn a few items off.
There are dozens of items in every level and stage though it felt like they almost clogged the experience and I'm going to set options for a few favorites in order to see the variety of exactly what might pop out of a Pokeball.
Will you buy Super Smash Bros. for Nintendo 3DS when it releases at retail next month? If you do plan on getting the game, post your Nintendo Network ID below to add a few friends in advance of all the online brawling! Here's mine: danielrbischoff
