‘Super Smash Bros. for Nintendo 3DS’ video game review
By Alex Stanton, Staff Writer
4/5
Of the two games that make up the fourth instalment of the critically acclaimed fighting game, Super Smash Bros., the Wii U version is absolutely the definitive version. However, Super Smash Bros. has also solidified itself as one of the best games for the Nintendo 3DS.
For those who have been living under a rock since 1998, Super Smash Bros. shows what would happen if you took all of Nintendo’s most popular characters and had them fight each other to the bitter end. It’s not like most other fighting games—instead of whittling away at your opponent’s health meter, you more or less try to knock them off of the stage. It’s safe to say it’s closer to a party game than any traditional brawler. It’s straightforward, accessible, and lots of fun.
Alongside the ever-addictive multiplayer and countless hours of single player challenges, there is a 3DS exclusive mode called Smash Run. In it, you get five minutes to run around a side-scrolling open world area, defeating recognizable monsters and collecting all kinds of upgrades. Come five minutes, you scrap with your fellow Smash Bros. with your newly juiced-up character and unlock dozens upon dozens of upgrades of varying strength, defence, and speed.
StreetSmash, touted proudly as one of the exclusive features of the 3DS version, is absolutely worthless. All you need to know is it involves a minimum amount of player input or fun. It’s like pogs, but a bit less nostalgic and much less fun. Smash Street being there doesn’t make the game worse, but it is worth knowing about so you can avoid it and play, well, anything else.
Aside from the fact that the camera zooms out a tad too far on the larger maps, Super Smash Bros. translates a lot better than you’d think it would to a handheld console. To compensate for the lower visibility, by default, the characters in this game have a bold outline, which makes the game stand out a bit more graphically. Super Smash Bros. sounds excellent on the 3DS. There’s even enough single player content to rival contemporary Japanese RPGs in terms of depth.
Super Smash Bros. for 3DS may not be the first choice for many gamers who are wanting an HD Super Smash Bros. experience, but there’s no denying that it is certainly the single most amusing multiplayer game on handhelds, and is right up in the highest tier of 3DS games.
