Gadgetory

Super Smash Brothers one of if not the strongest Nintendo exclusive franchise just saw the release last week of the first of two new entries in the series Super Smash Brothers for the 3ds which also marks the series debut on a portable system a platformer that historically hasn't been the best choice for fighting games so the questions are these what does this one do differently from past entries what game modes does it have to offer and probably the one question on most people's minds for this particular version how does it handle on a portable system and these are the main questions I'm going to weigh in on on today's review so first off how does this one handle compared to previous entries in the series well the stated goal of Super Smash Brothers for is to be a balance between the series last two entries the competitive crowds favored melee which featured faster combat more advanced techniques and much faster Falls leading to a lot more fast deaths and the more casual friendly Super Smash Brothers Brawl which just featured an overall much floatier and slower game making recoveries a lot easier so this one's meant to be faster than brawl but not quite as fast as melee now another noticeable design decision in this one is that this generation features a big decrease in random effects the trip mechanic introduced in brawl has been removed meaning that you'll never fall down for no reason though the effect has been partially brought back through items or some character moves that caused it several characters have had some of their versatility and random effects simplified as well examples being dual form characters like Zelda and Sheik having been split into their own singular options and the order in which orlimar summons pickman's is now set rather than randomly generated so while it's not as fast as melee it does look as though the direction for this game was trying to make a more competitive friendly environment by creating a better sense of consistency and balance across all characters although I do think that it wasn't really necessary to split up the dual types now stages this time around consists of returning favorites and new ones with most of the new ones now featuring pretty interesting minigame mechanics such as boss enemies that grant some benefit to the player that kills it or collectible items that offer a boost once you've gotten so many of them and the game now also offers the option of a Omega mode during stage selection which will effect turns every stage into the simple super flat plane that is final destination now other little changes in additions that are really appreciated in this version as well include an increase in the number of costumes or palette options per character now reaching eight and in some cases these are completely different character models such as switching between genders or Bowser jr. featuring each Koopaling as an alternate costume not only that but the game even remembers what pal option you last picked making that the default the next time you choose that character which admittedly is at minut detail but it's a pretty nice one to have now new characters added in this one for the most part feature interesting new little sticks and gimmicks to help them stand out though some of the new and returning character clones do feel a little bit tedious such as Lucena being a near carbon copy of Marth whose only mechanical difference is the damage distribution across her blade otherwise featuring the same stats or dark pit who does handle differently but feels like an awkward decision considering how easily he could have just been a pallet swap now those grievances aside the rest of the cast is still pretty interesting and this is the largest Super Smash Brothers cast numbering at 51 if you include the three different customizable meet characters which brings us to one of the most interesting new mechanics in this game customizable move sets while me fighters can be customized with one of three different specials for each move slot the other 48 characters all feature changeable specials as well in some cases like Megaman and palutena these are radically different moves while in most cases they're simply interesting retweet versions that feature things like higher damage with lower startup or different execution properties like how the character moves characters can also have their stats alter to using equippable items making them faster stronger or more defensive but the expense of other stats or adding some other kind of special benefit or drawback now this is where we come to the one big complaint I have about this game which is the fact that these custom moves which are honestly my favorite new mechanic are locked behind random drops you don't start with any of them unlocked right away instead you have to spend time grinding away to all the game's different modes and there's some additional problems with this as well first off not only is finding these items a matter of luck but they're actually grouped into the same category as me outfits and those stat changing items you're not even guaranteed to specifically get a custom move and not only that but it's even possible to get multiple copies of the move making those new copies useless and while the character you're playing does have a higher chance of getting moves that are relevant to them it's not even 100% that you will and instead you might just get moves for characters that you never use the statue injuring items and me appearance options I can totally understand as having would be random discoveries but locking such an interesting sight system find something you have to grind endlessly for just really ruin some of the buzz for this game now speaking of the modes that you can grind out in of course the game offers its traditional smash mode that can be played solo against the computer and a local group of friends or online in pre-designed match types split between the more item focused and casual style for fun and the more competitive items off mode for glory connectivity wise how smooth matches goes seems to be entirely based on the internet connection your opponents are using I found that on average 1v1 matches consistently offer way smoother games due to less players having the chance of ruining it for the rest as for playing games locally I've rarely experienced any issues the game might occasionally pause or freak up for a moment but it's rare enough to never really ruin the experience now other modes include numerous little minigames like the classic homerun bat challenge and multiband melees or a StreetPass minigame using little bumpers for single-player we've got two returning classics in the form of all-star pitting you against all the game's roster back to back and classic which has you take over 6 stages of enemies including an end boss and a slots minigame for unlocking trophies and customization items as well as a training mode to practice different characters moves combos and using items last though is the newest mode and one that is unique to the 3ds version smash run smash run can be played by yourself with computer enemies or in a local group of friends players travel throughout one huge stage beating up enemies to collect stat upgrades and power-ups as well as try to tackle special challenges to get a little extra boost once time runs out all combatants are brought together to a final stage which may just be a simple game of smash but sometimes might offer an alternative challenge that favors a specific stats such as a foot race or tower climbing challenge now the mode is pretty fun to try out and is a good way to grind out trophies and custom items and there are be some groups out there that really find it be a fun way to play casual multiplayer but in my personal experience any game with local friends is always going to boil right back down to traditional smash now all these different modes and new additions aside the fact that matter is that this game is a new smash game which is reason enough alone for a lot of diehard fans to want to pick this title up but the one question a lot of people having for this particular version is how it handles on a portable system well first off I'd like to praise the team's design choices for this particular version because a lot of thought clearly went into making this one being portable it's clearly lacking any large stages not because they don't think they're fun but because playing on one of them on such a small screen would just get horrifying if everyone spread out so all the stages here range from being either very small or medium in sides also the game has this great little feature of a training room where you'll wait for multiplayer matches to begin since you don't all share one screen rather than having to wait for everyone else to make their choices to move on you can kill a little time waiting by practicing moves on a training dummy and/or up which is a feature I absolutely love now all that being said though I do have to admit that there are some problems with this game being on the 3ds not because of the game itself but because the platform it's on the 3ds slide pad is just not optimal for precise controls and while you can get used to it and still perform pretty well there's always going to be those moments that moves aren't executed the way you'd like because you didn't move the slide pad just right it's just not the same as a traditional stick not to mention the numerous reports of people breaking their slide pads though I have gone quite a few weeks playing this version and the demo without incident so that might just come down to how rough of a player you are the other issue is just how comfortable your hands are role-playing for extended periods of time on the 2d s I've been able to play for a whole day and experienced only mild discomfort by the end but a regular 3ds leads to arthritis City after just a couple of hours so is this the best version of smash to prove your competitive chops in well that's up for debate considering the slide pad but as for the game itself it's still pretty damn awesome and aside from that one complaint I had about unlocking custom items I have loved just about every moment with this game this past week having the ability to just play smash on the go and easily set up local multiplayer games anywhere is fantastic if you're a fan of playing for player games I do recommend seeing if you have any friends grabbing at first because online does get a bit spotty with big groups but if you're the kind just to convert to player games and this will handle great both locally and online now if you're the super serious type that needs to have the most precise version of the game then just go ahead and wait for it on wiiu because if this is a sign of things to come that version will be just as enjoyable without the worries over how the slide pad will affect your performance me personally I just like to have fun with friends and the slide pad in my opinion is forgivable provided that's how you're aiming to do well that was my review Super Smash Brothers for the 3ds if you're interested in grabbing the game I do have that linked down below as well as my Twitter profile if you guys enjoyed this video please make sure to let me know if I think that thumbs up button and subscribing if you haven't yet so you can stay up to date on all the reviews all for bringing you in the future until then though guys I'm Kevin Kenton and I'll see you later