The Wii U edition of the latest entry in the Super Smash Bros. franchise will hit store shelves over the holiday season, but in the meantime players will be able to play against friends and strangers on their handheld 3DS.
The original Super Smash Bros. was released for the Nintendo 64 in 1999. The second entry in the series, 2001’s Super Smash Bros. Melee for the Gamecube, added more features and a larger budget. The 2008 release of Super Smash Bros. Brawl for the Wii added in online multiplayer.
Marcus Teller, an avid Smash fan, reminisced about the changing of the times.
“I remember meeting with all my friends on the weekends, hooking up our 64, and playing Smash for hours on end,” Teller said. “When Brawl came out we used to get together and play, but we grew up, got jobs, and had to deal with life.”
In the 3DS edition of Smash, players will be able to utilize any Internet connection to fight with other players from all over the world, choosing from over 40 playable characters and 20 different levels to play on.
The new Smash offers everything Melee and Brawl did, but adds in new characters, new maps and all new playable modes to keep players on their toes.
Some of the new characters include Little Mac from the NES classic Punch Out, the Villager from Animal Crossing and Megaman, a much-anticipated addition. They and other new additions will appear alongside series staples like Mario, Link and Pikachu.
The demo for the new game was released on Sept.19, and came with a lot of content for a demo. It gave players access to five characters, including the newcomers Megaman and Villager, and a glimpse at several single-player and multiplayer modes that will be available in the retail release—a small sample of the game to give players a bigger appetite for the full version.
U of M student Joshua Floyd is one of the longtime fans of the series who can’t wait for the new edition.
“Judging just off the demo, I can already tell I will sink hours into this game,” Floyd said. “The demo alone keeps my interest more than finished games do, but that doesn’t say much because I’ve been playing Smash since I was kid.”
Players will have more options to customize their characters, including custom move sets that will allow players to choose how their character plays by changing up what moves they use.
The online multiplayer of the game has been changed up a bit, now separated into two different modes. “For Fun” allows for casual play for up to four players, with items and interesting maps. “For Glory” is suited for hardcore players, one-on-one matches with items turned off and the playing field leveled.
William Maxwell, a long-time Smash player, explained his thoughts on separating the multiplayer.
“I’m the kind of player that enjoys utter silliness with items turned on, and then when the trash talk starts I go into the serious mode,” Maxwell said. “It just depends, because there’s always that one guy who want to play for real, which will make everyone rise to the challenge, so to say.”
Fan-favorite items like the beam sword will be returning from previous installments, along with new items that guarantee one-hit knockouts. With the ability to randomize what items get sent to the stage, even new players stand a chance against experienced fighters.
New modes, characters, items and stages give players new ways to enjoy the game, but the nostalgic fun of the series is still there, hearkening back to an era before online multiplayer, when people would have to travel to their friends’ houses in order to play together.
The version of the game will keep players satisfied until the console edition is released during the holidays.
