Super Smash Bros. for 3DS Review

-Gregg Dietz
Reviews Editor

I’ve been playing the Super Smash Bros. series since its debut on the Nintendo 64 back in 1999. The next iteration was the one I played the most, Super Smash Bros. Melee on the Gamecube in 2001. The next was the Wii addition titled Super Smash Bros Brawl. The franchise has been a huge success both in North America and Japan so it only makes sense that they would continue. In 2011, Nintendo announced that not only would Super Smash Bros. be coming to the Wii U but also the 3DS. This would be the first time a Smash game was available for a handheld device. It has been a smashing success so far.

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The game boasts a lot of things to do, on the main menu you will see a myriad of options. Smash is the central part of the game. Online is pretty self explanatory. Smash Run is a fun minigame type thing where up to 4 players must fight enemies and find boosts to make their character stronger for the next phase. That phase is a showdown that can be different each time; fighting, racing, target smashing, and a few more. The next option is in the Games & More tab. There you will find Classic, All-star and Stadium. Classic is the path to fight master hand, All-star is where you must go through 7 waves of enemies, and Stadium is where you will find a series of minigames.

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This is why I love this game, I was never bored. With 37 starting playable characters and 12 more to unlock, there is never a dull moment. I chose to beat every mode with every character on easy. That took me hours upon hours to complete. Because it was with a different character each time, granted there are a few clone characters, I was always learning a new move set. The thing about this new version is you can have Mii Fighters. The customization for this was astounding to me. Everything you do goes towards making these Mii Fighters better and better. There are 3 styles to choose from, Brawler, Swordfighter, and Shooter. Each has the ability to customize their specials as well and that makes for a huge number of unique characters.

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Speaking of customization, you are able to customize just about everything in this game. From controls to music to levels, the game gives you complete control of how you want to play. I’m not huge into the competitive fighting game community but the fact that there is a option to have final destination type maps only is amazing. The standard characters can even be customized and the option to have them with different specials and colors. The way to get these is by playing classic and landing the roulette wheel correctly. You can also unlock these by completing challenges. These were concentrated on pretty intensely for a majority of my play time due to them being...well...challenging.

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I do have a few gripes, regardless of how much fun I had. I could only play the game for short periods at a time to take breaks. The shape and contour of the 3DS is not conducive to your hands and gave me cramps constantly. This is not necessarily Smash’s fault but it is Nintendo’s doing so I feel it goes hand-in-hand. The other gripe I have is with the loot system. There are challenges that require you get a certain amount of specific items for the Mii Fighters. What makes this so difficult is there is no place to farm for these. Every time you play classic mode, you are given a roulette as stated above. There are 3 things it can land on, coins, trophies, or items. The items range from character specials, Mii fighter outfits, hats and specials. This margin for RNG is too big and can make grinding an annoying experience, especially when you can get the same item multiple times.

Overall I love this game, I can’t praise it enough. With hours upon hours of content, i was never wondering what to do next. I still have stuff to do in the game but I must move on to other titles and await the Wii U version. If you have a 3DS and are a fan of the originals, I highly recommend this title. If you are concerned with the cramping and are awaiting the Wii U version, that's understandable due to it being a real issue I dealt with. I give Super Smash Bros. for 3DS a 9.5 outta 10.

Which version are you planning on getting? What are your thoughts on the 4th Super Smash Bros.? Let us know in the comments below, on our Facebook Fan Page, or tweet us @MissionStartP or tweet Gregg @ChubRockGeek

Thanks for reading.