Super Smash Bros. for 3DS Review: New challenger approaching!

It's been an agonizing wait, but it was worth it. When Nintendo announced a new Super Smash Bros. for not only the Wii U, but also the 3DS, it was almost inconceivable that the handheld version would be anything but a mere gap filler until its older and prettier sibling would release later that year. Rest easy knowing that's not the case at all. Super Smash Bros. for the 3DS packs a punch with the full character roster, diverse stages and various modes to keep you smashing all day.

To call Super Smash Bros.' roster the most varied yet would be an understatement. And while there are a few clone characters like Dr. Mario and Lucina, there is a slew of diverse characters that are sure to find their place as someone's main. Ike from Fire Emblem hits hard with powerful but slightly slow sword attacks, while Pit from Kid Icarus is far more nimble as he's able to move around the battlefield thanks to his limited flight abilities and pick off enemies with homing arrows. Samus is now split up into two characters, giving players who prefer her more agile Zero Suit state to play as her right from the get go.

The newcomers shine here as well, and are easily some of the best additions in all of Super Smash history. Little Mac from Punchout!! is extremely fast and punches like a freight train, but is balanced with a terrible jump recovery. Wii Fit Trainer on the other hand is one of those characters you dismiss at first until you realize that her nimble yoga moves and agile movements, as well as her Sun Salutation projectile make her a force to be reckoned with. Changes like taking out Pokemon Trainer and making Charizard be his own character was also a pretty smart move and made a complicated character way more manageable. Essentially every single character, both new and old, have a smart system of checks and balances that don't really make one overpowered over the other. This was super apparent when we passed the game around and everyone had a different opinion about who the best character is.

You can even use your Miis meaning anyone from yourself to Iron Man, Peter Griffin, Jack Black and Bayonetta can essentially be fighters. The Miis can be customized in three specific builds; fist, shot and sword. Each of these three comes with customizable moves that can completely alter how each Mii works. It certainly provides enough variety that even two sword character can feel slightly different from one another. The customization goes even further, allowing you to outfit your Miis with various costumes that you unlock over the course of the game, as well as three pieces of Equipment that has strengths and weaknesses in Attack, Defense and Speed. This customization also extends to the main roster, allowing you to tailor certain characters to a specific build. For example, I could give Little Mac three pieces that all focus on Strength, but in doing so will also lower his Defense greatly. So while he'll cause great damage with each hit, he'll also be highly susceptible to being knocked out much easier. Once again, it's yet another great system of balances to ensure that everything feels fair.

During my demo impressions, I wasn't sold on the control scheme, but the full game allows for full customization, so you can tailor the controls to your exact liking. For instance, I made my jump button B, my regular attack Y and smash attack X and disabled jumping with the analog nub. This control scheme made it feel like I was way more in control of each character, and I wasn't jumping by mistake or pulling off the wrong move. The analog nub, however, isn't the best solution for Smash players. It's simply not as accurate as an analog stick would be. Lots of times I started to dash because I moved the stick too fast when all I wanted was to move slightly to the side. It's certainly something that you'll need a lot of time to get used to, but even then it just doesn't feel as perfect as it would with a traditional controller.

There are easily enough modes to keep even the most rabid Smash fans happy. From the simple Smash that can pit 2-4 characters against each other with various rulesets to the more single player tailored Classic and All-Star Mode, and even the various games like Multi Man Smash, Home-Run Contest, and the new Angry Birds-like Target Blast have enough variety to keep the experience from feeling stale over time.

And of course you can smash it up with others online with a fairly robust experience. I did have some slight connection problems, which is understandable because the game hasn't officially released in the US, and instead I had to rely on connecting to other journalists or folks over in Japan. It's divided by For Fun and For Glory depending on how serious you want to get. For Fun, as the name suggests turns everything on, stages will morph, items will spawn, and your wins and losses don't mean anything. For Glory however makes every stage flat, item spawns are limited and your wins and losses are now counted and associated to your profile.

Spectate Mode, which is something I normally would never spend a lot of time on, is actually implemented in an extremely clever way. By joining Spectate, you'll have the option to bet on each fighter. You'll be shown each player's odds, as well as a payout multiplier. Then it's up to you to put down some of the hard earned gold and cheer on your chosen fighter. Seeing as how obsessed our office was with Salty Bet when that first came out, this was an extremely entertaining mode that I spent more time in than I probably should have.

Smash Run, which is the 3DS exclusive mode that has you running through a Metroidvania style level, defeating enemies and strengthening your character sounds good on paper, but is easily the most forgettable of all the modes. If anything, its style of gameplay had me wishing for a more proper adventure mode like the Subspace Emissary from Brawl. I just like a bit of narrative, no matter how nonsensical, in my Smash experience. The premise itself is actually quite great, but after the five minutes are up and you've strengthened your character, you're then going to participate in a random event, which could be anything from a free-for-all, team deathmatch or a straight up race to the finish. If you've picked a character like Bowser and go against someone like Little Mac who is already fast out of the gate, you'll be at an unfair disadvantage.

3DS owners know that some games just need to be played in 2D to preserve that smooth framerate, but SORA and Bandai pulled off the impossible. Not only is the framerate consistently smooth whether the game is played in 2D or 3D, it moves at a buttery 60 frames per second. That's extremely impressive. The 3D effect itself actually looks pretty great as well, and actually enhances the experience in some cases. If you thought the Nintendog assist trophy was annoying in Brawl, wait until you have him literally jumping out of your screen.

However, as pretty as the game is, the small screen is certainly one of Smash Bros. biggest hindrances on the handheld. One-on-one matches aren't that bad, but when the character count increases to 3 and 4, not to mention the various assist trophies and some of the ever changing stages, it's easy to lose track of where your character is. Even during the Multi-Man Smash, where you're essentially taking on an onslaught of Miis, I often confused my character for another, despite having the 1P icon hovering over it. Mind you, I even played this on an XL, and even still the action was sometimes tough to follow.

Couple that with some 3DS exclusive stages that make it even more difficult to follow the action, like the annoying Spirit Train, Mario 3D Land or even Rainbow Road. All awesome levels in theory, but terrible on the 3DS' small screen. With that said, the Gameboy Kirby stage is one of the game's genius standouts.

Super Smash Bros. for the 3DS' biggest handicap is the platform itself. Think about the best times you've had playing a Super Smash Bros. game. Usually it involves everyone huddled around the TV, on the couch, passing controllers around as victors are crowned. That feeling isn't quite replicated with the 3DS version. To get that sort of local experience, each friend needs their own 3DS, and each their own copy of Smash Bros. And even then, as you're all sitting around the table, or perhaps in different corners of the room, it simply never emulates the excitement of playing the game together on a single TV.

However, there is simply no denying that Super Smash Bros. for the 3DS is an extremely well designed game. Influences from Sakurai's Kid Icarus: Uprising are prevalent with multiple challenge boards dictating your next move and betting Gold at the start of Classic Mode to increase or decrease the intensity level from 1 to 9. And as fully featured as it is, many will still view it as the sampler, the appetizer, to the much more satisfying course that's coming later this year to the Wii U. And while that school of thought isn't necessarily wrong, the game certainly holds up on its own, small screen be damned.