Now Playing: Super Smash Bros. 3DS

Now Playing: Smash Bros 3DS

I (and the rest of the world, it seems) have been playing the new Super Smash Bros. for the 3DS as of late. Just wanted to jot some quick thoughts down.

The game feels much faster than previous iterations of Smash. It also feels like everyone can take damage for much longer before getting ko’d, leading to longer battles on average — my friends have moved from 5 stocks to 3 stocks for this version this time around.

Thus far I’ve got four mains: Little Mac, Greninja, Pac-Man, Robin, and Toon Link, my previous full-time main.

Little Mac is my “I’m-not-fucking-around-and-want-to-win” main. He’s super fast and very satisfying to play, especially feeling his smash attacks connect with opponents. He has horrible, horrible air game, but really makes up for it in his ground approach. Dude’s practically unstoppable if you’re on the ground with him. Really enjoying mastering him. His side-b is hard to pull off but great against projectile-heavy opponents. I don’t use his up-b all that often, and really his side-b is better for recovery anyways. Gotta practicing countering with him, though I’m really bad at recognizing tells.

I’m also currently learning Greninja. He’s fun as well, but you have to be more technical with him than Little Mac, who can swing wildly and land hits. Greninja, on the other hand, requires some precision to land attacks. His side-b, where he teleports and then then attacks, is really awesome, and has a lot of versatility, from punishing enemies missed attacks, to sneak-attacking people from behind, to giving some surprise edge-guarding against anybody trying to get back onto the stage. He’s a lot like Mewtwo. His up-b can be used to push people away from you, even off the stage, though it takes a bit of practice to figure this out.

Pac-Man was a surprise to me. Wasn’t expecting him to be nearly as fun as he ended up being. Very easy to use, and his side-b is super satisfying and can be used for a lot of different approaches. His Final-Smash is really hard to get right, though that might just be me. Plus, Pac-Man in Smash Bros? That’s awesome, man.

Toon Link is Toon Link. Sakurai nerfed his absolutely epic down-a, but Greninja gets to pick up the slack in that regard, thankfully. Other than that he honestly feels better to play than in Brawl, which is awesome because he’s been my main for years now.

Robin I haven’t gotten enough practice with yet. I feel like there’s definitely potential with him, but I always get the range of his attacks wrong. I’ve also never played a semi-range like him before, Toon Link being a sort of exception. It’s very fun to manage the resources of his magic and levin sword, and really helps to cement that he’s a Tactician, like he is in his canon game.

This newest version of Smash added “Omega Stages”, which let you get a Final Destination version of any stage. This is fantastic, as it lets you pick any stage without worrying about stage hazards and the like, while also not sacrificing the uniqueness of stages that come from places like Paper Mario and Pokemon. I would have liked something like an “Alpha Stage” variation, though, which could have been a “Battlefield” version of stages. I like the three platform setup that Battlefield provides, while also having a lack of stage hazards. Maybe in a sequel?

That being said, Omega Stages are almost a requirement for the 3DS version of Smash, because my biggest complaint for this game comes from the fact that it’s pretty imprecise to play with the 3DS’ circle pad. I can’t count how many times I’ve had misdirected inputs in the middle of playing, and feel like I won’t really be good with Greninja until I can play him with a Gamecube Controller. Other than that, though, and the fact that I like it better on a 3DS XL, the game works fine on the platform. I don’t use 3D that often, but I also don’t feel like it’s necessary. The colors pop, and the game hits a solid 60 fps at all times.

…unless, of course, you’re playing Online. Here lies my second criticism, which is that the Online for Smash 3DS is a definite hit or miss. Some matches I played were absolutely unplayable due to the lag and a constant need to reestablish connection, while others were…alright? I don’t play in “For Glory” — the online mode that tracks your wins and losses — very often, because I don’t want the input lag to determine victory. There are lots of Little Macs running around online that are definitely capitalizing on this. Hopefully things stabilize soon, and even if they don’t, online is passable in “For Fun” mode, so at least there’s that. Local Multiplayer doesn’t have a single hitch in it, however, which is great.

Beyond that, this is Smash as you know it — fantastic music, frantic fun, and tons and tons of content. I’d have no fear recommending this game to anyone on the fence.

Give me your friend code if you wanna take me on!