Super Smash Bros. for Nintendo 3DS Reviews
Smash 3DS is impressive and, for the most part, feels right at home on 3DS. The multitude of ways to play and awesome customization gave me many reasons to keep fighting - and I've been at it for more than 45 hours already. It all produces a fun feedback loop of engaging in matches to unlock custom moves and trophies, then jumping into another match to try out the new stuff. Even the online modes feel carefully considered and focused on what the series does best, and what the 3DS can reasonably do. It's a little disappointing that the four-player antics that are the best part of the console games don't really work on a small screen, but there's still more than enough that does work to make Smash a great 3DS game.
Pocket fighter.
A highly polished iteration of Smash Bros. that plays great on its own. But if you're afflicted by latency problems in local multiplayer, you'll suddenly become painfully aware of the 3DS version's critical shortcomings.
Don't let the screen size fool you – Super Smash Bros. on 3DS is a riot, and it's worthy of the name
Smash Bros hasn't been compressed for 3DS — it's been tailored to it
Smash Bros. is a cavalcade of cartoonish violence and chaos, and it's never been better.
For the first time in the franchise's 15-year history, you can pummel your friends on the go. It comes with some drawbacks, but not enough to get in the way of another chaotic, fun experience.
Portable Smash Bros. blizz.
While its online play is far from perfect, Super Smash Bros. 3DS is an impeccably polished package that proudly brings the series back to its best while fearlessly treading new ground. Loaded with content, characters and customization, it's a peerless experience on 3DS. No handheld brawler has any right to be this good, but for Nintendo, we'll look the other way. This is a game you'll be playing for years to come, so what are you waiting for? Get your Smash on.
Despite the system's limitations, Super Smash Bros. for 3DS successfully brings the frenzied fighting series to a portable platform.
Remarkable production values combined with a staggering amount of content and fan service make Super Smash Bros. for Nintendo 3DS an entertaining, rewarding and downright addictive title that's immensely hard to put down. It's a hugely successful transition from the big screen, which retains everything — the in-depth gameplay, the seamlessly merged crossover universe and that unrivalled Nintendo charm — that has made each home console instalment to date an instant classic. It feels familiar, further defining the mould of the series instead of reshaping it, but it does so to impeccably high standards.That said, it's not perfect: the online multiplayer can be very hit-or-miss in terms of connection quality, and the customisation features are pretty lacking, although these aren't considerable enough to damage the overall experience. As the wealth of modes, stages, characters and other features prove, this isn't a quick release intended to tide over players until the Wii U version comes along. Rather, it delivers more than a 3DS game should feasibly be able to do, so much so that it'll be enjoyed alongside its HD counterpart and in its own right for years to come.
You can never tell how great a fighting game will really be until the public has time to master it, but Super Smash Bros. for Nintendo 3DS has everything it needs to finally get the competitive community to move on from Melee. The new characters are excellent, and the gameplay is smooth, fast, and exciting.
It's not feature rich, and it's not the perfect way to play Super Smash Bros. 4, but Super Smash Bros. for Nintendo 3DS does mean you can see if attacks link in training while in the queue for coffee. It means you can set a new high score in a home run contest while on the loo and save the replay to prove how you did it later. It means you can play Super Smash Bros. online without crippling lag, while waiting for pasta to boil, and then watch some replays of online Luigi players while you eat. It would be easy to sit and reel off a list of things Super Smash Bros. for Nintendo 3DS doesn't have, but it's better to focus on what it is. And what it is, is a functionally excellent, portable version of Super Smash Bros.
The best Smash Bros. in the series to date, giving the Wii U version a lot to live up to.
Though it may lack some of the heftier features of previous titles with no long-form Classic or Adventure Modes, Super Smash Bros. for 3DS instead opts for truly-refined and lean gameplay that not only works well for the portable platform on 3DS, but proves to bring some exciting new additions like Smash Run just as engaging and fun as the regular bouts of brawling in the ring. As a love letter to Nintendo fans, Super Smash Bros. for 3DS brings together the best of gaming into one of the best 3DS games available, and although the portable title may be a warm-up for this holiday's Wii U version, it will be hard not jumping back in for a few more practice rounds on the 3DS.
Even if you're likely to move onto the console version or you don't play your 3DS much, this edition of the venerable brawling series offers everything you could want and will likely become a standard bearer for the platform.
If anything, Super Smash Bros. For 3DS is a precursor to the main event – the Wii U version – which is arriving later this year. It's a handheld game at heart, so it can be excused where it falls short in certain modes, and it brings a wealth of new functionality to the series, including character customisations in an already expansive roster.
Super Smash Bros. for 3DS isn't perfect, but it comes very close.
Super Smash Bros. brings everything good about the series, including its rich roster of beloved characters, stages that honor Nintendo's handheld heritage, tens of hours of unlockable content, and condenses it all into a fine portable package. It goes a long way towards catering to both long-time fans of the series and casual newcomers with mechanics that are simple to grasp, while also adding some welcome new degrees of complexity.
Super Smash Bros. for Nintendo 3DS delivered just about everything I wanted out of it, and then some. I've grown attached to a number of newcomers, I've played more online matches than I ever did with Brawl, and I'll be tackling all of the single-player content for weeks on end. I'm all in again thanks to Smash 3DS, and it's made me even more excited for the Wii U version later this year.