Super Smash Bros. for Nintendo 3DS Reviews

Super Smash Bros. for Nintendo 3DS is ranked in the 93rd percentile of games scored on OpenCritic.
Impulsegamer
Top Critic
4.5 / 5.0
Oct 9, 2014

I feel like I'll be playing Super Smash Bros. for Nintendo 3DS for a long time to come. I've been playing this series since the original game for the Nintendo 64 and this game was definitely worth the 15-year wait for a version I can carry around with me. Ultimately, this game is a culmination of Nintendo franchises past and present and it's a really fun way to become a little more video game culture savvy. Buy this game and I guarantee you'll have a fun time.

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9 / 10.0
Oct 14, 2014

Despite the size, Smash Bros. feels right at home on the 3DS.

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4.5 / 5.0
Oct 7, 2014

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.

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Cubed3
Top Critic
9 / 10
Oct 4, 2014

The handheld debut of Super Smash Bros. is a successful one that stands proud alongside its predecessors on home consoles and is a must-have for Nintendo 3DS owners, with combat that feels more refined than Super Smash Bros. Brawl and can be enjoyed by casual and dedicated players alike. The roster is also the biggest and best one yet, and the production values are outstanding. While it's still unclear what the upcoming Wii U version will have and how the two versions will interact with each other, those who really value much better graphics and more control options - such as the Nintendo GameCube controller that can be used with a special adapter - might want to wait for it instead. Anyone else, though, definitely shouldn't hesitate to get a copy of this game to settle it in Smash.

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Oct 8, 2014

'Super Smash Bros. for 3DS' is all of the 'Super Smash Bros.' we've come to love somehow condensed into portable form. It's all there, it's online, it controls well and the roster is satisfying, deep and skillful. Whatever qualms I may have with the single-player modes (they serve their purpose as training grounds), or quips I may throw at the online offerings, the one thing I can say is this: the game feels good. I feel quick, I feel powerful, yet I feel challenged with every new opponent as we fight "For Glory." It's a testament to the balance at play, between speeds and characters, that I haven't found just one character I can't stand to fight against. There isn't a strategy I don't look forward to countering.

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IGN
Top Critic
8.8 / 10.0
Sep 26, 2014

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.

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8.8 / 10.0
Oct 7, 2014

What's mind blowing is that Nintendo have somehow put Super Smash Bros into pockets without cutting corners. The game has a wealth of content to keep players busy for many, many hours. Fans will be well pleased and newcomers will be set down the path to Smash Bros addiction.

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8.6 / 10.0
Oct 10, 2014

Super Smash Bros. for Nintendo 3DS is pretty damn great.

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8.5 / 10.0
Sep 26, 2014

Another smashing good time.

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8 / 10
Oct 2, 2014

There are some inherent limitations with playing a four-player fighting game on a 3DS but this overcomes almost all of them, to become one of the portable's definitive multiplayer games.

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8 / 10
Sep 26, 2014

Smash Bros. is a cavalcade of cartoonish violence and chaos, and it's never been better.

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Sep 26, 2014

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.

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USgamer
Top Critic
Sep 27, 2014

Given the technical limitations of the Nintendo 3DS, Sora Ltd. and Bandai Namco have done an admirable job with this port. At its core, Super Smash Bros. is both a loving tribute to Nintendo and a surprisingly deep fighter, and though it hasn't changed much over the years, its appeal is strong as ever on the Nintendo 3DS. The solo experience is admittedly lacking, but as a multiplayer game, it remains a delight.

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Sep 26, 2014

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.

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8 / 10
Sep 26, 2014

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.

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8 / 10
Sep 26, 2014

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.

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8 / 10.0
Sep 26, 2014

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.

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Guardian
Top Critic
Oct 2, 2014

The classic Nintendo brawling game returns with a huge cast of characters, refreshed modes and a fist full of charm

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Sep 26, 2014

Is it as good as playing with friends fighting around a TV? No, but it is Smash Bros as we've come to know and love and, at least until the Wii U version arrives, that's more than good enough. hardcore and causal players rejoice.

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Oct 2, 2014

For the time being, though, this is a smashing return to form for one of Nintendo's most popular franchises, endlessly energetic and electrifying. Not unlike Pikachu's farts.

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