Welcome, Smash Bros. fans! If you’re like me, you have enjoyed duking it out with your friends through
the ages, but have been somewhat disappointed at the lack of innovation when it came to the actual engine
itself.
No matter who you are, you have to admit that the items, character movesets and overall mechanics
never really took any risks during transition. I always liked how the development team added new
bits like assist trophies and final smashes, but never has the series taken such big leaps as this one will.
Available below is the very recent Nintendo Direct update featuring Masahiro Sakurai himself!
As you can see, there’s a ton of new content to be explored. A plethora of new items with actually innovative
methods of changing the tides of battle, tweaks to the movesets that will make the old characters feel new,
and an absolute mess of new stages that seems to vary between the Wii U and 3DS versions.
Let’s start with the 3DS version. Immediately upon laying eyes on gameplay videos, you’ll notice a
strangely harsh black outline around the characters; probably set to make it easier to see them during
clustered brawls on such a smaller screen. It’s to be noted that players will be able to turn off this outlining.
Sakurai states in the video that the 3DS version will actually run at an impressive 60 FPS. After the
devastation of framerate even without 3D on the recent Pokemon games, I do question how this will
hold up once players turn up the 3D slider. To accommodate for the complex animations of assist
trophies, characters from the trophies are animated at 30 FPS.
For the last piece of 3DS exclusive news, there’s a brand new mode in the works called Smash Run.
This appears to be a creative idea where four players spend a set period of time traversing through a large
map and accumulate stat boosters through defeating enemies, opening chests, finding secrets, etc.
When the timer runs out, it’s time to receive your updated stats and head into the ring! It seems like this
mode will be the gateway to those who want the more chaotic and unpredictable side of Smash fighting.
This mode will be 3DS exclusive, as mentioned.
So what about the Wii U version, then? Needless to say, it instantly looks a LOT better with the much
stronger hardware. Textures from Nintendo have rarely looked so polished, and the details have not
been brushed off. Character emotions are so clearly visible during gameplay that it adds a layer of depth
to that of whom you control.
Online play seems to have been a big focus, and thank god for that. Recent Nintendo games have been
lacking online multiplayer where you’d think it would feature without a second thought. Seriously, why
did the 3DS Mario Party not allow for online play?
Anyways, we probably all remember the awful connectivity issues with online Brawl play. You’d either
have been on a ridiculous early-release Google Fiber connection or just straight out lying if you said the
game ran smoothly online. With Nintendo’s recent leaps in a better online system, I strongly believe we
have what it takes to make a well-functioning online feature.
So hey! What’s what the 3DS buyers getting an exclusive mode to themselves? That’s unfair!
Worry not, for the Wii U hasn’t been left out. When you are not specifically tethered to online
multiplayer with your specific friends, there will be a new mode that allows you to select between
“For Fun” or “For Glory”.
For Fun only keeps track of your winning stats, shuffles about the maps randomly (excluding Final
Destination), and some other nifty random bits.
For Glory removes all items, shows both winning and losing stats, and focuses entirely on Final Destination.
Now, we all love our Final Destination for intense battles of actual skill, but an entire mode just playing
on that one map? I know, it sounds tedious and non-expansive. Wrong! According to Sakurai, most of the
existing maps have been doubled to include a “Final Destination-like” alternative. Picture the Hyrule
Temple stage without all of the crevasses and contours. This will allow the same intensive matches to
play out, but will actually theme and vary the stages enough to keep things fresh.
So with all that said, you’ll have to watch the video to see the rest of the new details yourself!
All I can say is…Zero Suit Samus has a new design, and it is seriously badass. She looks less like the
weaker and more emotional portrayal in Other M and has a defining look in her eye that could kill.
Oh, and check out all of the awesome new characters as well. I will be getting the 3DS version (as I don’t
have a Wii U), but which will you choose? Seems the integration between the two systems will be
announced at a later date.