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Year: 2014 ESRB Rating: E 10+
Platform: WiiU (a version is on the 3DS as well) Genre: Fighting
Personally, when I think of competitive games, I think of Super Smash Bros. I have owned every single Smash Bros game for every console they've been on. In this review I will be talking about the newest installment for the WiiU. I personally have played in quite a few Smash tournaments for the different consoles but I feel the tournaments on WiiU are a little different from what I was used to. Although I may refer to the 3DS version, this is mainly focused on the WiiU version. I will admit this review may be a bit bias due to the fact I have not only played every Smash Bros game, but I have also been a Nintendo lover since I was four. I will try to be as fair as possible while reviewing this game.
I personally enjoy this game even by myself. It has the same charm as its predecessors and yet added enough new content that it wasn't just a prettier copy of an old game. One of the big changes that I enjoyed the most was the fact you could play with up to 8 players in a match. That was really exciting to me and friends. It also allowed Smash Bros tournaments to have even more participants in a fraction of the time. It also made parties with friends more enjoyable since almost everyone could jump into the same match. The solo player is good for practice against harder opponents but is not nearly as fun as playing multiplayer with friends or even competing in a tournament.
I can't imagine the game would be too difficult to pick up as a beginner. The controls are fairly basic and I've met my fair share of button mashers at different conventions and gaming areas that ended up doing surprisingly well. Actually developing a personal play style may be difficult however naturally comes in time. I suppose for new players there is a tutorial you can play through but I personally would just learn by doing.
This game is by far the prettiest entry into the Super Smash Bros series. It's HD graphics are absolutely stunning. It makes Super Smash Bros Brawl look like a cheap spin-off, which is saying something because Brawl was one of the prettiest games of its time. The movements of the characters, clothing and hair physics, colorful and interesting backgrounds, and fun character color swaps, make this game truly something amazing to look at.
In addition to the stunning graphics, the music in-game is as good as always. One of the charms of Super Smash Bros games is that they usually contain music tracks (usually remixed) that come from the games that the various characters come from. Each stage has a list of songs that will play at random that change from match to match. The music of each stage is always fitting to not only the fighting nature of the game, but also the stage itself. As for the sound effects, each character has a voice or set of sounds (I'm looking at you Mr. Game and Watch) that is fitting for them and often include the sounds they make in their original games. Some characters even have spoken lines when it is appropriate such as victory quotes or taunts.
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The roster for this game is awesome! In addition to some of Nintendo's most loved characters and veterans of the series, this game included a lot of new exciting and fun to play characters such as Shulk, Pac-Man, and Megaman. Instead of going into detail for all of the many fun characters, I'm just going to talk about who I "main as" when I personally play. If I went to talk about every single character, this blog would never end.
My personal favorite character or the character that I "main" is surprisingly Pit. I used to play as Link in earlier versions of Super Smash Bros but in the WiiU and 3DS versions I play Pit more than any other character. Pit himself is the main protagonist in the Kid Icarus series. The series released a new game titled Kid Icarus: Uprising fairly recently and since its release the flightless angel boy has gained lots of well-deserved attention. Pit made his first Smash Bros debut in Super Smash Bros Brawl released on the original Wii console. Since then his character move set has changed dramatically. In game, Pit is a very balanced character when it comes to offense and defense. His special attacks can be used in many different situations with many different outcomes. I use his down special "Guardian Orbiters" religiously. "Guardian Orbiters" brings up two energy shields that guard Pit's front and back. They reflect almost any projectile thrown at them but they also have a chance of breaking. Another commonly used move is his up special "The Power of Flight". This move is used as a recovery attack move than anything else. It shoots Pit in a straight vertical or diagonal line depending on which way the control stick is pointing. It leaves Pit open for attack and doesn't do any damage, but can send Pit flying an impressive distance, saving him whenever he may fall off the map. Another move of Pit's is his side special "The Upperdash Arm" which deals a large amount of damage and causes anyone making contact with to go airborne. It also reflects projectiles if the timing is right. Lastly his standard special is "Palutena's Arrow". It's a simple move in which Pit draws his bow and readies a blue glowing arrow. What makes this move interesting is that the arrow can be controlled after released and can even make a full 360. All of Pit's attacks are based off of actual weapons and attacks in the newer Kid Icarus: Uprising game.
Most stages in Super Smash Bros are based off of various Nintendo games as well as a few other titles. Every playable character on the roster has a stage based from his or her game. Some stages in this title are larger to account for 8 players to battle, while others can be turned into a simple floating platform to be used in tournaments. A large portion of the stages have an "event" that may happen partway through a battle that may hinder the characters and create a separate challenge. No matter what stage you play on, the experience is constantly changing.
Since this is a well-known multiplayer fighting game, many locations host tournaments. I myself have been in a few at local conventions and meet-ups. Depending on the venue, a tournament can be either very laid back and casual or very intense and even cut-throat. I personally play in the more casual ones since I like to play the game for fun rather than for sport, but that doesn't mean I haven't watched a more serious tournament. There are certain rules in tournaments that aren't necessarily in everyday playing of the game. For one, there's only a few "tournament" stages that can be chosen from. These stages are simple floating platforms with no events, challenges, or even additional platforms. In most cases the host will choose one stage, a common one being "Final Destination" and leave it as the only playable stage in the tournament. In addition to the select stages, most tournaments only use a limited list of items if any items at all. These are to keep the games as fair as possible so that the winners are determined by skill and experience. More serious tournaments may include other rules such as use of a specific controller or being unable to choose certain characters. On the flip side, more casual tournaments may have fun little side challenges such as decreased gravity or higher speeds. A Smash tournament is a rememberable experience no matter where you go.
As for a recommendation, not only do I recommend playing it either alone or with friends, I also recommend that you at least attend and watch a tournament. This game has such an interesting and fun fandom that I think everyone should experience it at its fullest. Although if you are newer to the game and want to enter a tournament, I'd recommend entering in a more casual one before going onto serious tournaments. I warned you when I said those serious tournaments can get cut-throat.
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