The newest installment of the hit series is a blast.
Ever since the first Super Smash Brothers hit the markets in 1999 for the Nintendo 64, the Super Smash Brothers franchise has attained remarkable success, and the newest installment does not fall short.
The game is quite simple: control one of Nintendo’s popular characters (or third-party company characters, such as Sonic the Hedgehog or Megaman), and fight with other virtual heavyweights by knocking them off the screen. The fighters can also use items which appear periodically, such as food to heal them, or Pokeballs, from the Pokemon series, which summon a Pokemon to aid you.
The most sought-after item, however, is a Smash Ball, which allows the fighter to unleash his/her special smash with horrific amounts of damage on foes.
Although it has a simple concept, the game is ridiculously fun. Thoughts like “Just one more fight!” constantly went through my mind as I played the game. It is a unique fighting game, much different from the likes of Mortal Kombat and Street Fighter, which makes the game much more approachable.
The game features a plethora of playable characters. In the first installment of the franchise, there were only twelve characters total, with eight being available at the start. Now, there are over 49 playable characters, which adds unprecedented depth to the game.
A new feature for the game is expanding fights from the original four players to eight. When I played it, it was some of the most fun I had. It was hard to keep track of where I was on the screen, increasing the chaos that is known to be in the game. While this may be an issue for some players, I certainly found it enjoyable.
Super Smash Brothers also has an online portion to the game, split up into two modes: “For Fun” and “For Glory”, the first being for more casual players, and the latter for more hardcore Smashers. However, in my experience of playing both modes, I found it better to be playing locally only, as the lag was near unbearable.
Another part of the game I was disappointed with was the apparent removal of the tournament function. I was saddened to see there was no specific tournament mode, which meant I would have to do the matchups myself, taking my friends and me away from the fun of the game.
Even though the game isn’t perfect, it is still loads of fun, which I see as the hallmark of Nintendo games. While they may or may not be groundbreaking in the way of new mechanics or features, or have the best graphics, the newest Super Smash Brothers installment is a great game to play with friends or family, and is almost guaranteed fun. With that in mind, I wholeheartedly recommend this game to anyone who has played almost any Nintendo game.
