by Aniruddha Nrusimha
A couple of weeks ago, Nintendo formally released Super Smash Bros for the 3ds. Super Smash Bros. is an amalgamation of many other hit nintendo titles, including Pokemon, Zelda, Fire Emblem, Mario, and Kirby just to name a few. The game is a 2d fighting game, where you choose a character from one of these franchises and fight other characters with unique abilities.
However, this was no big deal by itself. Smash Bros for 3ds is the 4th installment in the series, and features many of the same characters and mechanics. However, this is the first game in the series to come onto a portable device. For a genre which highly values its controllers, this is a huge deal. Why? Because Fighting games are all about split second reaction times and a myriad of moves. As every person who has played the series knows, every conceivable combination of buttons results in almost 50 different moves for each characters. For players accustomed to gamecube controllers, the transition to handheld will be surprisingly smooth. The 3ds controller features the same 4 buttons, control pad, and d’pad (the 4 arrows) as the gamecube controller, even though the buttons are a lot smaller.
There are a lot of new characters in Super Smash bros, from all the franchises. Charizard has been added from the pokemon franchise as a standalone character, instead of being part of the pokemon trainers arsenal. Mega Man has joined the fray, the first character from his game to join. Robin and Lucina from the Fire Emblem series have joined, and in a bizarre appearance. Miis, player created characters that have a customizable moveset, but are only allowed in single player games and friendly games.
Finally, the newest feature for Smash bros for 3ds is integrating the mobile function of the 3ds. The streetpass functionality allows you to play with people you don’t know in quick, informal games. You can also play the classic brawls from anywhere you want, allowing for easier times setting up challenges. Brawl is set to be an immensely enjoyable game. Already, in the few weeks since its release, millions of copies have sold.
