[Nintendo 3DS] Super Smash Bros ROM Download

Super Smash Bros ROM Screenshots

Super Smash Bros ROM Description

Introduction

Over the past two decades, Super Smash Brothers has established itself as one of Nintendo’s premier franchises. Whenever a new Nintendo console got announced, one of the first questions would always be “When will we see the next iteration of Smash?”.

This time around we’re getting two versions – one for the Wii U console and another for the 3DS handheld. The first one is the 3DS version, which marks the first time the series will be playable on the go. Is it even possible to take the console Smash experience and convert it into a portable one, or at least something respectable?

Modes and Features

At first glance, it might not seem like there’s a lot to Super Smash Brothers for 3DS. However, Nintendo didn’t skimp on the modes and features. All the usual suspects are present – quick matches against CPU opponents, Classic mode, All-Star mode, and a trio of mini-games, which include Multi-Man Smash, Target Blast, and Home Run Contests. There’s plenty to do to keep you busy for countless hours in the game.

It more than stands toe-to-toe with its previous console iterations in terms of extras. This also includes the addition of the new Smash Run mode, which is the game’s rough equivalent of Brawl’s Subspace Emissary. Smash Run lets you battle your way through a massive level for five minutes and the goal is to collect power-ups to improve your character’s stats in preparation for a final showdown at the end.

While Smash Run lacks the story or gratuitous cutscenes of Subspace, it does boast one improvement – you actually get to battle iconic enemies from classic Nintendo franchises instead of generic, bland foes. The problem is that even with this added benefit, Smash Run is a novelty that wears thin. It doesn’t feel like you’re working toward any meaningful reward or outcome, and the traditional Smash Brothers mechanics don’t lend themselves well to this endless style.

Perhaps with some refinement, this sort of feature could become more attractive but without any bells and whistles it’s a rather dull experience. One way to alleviate this issue is to go through Smash Run as well as other modes with a group of friends. No matter how you look at it, Smash is at its best in multiplayer.

Multiplayer

Next, Super Smash Brothers for 3DS offers both local and online support with arguably more features than we’ve seen before. Online play allows you to join friends or strangers in one of two categories:

“For Fun” doesn’t track your stats and only allows you to engage in either a free-for-all battle or a two-on-two team battle. And “For Glory” keeps tabs on your performance within these two modes but also offers the more competitive one-on-one mode that is clearly a nod to the competitive Smash scene.

If you don’t feel like playing online, you can go into Spectator Mode to view and bet on other players’ matches or watch recordings of previous bouts. On the local front, for the first time ever you can have people join your match via Wi-Fi so long as each person has a copy of the game. It’s not quite the same as simply plugging four controllers into a console, but having your own screen is a nice benefit.

As good as it sounds to enjoy Smash multiplayer on the go, finally, there are some serious issues holding it back. Despite playing within the same room mere feet away, we often experienced severe framerate issues that sometimes rendered the game unplayable. In a few serious cases the match would abruptly end and declare no contest.

The issue still persisted in other environments, many of which are typical locations for 3DS play. The online functionality as of the publishing of this review doesn’t fare much better. We were able to play online with friends with almost no issues as well as being able to spectate mode on matches from as far away as Japan with no latency.

However since we received our review copy over a week ago, we routinely encountered connection issues when trying to play against strangers online. What’s worse is during the few times we could connect to a match, the latency was enough to ruin the fun. Like with local multiplayer, there were times when the match would end abruptly due to connectivity problems.

We tested the online on multiple high-speed networks in different locations yet we experienced the same issues each time. After the complaints logged against Brawl’s spotty online mode we expected Nintendo to work out the kinks in time for this latest iteration. However, this is now the second time the company has failed to deliver a solid online experience for its premiere multiplayer series.

Well, it’s possible Nintendo will rectify this in an upcoming patch, there’s simply no excuse for this to happen again. When the multiplayer did work for us it was extremely fun whether you say yes or no to items or prefer to play on Final Destination or one of the wonderfully detailed levels crafted from various Nintendo franchises, there’s no denying how addicting this game can be at times.

Content and Customization

The copious amount of fanservice celebrates a rich history of gaming, and the soundtrack is as stellar as ever. Smash for 3DS also features hidden characters to unlock and plenty of challenges to complete that reward you with new stages or items to customize your character in certain modes, as well as create a completely original Mii character to take into battle.

The ability to customize your Mii’s combat preferences could gain some legs if players try to recreate iconic figures in Mii form, but otherwise, it’s merely a novel idea that doesn’t add much to the experience. Initially, we were pessimistic about the control scheme for a portable Smash on 3DS.

The demo and earlier preview iterations didn’t do the game any favors, but in the final version, we were able to customize our button layout to our liking, alleviating many of our concerns. While the analog nub on the 3DS still isn’t the best way to control your characters, and not allowing us to use the D-pad is ridiculous, the game actually handles nicely once you’ve optimized the configuration.