E3 2013 - Super Smash Bros 3DS and Wii U Hands On

Nintendo have this series of games that you might know, Super Smash Bros. and this E3 both the Wii U and 3DS versions were front and centre.

I should start out by explaining I am not a Smash Bros player, I just don’t get the game; But having said that I had a lot of fun playing both versions of the game. Let’s start with the 3DS version as it was the first one that I played. What mode I played was the all new Smash Run, where players are dropped into a random new map that is filled with all sorts of enemies from throughout Nintendo’s history.

Players have 5 minutes to collect as many items as they can in order to build up their stats. These items are obtained by defeating the enemies and collecting what they drop. After the time is up your new stats are showed on the screen, the changes that can be made are incredible. Bowser is generally one of the slower characters because of his size, but with this game mode you have the chance to triple or even quadruple his base movement speed. This changes the game drastically, with the next part of the game where you are thrown into a round of fighting.

As you would expect, this plays a lot differently with all of the characters that are fighting having all different stats. The match lasted for 3 minutes and at the end a winner was selected. In my match I tied with another player, but thinking it was over I did not pay attention and in the tie breaker round was booted off screen almost straight away. Smash Run does not change how the characters move, this is not a platformer, no this is Smash Bros and as such the characters have their moves and attacks and they function just as you would expect. If you pick up the 3DS version of Smash Bros. I believe that you will enjoy this mode immensely.

Now onto the Wii U version of the game which garnered a lot of attention throughout the show, in no small part to the Smash Bros Invitational.  But on the show floor, Nintendo made sure people were well aware of the Smash Bros. presence, with a giant screen hosting smash matches almost the entire time. In fact almost half the booth was dedicated to Smash Bros. on Wii U. I did not get a chance to play the game here, but I did take the time to sit back and watch some matches unfold and some of them were one sided, some were really hard to see who was winning but at all times the people playing and watching were loving it.

I had the chance to play with three other players, one from Nintendo of America who was manning the Smash station in the press area, they won a lot, one from Nintendo Australia and one from IGN Australia. Over the course of the 5 rounds that we played, I had the chance to try various characters with one round I left the character selection to the game and for that I ended up with Mega Man. As I expected at the end of the 1^st round I came last, and then last again the next one, however with round three and four I came first, and then second in the final one. What that highlights is that no matter your skill, or in my case lack thereof, anyone can have a go at Smash Bros.

Now being a novice to smash I was not that sure of the controls, but I did pick them up pretty quickly and was able to do most moves on purpose. Overall my time with both versions of the game resulted in me bring really impressed and added my desire to add them both to my game collection when they release this year.