PlatformOVERALL
Wii U9.50
Overall 9.50
Smash Bros. U does not reinvent the wheel, this is basically the same Smash you have been playing since the 64 days. It doesn't have as big an improvement as the last two sequels. Melee mastered the gameplay. Brawl added insane amounts of content, music and modes but the gameplay took a step back. Brawl is not used in tournaments, it is slower than Melee and just does not feel as responsive. Smash for Wii U is a mix of all the excellent content from Brawl but bringing back the perfect feel of Melee. This is the best Smash game hands down.

The gameplay remains the same, if it is not broken don't fix it. You can play with nearly every controller known to man, you can adjust every button, customize it any way you want. Fighting just feels right, its hard to describe if you never played smash. The amount of speed and weight feels right where it should be. This has the largest cast of characters,even though they all use the same commands some have some really cool unique sub systems in place. There is so much hidden depth to this game, I can totally see why some view this as a hardcore fighting game. Each match can be customized in every single way imaginable; every item can be switch on or off, every rule, gravity, weight, damage out put, levels, music, whatever you want you can do. Even every character can be customized now with new moves and power levels. Every single character has two other complete sets of special moves, all can be customized into any order of moves. Sadly these moves all have to be earned, it can take 50 hours to get a full set for a character, then it is hardly used as most people just play with the default. It is a nice addition but needed better implementation.

What I love most is the level of detail in every facet of the game. All the characters feel like the game they come from. Mega Man moves and animates like mega man. He has no standard punch cause Mega Man shoots blasts, so that is what he does in the game. Every special move is a power taken from one of the Mega Man villains. The Villager from Animal Crossing some how incorporates random AC activities into the battle like planting a tree and watering it. Robin has a whole magic level system that no other character shares. Little Mac has a charge meter for a KO punch just like in the arcade version. Alternate costumes represent different versions of characters from different games when appropriate.

Levels have crazy details as well, like the animal crossing level having a concert from KK Slider on saturday nights exactly like he does in AC. There is a Pac-Man level where you actually play through the entire level from Pac World. The Duck Hunt level has a fully operational Duck Hunt game running in background. This is just the tip of the iceberg, the amount of small details in every area is so impressive, there is so much care and love put into this game and small things like that do make a difference.

The largest addition to the franchise is the introduction of 8 player smash. If you think that would be too chaotic you are right, but that is what makes it AWESOME! It somehow still works great and there are more than enough large levels to support so many players. Speaking of levels, there are some crazy ones and now boss battles break out in the middle of some of them. What I did not like is that there seems to be fewer new levels than in Brawl and there is a lack of classic selection like in Brawl. The same goes for the incredible soundtrack, a lot of it is borrowed from Brawl and the new stuff is not as expansive as it was the first time the attempted this crazy collection of songs; that said the soundtrack is still legendary, no game has a collection as good as this.

In terms of content this game has a near endless list of things to do. Personally I loved the story mode in brawl and I hate to see it go but this game makes sure that every single player mode is fun, is centered on the core smash gameplay and is all tied together with collectables. Every single mode you play rewards you with gold or new moves that can be used in all other modes. Classic mode has a different structure and a very cool boss battle system that gets more elaborate the higher the difficulty. There are a ton of events to complete with genius new challenges to play, one of my favorites was using duck hunt to actually play duck hunt while a bunch of Falcos try to kill you. Orders are small challenges that offer a risk reward system, very addicting. There is a new smash board game which is ok but kind of a throw away mode, that could have used some work.

All these modes are tied into the challenge system which is like the in game massive trophy section. 120 challenges are available, trying to get them all is near impossible but it can direct you to new ways to play. I could spend five hours straight playing this game simply jumping from mode to mode, all of them fun, get bored with one and change it up. That arcade quality of just one more game, I can get a higher score permeates nearly every mode in this game.

Smash is best played with others so online play is very important. Online play is improved over Brawl, matches are no where near as laggy but the options online is still very dated. There is no in game notification system so simply getting friends together is a chore. Also there are no 8 player matches online, you cant play the board game or any of the other modes. If you play with randoms you can only play a timer match, which I dislike. The ranking system is terrible, no real boards to see how you rank. It is such a shame that the online mode feels so limited cause actually playing online is a blast.

Among the unlockables are a treasure trove of trophies of Nintendo characters and items with a description. There is a collection of short segments of old Nintendo games. That along with the crazy music collection makes Smash a virtual Nintendo museum. It celebrates everything I like about games; it loves to challenge and engage the player.Smash is a fighting game but it is also a game about the love of  games. Another masterpiece in this great series.
Posted by Dvader Tue, 13 Jan 2015 05:45:06
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Thu, 15 Jan 2015 10:33:44
I wish they would let you use the D-pad for movement - and not on wiimote only mode.
 
Thu, 15 Jan 2015 11:02:35
Overrated.
 
Thu, 22 Jan 2015 01:29:06
This is going to sound crazy, but as someone who plays solo most of the time, I think I might actually prefer the 3DS version. The custom moves on U take too long to get for any particular character, whereas on 3DS, there's a much higher probability that if you play a mode with character X, you will get custom moves for character X. Also, and this is the biggie for me, the AI on U is so perfect it's cheap: it'll do everything at just the right moment to screw you over. Maybe it's been too long since I've played another Smash game extensively, but the AI on 3DS just seems more manageable, and closer to what we had with Melee and Brawl. Figure Players are devils, by the way.

And for some reason, using the Circle Pad feels better to me than using the GC control stick. It doesn't work quite as well, so I'm not sure why I feel this way. Maybe because each action requires less input movement of the thumb.

Modes, stages, and music are clearly superior on U, with the exception that Smash Run is more fun than Smash Tour. I also wouldn't mind some 3DS stages being on U, but oh well (Gerudo Valley, especially... T_T ).

Of course, it could just be that I've developed an aversion to booting up consoles, as most of my gaming is done on the PC and 3DS. :/ I don't know, I'm weird.
 
Thu, 22 Jan 2015 21:19:56
The AI is super cheap!!!! I am glad I am not the only one who feels like that.
 
Fri, 23 Jan 2015 14:33:57
This game feels like I could play it for a year and still discover new features or goodies.
 
Fri, 23 Jan 2015 14:41:21
I don't mind the AI, save for that of the Amiibo's.  I wish there was a way to keep amiibo's from levelling past a specific level that doesn't feel like cheating the system;

Also, Amiibo's go to level 50 in a couple of hours, which is way too fast.
 
Fri, 23 Jan 2015 15:01:08
What do you actually do with the Amiibos? I have two registered.

I don't use them. The ads show that you just place them down when you're getting a beatdown and they take over?
 
Sat, 24 Jan 2015 15:06:40
amiibos=gimmick
 
Sat, 24 Jan 2015 15:33:21
If you hold down z when picking certain levels like star fox you get new stuff. In star fox you get an entire storyline with voice acting from the whole star fox crew, so the events of the level now make sense. Amazing
 
Sun, 25 Jan 2015 10:44:45
so hold down either z button or both at the same time?
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