Preview: Super Smash Bros @ EGX 2014
The public demo for Super Smash Bros that was released back in early September was quite limited, especially in terms of character/stage selection. The EGX booth demo, on the other hand, provided a much more generous selection of characters and stages which gave players a better impression of how the full game would be.
The rules were restricted to 2 minute matches in the demo, and you play against CPU characters drawn from all the characters available from the start (all set at level 3, which is accessible to players who are new to Super Smash Bros). The choice of characters range from representatives from the staple Nintendo franchises (such as the Mario series) to more niche games like Fire Emblem and Xenoblade. This give players a lot of choice and chances to explore all the moves with each character (hence adding longevity).
The graphics are great and detailed both in terms of the characters and background, along with the framerate being consistently smooth through while playing. These factors are important for a game such as SSB as given its fast-paced nature (both in terms of moves and its encouragement of dashing towards opponents). The small screen on the 3DS means it is sometimes a struggle to view all the special moves while battling, but this is a small hindrance that largely doesn’t affect the gameplay.
The controls are decent although it took some getting used to moving by using the analog stick (Brawl player here) as the D-Pad tied up for posing and taunts in-game (the full game has customisation on buttons). Also I am concerned that for some players ; the buttons (especially on a standard 3DS model) could prove too small as it has a different feel to playing on the console. X & Y buttons are jump, A is for standard attack and B is for special attack.
This is the first Super Smash title to be released on a handheld system, so at first glance people would assume it would be inferior to the likes of Melee, Brawl and even the N64 original. But I was pleasantly assured by playing that the 3DS Smash definitely earns its right to stand proud among the Smash Bros family.
Overall a welcome addition to the franchise. For those of you new to this amazing franchise and still on the fence the aforementioned public demo is still available. So feel free to try before you buy! Like most you will probably end up doing the latter!