If there was one thing I was excited to get my hands on at E3, It was Super Smash Bros Ultimate. Since the trailer came out a few months ago showing an Octokid being summoned in a blaze of fiery glory, Smash has been on my mind a lot. Could Nintendo, Bandai Namco Studios and Sora LTD bring their premier fighting game to the Switch? The answer after playing four rounds is a resounding yes.
Old and New
The most obvious question is this: Is this just the Wii U version of Smash ported to the Switch? The answer is yes… and no. The graphics looked like the Wii U version, which is not a bad thing. The Wii U version was played by so few people after it became apparent that the life of the Wii U would not be the same as other consoles. This was and is a fun game that should be played by everyone. And luckily for us, there are some improvements.
The cast of fighters is everyone. 65 in all. Every character that ever appeared in any Smash Bros game returns in the biggest roster of a fighting game that I can remember. This might be disappointing to some, why should we play people we already have, until you figure out the possibilities. Have a friend that just dominates the matches with one character? There is a character who can match up with him or her perfectly. This roster also can settle arguments. Who is the best fighter from all the games? Now, there is no more theorizing. Just bring it to the stage and settle it once and for all.
Time to Smash
The first thing I will say is either get very familiar with your switch controllers or spend the money to get a game pad. The first match I played was learning controls while fighting off the other players. It didn’t help that I picked Octokid to see what one of the new characters can do at the same time. From what I saw, Octokid can “paint” other players which leaves them stuck for a few seconds.
As the matches wore on, I worried less about the controls and more about having a blast. One new stage I saw was inspired by Zelda: Breath of the Wild. Not all characters and stages were available to try out, but the absolute fun I was having made up for not seeing all of the secrets. Smash was always the game series that a newbie could play a veteran player and the outcome was not certain. If you get the right power up at the same time, the tide can turn very fast.
When it comes out on December 7, I will be one of the first people in line. This game promises to be the end all in fighting games. Just the roster alone makes it a must play. I will leave the review for others, but I have a feeling it will score very high. The only question is between now and when it releases is will the fan campaign make them include Walugi?
