Smash Running Cuccos In Super Smash Bros. On 3DS

Editors Jeff Cork and Kyle Hilliard recently got a chance to spend some time with the upcoming 3DS version of Super Smash Bros., and they’re sharing their thoughts in a discussion format.

Kyle: Hey Jeff! We played Super Smash Bros. on 3DS.

Jeff: Great intro, Kyle! Yes, we did play Super Smash Bros. on 3DS. A lesser person would simply reply, “What did you think, Kyle?” but I’m going to try and advance this thing as effectively as possible!

We got to play the Smash Run mode, which we’ve written about before. Now, we’ve had a chance to actually play it. The gimmick is that players have five minutes to run through a gigantic maze, defeating enemies and collecting power ups, before launching into a traditional Smash Bros. battle. There, you end up with a crazy powerful combatant (in theory), with additional attack power, defensive abilities, or whatever, based on what you picked up in the first phase.

So anyway, what did you think, Kyle?

Kyle: Excellent follow up, Jeff. I played as Mega Man because I am fan of the character and I had never touched the fighter. I haven’t played Smash Bros. in awhile so I had to get my bearings, and learn a new character all in a new mode. Mega Man was a little tough to get a handle on, as each of cardinal directions with a special move appear to apply to a different boss master attack.

The mode itself was a different Smash Bros. experience than what I am used to. It was fun to call out all the different Nintendo references related to characters and power-ups. I saw the ghost from the StreetPass RPG and some Kid Icarus enemies, but I was a little turned off by the time limit. I really wanted to explore all of the areas and see all the assorted enemies, but it was nice to take advantage of the fruits of my labor in a traditional battle at the end. You played as the Animal Crossing Villager, right? How did he feel?

Jeff: It’s been a while since I played Smash, and I wanted to try out a new character. If I had more time with the game, I think it would make more sense for me to warm up for a while with a relatively boring character like Mario before trying someone new. At any rate, the Villager is a strange little dude. He’s pretty floaty, which took a while to get used to, but he has a lot of really fun moves. In one, he summons a gyroid and rides it like a rocket. You can jump off it, and it’ll propel itself along on an unmanned course. I also got a kick out of trapping enemies in a net as a throw attack, and his Balloon Fight-inspired triple jump. There were a lot of great Nintendo references in the Smash Run, too. Did you fight any giant goombas or run into a Cucco? I made the mistake of attacking the latter (I was on a killing frenzy), and I was swarmed by a crowd of the pixelated chickens. Annoying, and deadly!

Kyle: Yeah, I ran into some Cucco’s, and they were a pain. I ran into a giant a giant goomba early on, and Bryan Vore was making fun of me when it was kicking my butt. One thing I walked away from the game thinking was how hectic everything was. Super Smash Bros. has always been a hectic game, but shrinking it down to a small screen made it even crazier. I think this is something I could get used, and will get used to, but during my 10 or so minutes with the game, I was struggling to keep track of myself.

Despite having trouble keeping track, I will say that it felt like a Super Smash Bros. game, in the sense that nothing has been scaled back for the handheld. Movement feels the same, performing the smash attacks with the circle pad felt accurate, and near the end I felt myself getting into a very familiar Smash Bros. groove.

Jeff: Agreeing is boring, but I agree. The conventional Smash Bros. combat felt nice and familiar, but I was surprised at how much I enjoyed the Smash Run mode that preceded the action. The level we played was huge. It’s a series of floating islands and underground passages and platforming sections, and I had a hard time wrapping my mind around its size. There were times when I’d fall off (or get knocked off; thanks again, giant goomba), and I’d fall for 10 or 15 seconds at a time, landing on what seemed a different world. Maybe the scale will feel smaller once I play it for several dozen hours, but it was impressive from our time with it. You played as Little Mac, too, right?

Kyle: Yeah, Little Mac felt a little more familiar – closer to a Mario or more traditional character. He is much swifter than I expected though. Punching someone into oblivion felt really nice, as Mac’s punch animations have a lot of build-up and pay-off to them. After playing Smash Run, I played a more traditional match against three A.I. against Greninja and two others. A Smash Ball appeared, and I immediately pounced on it in the hopes of seeing Little Mac’s Final Smash, but Greninja beat me to it, vaulted me into the sky with a giant moon behind me, and then slashed through me like a ninja multiple times before launching into oblivion. I came in third place.

Jeff: Ha! I got second place with Little Mac! It’s clear who the best fighter is. That would be Wii Fitness Trainer, unfortunately. I believe she cheated somehow. I liked Little Mac, though he isn’t exactly forgiving. If you go all out on an enemy and they dash away or you simply miss and end up releasing a flurry of punches in the air, Mac gets winded for a little bit. I’m not proud to say that happened a few times during the match. Hey, I’m a little rusty at Smash, okay? Final thoughts? You have a six word limit. GO!

Kyle: Well, Jeff, I had a good

Jeff: Super Smash Bros. is a great