As of this review, Super Smash Bros 4 is the latest in the legendary Super Smash Bros series. Released in 2014 for the 3DS and Wii U, this game marked the first time hat a Super Smash Bros game appeared on a handheld. I am going to review the 3DS version of the game.
There are various modes, including your standard Battle mode, Classic Mode, which now has a roadmap where the player can choose which path they want and the new Smash Run mode, where the player will run across the map while beating up enemies, culminating in a battle with other characters under certain conditions. It is a shame that a story mode of sorts was not made available, especially when Smash Run has a MUCH better variety of enemies than the Subspace Emissary did. It's a nice distraction, but nothing more than that.
The gameplay, however? Its the most refined in the series. Gone is the dreaded random tripping from Brawl for a more fast-paced and mostly balanced experience. The mechanics are similar to that of Brawl but its faster paced like Melee. The character roster has gotten much larger now with returning characters like Mario, Mewtwo and Samus to new ones like Mega Man, Cloud and oddly enough, Bayonetta. Overall, the roster is good, buuut there are a lot of Fire Emblem reps and even sword based characters for my liking. A few more and this game would literally be a Soul Calibur spinoff!
The online, while having its moments where it lags to hell and back is substantially better than that of Brawl's messy online. This mode adds in two extra types of modes; For Fun is more geared to casual players with items and For Glory makes players fight on Final Destination versions any stage, providing for some of the most intense matches yet. Sakurai did this to appeal to both casual and pro players, which is great for accessibility.
Overall, SSB 3DS is easily one of the greatest titles on the 3DS and is a must-have for those who do not own the game but have a 3DS.