Super Smash Bros. for Nintendo 3DS
© 2014 Nintendo of America
This first ever portable edition of Super Smash Bros. is both fun and extremely responsive. It even impressed our seasoned Game Cube Super Smash Bros. players, although it is no substitution for the big-screen social experience. Different modes and good AI make it fun to play alone, or against another player, either online or locally. Features include a new "Smash Run" mode, where up to four players get five minutes to fight solo through a battlefield, while fighting against famous enemies from Nintendo and 3rd party games. Novice testers had some trouble with the first menus; but this was only the first time through. There's an excellent selection of fighters -- each with different attributes, and fighting arenas. The 3D graphics are used well; we discovered some fun effects that can emerge during a battle. There are both classic and new characters that include Pac Man, Mega Man, Little Mac, Link, Samus, Pikachu, and the Mii Fighters (fighters made up of your customized Mii avatar). Rated E10+ for the obvious cartoon violence. There is no worrisome content -- just good clean smashing.
$40, Nintendo 3DS
Teaches: logic, creativity, timing, cooperative and competitive play, Nintendo trivia
CTR Rating: 92.5%