Yeah this may be a little late, but I was working on other things. I finally got around to trying the Orders last night. Oh you were expecting a Twilight Princess review? Shame isn't it? I can't find my copy yet but I need to move things along here so I decided to review Smash Bros. instead. Why? Well Link is in the game, Zelda too (my last three game reviews were Ocarina of Time, Majora's Mask, and Wind Waker). So I may move Twilight Princess back a little ways and do another marathon later on with Skyward Sword, Link Between Worlds and other games. We will see. The next game I'm going to play is Assassin's Creed III so be ready. Also there should be a Thor and Black Lagoon review going up soon as well, as I did find my copy of Thor finally. Without further ado, let's get to the review.
WARNING spoilers WARNING
Also note, I did review the 3DS version as well.
So there are a absolute ton of game modes. While I feel some of the game modes are better in the 3DS version, I do enjoy playing the game modes here as well. The main mode is of course Smash. In Smash you basically fight with friends and computers. This time around you have more custom options and even a custom mode of sorts. There is plenty of variation on what can and cannot happen, and it is great. I've spent a lot of time here since the game came out last year. This is also the main reason to play Smash Bros. There is also online smash which works incredibly well especially compared to Brawl's failed online mode, and there you can fight for fun or glory. There is also 8-Player Smash for those who wish to do so, which can be both fun and confusing as it is difficult to really tell where you are on screen.
The next mode is a bored game like party game which if I'm to be real, isn't that great. It is fun to a certain extent, and on paper it sounds more complex then it really is, but there is little to keep me going back. If you've played the 3DS version with Smash Run, this will feel like a downgrade sadly. This Smash Tour mode would have actually been more suited for the 3DS but I digress, I know they did it to keep people playing the 3DS version.
Challenges is back with a lot more things to do some of which is much harder then the 3DS version has to offer. Then there is the meat of the game. Classic mode is back but completely different as it is more of a tournament style arena mode in which you pick which groups to fight for rewards and riches. All Star mode is also back which actually hasn't changed as much. There is also two player All Star and Classic to help you get more trophies faster though this can be good or bad depending on your partner. The Vault with trophies, replays, Masterpieces, tips, and more is also back allowing you to buy trophies and watch videos and pictures you recorded and took. Then in the Stadium you can train, do the Home-Run Contest, Multi-Man Melee, and Break the Targets which is now more like Angry Birds. You can also access the Event Matches from Melee which allows you to take on strange but fun challenges in both single and multiplayer. Then there is the Single Player modes called Orders. Master Orders allows you to take on individual challenges while the Crazy Orders allows you to play through several challenges and take on Crazy Hand at the end. It is a way to get treasures like badges and new moves as well as CDs quicker.
None of the game modes in this game are all that bad, Smash Tour being the weakest party here. Still, the other modes are often pretty fun or just as fun from the 3DS mode (silly Trophy Rush). While there are a select few modes funner in the 3DS version like Classic and Smash Run, the Wii U version certainly does a good job in making the player have fun.
Yes I have a main character now, no it isn't Charizard, though I do like to troll my friends with him. My mains are probably Bowser and Sonic... my previous mains from Melee and Brawl. The only thing I have issues with besides Falco and Ganondorf is how slow Bowser's reaction time is. If you get someone playing as a fast character that can dodge pretty well, a heavy weight doesn't stand a chance even if you mastered dodge rolls like the other person because the reaction time of the heavy character is so slow compared. I have a friend who plays as Lucina. I can no longer beat him with Bowser, even a custom Bowser that is faster, because no matter how much you increase a heavyweight's speed, their dodge reaction time is the same. Outside of that, which is a minor gripe, the characters play great and they all represent their original characters pretty well excluding Ganondorf and Falco of course.
The game actually plays smoothly and works better then the 3DS version. There are a few characters that for some reason don't use smash attacks as well as others which is odd but it happens rarely and it could be my game pad. The B buttons work special attacks which vary in useful to mediocre, the Smash Attacks are of course back as well and are the main blunt of attacks. The only real negative thing I can really say is counters can be overly annoying and overpowered, and sometimes random items make the game more about luck then anything. I don't mind random items killing me, except I make gold my playing the game, I have to spend it on something like Classic More or Orders, and I could be doing great until a bomb shows up and before I notice it is there a computer has it and is stuffing it into my face. Then I loose money and rewards, because my luck just sucked. This doesn't happen as much as it did in Brawl but it can still be frustrating. The luck factor is still strong and it is still a pain in the rear in single player modes at times, though done better since the last game. These are issues that do need to be worked on and worked out. While not as bad as the wonky controls in the 3DS version, there are still issues to work out for sure. Still all and all the game has great gameplay and 95% of the time you should have fun playing this game.
The 3DS game had some good levels, just too many classic levels. Well this game has some great classic levels as well as some of the better newer levels. Some of my favorites are "Gamer" and the Donkey Kong Country Returns level. Still there are some kind of bland level designs here like Pac-Land as well as the Pilotwings and Wii Resort stages. They weren't bad, but if picking random you kind of dislike them coming up too much. Also there are two Mario Kart levels and two Animal Crossing levels. Did this really need to happen? The Animal Crossing levels are nearly identical except one you get to see a city backdrop. The Mario Kart levels are also similar, one is simple and the other moves around but they are similar enough to kind of drown themselves out in a way. Same thing with the Pilotwings and Resort stages, they are both different, but also kind of similar especially in backdrop. The Mario Galaxy stage is okay, and so is the Sonic stage. Big Battlefield is nearly pointless. The large temple from Kid Icarus is cool, the Mushroom Kingdom U is fun, Skyloft is interesting, Wrecking Crew is fun, but the others are either okay or boring... or returning stages. I don't mind returning stages, but I'd love to see more original designs as well. Perhaps the Smash Bros. formula is just getting a little old? I don't know. Dr. Wily's Castle and the other boss fighting stages are pretty interesting though.
This is the issue. There are a BUNCH of stages to fight on. They vary from good to bad and everything in between. Some stages only some will find fun and some stages are just funny to play. There is something for everyone here, and there are stages that seem like they didn't need to be nearly repeated.
There are a few unlockable characters and a ton of trophies, CDs, and a few stages to unlock. There are modes that will have you busy unlocking treasure and moves. There is just a ton of content. While I'd like to work harder for the characters in the game, especially the newer ones, I'm still satisfied with the things I can do, and the things I still have to do to beat this game 100%. This is probably the best part of the game if I'm to be honest.
Overall this is a game worth getting. There is so much content in this game that it would be hard to not find something you like, and something you dislike. I'm not joking there is so much content it is hard to not have the good and the bad. There are flaws in each of my categories, and some really good points too.
If I had to recommend this game, I'd probably recommend it to nearly everyone. If you don't know if you like Smash or not, you will probably like Smash anyway. This game is one of the best in the five game series, and it is sure to entertain but if you aren't sure, rent it and get some friends to come play. You will most likely be hooked.