Super Smash Bros. for Wii U review round-up

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Super Smash Bros. for Wii U reviews have thundered into view ahead of the mascot brawler tumbling into North American retailers this week, with Europe shortly after.

As with Pokémon Omega Ruby & Alpha Sapphire, the critical response is a resoundingly positive one – praising the Wii U iteration for immeasurable depth, meticulous balancing and luscious 1080p 60fps goodness.

Our review is incoming later this week, but we thought you’d be interested to see what everyone else is saying for now – we’ll update more as they go live!

* CVG – 9
For now, though, we’ll need to settle for what is ‘merely’ the best Smash Bros game to date: the ultimate love letter to all things Nintendo and one that, despite potentially being held back by its handheld sibling, still provides the sort of local multiplayer that will have friends talking about memories and moments years later. The 3DS version was all well and good, but the Wii U game is undoubtedly the main event, and now Smash Bros is back where it belongs: on your TV.

* Destructoid – 9.5
Super Smash Bros. for Wii U delivers all of the rock-solid mechanics that the 3DS version gave us, with the joy of playing on a big screen with friends and a heap of worthwhile modes. It certainly doesn’t negate the greatness of the 3DS edition, but for those who have a bunch of friends anxious to Smash and can only get one, this is the version to get.

* EGM Now – 9.5
All told, there’s so much going on in Super Smash Bros. for Wii U that it’s practically impossible for any fan of the series not to find something to love. The wealth of options and modes like 8-Player Smash make it the ultimate multiplayer incarnation of the series. The huge amount of single-player content delivers a surprisingly robust experience on that front, too; it’ll no doubt take dozens upon dozens of hours to complete all 130 of the game’s Achievement-like Challenges. Rarely does a game offer such variety with such a consistently high standard of quality. If you’ve been looking for a reason to get a Wii U, Super Smash Bros. is almost certainly it.

* GameSpot – Score Pending
For now, I’m most impressed with how well everything in Smash for Wii U feels. It’s natural, without being rote. There’s a low skill floor and a skill ceiling that I don’t think I’ll hit for years. I still haven’t had much chance to explore the Amiibo integration, and online modes won’t be open until the day before release. I’ll be preparing for the final review over the next few days as I test these modes and continue to explore the reaches of this stunningly expansive game.

* GameZone – 9
At the end of the day, it’s Smash Bros. any way you look at it. It’s not longer the floaty fighter that Brawl was and instead now sits at a comfortable mid-ground between Brawl and Melee. The roster is huge and diverse, with very few clone characters this time around. It’s still one of Nintendo’s most innovative and extremely fun party games to date, and anyone with a Wii U has surely been looking forward to its release. It’s not perfect, but it certainly comes close.

* IGN – Score Pending
Nearly every aspect of Smash Wii U seems fine-tuned not only to appeal to the nostalgia of long-time Nintendo fans, but also to be accessible to new players. Then it draws them in deeper once they’re hooked with a set of great modes and tempting rewards. There’s just so much here, and I’ve rarely seen a game with so many enjoyable and replayable ideas in a single package. Playing eight-player matches was only the beginning, and I don’t see a reason I’ll stop playing Smash Wii U for a long time.

* The Jimquisition – 9.5
Super Smash Bros. for Wii U is a beautifully polished, impeccably tight game. While I’d have liked more 3DS integration, and the much-touted Amiibo inclusion isn’t anything to go crazy over, the game remains an absolutely stellar fighting game that I’m finding very difficult to tear myself away from. It’s packed with diverse content, can be tailored to suit anybody’s needs, and most important of all – it’s a ridiculous amount of bloody fun! Also, MewTwo.

* Joystiq – Score Pending
Beyond those gripes and my indifference toward the Amiibo experience however, my time with Super Smash Bros. for Wii U has been exactly what I hoped for. Though its aptitude for scrapbooking Nintendo nostalgia is expert-tier, its expansion of character customization, switched-up play styles and abundance of goals to chase are what have and will continue to keep me stirring up feuds between Nintendo’s all-stars with friends and on my own. Of course, it helps that the core bouts are still sublime to play, with or without the absurdity added by items or dangerous stages. Smash is an intelligent, creative, blissful continuation of the “Who’s better?” character debate, and I look forward to changing my answer as I reconfigure Smash’s roster and find new favorite ways to send Donkey Kong into the stratosphere.

* Nintendo Life – Score Pending
All that fantastic fan service is still here and more polished than ever — and now, the gloves are off. Super Smash Bros. finally embraces its hyper-competitive side, all the while still managing to deliver one of the most enjoyable party games in years. This is a smarter, more focused blast of fighting mayhem, confident in its ability to appeal to any audience willing to give it a chance. Super Smash Bros. for Wii U is an expertly crafted, deep fighter that is a pure joy to play no matter your skill level.

* NintendoWorldReport – Score Pending
Super Smash Bros. for Wii U is filled with so much content it is overwhelming at times. While the best mode of play will always be sitting back and fighting with friends, so much varied peripheral content is added that it is a continual delight to play through every challenge and mode, regardless of whether I played through a similar mode on 3DS recently. The easiest way to say it is like this: The Wii U release is the best version of Smash Bros. to date (as long as the online is good, which we will find out soon enough).

* TechnoBuffalo – Buy
Super Smash Bros. stands tall as another instant classic on the Wii U, and its customization, potential inputs, mountain of modes and fantastic presentation all do wonders at making this a surefire win for Nintendo. Coupled with the games that are already out on the platform, the Wii U is now a console to own. There’s no argument against that anymore. Super Smash Bros. joins Pikmin 3, Bayonetta 2, Mario Kart 8, Donkey Kong Country: Tropical Freeze and Super Mario 3D World as the absolute best games of this new generation, and they all belong to Nintendo. You’re running out of excuses.

* USGamer – 4.5/5
Ultimately, I know I won’t be playing Smash Bros. for Wii U nearly as much as Melee, but after the Wii’s disappointing Smash Bros. Brawl, it’s hard to find more than a few legitimate reasons to complain. If you have a Wii U and know enough game-savvy people to fill a mid-sized couch, Smash Bros. for Wii U comes strongly recommended, especially if you invest in a few extra GameCube controllers. And you’ll want to hold onto them, too: something tells me Nintendo’ll find a way to make these ancient input devices work on whatever Smash Bros. experience they have in the works for 2020 (or thereabouts).

* VentureBeat – 98/100
When I’m playing Smash Bros. with my friends, nothing can be better. We scream, we argue, we laugh, and we never want to stop. The Wii U version is a fantastic addition to the series. The new modes are great, but the excellent mechanics and huge, varied roster make it potentially the best entry in the franchise yet. Super Smash Bros. for Wii U is the system’s best game yet, one of the best multiplayer experiences available, and one of Nintendo’s finest achievements.

* The Verge – No Score
Smash Bros. is perhaps the most Nintendo game ever. The company gets derided for rehashing old franchises, but there’s a reason that it goes back to the well so often: Nintendo makes amazing games. The newest Smash Bros. is fundamentally the same as past versions, but it’s also the best iteration, building on top of its predecessors with amazing new modes and ideas like eight-player battles. It takes what you love about Smash Bros. and cranks it up to 11.

It’s worth giving up your coffee table to a pile of controllers.

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