Super Smash Bros. for Nintendo 3DS / Wii U

Super Smash Bros. for Nintendo 3DS and Super Smash Bros. for Wii U are the fourth and fifth installments of the Super Smash Bros. series respectively, and were developed by Sora Ltd. and Bandai Namco Games. While the two games were developed simulataneously, the Nintendo 3DS version launched earlier due to its earlier completion of development.

Gameplay
Super Smash Bros. for Nintendo 3DS and Super Smash Bros. for Wii U have some similarities and differences from Super Smash Bros. Brawl, as well as differences between the two versions. Final Smashes and Footstool Jumping make a return, while the "tripping" mechanic has been removed. The pace of battles has also been stated to be in between Super Smash Bros. Melee and Super Smash Bros. Brawl.

Both games have the same roster of playable characters in order to keep them consistent. The movesets and animations of some returning characters were changed more significantly than during the transition from Super Smash Bros. Melee to Super Smash Bros. Brawl, with many returning characters having completely new moves, and major alterations (such as Pit). Aesthetically, the games are much more stylized and visually intense than previous entries, with the overall colors being bolder and brighter and many elements having been redone to stand out more.

Players can send customized fighters from one version to the other. Players can customize fighter's special attacks with one of three variations for each. The Mii Fighters and Palutena, however, have custom special attacks that aren't variants of the original attacks; these are unlocked from the beginning. Players can also equip items to fighters to increase specific attributes (attack, defense, or speed) while sacrificing others. Up to three items can be equipped at a time, and some items provide additional side effects to the fighter. Custom characters cannot be used in With Anyone online. Additionally, by connecting the two games the player can use their Nintendo 3DS as a controller for the Wii U version.

Both versions of the game feature online play similar to Super Smash Bros. Brawl in that players from all over the world can face others in matches. When playing With Friends, players can customize the rules to their liking. Voicechat is also available in the Wii U version when playing With Friends, though like Mario Kart 8 it is only available outside of gameplay. When playing in With Anyone, two basic options are avialable: For Fun and For Glory. In For Fun mode, players can battle on any of the stages except Final Destination with any rules, the stages being picked at random; only victories are recorded in this mode. Players can either play standard Smash or Team Smash matches. In For Glory mode, players can only play on the "Final Destination" versions of stages, without items. In addition to Smash and Team Smash, players can also play one-on-one matches, and both victories and losses are recorded.

Spectate mode is also available, in which players can view matches and bet gold on the outcome, view replays of past online matches, and view a map showing everyone online.

In addition, rather than have an online leaderboard, the games make use of a different type of ranking system, called "Global Smash Power". When playing in Games & More, the player's scores in the various modes determine their Global Smash Power for each game, the number indicating how many players around the world they outrank.

Another mode, known as Conquest, is also available in the Nintendo 3DS version as of the 1.0.1 update, and is available by default in the Wii U version. For the Nintendo 3DS version, Conquest mode began on September 15, 2014 in Japan, and on October 2, 2014, in all other regions of the world. Conquests occur over the course of a few days; players fight as any of the given characters in With Anyone to increase the score for said characters/teams, and if the player's team wins they receive a reward by going to the Conquest menu and viewing the results.

Playable characters
This installment features a total of 50 playable characters (52 counting the three types Mii Fighters), consisting of 35 veterans and 15 newcomers (17 counting the other two types of the Mii Fighters). 37 (39 counting the other two Mii Fighters) characters are available from the start of the game, whereas 12 must be unlocked by meeting certain conditions, and the remaining 1 must be downloaded. Due to limitations with the Nintendo 3DS version of the game, certain characters from the previous installments in the series have been cut from the rosters of both versions in order to keep them consistent. Unlike previous games in the series, with the removal of in-game transformations, Sheik, Zero Suit Samus, and Charizard are now standalone characters. Mewtwo has been confirmed to return from Super Smash Bros. Melee as a downloadable character, releasing for purchase in the first half of 2015. It is the first and only DLC character confirmed thus far and will be free to players who own both versions of the game.

Stages
Both versions have different stages with a few exceptions. The Nintendo 3DS version features 34 stages, while there is 47 for the Wii U version, making a total of 81 stages between both. The Wii U version mostly features stages based on games released on home consoles, while the 3DS version mostly features stages based on games released on handheld systems. In the Nintendo 3DS version, each stage has only two tracks that can play, whereas the Wii U version has a comprehensive list similar to My Music from Super Smash Bros. Brawl. Additionally, players can toggle between playing on "Final Destination" variations of most stages (represented by a "Ω") in addition to playing on the standard versions, being a flat course with no obstacles or other platforms. Stages listed in italics are unlockable.

Items
Super Smash Bros. for Nintendo 3DS and Super Smash Bros. for Wii U feature many new items. Both versions feature the same types of items. 75 items, 26 of which are new, appear in the games.

Reception
Super Smash Bros. for Nintendo 3DS has been generally praised by critics for taking the Super Smash Bros. formula and successfully putting it on a handheld device, as well as for the amount of content it has and the variety of customization options. The version-exclusive Smash Run mode has also met positive reception as a nice diversion from the standard gameplay. The graphics and gameplay have received overall praise, though several critics have noted issues with the game's controls, as well as the Nintendo 3DS's screen size being too small to keep track of the gameplay. The online mode has also been a point of contention, being prone to slowdown and input lag.

Within two days of its Japanese release, Super Smash Bros. for Nintendo 3DS sold over one million copies, combining both physical and digital sales. Sales of the physical game totaled at 944,644 units for its launch, selling through 93.45% of its initial shipment. The game was also the highest-selling game that week in Japan. Additionally, the game sold 705,000 copies in two days on its launch in the United States. On October 7th, 2014, four days after the international launch of the game, Nintendo announced that Super Smash Bros. for Nintendo 3DS had sold over 2.8 million copies worldwide. On October 29, 2014, it was announced that the game had sold 3.22 million copies worldwide since its original Japanese release. At The Game Awards 2014, the Nintendo 3DS version received nominations for the "Best Mobile/Handheld Game" and "Best Fighting Game" awards. However, it did not win either of these awards.

Within three days of launch in North America, Super Smash Bros. for Wii U sold over 490,000 units, making it the fastest-selling Wii U title in North America. Super Smash Bros. for Wii U also won the award for the "Best Fighting Game" at The Game Awards 2014.

Future updates
Nintendo has stated that a future update to Super Smash Bros. for Wii U will feature the ability to share user-created stages online. The same thing has been announced for photos.

Downloadable content
Two downloadable features have been confirmed thus far; a Miiverse stage exclusive to the Wii U version, and Mewtwo as a playable fighter in both versions. The Miiverse stage will be released for free shortly after the Wii U release. Mewtwo will be released in spring 2015 as the DLC, for both versions; owners of both versions that have registered the games in Club Nintendo will receive the DLC for free.

amiibo
Both versions of the game are compatible with amiibo figurines; while Super Smash Bros. for Wii U features amiibo support at launch, Super Smash Bros. for Nintendo 3DS will receive an update to add the functionality. Both games are also the first games for their respective consoles to feature amiibo compatibility. Using these figures allows players to have the figure's character appear in the game and fight, either with or against the player or against each other. Every time an amiibo competes in battle, it increases its level and battle stats, the highest level being fifty. Its moves are also customizable. The Super Smash Bros. line of amiibo launched alongside the Wii U game as the first line of amiibo figurines; the Super Smash Bros. line is being released in waves, with every fighter planned to receive an amiibo.

Soundtrack


A two-disc soundtrack for Super Smash Bros. for Nintendo 3DS / Wii U is set to be released exclusively on Club Nintendo. Members who register a copy of both the Wii U and Nintendo 3DS game before January 13, 2015, can obtain a copy of the soundtrack. The red disc will contain tracks from the Nintendo 3DS game, while the blue disc will contain tracks from the Wii U game.

Beta elements
According to Masahiro Sakurai on Famitsu, he was planning on adding the Ice Climbers for Super Smash Bros. for Nintendo 3DS / Wii U, but despite the characters running without problems on the Wii U version, the team had trouble getting the Ice Climbers working in the Nintendo 3DS version due to issues on the hardware power that Sakurai mentions in the Super Smash Bros. Direct video that all fighters will get 60 FPS in the Nintendo 3DS version during in the development that caused the problem during in the debug testing. However, remnants of their chant in the game can be found through a glitch.