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Super Smash Bros. Ultimate review
Exceptional
by Mason Canny

The classic couch co-op party game returns, and this time the Super Smash Bros have really outdone themselves. With 74 characters to choose from (not counting the amazing DLC characters), every single player will find someone to play as who matches their style. Whether it's classic franchise mainstays like Mario and Fox, or new characters for this game like Incineroar and Ryu, there's certainly something for everyone and enough possibilities to prevent the gameplay from ever growing stale. In a way, I hope that this is the last Smash game, because everything is perfect. The characters, the moves, the stages, the music, the story mode. It's all so good, and makes me wonder how Nintendo is ever going to top this.
«Can’t stop playing»
«Better with friends»
«OST on repeat»

Other reviews19

One of the happiest days of my life was when Banjo was revealed
«Blew my mind»
the content is so fucking great the gameplay meh it s slow and it privilege anticipation over reaction i dont like it
«Better with friends»
«OST on repeat»
I write this after completing Adventure mode, trying out most of the other features, and downloading the DOC characters.  

Smash Bros Ultimate is a fantastic multiplayer game, with lots of character choices from across the video game universe.  I have almost no complaints.  I wish the adventure mode was more of a story mode, and I wish the collectibles went a little deeper into the Lord of their respective series.
In concept it's a masterpiece, but a number of mechanical and engine changes from Smash 4 (buffer, etc) and unplayable online make this installment a real disappointment.
12/10 - A MASTERPIECE of the fighting games!
«Just one more turn»
«Can’t stop playing»
This may be my favorite game EVER, and one of my most played. The combat is silky smooth and perfect for all skill levels whether it's at a party with first-timers or competing with friends, this game is welcoming for all. All this not even considering the oogles of characters, stages, music, new mechanics that pushes this series to its absolute limits.
While the online functions can be laggy, nothing beats this game for a good old group smash fest.
«Just one more turn»
I feel i'm one of the few people who isn't a huge fan of this one. I am a massive fan of the last installment but in my opinion the lack of singleplayer content really brings this down. The story mode 'World of light' which i was hoping to be a sucessor to the very fun 'Subspace Emissary' from Brawl., ended up being abysmal and very dissapointing. While it is amazing how they brought every character back aswell as some very cool new ones such as Ridley and K Rool, i also feel the bar has been lowered more so than Smash 4 which was infamous for adding alot of pointless, unneeded characters.
After playing a lot of Smash 4, you'll find yourself quite familiar with Ultimate's mechanics and tweaks but it also has some things that may shake your ground a little.

Initially, the gameplay feels incredible and more polished than ever, a lot of characters feel so different (except for the "echo" ones for obvious reasons) and in its massive roster, you'll mostly find at least one character that is suitable for your playstyle. Everything in this game is massive to the point that is overwhelming, you have a lot of stages, characters, music, options, etc. a lot of them are originally from past games but they're updated to the point that they feel fresh and new, also, the fact that they're adding a lot of content with the season pass it is just amazing. There are several game modes to play this game, there's a pseudo story mode which is serviceable but not as memorable like space emissary in Brawl, you can play classic modes and obviously multiplayer, also, an addition that I really like and I have spend hours on it, is that now you can set up the massive soundtrack to every stage of your liking, is not perfect but it's cool.

Although I'm certain that this is the best Smash game to this point, it has also things that keep it from being a masterpiece, the bigger one might be its online play, from matchmaking to playing with friends, is quite bothersome, in matchmaking often you'll fight with rules that you didn't apply, for example, I like to play in final destination only, zero items, stock, etc. but at least 2/6 fights I'll play on battlefield with items or timer, it doesn't sound like a big issue but trust me it really is, I'm not criticizing anyone's playstyle but what I'm trying to say is that nobody wins. Another issue on matchmaking is that if you find someone that you want to fight over and over, you're stuck with the character you choose, unlike in Smash 4 where you could switch between chars to make things more fun, it makes no sense. Its worth note that playing online with friends is also a hassle and it has its fair amount of issues but let's leave it at that.

There are several nitpicks that maybe I'm the only one in this, as I told you, the roster is massive but you literally start with the original roster of 8 characters, and you have to unlock every one of them, they're not that hard to unlock mind you, but it keeps you from playing your mains for at least some hours, if this wasn't an all-star game I wouldn't have a problem with this, but its kind of pointless and frustrating to wait at times. Finally, I know that I'm alone in this one, but I liked a lot the customization mechanic of special moves they introduced in Smash 4, I know that they were banned in professional tournaments but from a semi-hardcore point of view, they added a lot of fun, I hope that they have a comeback of some sorts in the future or future entries.

When all is said and done, and every character is at your disposal, be prepared to have an incredible time, especially when playing with friends locally or online (forgetting some issues there mind you). Smash Bros has this amazing quality that it doesn't matter that you're not great in fighting games, you'll certainly find a character or a playstyle you'll like the most in here and when you have that moment after an 8 player battle where you are the last one standing, it's truly glorious. Smash Bros Ultimate is a must for every Nintendo Switch owner, period, even when I have problems with it, they feel so minimal in comparison to its positive things.
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«Just one more turn»
«Can’t stop playing»