Nintendo just showed of their latest Direct conference, and "Super Smash Bros. Ultimate" was the star of the show. Actually, they were the whole show, but I have no complaints with that. Nintendo continues to surprise us. What they showed off for "Smash Bros." at E3 could have been the entire game, and we all would have been happy. They went above and beyond, however, and displayed new features, characters, stages, and modes that I did not even know I wanted. "Smash Bros. Ultimate" looks like it could be the next fighting game to dominate the genre.
They started off their show by displaying a new character announcement. Honestly, I was surprised by this. I did not think they would show any other characters if there were any, but, fortunately, I was wrong. The trailer introduced Simon Belmont from the "Castlevania" series. This also came with the announcement that "Dracula's Castle" would be a stage added, and that bosses from the series would show up as stage hazards. Dracula himself will even make an appearance when the conditions are right. They also announced that Richter Belmont will also be playable as an Echo Fighter (This is also probably the closest we will ever get to a good "Castlevania game ever again).
They also announced several new Echo Fighters including Chrom from "Fire Emblem" and Dark Samus from "Metroid." There are also a ton of new Assist Trophies coming including fan favorites like Grey Fox, Alucard, and the Rathalos! The latter will also be the first character appearing as both a boss and an Assist Trophy. To break the order of the conference a bit, they finished with a look at another brand-new character: King K. Rool, who has been much requested over the past several years!
To go into some of the finer details, they announced that there will be 103 stages to fight one. If the different versions of those stages are included, the total jumps up to over 300! They also displayed a slew of new multiplayer modes that are all customizable. There is a tourney mode, a way to turn on/off stage hazards, a mode that eliminates previously used fighters, and so many more. They also showed off the music mode of the game, which will allow the player to openly listen to any song featured in the game even while the screen is off. There are also stage transformations, double stages, and new training modes. The list goes on and on.
What does this mean for "Super Smash Bros.?" For one, it is going to be a much more detailed and customizable game that anyone could have predicted. Secondly, it looks like it could be a game that gives an experience and level of customization that no other fighting game as done. Its customization options alone allow it to be molded to the player's will. This means that anyone from the ages on 1 to 100, casual to hardcore fighter, or casual to hardcore gamer, could pick it up and play. Not only that, but this looks to be the most competitive friendly "Smash Bros," and fighting game in general, that has ever been done.
I know I am giving the game a lot of praise, but based on what Nintendo has shown, it really looks like the have innovated, listened to fans, and looked at every detail with this game. I think it is really a testament to Nintendo and their level of commitment to their games and their fans. The game still has more announcements on the way, as they teased another mode and possible more characters. I look forward to seeing what else I will get when I buy it because I am already sold.
