Preview: 'new' 3DS, Smash Bros Wii U & Amiibo

I was fortunate enough to have two differing matches on Smash Bros Wii U. First off I went my old faithful that is Kirby and then my second was Link for old times sake. For the purpose of the demonstration players were able to go hands on with the Wii U GameCube Controller Adapter (the very same one I wrote a feature on not too long ago). Once I got my head around the unfamiliar use of the GameCube controller I was set!

Three other combatants and myself were in a short free for all timed match. I can unhappily report I didn’t win, but I did not lose either! The frantic mayhem of the four characters going toe to toe was brilliant to be a part of, including that and a very fast spawn of items, everyone was on their toes. The action was intense and the competition was stiff but it was so much fun to be apart of the responsive game play in the brightly chaos fueled competitive field.

There is no real great point in going into lengths of this preview. Super Smash Bros is a game of a gaming generation, it always has been a stand out for it’s brilliant game play, intense competition and fun fulled antics. There is absolutely no reason that I could fathom with my hands on as to why this would be any different.

Smash Bros 3DS releases this month while we are still waiting for a confirmation date for Smash Bros Wii U but is estimated to be available this year. Considering the 3DS version is going to be nearly identical to the Wii U version, you may like to check out our review for any insights and queries that need answering but let me assure you, this game has the foundations to be glorious once again.

As you should know by now, Australia is the only country in the world to be getting the ‘new’ 3DS this year outside of Japan. Nintendo announced soon after that the console would be on display for the first time at EB Expo. They had the smaller ‘new’ 3DS in white being displayed alongside 2 faceplates. It soon struck me how beautiful and crisp it looked in white with the icons red, green, blue and yellow SNES inspired buttons. The screen was noticeably bigger than the original 3DS which is great for those who prefer the smaller form factor.

My initial feeling about the second analogue nub is still mixed. It looks way too small to be comfortable but knowing Nintendo, it must work well. Nintendo have created some of the best controllers in the history of gaming so i’d be extremely shocked if they added an extra stick only for it to feel horrible. The extra triggers looked like they were positioned nicely and look like they’ll be a great addition.

There will be 20 faceplates available at the release of the console and they’ll only be compatible with the smaller version. Most of them were available to look and boy did they look great. The Nintendo character series in particular will really pop against that white system. They also had a wooden faceplate on show which looked a lot better than expected.

They had both ‘new’ 3DS XLs on show in Metallic Blue and Metallic Black. The black model looked a lot better than I though but I really wish they went with coloured buttons rather than just making the actual symbols coloured. I also wish that they made the faceplates compatible as seeing them in person made me realise just how much I wanted them.

The ‘new’ 3DS consoles are available on November 21st in Australia

Was shocked to realise that a lot of people still hadn’t heard of Amiibos before EB Expo. Nintendo have finally announced a release date and price for their local release in Australia which made me even more excited to see what they looked like. As with everything else that Nintendo churns out, I’m happy to report that their quality looks exceptional. Nintendo have gone above and beyond to create figurines that have a ton of personality.

It was interesting to me to see that each figure is branded for Super Smash Brothers specifically. We now know that at least the first two waves will be branded this way. I can’t wait to see how Nintendo uses these in other franchises. This will be the big key in whether they become a major success for Nintendo.

The first lot of Amiibos will release on November 29th for $17.95 each.