Feature | 20 Ideas for Super Smash Bros. Wii U, 3DS - Customisation, Online, Adventure, DLC, Counter-Operative Page 1

Feature | 20 Ideas for Super Smash Bros. Wii U, 3DS - Customisation, Online, Adventure, DLC, Counter-Operative

20.07.2013

Feature | 20 Ideas for Super Smash Bros. Wii U, 3DS - Customisation, Online, Adventure, DLC, Counter-Operative on Nintendo gaming news, videos and discussion

Super Smash Bros. has grown exponentially since sneaking onto the Nintendo 64 back in 1999. From its roots as a small-budget experiment to a grand, far richer experience in Super Smash Bros. Brawl, the franchise has picked up many adoring fans over the years.

Now creator Masahiro Sakurai, his team and Namco Bandai return to the development table to produce not one, but two brand new titles - one for Wii U and the other for Nintendo 3DS. Brawl was practically the near-complete package, including a vast range of content on the disc, but there's still potential to expand certain areas and introduce new features for both consoles.

Cubed3's Jorge, Adam and Liam team-up to explore twenty potential ideas for the new Super Smash Bros. titles with accompanying mock-up designs.

All images are mock-up/example images and not official Super Smash Bros. screenshots.

1) Less Clones and More Unique Characters

Image for Feature | 20 Ideas for Super Smash Bros. Wii U, 3DS - Customisation, Online, Adventure, DLC, Counter-Operative

Seeing the new roster of characters in a Smash Bros. game can be quite exhilarating, yet when it comes down to the nitty-gritty, more often than not there are several that are mere clones of each other, with the odd tweak here and there to provide distinction.

Fox McCloud and Falco Lombardi, Mario and Dr. Mario, Marth and Roy, as well as Ganondorf and Captain Falcon, are all prime examples of this.

Now, whilst easy for developers to do this and, thus, a quick and simple way of keeping fans happy by shoving in all manner of other characters, they lose their appeal after a short time. Why not offer these 'clones' as Free DLC instead, focusing more on fresh characters with specific movesets to appeal to a wider audience?

Surely giving the option of picking up extra characters that are a little similar to others is a better choice than forcing them upon players from the start. Adam

2) Faster pace with Melee-esque Physics

If there was anything wrong with Super Smash Bros. Brawl, aside from the unreliable online mode, most fans would probably point at the game's pacing. Melee was a large step up from the Nintendo 64 original, liquid motion and ridiculously fast paced, but Brawl slowed down the experience a notch to suit the newer recruits.

Likewise the slide mechanic and certain falling/physics issued knocked Brawl off from assimilating perfection. The new Super Smash Bros. games are already said to sit firmly between Super Smash Bros. Melee and Brawl, to accommodate both veterans and newer players. Happy days! Jorge

3) Stage Editor with Advanced Options

Perhaps one of the greatest additions in Super Smash Bros. Brawl was the inclusion of a stage editor. However, the stage editor found in Brawl is a basic drag-and-drop without the ability to overlap objects. This means the stage editor in this game was very limited.

To improve on the stage editor found in its predecessor, Sakurai and his team should implement a simple "drag and drop" mechanic on the Wii U GamePad's touchscreen and maybe even make it playable on the fly by controlling the character with another controller or the GamePad's dual analogue and face buttons.

Another improvement over the editor found in Brawl would be to have fewer limitations. No more "you cannot place this block there, because another object is in the way" restriction and a wider variety of different objects for the player to use. As well as having a lot more generic objects of different shapes and sizes, the team should also include objects with themes from different Nintendo games, give the player the option to make more dynamic/ever-changing stages and perhaps even the ability to place different enemies, such as Goomba and Koopas as obstacles.

On top of all this, a greater variety of themes should also be included, allowing players to freely create their own stages, without them looking generic and uninspiring. A lot of players would love to recreate various scenes from other games, so why not let them do just that? Liam

4) Improved Online Stability and Options

One of the most disappointing aspects about Super Smash Bros. Brawl was the abysmal online stability. Framerate stuttering, lag between button presses and just an underwhelming experience overall.

To improve the overall stability of the online in the upcoming Smash Bros. installments, Sakurai should take what was learnt from Kid Icarus: Uprising 3DS and apply that to the 3DS version of Smash Bros.. As for the Wii U version, Namco have had some experience with Tekken Tag Tournament 2, which has a pretty reliable online mode.

As well as improving the reliability of facing off against others online, players should also be able to fight against other people on custom landscapes when playing online. This could be possible by simply transferring the stage data to the other player(s) before the match starts. Liam

5) Online Communities and Tournaments

An additional feature that would further improve the online portion of the game would be to include the ability for players to set up their own communities and tournaments, quite like the community feature found in Mario Kart 7, but with more options. Players would be able to decide whether they would like to use items or not, which items to appear and their frequency. The ability to choose which stages are allowed for the tournament and alter various other components would strengthen the online experience.

Nintendo can also hold their own tournaments on regular occasions, which will award players with titles/trophies when placed among the top three participants. These awards can then be assigned to the player's unique profile card, which displays information such as wins/losses, favourite character, etc. Liam

6) Live Online Spectator Mode

With live streaming of online tournaments and playthroughs becoming increasingly commonplace in the gaming community, the ability to view live battles would be a nifty addition to the upcoming Super Smash Bros. games. In Brawl, players were able to watch pre-recorded replay data - i.e. not live, and place bets on the outcome. It ensured that, no matter what the hour, there would always be a fight to get stuck into.

A Live Spectator Mode would expand on that by allowing the community to watch tournaments and casual fights as they happen, again placing bets on the winner. An API that would allow connectivity to video sites like YouTube and Twitch.tv would be an added bonus. Jorge

7) Super Smash Bros. Community Sharing

When you wanted to share stages, replay data and pictures taken in game in Super Smash Bros. Brawl both players had to have each other added in the Wii Address Book and also in game.

With Nintendo's introduction of the brilliant social network, Miiverse; this archaic way of sharing is a thing of the past. Players should have the ability to post stages, replays, screenshots and more to the official Super Smash Bros. Miiverse community. Other users of Miiverse will then be able to "Yeah" these posts, which will affect their rating and popularity in a separate section of the game, which could be called "Smash Database". It would be the main home of user created stages, replays and screenshots. From here, players will have the ability to search through the different categories to find exactly what they're looking for. Liam

8) Weekly Classic Challenges

Something which have graced the series ever since the original instalment on Nintendo 64 are challenges such as "Break the Targets", "Board the Platforms" and "Race to the Finish" which should also be included in the upcoming games, but as weekly challenges; each coming with their own unique layout, obstacles and even some character specific challenges.

Each of these challenges will have their own leaderboard with online support, so players can fight their way into the top ranks by decreasing the amount of time that challenge took to complete. When players get a score they're proud of, they can also post it to Miiverse, so they can brag about it to the whole world. Liam

9) Weekly Challenges with Leaderboards

How do you keep players engaged over the long-term? Pour all sorts of mission modes and tournaments into the original package? Make sure there are numerous items, arenas, and characters to unlock the deeper players get into the meat of the game?

Well, yes, they are indeed viable options, yet that generally leads to people hammering the game over a short period, unlocking every aspect and then moving onto the next title that tickles their fancy.

Enticing people back time and time again with something brand new is imperative. The Professor Layton games benefited from having new puzzles to download, thus drawing people back repeatedly, and special challenges in the Smash Bros. world would be exactly the same, especially with the added incentive of bragging rights via online score boards to show who truly is the best fighter over a long period of time!

Times and scores for challenges like the multi-man, home-run and records for the single player and "Break the Targets" games would certainly encourage replayability, especially if able to filter though individual communities and friends lists. Adam

10) Character Creator and Mii Support

Nintendo and producer Masahiro Sakurai has suggested in that past that there'll be some forms of customisation and a character creation feature for the next pair of Super Smash Bros. games. The way that this will be implemented is still unknown at time of writing; but the series is certainly crying out for custom characters.

Nintendo haven't been too adverse in slipping in character creation by the on-board Mii avatars, especially in Mario Kart, so this would be the logical next step in expanding the Mii universe by including these custom faces in the next game. The hardest part would likely be how to transform these big-eyed, odd looking folk into usable fighters that could stack up against the likes of Mario, Link and Samus. It would be interesting to see an option to select a pre-defined moveset, i.e. using an existing character as a template. It would mean scaling up or down the Mii in size to accommodate the hit-boxes for these characters, however.

The easiest approach perhaps would be for the Super Smash Bros. team to develop a handful of Mii movesets as classes. For example a "fighter" class that handles like Mario, with punches and kicks, or a "swordsman" option or those wanting to wield a weapon like Link.
Whatever the case, Super Smash Bros. character customisation is a must, but the balance must be there between custom and regular. Jorge

11) Five Player Co-operative and Counter-Operative Adventure

It's fairly rare to find a solid and thoroughly enjoyable co-operative adventure in this day and age, and Nintendo could truly capitalise on the success of New Super Mario Bros. by building a co-operative adventure mode.

Whilst we know that the story feature will differ from the "Subspace Emissary" from Brawl, it would be fantastic to play through more themed levels from the various different franchises on offer. In Brawl, players were treated to a more storyline driven approach with levels that were fairly generic in design. In Melee, there wasn't an overarching plot, but levels that were more franchise driven and nostalgic in nature. For the upcoming Super Smash Bros. games why not blend the two into the ultimate, franchise-heavy story? There could still be cross-overs like we'd never seen before, by including more enemies and bosses from the vast Nintendo universe.

Four players on screen at one time has been seen in games like New Super Mario Bros. and Rayman Legends, so it is certainly within the realms of possibility. Having multiple routes designed for the number of current players would also spice up the variety too - for example using four players to unlock a specific corridor by standing on four switches simultaneously. What about the GamePad? Well, the controller could provide a fifth character as an assist, helping out with hordes of enemies or puzzles as in New Super Mario Bros U. How about even as a counter-operative controller? The fifth player could take control of each one of the enemies, even the boss, for something truly challenging and unique each time. Jorge

12) Tag Battle Mode

Most Super Smash Bros. players have at least two or three main characters that can practically be played blindfolded, but unless you play through a tournament, it's down to the single character. How about a feature, perhaps just an additional rule in versus mode, where two or three characters can be selected as partner or for back-up? By doing so, these additional fighters could be swapped out either on the fly with the press of a button or after being knocked out of the ring. It would certainly add an optional new dimension to those already incredibly tense and competitive, last-stock battles.

Whether or not the swap would reset the damage already taken, like in Tekken Tag Tournament or Marvel vs Capcom, could possibly be an extra option. Jorge

13) Cross-Platform Play using Nintendo 3DS as Controllers

Nintendo has dabbled in the world of cross system play for many years, and had moderate success with the likes of The Legend of Zelda: Four Swords Adventure and Pac Man Vs., tying Game Boy Advance systems to a GameCube. It was recently shown that it works well between Wii U consoles and various 3DS systems for Monster Hunter 3 Ultimate.

The next logical step? Cross-play for the new Super Smash Bros., either by allowing multiplayer elements across both systems, such as special modes where seeing your own screen alone is beneficial, or simply offering the 3DS as an alternative controller.

Another possibility would be to allow for gameplay to be passed across from the Wii U version to Nintendo 3DS. This idea has been knocked somewhat on the head by Sakurai-san, but if enough people request it, perhaps by the time the games launch, players will able to transfer play from the Wii U to the 3DS and take the action on the road. Adam

14) Assist Trophies/Pokémon Controlled by GamePad Player

By and large, the GamePad is probably fairly redundant in the actual battle given the potentially unfair edge it could provide, so it's very much likely that it would be used for solo play, level building, off-TV play and customisation.

However how about having a fifth player stepping into the ring as something a little different, controlling assist trophies and Pokémon in a specially designated mode? It would mix up the battles somewhat, allowing for a less predictable approach to both Pokémon and assist trophies, and could provide a stepping stone for a beginner player with less risks involved. Jorge

15) Downloadable content packs

There is nothing worse than having a batch of content that is really impressive and others that simply don't cut the mustard. However, nowadays there are all sorts of patches and download content offered up to fix issues and provide new opportunities to breathe life into new games.

New stages to battle on? Special characters to download? Challenges, new modes, even new music for a fresh aural treat. There are many different ways of keeping players entertained, as witnessed with the Free-2-Play games that have been increasingly popular over the past few years. - Adam

16) Cross Platform Free DLC Support

With the upcoming Super Smash Bros. being released on both of Nintendo's current platforms, many hard-core fans of the series will want to purchase both versions of the game. When downloadable content is released, players should be able to use it on both versions, without having to pay any additional fees or going through any awkward processes.

How this will be achievable at this moment in time isn't exactly clear, but hopefully by the time of this game's release, Nintendo will have enabled the ability to use your Nintendo Network ID on both Wii U and 3DS, and therefore enabling the downloadable content on both versions. Liam

17) Upload Replay Videos to YouTube, Miiverse, etc.

Bragging rights have already been mentioned in terms of online leader boards, but what would be even better than that? Yes, showing off exploits in actual video format. Pulled off some outrageous manoeuvre or claimed a flawless victory and don't have the proof? Expecting some Doubting Thomases to take you at your word is not likely to happen, so what better than to share videos of major conquests around the world in various ways?

Even if it was just a case of wanting to keep a nice memory of a battle amongst friends, the possibility to share with others would be a fantastic addition. Adam

18) Episodic story DLC updates

There's a huge, almost never-ending story potential to explore within the Nintendo history, with over three decades of content to pool from, plus additional material from any third party additions. It would be a huge shame for the adventure/story mode to simply end as the credits roll. With free stage and replay DLC being available for Brawl for quite a lengthy time post-release, it would be brilliant to have free playable, downloadable chapters to play through for at least a year or two after the games hit the shelves.

More bosses, or changes in some of the existing scenarios would be excellent additions or a form of "Master Quest" pack, where the on-disc levels would be remixed for the more experienced player. Jorge

19) Traditional Mode

Hands up who is slightly put off the idea of Smash Bros. because it doesn't follow the same style of play as Street Fighter, Mortal Kombat or even Killer Instinct? I, for one, put Super Smash Bros. Melee back in its case and told my mother to exchange it for something else back in the day, and the series has never quite struck the right chord since that point. However, offer up a 'tradional mode' - maybe even something like TMNT Tournament Fighters - and it would offer up that extra bit of variety to entice far more players to the fold.

Could you imagine a bonus mode where 2D versions of everyone's favourite characters got the chance to fight in the usual beat 'em-up fashion? Visions of the potential Capcom Vs. Nintendo idea from a few years back spring to mind. Heaven! Adam

20) Touch Controls on the GamePad

The GamePad screen admittedly would be tricky to use given how fast-paced, intense and demanding battles can be in Super Smash Bros., but as an extra option players could be given an interface that allows for shortcut commands. By simply pressing on a pre-defined button on the touch-screen, a player could use a combo or powerful smash attack. Jorge

Which of these ideas would you like to see included in the new Super Smash Bros. games - do you have any additional features you'd like to see included?

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EEE (guest) 20.07.2013#1

traditional mode would be terrible in smash bros. if you want a traditional fighter, go play a traditional fighter

WP-Final 20.07.2013#2

I hated how every character shared the same 5 smash the target levels in Brawl. Getting new stages each week would be fantastic!

Darkflame 21.07.2013#3

* Get AlphaDream to write the story.

* Non-linear map screen for story stages, set accross a crazy mixed up Nintendo World.

http://www.fanficmaker.com <-- Tells some truly terrible tales.
Last update; Mice,Plumbers,Animatronics and Airbenders. We also have the socials; Facebook & G+.

jb 21.07.2013#4

Ifrit XXII said:
I hated how every character shared the same 5 smash the target levels in Brawl. Getting new stages each week would be fantastic!

That'd be awesome, plus the ability for users to create their own target layouts perhaps!

Darkflame said:
Non-linear map screen for story stages, set accross a crazy mixed up Nintendo World.

Would be great, especially with the multiple routes (perhaps certain paths for certain character types even?)

Cubed3 Admin/Founder & Designer

Daniel Noble (guest) 21.07.2013#5

I would love to see downloadable content on the 3Ds Smash Bros. game!

jesusraz 21.07.2013#6

EEE (guest) said:
traditional mode would be terrible in smash bros. if you want a traditional fighter, go play a traditional fighter

My idea stemmed from the idea of Capcom Vs. Nintendo, which sadly doesn't look like it'll happen now. As a bonus style within Smash Bros. would be very cool indeed. Why not draw in a wider audience, after all?

Adam Riley [ Director :: Cubed3 ]

UNITE714: Weekly Prayers | Bible Verses

Mush 21.07.2013#7

Adam Riley said:
EEE (guest) said:
traditional mode would be terrible in smash bros. if you want a traditional fighter, go play a traditional fighter

My idea stemmed from the idea of Capcom Vs. Nintendo, which sadly doesn't look like it'll happen now. As a bonus style within Smash Bros. would be very cool indeed. Why not draw in a wider audience, after all?

If the mode was co-developed by Capcom, as well as Namco and Sora supervising, I would be all for it, but I still think Capcom x Nintendo should happen.

( Edited 21.07.2013 20:43 by Mush )

Jjj (guest) 21.07.2013#8

Traditional mode would be horrible. Go play tekken, street fighter or DOA and leave our smash bros alone!

Pokepen (guest) 22.07.2013#9

Too Demanding.

jb 23.07.2013#10

Pokepen (guest) said:
Too Demanding.

Perhaps in some ways, but a lot of these I feel could be extra features that'll really bring in the community together and keep the games going for many years. Considering that this'll probably be the last Super Smash Bros for at least another 5/6 years at the earliest, these features I don't think are totally out there or too demanding.

Traditional mode would be horrible. Go play tekken, street fighter or DOA and leave our smash bros alone!

Just a suggestion! Very unlikely to happen anyway.

Cubed3 Admin/Founder & Designer

Guty (guest) 24.07.2013#11

awesome

brooke (guest) 24.07.2013#12

me to

vvv (guest) 25.07.2013#13

Im sorry Adam Riley but if you really think a tradition mode is a good idea, I don't understand how you was allowed to write anything about the game at all in this feature. Thats like saying why not make Mario games first person shooters? Your basically saying change the game, not having a go, just saying your opinion isnt very logical

WP-Final 25.07.2013#14

No need to take such offense at an innocent suggestion. Smilie

vvv (guest) 26.07.2013#15

I'm guessing this is about my comment, its not an offense, I did say I wasn't having a go I was just stating my opinion, i mean, Adam also said he put the game back in the case before evening playing it... So why is he writing in a article about a series he knows nothing about? Thats like me writing a article on Barblie dolls... Pointless and clueless.

ALieb (Guest) (guest) 03.08.2013#16

It was a good idea for the lack of characters in the new Super Smash Bros. game so far, but I was also thinking to myself on which characters in the new Super Smash Bros. game are going to be the unlockable characters. I was thinking of having a total of 15 unlockable characters for Super Smash Bros. for Nintendo Wii U and 3DS. Here are the unlockable characters I thought of:

So if any of those those unlockable characters would appear in the game, I would be so glad. Just give us 2 ways to unlock the unlockable characters in Super Smash Bros.. That's all I wanted to know. Thank you.

Smilie

Edit this post:

It was a good idea for the lack of characters in the new Super Smash Bros. game so far, but I was also thinking to myself on which characters in the new Super Smash Bros. game are going to be the unlockable characters. I was thinking of having a total of 15 unlockable characters for Super Smash Bros. for Nintendo Wii U and 3DS. Here are the unlockable characters I thought of:

- Luigi                                                        (Super Mario Bros.)
- Meta Knight                                            (Kirby)
- Captain Falcon                                     (F-Zero)
- Ness                                                       (Earthbound)
- Jigglypuff                                                (Pokemon)
- Ganondorf                                              (Legend of Zelda)
- Roy                                                          (Fire Emblem)
- Marth                                                       (Fire Emblem)
- Mr. Game & Watch                               (Game & Watch)
- Lucario                                                   (Pokemon)
- Falco                                                       (Star Fox)
- Wolf O'Donnell                                      (Star Fox)
- Wario                                                      (WaroWare Inc.)
- R.O.B. the robot                                    (Nintendo)

So if any of those those unlockable characters would appear in the game, I would be so glad. Just give us 2 ways to unlock the unlockable characters in Super Smash Bros.. That's all I wanted to know. Thank you.

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Alieb (Guest) (guest) 04.08.2013#17

I though of another good idea for Super Smash Bros. on the Wii U and 3DS. I would like to put some more starting characters with the other starting characters.

I understand you've added starting characters like Mario, Bowser, Donkey Kong, Link, Samus, Kirby, Fox McCloud, Pikachu, Pit, the Animal Crossing Villager, Mega Man, and the Wii Fit Trainer, and I see you also added Pikmin & Olimar as a playable character in the new Super Smash Bros. game, but I thought of 8 more starting characters for the new Super Smash Bros. game for Wii U and 3DS. Here they are.

And my last idea, if you guys possibly can, I would also like to see Zero Suit Samus in the game as well. I decided that Zero Suit Samus will appear the same way as she did in Brawl. And that's when after Samus launches her final smash, she turns into Zero Suit Samus. You know what I mean?

That's all that I also wanted to know. If any of those characters would also appear as starting characters in the new Super Smash Bros. game. If any of those characters appeared, I would be also glad. Thank you.

Smilie

Edit this post:

I though of another good idea for Super Smash Bros. on the Wii U and 3DS. I would like to put some more starting characters with the other starting characters.

- Peach                                                             (Super Mario Bros.)
- Yoshi                                                              (Yoshi's Island)
- Zelda / Sheik                                                  (Legend of Zelda)
- Lucas                                                             (Earthbound)
- Diddy Kong                                                    (Donkey Kong)
- Ice Climbers                                                   (Ice Climber)
- King Dedede                                                  (Kirby)

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Alieb (Guest) (guest) 10.08.2013#18

I forgot to put 3 characters in my selection of characters in the new Super Smash Bros. game.

- Ike                                               (Fire Emblem)
- Pokemon Trainer                        (Pokemon Trainer)
- Toon Link                                    (Legend of Zelda)                  (Unlockable)

I've decided Toon Link will also be one of the unlockable characters.

I also think for a better name for the new Super Smash Bros. game should be titled Super Smash Bros. All-Stars, for 2 reasons.
1. Because the first Super Smash Bros. game for Nintendo 64 was already named Super Smash Bros.
2. I want to see some more action in the Super Smash Bros. series with the characters that I've decided should be in 4th installment of the Super Smash Bros. series.

So you should create a logo titled Super Smash Bros. All-Stars. Keep the Super Smash Bros. logo you have in the game right now, but add in the word All-Stars at the bottom, just like they did with the logo in Super Smash Bros. Brawl.

Super Smash Bros. All-Stars.

Smilie