Shane Foley
Connector Editor

Nintendo’s Super Smash franchise has made a name for itself by being innovative. They practicaly invented the “all star fighting game” franchise with their first release, “Super Smash Bros” in 1999 for N64. They added an adventure mode in “Super Smash Bros Melee,” for the Gamecube. In the Wii’s “Super Smash Bros Brawl,” they added a longer adventure mode, an all star mode, where you had to fight every character in the game, demos, official Nintendo songs, and a bunch of extra goodies. Now, with their new release, “Officially Unnamed Super Smash Bros Game,” Nintendo is trying something new; a new console release…wait, what?

Nintendo has just recently announced a new handheld console, specifically a new version of the 3DS, titled, “The New 3DS.” The New 3DS boasts a number of improvements, including another analog stick on the right hand side, functioning as a C-stick, NFC technology compatible for Amiibo usage, similar to the Skylanders figurines, colorful buttons, more size, and a bigger top screen. Nintendo has already begun releasing games formerly for the “Old 3DS,”including the popular “Pokemon X and Y.”

So what does this have to do with Super Smash? Well, the new game will be released on the console on October 3rd, 2014….only for the 3DS though. The Wii U version of “Officially Unnamed Super Smash Bros Game,” is slated for a holiday release.

So why have two dates? Well, nobody knows except Nintendo. However, one could make reasonable guesses. It may be that Nintendo has accepted that the 3DS port of the game might not sell well. “Super Smash Bros” has predominately been a console game, and the handheld version will have many alterations.

This may be a prime example of one of Nintendo’s staple talents; finding ways to make bad games sell. On a more serious note though, Nintendo did announce a huge drop in sales for the last year, and desperately needs to cash in on the Super Smash release.

Nintendo’s overall activity indicates that they’re placing a lot of eggs in this Super Smash basket. They have slowly released new characters, almost at a monthly pace. They have now begun leaking stage info. It’s a holiday release, which shows how much they want to push the game in general.

The basic design of the New 3DS is also seemingly made for Super Smash. They added a C-stick, and the bigger screen can be considered better for Smash playing. It may possibly be released as a bundle with the New 3DS infact.

Now, don’t get me wrong, I’m most likely going to wait for Christmas to get the Wii U Super Smash. However, if you are looking to get a New 3DS, buy the game. Nintendo needs the help.