Super Smash Bros. Ultimate Review Thread

[Skittzo]

I'm pretty disappointed that the game seems to get a pass on the semingly awful online mode. I mean it could be so much more than a couch-game to only play with your friends, and should be judged with that in mind.

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Online hasn't been enabled for reviewers. It's probably only been live for a couple hours now. Where are you hearing that it's awful?

 

[Strakt]

I'm pretty disappointed that the game seems to get a pass on the semingly awful online mode. I mean it could be so much more than a couch-game to only play with your friends, and should be judged with that in mind.

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What makes you say its awful? The streams I'm watching look 100% playable; ive seen maybe one match that was bad.

 

[Deleted member 47843]

Do characters unlock randomly?

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Yes and no I believe. From what I read in reviews, you can unlock everyone randomly by just playing and beating the "A new challenge approaches" random fights. But you can also unlock specific characters by going down specific paths in the World of Light mode (no idea if you can find them all there, or just some).

 

[kvetcha]

I didn't say port. I said Deluxe port. Like MK8D. MK8D added an entire battle mode and included all DLC tracks, plus new characters, plus new karts and wheels and gliders, plus Labo support. Thats a Deluxe port. With Smash, they took the already huge WiiU game, added 6 fresh characters and another handful of returning or echo characters. What else did they do? Spirits and WoL. Thats like a whole new mode, like battle arena for MK8D (except way less liked than MK8D battle arena). Oh and they tweaked the stats for all the moves, to mix up the meta. I watched 4 reviews today and most mentioned the reused assets and lack of freshness. They still like the game, as will I, just as I liked MK8D. But "Deluxe Port" is probably the most accurate way to describe the game.

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Remodeled characters, remodeled characters, reworked mechanics. What more could they possibly do? Cel-shade the game?

 

[Sloppyjoe_Gamer]

Why are we talking about online having issues when the servers aren't even up yet? (unless i missed it)

 

[Strat]

I didn't say port. I said Deluxe port. Like MK8D. MK8D added an entire battle mode and included all DLC tracks, plus new characters, plus new karts and wheels and gliders, plus Labo support. Thats a Deluxe port. With Smash, they took the already huge WiiU game, added 6 fresh characters and another handful of returning or echo characters. What else did they do? Spirits and WoL. Thats like a whole new mode, like battle arena for MK8D (except way less liked than MK8D battle arena). Oh and they tweaked the stats for all the moves, to mix up the meta. I watched 4 reviews today and most mentioned the reused assets and lack of freshness. They still like the game, as will I, just as I liked MK8D. But "Deluxe Port" is probably the most accurate way to describe the game.

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Lmao still

 

[FrostyLemon]

I didn't say port. I said Deluxe port. Like MK8D. MK8D added an entire battle mode and included all DLC tracks, plus new characters, plus new karts and wheels and gliders, plus Labo support. Thats a Deluxe port. With Smash, they took the already huge WiiU game, added 6 fresh characters and another handful of returning or echo characters. What else did they do? Spirits and WoL. Thats like a whole new mode, like battle arena for MK8D (except way less liked than MK8D battle arena). Oh and they tweaked the stats for all the moves, to mix up the meta. I watched 4 reviews today and most mentioned the reused assets and lack of freshness. They still like the game, as will I, just as I liked MK8D. But "Deluxe Port" is probably the most accurate way to describe the game.

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Just so this is absolutely clear, if all of that content isn't enough for you, then listen to the best Smash 4 player in the world share his thoughts. This was back in July. 2:30 onwards

 

[Prevolition]

I didn't say port. I said Deluxe port. Like MK8D. MK8D added an entire battle mode and included all DLC tracks, plus new characters, plus new karts and wheels and gliders, plus Labo support. Thats a Deluxe port. With Smash, they took the already huge WiiU game, added 6 fresh characters and another handful of returning or echo characters. What else did they do? Spirits and WoL. Thats like a whole new mode, like battle arena for MK8D (except way less liked than MK8D battle arena). Oh and they tweaked the stats for all the moves, to mix up the meta. I watched 4 reviews today and most mentioned the reused assets and lack of freshness. They still like the game, as will I, just as I liked MK8D. But "Deluxe Port" is probably the most accurate way to describe the game.

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The game fundamentally plays different. They didn't just take Smash 4 and slap on new characters and a couple of "modes". Plus you're completely discounting new assets made from the ground up because there are some older assets included. Ultimate is more of a sequel than Galaxy 2, IMO.

 

[striderno9]

So I asked for this game for Christmas so I'll have to wait a few weeks before I can get my hands on it. Whats the preorder bonus character and what are the chances it'll be available for purchase later?

 

[RockmanBN]

So I asked for this game for Christmas so I'll have to wait a few weeks before I can get my hands on it. Whats the preorder bonus character and what are the chances it'll be available for purchase later?

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You can get it if you register the game by January 31st.

 

[Skittzo]

So I asked for this game for Christmas so I'll have to wait a few weeks before I can get my hands on it. Whats the preorder bonus character and what are the chances it'll be available for purchase later?

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The Piranha Plant is the bonus character and it's not just for preorders, you can get it for free if you buy the game before January 31st I believe.

 

[Poltergust]

So I asked for this game for Christmas so I'll have to wait a few weeks before I can get my hands on it. Whats the preorder bonus character and what are the chances it'll be available for purchase later?

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There is no pre-order bonus character. There is an early-adopter character (Piranha Plant), but you have until the end of January to register your game to get that character for free. After that you'd need to pay.

 

[Aostia82]

Wow at that Open Meta Critic scores

 

[night814]

The game fundamentally plays different. They didn't just take Smash 4 and slap on new characters and a couple of "modes". Plus you're completely discounting new assets made from the ground up because there are some older assets included. Ultimate is more of a sequel than Galaxy 2, IMO.

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There's no sense in arguing with them anymore, they have obviously made up there mind what this game is. They are wrong but that doesn't seem relevant to them.

 

[Mory Dunz]

Opens thread, sees port, backs out.


Has anyones game shipped yet if they preordered? I never preorder but got it cheaper from Amazon in August. Gonna be annoyed if it comes saturday or later...

 

[Prevolition]

There's no sense in arguing with them anymore, they have obviously made up there mind what this game is. They are wrong but that doesn't seem relevant to them.

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Eh, they can believe what they want. It's silly that the sentiment is still roaming around like a bad rumor after a defamation case has been closed.

 

[theotherMittens]

Opens thread, sees port, backs out.


Has anyones game shipped yet if they preordered? I never preorder but got it cheaper from Amazon in August. Gonna be annoyed if it comes saturday or later...

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Maybe irrelevant to you specifically but I pre-ordered from Best Buy and it shipped yesterday and is expected to arrive tomorrow. Haven't received a game late from them or from Amazon when I used to pre-order there. I'm in the US if it's important.

 

[night814]

Eh, they can believe what they want. It's silly that the sentiment is still roaming around like a bad rumor after a defamation case has been closed.

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Yes it's been open and shut, it's really the only thing detractors of the game can point too because everything else is so overwhelmingly positive. It's too similar to old games but people don't want the fundamentals to change, anyone who does should just play something else lol

 

[Unknownlight]

I didn't say port. I said Deluxe port. Like MK8D. MK8D added an entire battle mode and included all DLC tracks, plus new characters, plus new karts and wheels and gliders, plus Labo support. Thats a Deluxe port. With Smash, they took the already huge WiiU game, added 6 fresh characters and another handful of returning or echo characters. What else did they do? Spirits and WoL. Thats like a whole new mode, like battle arena for MK8D (except way less liked than MK8D battle arena). Oh and they tweaked the stats for all the moves, to mix up the meta. I watched 4 reviews today and most mentioned the reused assets and lack of freshness. They still like the game, as will I, just as I liked MK8D. But "Deluxe Port" is probably the most accurate way to describe the game.

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All of this confusion stems from a fundamental misunderstanding of what was actually developed.

Here's an example: How many "brand new" stages were added in Ultimate? At a glance, you'd say the answer was 4. And that's kind of true, but it's not really true.

How many brand new stages were actually made for Ultimate? 85. There were 85 new stages developed for Ultimate. All of the stages from 64, Melee, Brawl, and 3DS had to be remade from scratch.

This is why people get so annoyed by the "It's just a deluxe port" argument. Because it's not. If anything, it's much closer to a remake than a port.

 

[srtrestre]

I still get nightmares from when I used to pre-order games from Amazon.

 

[DR2K]

How's the netcode

 

[Prevolition]

Yes it's been open and shut, it's really the only thing detractors of the game can point too because everything else is so overwhelmingly positive. It's too similar to old games but people don't want the fundamentals to change, anyone who does should just play something else lol

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I would be so sad if they changed things like movesets and stages entirely for the sake of making people not think it's just a new coat of paint.

One thing I'm seeing more is the complaint of having to unlock characters and that it only appeals to the diehard fans and pushes away those who want an accessible party game, but I honestly don't think the latter will care that they can't play as obscure beloved characters like King K.Rool right away.

 

[InspectorJones]

I really, really regret pre-ordering physical. It shipped today and is scheduled to arrive tomorrow some time before 11pm. So I'll probably be waiting on this all day and night.

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Who is delivering your game? Mine is the USPS, and usually the delivery time is by 8 or 9 (I forget which), but my guess is that either/combination of HW's funeral and simply being the holiday season, I think the mail service is working longer hours.

My mail has been arriving pretty consistently the past few days; but it has been later in the day compared to the start of the year. Not sure if you're familiar with what time the postal service usually delivers to your home.

 

[APZonerunner]

I haven't seen this in any of the reviews yet: How long has it taken people to unlock all the characters? I know people said WoL took them 20+ hours, but did they unlock the whole roster well before that?

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Hello! I reviewed the game, so - FWIW, 'naturally' with no cheesing, I think around 10 hours. You can probably take that down to around 6 if you knowingly make some adjustments to how you play. If you really want to cheese, there's a method you can do that'll bring it down to around 2 hours.

 

[Geg]

Smash Ultimate won't be a true sequel until it's a space flight simulator instead of a fighting game

 

[808s & Villainy]

I didn't say port. I said Deluxe port. Like MK8D. MK8D added an entire battle mode and included all DLC tracks, plus new characters, plus new karts and wheels and gliders, plus Labo support. Thats a Deluxe port. With Smash, they took the already huge WiiU game, added 6 fresh characters and another handful of returning or echo characters. What else did they do? Spirits and WoL. Thats like a whole new mode, like battle arena for MK8D (except way less liked than MK8D battle arena). Oh and they tweaked the stats for all the moves, to mix up the meta. I watched 4 reviews today and most mentioned the reused assets and lack of freshness. They still like the game, as will I, just as I liked MK8D. But "Deluxe Port" is probably the most accurate way to describe the game.

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Comparing Ultimate to MK8D is embarassing

 

[HylianSeven]

Hello! I reviewed the game, so - FWIW, 'naturally' with no cheesing, I think around 10 hours. You can probably take that down to around 6 if you knowingly make some adjustments to how you play. If you really want to cheese, there's a method you can do that'll bring it down to around 2 hours.

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Thanks!

 

[Glio]

Smash Ultimate won't be a true sequel until it's a space flight simulator instead of a fighting game

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But you can not put Mario, then you would be reusing things

 

[striderno9]

Its a weird argument to have that this is a "deluxe" version of the Wii U Smash. The new features, characters, and stat balances are literally what make a fighting game sequel.

 

[Johnny]

I didn't say port. I said Deluxe port. Like MK8D. MK8D added an entire battle mode and included all DLC tracks, plus new characters, plus new karts and wheels and gliders, plus Labo support. Thats a Deluxe port. With Smash, they took the already huge WiiU game, added 6 fresh characters and another handful of returning or echo characters. What else did they do? Spirits and WoL. Thats like a whole new mode, like battle arena for MK8D (except way less liked than MK8D battle arena). Oh and they tweaked the stats for all the moves, to mix up the meta. I watched 4 reviews today and most mentioned the reused assets and lack of freshness. They still like the game, as will I, just as I liked MK8D. But "Deluxe Port" is probably the most accurate way to describe the game.

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You conveniently leave out the fact that the gameplay is different. Significantly different. MK8D plays the same as MK8.

 

[Opa-Opa]

I didn't say port. I said Deluxe port. Like MK8D. MK8D added an entire battle mode and included all DLC tracks, plus new characters, plus new karts and wheels and gliders, plus Labo support. Thats a Deluxe port. With Smash, they took the already huge WiiU game, added 6 fresh characters and another handful of returning or echo characters. What else did they do? Spirits and WoL. Thats like a whole new mode, like battle arena for MK8D (except way less liked than MK8D battle arena). Oh and they tweaked the stats for all the moves, to mix up the meta. I watched 4 reviews today and most mentioned the reused assets and lack of freshness. They still like the game, as will I, just as I liked MK8D. But "Deluxe Port" is probably the most accurate way to describe the game.

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This is desperation to prove a point, I love it!

 

[Adulfzen]

The Ignore button is a great feature guys, don't let one poster derails the thread with their bad opinion.
Feels like it will take at least to see how online shakes out. Just because online is open now doesn't mean it's under the best condition considering 90% percent of the world can't play it yet.

 

[Thatguy]

Remodeled characters, remodeled characters, reworked mechanics. What more could they possibly do? Cel-shade the game?

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Thats what makes it Deluxe.

Melee felt like a substantial sequel because the graphics were so much better, plus side B added
Brawl looked similar to Melee, but had Final Smash as a brand new mechanic plus a grand Single player adventure plus online
WiiU/3DS was the HD upgrade, plus a portable option on 3DS or off-screen on WiiU pad. Up to 8 players on screen possible
Ultimate is like Brawl in that it looks quite similar to the previous title. However unlike Brawl nothing new has been added to the core experience, and the SP campaign looks overly long and cheaply made. There isn't anything here that really advances the series either graphically or gameplay wise, which hasn't been the case for any other Smash title ever.

There are lots of things they could do to change it up. Go full 3D gameplay. Epic destructable stages. Physical liquid/object/smoke effects (nothing pre-scripted). 3 levels of final smash. Team combos like MvC. Pseudo 3D arcade brawler mode like Final Fight or Double Dragon. The possibilities are endless.

 

[effingvic]

I cant wait for tomorrow

 

[Richietto]

Splatoon 2 isn't a sequel, its a glorified Deluxe port guys............

Its all so familiar.

 

[Cloud-Hidden]

Who is delivering your game? Mine is the USPS, and usually the delivery time is by 8 or 9 (I forget which), but my guess is that either/combination of HW's funeral and simply being the holiday season, I think the mail service is working longer hours.

My mail has been arriving pretty consistently the past few days; but it has been later in the day compared to the start of the year. Not sure if you're familiar with what time the postal service usually delivers to your home.

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I just checked, and mine is also being delivered by USPS, which is good news. Typically they come by two or three in the afternoon.

 

[PCPace]

I just checked, and mine is also being delivered by USPS, which is good news. Typically they come by two or three in the afternoon.

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Might transit be delayed a day since yesterday was a non working day?

 

[Barrel Cannon]

I dunno, Ultimate just seems like a port of the N64 game. I know they added a ton of content but its still the same game basically /s

These review scores are making this wait unbearable.

 

[SinCityAssassin]

Thats what makes it Deluxe.

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How embarrassing.

 

[Timeaisis]

Stale dodging/rolling sounds like a wise addition. SSB4 was a roll fest.

 

[kvetcha]

Thats what makes it Deluxe.

Melee felt like a substantial sequel because the graphics were so much better, plus side B added
Brawl looked similar to Melee, but had Final Smash as a brand new mechanic plus a grand Single player adventure plus online
WiiU/3DS was the HD upgrade, plus a portable option on 3DS or off-screen on WiiU pad. Up to 8 players on screen possible
Ultimate is like Brawl in that it looks quite similar to the previous title. However unlike Brawl nothing new has been added to the core experience, and the SP campaign looks overly long and cheaply made. There isn't anything here that really advances the series either graphically or gameplay wise, which hasn't been the case for any other Smash title ever.

There are lots of things they could do to change it up. Go full 3D gameplay. Epic destructable stages. Physical liquid/object/smoke effects (nothing pre-scripted). 3 levels of final smash. Team combos like MvC. Pseudo 3D arcade brawler mode like Final Fight or Double Dragon. The possibilities are endless.

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No offense intended, but this is deluded.

 

[MegaXZero]

Thats what makes it Deluxe.

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Just keep digging. You'll reach the core of port planet soon enough.

 

[srtrestre]

If you think about it, BotW is just a Deluxe port of NES Zelda.

Spoiler

Just don't think too much about it or the comparison won't work doe

 

[Slim]

Ironically, Smash is one of those highly anticipated games that would be perfectly OK to not review too favourably.
Smash is a perfect example of a game "not for everyone". A 7/10 to Smash would be much less clickbaity than the same score given to Breath of the Wild. I, for one, never enjoyed Melee and would have dropped Smash completely if not for multiplayer.

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A 7/10 works as long as the arguments are good. However, in most cases they're just simply wrong or plays on the reviewer's biases/impatience.

 

[Deleted member 5535]

People still saying that this is a port or deluxe edition are straight up insane

 

[TripaSeca]

So many reviews following the scheme "amazing game, best of the series, incredible content, remarkable, unforgettable" -> 9/10

Tough....

 

[Deleted member 3017]

Comparing Ultimate to MK8D is embarassing

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To be fair, it's kind of embarrassing at this point to watch some of you continue to have conversations with Thatguy. Like, at some point you should all realize you're not accomplishing anything.

 

[julian]

All stages are unlocked from the start.

Characters are unlocked every 10 minutes of playing. If you want to do it even faster, reset the console after unlocking a character to reset that 10-minute timer.

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I don't get it. Why wouldn't the counter reset itself after 10 minutes? What does exiting the game do?

Also, debating just downloading this. My physical copy is in the mail....must....resist....

 

[the7samurai]

I just learned how easy it is to ignore someone on here. That's handy

 

[JustinBailey]

Im 35 and i have seen a lot of shit in this industry, i was in the room when melee was revealed and was a die hard smash bros fan even on that day as a result of 64. Smash 64 ——> melee transition is a once in 15-30 year or even lifetime event. It just doesnt happen. And youre talking about the right creator coming along, seeing how to improve his and iwatas own experiment and then going full throttle crazy creative. Comparing anything to the smash 64 ————> melee transition is truly absurd IMO.