It came without warning. We awoke on a Saturday morning to talk on Twitter of a Super Smash Bros demo. People were begging and pleading for the download codes that Nintendo had exclusively released to its club platinum members overnight. We weren't a platinum member. This was a problem.
And so began our mission to find a working Super Smash Bros demo download code. 3DS gripped tightly in hand, we were a tech site on the edge, anticipating the next code drop and ready to punch those numbers and letters into the screen with an absurd level of determination. But every time we got one, someone beat us to it.
It was turning into an event you'd one day tell your grandkids about. "Oh I was there in the great Smash Bros code battle of '14. You truly saw the desperation of humanity on that day. And sometimes at night, I still see the words so vividly: 'Error: code already used'"
But just when we were about to give up hope, a hero delivered a working code to our inbox. That eShop loading screen had never look quite so beautiful, and within 10 minutes we were booting up Super Smash Bros 3DS for the first time.
So what do we think? Well, it's just a demo, with only five characters and one stage to choose from. But let us sum up our initial thoughts in the following…
- The game runs impeccably smoothly with (so far) not a frame rate problem in sight, which is important because this is a series that's always been about quick reaction times. Every character is rendered beautifully too.
- You will, however, need some time to get used to the controls: it's a little harder to pick up on the handheld with all those buttons being so small, and it can be a bit frustrating at first.
- Playing on a standard 3DS, we found the screen size to be a tad too small for all the mayhem. It's certainly not unplayable, but it's going to be easier to keep a track on your fighter with an XL - and indeed the Wii U version.
- Villager is awesome, with heaps of references to the Animal Crossing games. Plus, his final smash move is to build a house on your opponent. HOW COOL IS THAT!?
- You'll be able to use your 3DS as a controller for the Wii U version of the game.
We're yet to play the full version, but so far we're blown away with how much Sora Ltd and Bandai Namco have crammed into a single cartridge. This is Smash Bros through and through, fine tuned to perfection. We can't wait to get our hands on the full version soon.
Heist fidelity
Rockstar's finally confirmed it: GTA 5 will come to PS4 and Xbox One on November 18, and it's not just going to be a lazy port either.
It's going to have 100 new tracks! Increased draw distances! Higher resolution! Better-looking grass! Up to 30 players online! More guns to shoot old ladies with! EVEN THE DOGS LOOK EVEN FURRIER!!
Plus, Rockstar will slip you a shady briefcase filled with a million dollars of in-game currency if you pre-order GTA 5 on any of the new platforms. As you can probably tell, we're a bit excited to revisit Los Santos in glorious new-gen-o-vision.
And to keep your appetite whetted, the team over at CVG have done a nice little trailer analysis, which you can check out below.
But it wasn't all good news. While a PC release date was also confirmed, that date isn't until January 27 2015.
Predictably, this has got a lot of PC gamers taking to their keyboard to unleash their anger in the YouTube comments, but everyone please just chill out - we all know it's going to be worth the wait. Just like Red Dead Redemption was.
Oh right...
It's Destiny, baby
You might have heard of another little game released this week. Bungie's MMO Destiny had an impressively smooth launch (that's how it's done, SimCity) and is no doubt managing to sell a few copies too.
Due to the scope of the game, the reviews are ongoing, but CVG's current 8/10 verdict pretty much reflects our own thoughts on the game right now: it's a beautifully-made world that plays things too safe, but there's a lot of potential.
"Big, beautiful and generous, Destiny will keep FPS fans happy for months to come. Yet its feeble story and safety-first approach means it can't help but feel slightly underwhelming." [Full review here]
Meanwhile GamesRadar's review diary notes: "Bungie has been very smart to balance character development and combat to ensure that the focus never shifts away from the tactical, dynamic, second-to-second FPS joy of its emergent and robust shooting mechanics. And no point can I just wade in, trigger held down, and rely on my level to carry me through. I still have to think. I still have to improvise. I still have to strategically work the angles, weapons and approaches needed to get the best of every enemy in every situation. And my tougher adversaries are still damn tough."
