Alternate Costumes DLC for Super Smash Bros. 4

Super Smash Bros. for Nintendo 3DS has been out for just about a week now here in North America. Playing this game has no doubt been a delight. It really has transferred over well to the portable system. One thing I really like is how they've expanded on the simple palette swap and made actual alternate costumes.

However, I believe there's a lot of room for improvement in this area. For instance, what were they thinking with Little Mac? All characters have 8 alternate skins/costumes. But Little Mac has a whopping 16 alternates. It seemed like they just tried to throw in every possible combination for him. Some characters like the Villager were great in this area. Each alternate costume for the Villager was completely unique and a good tribute to the Animal Crossing series. Then, there's other characters who have nothing but simple skin swaps, such as Donkey Kong and Bowser.

My hope is that they can fix this with some DLC. They could do a lot of great things with this. Just imagine, playing as these characters via alternate costumes after the break:

Square Enix Says Final Fantasy Explorers Will Not Support Stereoscopic 3D

With Final Fantasy Explorers arriving to the Nintendo 3DS very soon in Japan, some news has recently surfaced about the title. It's been confirmed that the game will not support stereoscopic 3D. However, it will support the Circle Pad Pro and utilize some of the new features on the New Nintendo 3DS. On the latter device, the c-stick will control the camera and the extra shoulder buttons will utilize the lock-on feature.

Smash Bros. for Nintendo 3DS has Secret Personalized Victory Screens

We're all familiar with the victory screens after winning a match on Super Smash Bros. for Nintendo 3DS. As it turns out, there are also secret personalized victory screens between certain characters after a 1-on-1 match. Big thanks to GameXplain for discovering this cool detail.

Super Smash Bros. for Nintendo 3DS High Quality Soundtrack

With many now enjoying the recently released Super Smash Bros. for Nintendo 3DS, one thing many enjoy in particular is the music in the game. I know I love the Gerudo Valley song (as if it wasn't already great on Ocarina of Time). Somebody was nice enough to upload some of the best tracks on the game to YouTube in high quality. So please, enjoy!

Super Smash Bros. 3DS Launch Trailer

Super Smash Bros. for Nintendo 3DS has finally made a worldwide release and it's time to celebrate with an all new launch trailer for the game. I've even upped the quality a little in both audio and visual. I plan to continually do this with all trailers. Let me know what you guys think!

Screenshots of Secret Super Smash Bros Characters

As many have already heard, Nintendo has "revealed" three "secret new" characters for Super Smash Bros. for 3DS and Super Smash Bros. for Wii U. The characters revealed were Falco from Star Fox, the beloved Ness from the Earthbound (Mother) series, and Wario.

All three characters will be unlockable in the Wii U version of the game, which is rumored for a November release. You take a look at all the new screenshots including these characters after the break.

And don't forget, I’ve created a friend code exchange page for Super Smash Bros. for 3DS. So come and share your friend code to meet new friends and brawl it out on Super Smash for 3DS! You can do that right here.

Sakurai to Only Post Hidden Elements of Smash Bros on Miiverse

Masahiro Sakurai (director of the Super Smash Bros. series) recently stated on Miiverse that he will now only be posting hidden elements of the franchise. He also mentioned that by the end of the year he will no longer be posting images of Smash Bros. Here's what Sakurai posted on Miiverse:

"Finally, Super Smash Bros. for Nintendo 3DS is being released overseas. Congratulations!! With the game released globally, from here on out I’ll be posting about some of the hidden elements in the game. However, for now they’ll only trickle down a little bit at a time. I’ll be done with posting new pics by the end of the year, so I hope you’ll enjoy the rest of the ride."

You can Download Smash Bros 3DS Patch to Be Able to Play Online at Midnight

The Version 1.0.2 update for Super Smash Bros for Nintendo 3DS is available early on the North American Nintendo eShop. The update will allow you to play online at midnight so it’s an absolute must. You can get it now on the eShop and it’s 364 blocks.

As of October 2, 2014, new update data for Super Smash Bros. has been made available for download in the Nintendo eShop. Users will be required to download this update prior to using the software’s online multiplayer features. Because of this, we strongly recommend that all Super Smash Bros. players download and install this update data.

Super Smash Bros. for Nintendo 3DS Launch Trailer

Super Smash Bros. for Nintendo 3DS hits North American shelves tomorrow, so why not celebrate with a launch trailer?

Who's picking up Smash Bros. tomorrow? Feel free to leave your friend codes in the comments below and find others to battle with!

Modder Reveals how to play 3DS with GameCube Controller

Last week someone posted a video on YouTube showing himself play Smash Bros. 3DS with a GameCube controller. Many have been left wondering how this was possible. Well, this modder explains all in a new YouTube video. Apparently he is also accepting send-in modifications in which you mail him your 3DS and he converts it for you. Of course, modding anything can be dangerous and so I don't advise that you do so. But if you would like to, you can find info in the YouTube description of the video below. What do you think? Would you like to get your 3DS modded?

Sakurai Explains Process of Creating Characters for Smash Bros

This Friday will mark the release of Super Smash Bros. for Nintendo 3DS in North America. And to celebrate the launch, the folks over at nintendolife had the opportunity to interview Game Designer and Sora Ltd. founder, Masahiro Sakurai. In the interview, Sakurai explained that creating a character for the series can take over a year. He went on to say that this was due to the fact that they had to create the model, animations, and balance the character against other opponents in the series. Here's what Sakurai had to say:

“I get the planning for each character done remarkably quickly. For example, after learning about Greninja and its abilities one evening, by late night I had already completed the design for that character’s moves and features.”

“The process, however, of actually creating a character often takes well over a year, where we are constantly working on the model, the animations, the audio and the balancing. For the game balance we have a testing team playing almost every day and we make adjustments based on their results. I was working from morning to night with my responsibilities as director, so I was only able to spend Wednesday evenings and weekends on the balance.”

“One of the important things for me was having a large difference between the characters, which I call their “dynamic range”. In a typical fighting game where you just square off against an opponent, other things like the environment have less of an impact, so even small differences between characters can be very noticeable. With Smash Bros., however, I want to bring out the individuality in the characters and I think it’s rare to see a game with such a wide dynamic range as this.”

“So although it may end up that some characters are stronger than others due to way the game works, we have focused on allowing a lot of “accidents” to happen in a party game sort of way – resulting in things that make players laugh – so the emphasis is on variety rather than making Smash Bros. into a sport.”

Click here to read the full interview.

3DS System Update Adds Support for Nintendo Network IDs and Miiverse

The update we've all been waiting for is now live. Version 7.0.0-13U adds support for Nintendo Network IDs as well as Miiverse. It also adds a software update notification and removes the limit to system transfers. Additionally, it changes the start-up method of 3DS Camera from the HOME Menu to require pressing the L and R Buttons simultaneously. And finally, the update brings further improvements to overall system stability.

Go on now and update your 3DS already!