Toronto Joe
Smash Master
A common question among Smash fans alike was if the fourth installment of the series would be mindful of the competitive audience, and we may have found an early answer with Sakurai's latest reveal. This weeks Nintendo Direct conference was a huge moment for Smash Bros. fans worldwide, but what really stood out for the competitive community was their first tangible acknowledgment from Nintendo in the game-play mechanics of Super Smash Bros. for Wii U & 3DS.
This came in the form of “For Glory,” an online versus mode dedicated to one-on-one battles with no items and Final Destination(or Final Destination clones) as the only playable stages. Wins and losses will be recorded to your own unique player tag, with a ranking system that Sakurai briefly mentioned as well. This is a noticeable improvement from the wifi features of Super Smash Bros. Brawl and appears to be Nintendo's way of accommodating to the tournament goers of the series. According to Sakurai, players of this mode "probably spent a lot of time on Final Destination in previous titles." Sakurai also introduced a "For Fun" mode, aiming towards the recreational Smash fan. This mode will feature random stages(without Final Destination included), items, and does not count towards the ranking system. Sakurai concluded that "I hope we can create an online environment where everyone can enjoy themselves".
While it may not be the same as typical tournament rule-sets, "For Glory" still deserves acknowledgement for Nintendo's efforts to reach their hardcore fan base.
Considering Nintendo's relationship with the competitive community in the past, this year has been a huge step towards building a future for the game's tournament scene. With Nintendo giving their blessing to major events such as MLG Anaheim and EVO 2014 for streaming rights, the future for Smash Bros. in eSports looks bright. Smash is one of the best selling fighting-game franchises of all time--if Nintendo chose to invest into the tournament scene, the results would be explosive. “For Glory” could potentially be the mark of Nintendo's first step towards reaching out to the competitive audience in Smash 4. We have seen with Riot Games’ “League of Legends Championship Series” what developer support can do to elevate a competitive community, so this is definitely exciting news for hopeful enthusiasts of the Smash series.
EVO 2013 broke online stream viewership records with their Melee event, imagine how big an official Nintendo tournament could be; especially if we can bridge the gap between competitive and casual players.
Regardless of how things play out in the future, this is certainly a step in the right direction towards uniting a beloved gaming icon with some of it's most passionate fans. "For Glory" might just be a simple ruleset modification, but perhaps the Big N is leading onto something bigger here. The tournament scene for Smash Bros. has recently been growing exponentially through community inspired efforts, so it will be interesting to see how Smash 4 will mesh recreational fans with competitive events. At least we now know that Nintendo is actively working to cater to both the casual and competitive crowd.
Super Smash Bros. for 3DS is slated for a summer 2014 release, with Super Smash Bros. for Wii U following up this winter.
Sources: http://www.polygon.com, http://www.smashbros.com/us/
---- T.O. Joe is an eSports lover and FGC competitor/content creator. He's a fan of the finer things in life, like jump cancel shines and Metaknight's glide. You can find him on twitter @TorontoJoeSSB
This came in the form of “For Glory,” an online versus mode dedicated to one-on-one battles with no items and Final Destination(or Final Destination clones) as the only playable stages. Wins and losses will be recorded to your own unique player tag, with a ranking system that Sakurai briefly mentioned as well. This is a noticeable improvement from the wifi features of Super Smash Bros. Brawl and appears to be Nintendo's way of accommodating to the tournament goers of the series. According to Sakurai, players of this mode "probably spent a lot of time on Final Destination in previous titles." Sakurai also introduced a "For Fun" mode, aiming towards the recreational Smash fan. This mode will feature random stages(without Final Destination included), items, and does not count towards the ranking system. Sakurai concluded that "I hope we can create an online environment where everyone can enjoy themselves".
While it may not be the same as typical tournament rule-sets, "For Glory" still deserves acknowledgement for Nintendo's efforts to reach their hardcore fan base.
Considering Nintendo's relationship with the competitive community in the past, this year has been a huge step towards building a future for the game's tournament scene. With Nintendo giving their blessing to major events such as MLG Anaheim and EVO 2014 for streaming rights, the future for Smash Bros. in eSports looks bright. Smash is one of the best selling fighting-game franchises of all time--if Nintendo chose to invest into the tournament scene, the results would be explosive. “For Glory” could potentially be the mark of Nintendo's first step towards reaching out to the competitive audience in Smash 4. We have seen with Riot Games’ “League of Legends Championship Series” what developer support can do to elevate a competitive community, so this is definitely exciting news for hopeful enthusiasts of the Smash series.
EVO 2013 broke online stream viewership records with their Melee event, imagine how big an official Nintendo tournament could be; especially if we can bridge the gap between competitive and casual players.
Regardless of how things play out in the future, this is certainly a step in the right direction towards uniting a beloved gaming icon with some of it's most passionate fans. "For Glory" might just be a simple ruleset modification, but perhaps the Big N is leading onto something bigger here. The tournament scene for Smash Bros. has recently been growing exponentially through community inspired efforts, so it will be interesting to see how Smash 4 will mesh recreational fans with competitive events. At least we now know that Nintendo is actively working to cater to both the casual and competitive crowd.
Super Smash Bros. for 3DS is slated for a summer 2014 release, with Super Smash Bros. for Wii U following up this winter.
Sources: http://www.polygon.com, http://www.smashbros.com/us/
---- T.O. Joe is an eSports lover and FGC competitor/content creator. He's a fan of the finer things in life, like jump cancel shines and Metaknight's glide. You can find him on twitter @TorontoJoeSSB
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before someone jumps down my throat, it is a FACT that Brawl is the way it is because of Sakurai's pandering to the casuals. Nothing is out of question with Sakurai, especially after what he specifically stated about hating items off. He is the embodiment of pandering.
