Pac and Smash.

Super Smash Bros. for Nintendo 3DS was released recently. I preordered it and have been having a lot of fun playing it since it's release day. Of course, being a major game from Nintendo, there wasn't much reason to believe that it would be anything less than great. Still, keeping in mind that this is the first Smash Bros. title on a handheld system, it's pretty amazing to see just how little compromise was made to recreate that fun gameplay we know and love from the prior home console releases. The game plays great, the secret characters are cool, and there are plenty of surprises.

It was kind of a strange feeling to hold that package in my hands and know that I am about to play this game for the first time when there has been so much anticipation building up for well over a year. The roster reveals, video posts, and trade show exhibitions made for a finely cultivated atmosphere of hype. Things really reached a fever-pitch during this year's E3 when a large tournament was held. Even from home, this tournament was incredibly fun to watch. It was later that night, though, when an announcement video was released that got me hyped beyond anything else I've seen.



Pac-Man! The character I most hoped for is in Smash!

Of course, Pac-Man's inclusion wasn't entirely unexpected, as Bandai Namco was involved in the production of the game. Still, I have to admit, I got pretty excited after seeing this, especially since his implementation into the game looks so well realized.
Why Pac-Man, of all characters? I don't know. There's nothing about him that seems suited to fighting games, even less so than some of Nintendo's usual characters like Kirby. Maybe the novelty of that is a big reason why. But he's such an iconic, important character in the history of Video Games. It's only right that he's represented in the era-spanning mash-up of Smash Bros. They really made him into a fun character to play as, and a lot of creativity has clearly gone into giving him the moves to stand toe-to-to with any other fighters.

Captain Falcon was always my favorite character in Melee and Brawl, and I've enjoyed playing as him and the other characters too, but in my time with this new incarnation of Smash, it's been all about Pac-Man. Having Mario, Megaman, Sonic, and Pac-Man all in one game together is totally cool. Whenever I set up that match, I fight to make sure that Pac-Man wins.

As great as it is having Smash Bros. any time on the go with the 3DS, I think the main event is going to be when the Wii U version comes out in a few weeks. I'll be practicing my Pac-Attacks until then.

Sayonara.