Nintendo Direct Hails An Explosion of Smash Bros. News

A very special Smash Bros.-themed Nintendo Direct took place yesterday, and with it came an utter lorry-load of news, from release dates to details of new character roster additions.

The video itself is a pretty long one, so if you don’t have time to watch the whole thing now (and I recommend you do!), here’s the main points of the presentation:

• Release windows: Super Smash Bros. for 3DS will be released this Summer, while the Wii U version is heading towards a targeted Winter 2014 window.
• The Nintendo 3DS version runs at 60 frames per second, even with 3D mode turned on.
• The 3DS version adds a Smash Run mode, where up to four players have five minutes to explore a dungeon, fight enemies and pick up as many powerups as possible, before entering a separate arena, using their newly found items to defeat the other players.
• New characters: Not only will more Pokemon be joining the melee in the form of Greninja and Charizard, but some extra characters have been added, that were previously alternate costumes of other characters. Zero Suit Samus and Shiek have been split off from Samus and Princess Zelda, respectively.
• Both Wii U and 3DS versions support online play with other players on their chosen platform.
• The playable cast will be the same in both versions of the game, while the included stages will differ. The Wii U version focuses on classic home console games, while the 3DS takes inspiration from Nintendo’s handheld software library.
• Both the 3DS and Wii U versions will be linked in some way, but the nature of this feature will be detailed at a later date.
• Players will also be able to customise their move sets when playing with friends. More information to be revealed soon.

Does this news excite you, as much as it does us?