The latestSuper Smash Bros.title,Super Smash Bros. Ultimate, has become one of Nintendo’s biggest go-to titles on the Nintendo Switch. Combining everything that’s made theSuper Smash Bros.series successful over the years,Ultimatehas brought the vast majority of the franchise’s past content to the forefront with the franchise’s largest roster of characters and stages to date. Combined with great refinements to the fighting mechanics, this title has turned itself into the definitive entry in Nintendo’s long-running fighting franchise.
One area that it can see some improvements in, however, isin the online play ofSmash Ultimate. TheSuper Smash Bros.series has always had some issues with online play in one form or another, but inUltimate’s case, it feels like the online mode could’ve used a few more options. With Nintendo likely preparing the nextSuper Smash Bros.game for its upcoming console, the publisher may want to look to a feature fromSuper Smash Bros. for. Wii Uwhen making the next game.
Super Smash Bros.’ Next Game Could Use Smash 4’s Help
The Next Smash Game Should Bring Back For Fun And For Glory
If the nextSuper Smash Bros.game wants toimprove on the online features fromSuper Smash Bros.Ultimate, it should bring back the multiplayer queues thatSuper Smash Bros. for Wii Uoffered. That game offered two separate online modes, one being For Fun and the other being For Glory. As the names allude to, the former allowed players to play casual games with items on any possible stage, while the latter offered more competitive play by removing items and only allowing non-hazardous forms of stages.
Super Smash Bros. Ultimate, on the other hand,only has one form of quickplaythat doesn’t offer the same type of rulesets. While players can set a “preferred” ruleset before a match begins, there are no guarantees that they will match with someone who has the same rules. Even though For Fun and For Glory might limit the ruleset options a bit, it would help players have a better understanding of what kind of match they will play before it begins.
Smash’s Next Game Would Help The Potential Competitive Disparity
Beyond only having this one form of Quickplay,Super Smash Bros. Ultimate’s one multiplayer option is technically a “ranked” option. As players play,they earn Global Smash Pointsand, as their point totals grow, they become grouped in with players of similar point counts. This can create a bit of an imbalance, as a casual player who happens to win enough to gain a lot of points can get paired with a more competitive player who grinds for longer times. Likewise, competitive players trying to practice might run into rulesets with items that prove distracting.
Having modes akin to For Fun and For Glory can give those players an easier opportunity to pair up with players of similar playstyles. It eliminates the potential disparity between gamers of radically different styles and allows them to enjoy the game at their own pace. Casual players will not have to worry about ranking up their Global Smash Points, while competitive players have a greater motivation to grind online.
Even though For Fun and For Glory might limit the ruleset options a bit, it would help players have a better understanding of what kind of match they will play before it begins.
Smash Bros. Online Could Use More Modes In General
If Nintendo wants to improve the online inthe nextSuper Smash Bros.title, it may also be worth it to add a few extra modes. In its current form,Ultimateonly offers three different options, with limited customization options between them. The nextSuper Smash Bros.game could be the definitive online experience if it offers more options and modes, perhaps even going as far as to bring back something like Smash Run fromSuper Smash Bros. for Nintendo 3DS.
WhileSuper Smash Bros. Ultimateis an all-around excellent experience on the Switch, it could absolutely use some help in the online department. The limited options and disparity between playstyles make it hard to get into no matter one’s level of experience with the series.As Nintendo likely prepares forSuper Smash Bros.to move forwardon the next platform, an improvement to the online gameplay would go a long way to making the next game the new definitive title in the franchise.
Super Smash Bros. Ultimate
WHERE TO PLAY
Gaming icons clash in the ultimate brawl you may play anytime, anywhere! Smash rivals off the stage as new characters Simon Belmont and King K. Rool join Inkling, Ridley, and every fighter in Super Smash Bros. history. Enjoy enhanced speed and combat at new stages based on the Castlevania series, Super Mario Odyssey, and more!Having trouble choosing a stage? Then select the Stage Morph option to transform one stage into another while battling—a series first! Plus, new echo fighters Dark Samus, Richter Belmont, and Chrom join the battle. Whether you play locally or online, savor the faster combat, new attacks, and new defensive options, like a perfect shield. Jam out to 900 different music compositions and go 1-on-1 with a friend, hold a 4-player free-for-all, kick it up to 8-player battles and more!
