75%Nintendo Switch

I can appreciate what Smash has done for the fighting game genre but was never fully my jam. This was an amazing version of the game. Feels good to play and if I was a bigger Smash fan, this would definitely be rated higher.

85%Nintendo Switch

Super Smash Bros. Ultimate. Has there ever been a more appropriate subtitle for a game than this? "Ultimate" truly is the word to define this game and what it contains. 76 playable characters (89 including DLC), 104 stages (114, again including DLC), and over 800 music tracks. In terms of content and player choice, no Smash game—no fighting game—can match what Ultimate has to offer. It's gaming's biggest crossover, bringing back every character from previous entrees in addition to adding new ones. It's almost intimidating how large this game has gotten; picking a character out of 30 is a lot more manageable than 70 or 80. Still, it's an incredible amount of variety for money, and SSBU almost feels like the pinnacle of what a Smash Bros. game can be. Almost.

Super Smash Bros. Ultimate is probably the best casual-friendly fighting game to date. It has just about everything you would want in a game like this, and the variety in what you can create in multiplayer modes is truly astounding. It's a game with simultaneously a low-skill floor and a high-skill ceiling, and that's always been the best thing about these games. Anyone can enjoy them because even with a large skill gap, there are enough mechanics and gimmicks that can be introduced in order for the game to feel more fair—and more importantly, more fun. Controls are excellent, as good as they've ever been for Smash, so easing new players into this game has never been easier. It excels as both a fighting game and a party game, and it's extremely satisfying to play and to master. What's even more impressive is how unique most of the characters feel. There are echo fighters and some other characters that have very similar movements, but it's incredible that with a roster this large, so many characters still maintain their own identity. That's part of why DLC Smash character announcements are so exciting; not only does it offer the chance for a character to be immortalized in video game history, but it also promises a totally unique character experience.

SSBU has an extensive single-player mode, too, which is a huge improvement from its predecessor on the Wii U and 3DS. Called World of Light, it even carries a (very loose) story with a few cutscenes here and there. It offers a new take on the single-player formula, and at about 25 hours long, it's certainly the longest story mode content in a Smash game. It doesn't really justify its length, though, as the battles can start to feel tedious and repetitive rather quickly. The spirit fights in this mode can vary quite drastically; some of them feel extremely creative and well thought out, while others can feel repetitive or annoying. A lot of fights also depend on what spirits (think of them as stat or environment modifiers) you have equipped more than your skill, which inevitably creates frustration if you don't have the spirits you need. It's still a mostly enjoyable experience—the good fights probably outnumber the frustrating ones—but it can feel like a bit of a slog when you reach the latter stages. Still, World of Light includes an incredible amount of gaming allusions and references in its spirits; it definitely has its charm, and it's part of what helps sell SSBU as the ultimate video game crossover experience. The board game-style layout, too, is full of neat little references and is overall pretty fun to explore.

The game's online experience is a bit of a toss-up, depending on who you ask. The Switch is the first Nintendo console that requires a subscription to access online features, so it wouldn't be out of the question to expect an overall improvement in service. However, it seems like it's still a mixed bag, and experiences definitely vary. Some will swear it's the best online has ever worked in a Smash game; others will say it's borderline unplayable. Whatever your experience, though, it is lacking some key features that would make online a significantly better experience. The Fun/Glory modes are missing, leaving behind just one online queue. Searching for battles was already inconsistent before, so the removal of this feature doesn't really make sense. You'll sometimes get matched with players who have completely different rulesets than you, which can put a real dampener on your enjoyment. Luckily, playing with friends in an arena offers a relatively seamless experience, which is an improvement on past titles.

It's difficult to envision where Smash goes from here as a series. Calling a game "Ultimate" seems to imply that this will be the biggest experience players will get; it's hard to imagine Smash 6 retaining all Ultimate's characters while also adding new ones. Whether this means there will be a significant shakeup in the series formula is yet to be determined, but for now, SSBU is a game that will be cherished for pushing what a Smash game was capable of containing to the absolute limit. It's still not the perfect Smash Bros. game, but it is—and probably always will be—the Ultimate one.

100%Nintendo Switch

Did not played the story, but I play this coop with my son and it’s awesome.

65%Nintendo Switch

"Ultimate", my a**. Great fan service, but I feel this game is more style than substance, at least gameplay-wise. Responsiveness when jumping with the joystick is terrible and I find hit detection overall to be questionable. There also seems to be more lag in this game than in previous entries. Hits shake the screen, which is distracting, as are battles with 6+ characters on screen at once. Can the game be fun? Sure, but this is far from the best in the series where controls/gameplay are concerned. I miss the collectible trophies from previous games and an actual description of the characters/spirits. And why can't you save a default costume for each character to your profile?? Come on, Nintendo. Also, where are cool alternate costumes for characters, like a yarn Yoshi from Woolly World? Even if they were DLC, that would've been welcome.

I'll give it kudos on the sheer amount of characters, stages, music, and spirits. Newer characters like King K. Rool and Richter Belmont are nice additions to the roster. Not a bad game, but not the awesome experience I expected. It just made me wonder why I'm not simply playing the games that these characters are from instead. Plenty of room for improvement for the next game in the series, IMO.

95%Nintendo Switch

9.5/10

80%Emulated

These are my thoughts on the single player "World of Light" mode in smash Ultimate. I've played the multiplayer (online and offline) on and off since the game's release, but never touched any of the single player stuff. So I'm very familiar with the game and the intricacies of it's mechanics. I loved Subspace Emissary in Brawl and while I understood this wasn't that going into it, I was hoping for some of that magic. All-in-all I'd say WOL is a great experience if you're new to the series and don't want to get curb stomped by pros online, but sort of underwhelming and actually quite awkward to play on it's harder difficulties if you learned to play the game against real people.

So it's just that—I've exclusively played against real people in smash, learning the mechanics and meta of the multiplayer component, never against an computer. Thing is, the CPUs in smash are notorious for not playing like real people. It's a forgivable oversight, It's kind of hard to emulate how real people do things, even in the digital world. For some examples: CPUs use defensive options with faster reactions than humans are capable of, but simultaneously commit to options that are objectively bad. So they will frame-perfect dodge your attack and then proceed to do a laggy move out of nowhere which might hit you because it's so unexpected. It's like they return your volley in Tennis with the skill and speed no human could possess and then proceed to lob it back to you in the dumbest, most amateur way. It's skill whiplash, suddenly they transcend humanity and the next moment they're your 5 y.o. nephew shaking the controller in hopes of victory through pure luck.

Real humans don't play like this. New players have trouble making it back to stage and only utilize half of any given character's move set, probably forgetting what the buttons do at times. Intermediate players are—in a way—worse; being extremely predictable with a single game plan that only sometimes works against other players of their skill level. Good players are the ones that are fun to play against, they use most their characters tools, constantly baiting options, mixing up recovery routes, and executing long combo strings. This is where you want to be at for yourself and your opponent. It's fun to beat a new/intermediate player once, but it's not how you get better. And fighting games are all about getting better, it's a skill, and improving it is addictive.

CPUs in smash throw all that nuance out the window and do ridiculously risky options mixing with frame perfect executions. And then sometimes just stand there for 3 seconds doing nothing but watch your fist collide with their face. World of Light is ultimately (no pun intended) a large collection of CPU battles. So whichever difficulty you choose will determine the CPU difficulty. The problems I've outlined with CPUs are only for the level 9 ones. The lower level CPU feel more natural to fight, but they're too easy. Level 9 CPUs are also easy to beat consistently if you're a good player. But again, they play *completely* different from real humans. Getting good at facing them won't help you against good players unless you're still learning the basics. And more so the problem for me, It's like trying to swing a bat left handed in a pickup game of baseball when I'm a professional when batting right handed. Any time I miss it doesn't feel earned.

WOL features the spirit system as well, with rewards and a progression system for unlocking both characters and spirits. Again, great if you're new to the game and want fun minigames to unlock the roster. The spirits are fun in theory, but my muscle memory is so ingrained with the default mechanics that any change to the character's movement throws me off in a weird way. The hard fights in this mode feel awful, and most of the time cheesing the AI by getting them offstage is the fastest/best move. It's really awkward.

I still love this game for it's competitive offline/online, and I don't think I'll ever stop playing it that way. World of Light is no Subspace, but at least it's something, even if I'm a little outside it's intended audience at this point.

100%Nintendo Switch

just perfect

100%Nintendo Switch

Wow!

90%Nintendo Switch

Very solid game, plenty to do for all types of players. 1 point deducted for input lag and other interruptions when online..

95%Nintendo Switch

I hate steve

95%Nintendo Switch

Pros:
·Story Mode
·Soundtrack
·Graphics
·Mechanics
·Controls
·Lots of Content

Cons:
·No Stage Builder
·No Bios for Spirits
·Difficulty Spikes in Adventure Mode

9.5/10

90%Emulated

20:13 - World of Light beaten, Normal difficulty;
612/615 spaces cleared;
72 fighters awakened;
99.51% completion;
Dharkon and Galeem defeated (true ending);

100%Nintendo Switch

I love this game to death

100%Nintendo Switch

Love this game

90%Nintendo Switch

I love this (gestures towards the aforementioned this).
The DLC characters could be better balanced, the story mode could be more interesting, there could be less similar characters, and the online could... not suck... but this is all just cherry-picking, I adore this game. I still play it semi-regularly over five years after release, and I'm still not bored (or good lol).
Even thought it's based on the same engine as Smash 4, it's incredibly jarring to go back, they added and changed so much.

60%Nintendo Switch

Do you want a monopolistic anti-consumer nightmare that feels like it's spitting in your face whenever you turn off items and does the bare minimum when it comes to a single player story so that kids can keep the Nintendo brand in their mind even when their siblings are at school and can't play multiplayer? This is the game for you! It is a title that is actively hostile to anyone who dares play it competitively— a sentiment matched by the company that makes it— but goddamn, so much of the gameplay is so good that I just can't score it lower than a 6. The spite in me wants to give it a 1. The thousands of hours of playtime across different consoles at different events say otherwise. F Nintendo.

100%Nintendo Switch

Tras más de 450 horas jugadas, volví a insertar su cartucho solo para darme de tortas con mis amigos en su modalidad online. Aún me falta mucha práctica, pero este es el único título de lucha que me incentiva a seguir y seguir aprendiendo.

Dicho esto, dejo constancia de que este me parece uno de los videojuegos más detallistas y espectaculares que me he topado en la vida, hasta el punto de que, aunque no me atrajese, no me atrevería a negar que es un juego rotundamente perfecto.

90%Nintendo Switch

The sheer scope of this game makes it a masterpiece, but it can feel oddly clunky to control

80%Nintendo Switch

Alors j'aimais pas trop Smash Bros avant et là la hype commune pour l'ultime opus en 2018 m'a fait changer d'avis, je l'ai eu à Noël et oh mon dieu quel poulet, j'ai d'abord fait ce qu'aucun joueur de smash ne fait c'est à dire le mode histoire qui était très chouette, je collectionne encore les 1500 cartes aujourd'hui d'ailleurs, puis je me suis mis à jouer avec la Kana, je me suis rendu compte que j'adorais les persos bagarreurs type Little Mac ou Falcon mais bon j'arrive pas à m'améliorer ducoup je suis resté à un bas niveau, n'empêche même si je fais que des IRL aujourd'hui (mention au premier tournoi Kana Sucre x Lio Fotia de Mars 2024 où j'ai fini on dernier), j'ai comme Mario Kart apprécié cette période.

95%Nintendo Switch

I play this game way too much, but I still suck.

90%Nintendo Switch

Pretty good

80%Nintendo Switch

Good Game overall 8/10
From start to finish this was a solid Smash Bros. story mode. The music and visuals were top notch and I would expect nothing less from the Smash Bros. series. I really enjoy the different fight gimmicks and the multiple boss fights.

80%Nintendo Switch

My first smash game. I really enjoy the game and love the diverse cast of characters. I will always remember my brother and I’s random character battles.

100%Nintendo Switch

Best fighting game of all time, high skill ceiling, low barrier to entry. The perfect couch coop, and competitive game all in one. The roster is star studded, and the music will have you hitting your signature dance moves. Get ready to yell at your friends.

80%Nintendo Switch

Smash Bros. Ultimate is a tribute to the history of video games. With a fun combat system, hundreds of themes from dozens of games, numerous characters from many series, and other features, it creates the ultimate crossover experience that remains unrivaled to this day.

90%Nintendo Switch

It's Smash.

100%Nintendo Switch

The best Fighting game. But there Rivals of aether also, dont forget, thats a beat of a game. :)

100%Nintendo Switch

Best smash bros, everyone is here

80%Nintendo Switch

This game can introduce you to so many different video game series from the amount of references and characters.

100%Nintendo Switch

Le meilleur jeu de combat en 2D avec un rooster de personnage énorme et une aventure sympathique nécessitant de réfléchir à la tactique d'approche mais l'histoire est moins prenante que l'opus brawl.
Le jeu est magnifique et le combat à 8 joueurs permet des soirées vraiment mouvementées.

100%Nintendo Switch

Have good memories playing this with a campus group in freshman year of college and still play it every weekend with little brothers. The younger one of the two always beats me and the other brother by spamming around 8 moves he knows on Sephiroth, but he KNOWS those moves well and kicks our butts every time :)

100%Nintendo Switch

It is what it says on the box, the ultimate iteration of an already great fighting game. A superb celebration of gaming history. The music of the game is absolutely phenomenal, both the original music and remixes are knocked out of the park.

100%Nintendo Switch

Speechless

100%Nintendo Switch

There are so many different characters in this one. Everyone who has ever been in smash bros is here. You can get so much play time from this game outside of the story mode. There are miis to customize, you can build your own stages and there a decent amount of minigames to play on the side too.

90%Nintendo Switch

Just like all the other Smash Bros games except its better and has more characters!

95%Nintendo Switch

Best fighting game ever. Enjoyed this all through high school.

80%Nintendo Switch

Rating is for overall game

90%Nintendo Switch

The big collection of basically all smash bros games all in one. The roster is insanely huge yet balanced, the stages were all great, and was just a very exciting game. The main story was a big of a drag and got extremely repetitive, but it was still a fun way to unlock the roster!

90%Nintendo Switch

All the characters feel unique. World of light starts of feeling slow and repetitive but the fight gimmicks keep it fresh, the bosses are a challenging change of pace. The sub areas puzzles and gimmicks provide a different type of challenge. The final fight is so over the top and pompous, that you can’t help but enjoy it.

95%Nintendo Switch

Great game! I still play online and occasionally play the story but amazing!

95%Nintendo Switch

Name says it all, this is the Ultimate Smash Bros.

100%Nintendo Switch

One of the Best games of All Time!

90%Nintendo Switch

Online Side - The Best Platform Fighting Game Of All Time and Fuck Sword Users and People without Ethernet cables

Story Side - Don't like that you have to find the Characters to play them, Dum Hazards, Hate The Last Boss, Spirits are Shit

90%Nintendo Switch

Review only about the world of light. Super Smash Bros Ultimate provides a much larger and comprehensive game with hours upon hours of content.

Few companies boast as extensive and diverse a collection of intellectual properties as Nintendo. Over the years, Nintendo has established working relationships with numerous gaming giants and Super Smash Bros has always stood out in Nintendo's lineup, serving as a unique title that unites hundreds of characters and worlds from various games and companies. Its premise is simple yet entertaining: push your opponent off the stage as stylishly and quickly as possible.

In this regard, Super Smash Bros Ultimate achieves something that very few fighting games manage—it not only amalgamates an intriguing array of gaming characters and worlds but also weaves them into an engaging and enjoyable single-player story. Each "spirit" in the game represents a character from a different world, seamlessly integrated into the Smash Bros universe. Nintendo has meticulously crafted specific battles, striving to replicate the essence of each spirit using the available roster of fighters. The result is AI that behaves in a manner true to the spirit it embodies, complemented by fitting music and portraits. With hundreds of spirits, each offering unique enhancements to your character's survival and combat abilities, the game is both interesting to explore and a treasure trove of references. This concept alone provides up to 25+ hours of gameplay in the single-player mode—an accomplishment worthy of commendation.

The directors deserve applause for executing this concept flawlessly, seamlessly blending different IPs. Players find themselves navigating stages reminiscent of Donkey Kong and engaging in Street Fighter-style battles, adding depth and variety to the experience.

The gameplay itself is noteworthy, featuring a myriad of moves to consider, from blocking and dodging to parries and counters, unique to each character. Each move adds layers of complexity, inviting players to experiment and master their favorite fighters. The depth of the gameplay mechanics is staggering, offering a wealth of possibilities for players to explore.

However, there are a few drawbacks to mention. The single-player gameplay can become repetitive, with the AI, while intriguing, occasionally falling victim to exploitation, leading to a sense of monotony. Additionally, the character roster, while including fun ones like R.O.B, Game and Watch, and King K. Rool, suffers from an overabundance of sword-wielding male fighters, lacking diversity. The game's loading times are also a notable issue, detracting from the overall entertainment, especially considering the brevity of some fights.

Despite these shortcomings, my experience remained largely unspoiled. As a Switch owner, Super Smash Bros Ultimate is a must-have in your collection, especially if you have friends willing to join you in the delightful chaos of battling unique and fascinating characters, a feat only Nintendo could achieve.

80%Nintendo Switch

Smash Ultimate is, in my opinion, the best Smash game for casuals by far. It is the most accessible game in the series with the widest audience reach due to its giant roster of notable video game characters. Compared to Smash games of the past, Ultimate is the easiest for a new player to pick up and learn because controlling your character, which is easily the most vital fundamental of playing Smash competitively, is easier than ever. However, when you get to the higher level of the game, a lot of its balancing flaws and character design issues start to show. Pair that with Online play being horrendous makes Ultimate so close to being an amazing competitive game. From a casual standpoint, this installment easily has the most to offer and I sunk hundreds of hours with friends playing modes like Smashdown or teams.

What I liked:
- Seemingly endless amounts of content (characters, stages, music selection, WoL, Smashdown)
- Most fun Smash from a casual standpoint because there is so much content and going from one character to another is not that difficult compared to an installment such as Melee.
- Smashdown is fucking incredible as a casual mode with friends.
- Game looks incredibly clean and will be up there with Melee in terms of how timeless the graphics are.
- Sakurai added some of the sickest additions to this game, such as Sephiroth, Joker, and Banjo. Whether they were designed well is up to interpretation lol.

What I didn't like:
- Online is dogshit. P2P connection in 2018 for any fighting game, regardless of how seriously it takes itself as a competitive game, is unacceptable. If the game's online was rollback, it would be a 9/10 for me. Also arenas are a dumb format imo.
- DLC pack 2 character design was very poor. The fact that they were developed during COVID really shows in how different they feel from the rest of the cast, including DLC pack 1.
- Balancing changes were not great which made the game feel very stale over time. Some characters were just gutted before there was ample time for the meta to develop (Pichu is the prime example). The overall disrespect of the opinion for the competitive community shows in these changes and I believe it hurt the game in the long run.

90%Nintendo Switch

Nerf Steve

90%Nintendo Switch

Listen im just putting on my hours what it says on my account but with friends houses and parties I've probably put over 500 hours into this game and it's easily the best fighting game I think ever made.

90%Nintendo Switch

Este cel mai bun joc din serie dupa S.S.Bros. Brawl de pe Wii clasic, si-au dat interesul foarte mult avand in vedere ca e un joc de lupte, nu l-au lasat ca pe cel de pe Wii U fara storymode.
E destul de lung, chit ca povestea e simpla si nu foarte complexa. Hartile sunt foarte mari, 3 la numar + cateva mai mici, vreo 8. Singurul minus e faptul ca nu le-au facut 3D si le-au lasat doar niste desene/poze iar cand se face zoom pe caracter se vad pixelii.
Ca si gameplay e foarte bun si diversificat, bogat in caractere/jucatori si arene de lupta, pe langa asta au bagat un sistem nou de spirite (si acestea sunt doar niste poze nu modele 3D) destul de interesant.
Grafica din arene si a caracterelor e frumoasa cu modele din toate generatiile de S.S.Bros.
Merita incercat.

100%Nintendo Switch

Absolutely goated

85%Nintendo Switch

Easily the best fighting game I've ever played, and definitely the best on modern platforms. It's a must try game for everyone! (Also this is coming from someone who usually doesn’t enjoy fighting games)