The Super Smash Bros. franchise has become one of the cornerstones of Nintendos identity. On every console since the Nintendo 64, eager anticipation has surrounded each new entry in the brawling seriesthe lead-up to Super Smash Bros. Brawl included daily teases for almost an entire year on the games official website.

Super Smash Bros. for 3DSyes, the devices name is part of the titlemarks a first for the franchise. This entry will be the first time Nintendos all-star battle royale has appeared on a handheld. Its a curious step for a game that has become synonymous with four friends playing a game together on a couch, but Nintendo is hoping the magic can translate to the small screen.

Having had a chance to play the game for over a week now, Aaron Morales and I discussedwhether the transition has been successful, or if were just biding our time with the game until Super Smash Bros. for Wii U.

Jonathon Dornbush: You and I are coming to Smash Bros. from quite different places. Ive had a long love affair with the franchise. Ill never be mistaken for a professional playerfighting games are about as foreign to me as a game genre could bebut Ive played each iteration of the franchise for dozens of hours. Super Smash Bros. Melee in particular stole more than its fair share of afternoons and evenings from me as a kid. Theres something about the core idea of Smash that I just loveits like a series finale of a TV show where every major guest star and long-running gag pops up, anda decade of history is crammed into one episode.

Smash Bros. serves a bit of that purpose, but for multiple decades of Nintendos legacy. For that, Ive enjoyed the games both as a fighter and as a virtual hall of memories to the companys past. Before diving into the sheer amount of content in Smash Bros. for 3DS, Aaron, what is your history with the franchise and fighting games in general?

Aaron Morales: I love fighting games, but Ive never taken to Smash. I grew up in the arcades, dumping hundreds of dollars of quarters into venerable series such as Street Fighter, King of Fighters and Tekken. I love the intricacies of the fighting systems, memorizing combos, pulling off complex super moves. But Smash Bros. always felt like a button-masher to me, which is pretty much the worst thing you can call a fighting game. I just never really got it. My favorite fighters are razor-sharp precise, where Smash Bros.is loose and spastic. Because it eschews health bars for some percentage meter I never understood, I could finish a round of Smash Bros.and honestly have no clue whether I had finished in first or last place.

Ive always admired the insane amount of fan service that Nintendo has packed into the series. From the obscure characters to the nostalgia-drenched stages, its like your childhood exploded on the screen. But actually playing it? Not so much. Ive dabbled in each release among friends, but I could never get into it, and I certainly didnt spend much time playing single player before quickly losing interest. So the chances of the handheld version hooking me were pretty slim. And yet

Ive played more Smash 3DS in the last week than probably every other version combined, I think largely because its so pick-up-and-play easy. You can get in a quick round while waiting for the train, play a few more on the commute to work. Once you hit your stop, simply close your 3DS, and when you re-open it, youre right where you left off. Ive actually been carrying my 3DS around a lot more because of the game, getting in a quick round here and there throughout the workday while waiting on things.

Ive tried playing other fighters such as Street Fighter IV on the 3DS, and the systems wonky circle pad and tiny buttons make it challenging at best to pull off dragon punches reliably. But Smashs controls are so simple that its never an obstacle. Heres a case where button-mashing will result in amazingly flashy moves. Before I get flamed, I do realize that Smash Bros.has a respected fighting engine and tournament-level play, but you also dont really need to know much to jump in and get playing. Every characters move commands are the same, even though they do wildly different things. And while I dont have much in the ways of strategy, Im actually enjoying button-mashing my way through my commute, even if I still rarely know whether Ive won or lost.

JD: Ive always enjoyed the franchises approachabilitya newcomer can play Smash Bros.by simply mashing on a few buttons, and your favorite Nintendo personalities will pull off incredible moves with stylish flair. But there is a deep level of strategy for those who want it, and an amazing community has developed around the seriesNintendo even held aninvitationalat E3 earlier this year.

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EW discusses: Does Super Smash Bros. succeed on the 3DS?