Super Smash Bros. for Nintendo 3DS

Smash 3DS is impressive and, for the most part, feels right at home on 3DS. The multitude of ways to play and awesome customization gave me many reasons to keep fighting - and I've been at it for more than 45 hours already. It all produces a fun feedback loop of engaging in matches to unlock custom moves and trophies, then jumping into another match to try out the new stuff. Even the online modes feel carefully considered and focused on what the series does best, and what the 3DS can reasonably do. It's a little disappointing that the four-player antics that are the best part of the console games don't really work on a small screen, but there's still more than enough that does work to make Smash a great 3DS game.

Smash Bros. is a cavalcade of cartoonish violence and chaos, and it's never been better.

Pocket fighter.

Smash Bros hasn't been compressed for 3DS — it's been tailored to it

A highly polished iteration of Smash Bros. that plays great on its own. But if you're afflicted by latency problems in local multiplayer, you'll suddenly become painfully aware of the 3DS version's critical shortcomings.

Don't let the screen size fool you – Super Smash Bros. on 3DS is a riot, and it's worthy of the name

The classic Nintendo brawling game returns with a huge cast of characters, refreshed modes and a fist full of charm

Super Smash Bros. for Nintendo 3DS delivered just about everything I wanted out of it, and then some. I've grown attached to a number of newcomers, I've played more online matches than I ever did with Brawl, and I'll be tackling all of the single-player content for weeks on end. I'm all in again thanks to Smash 3DS, and it's made me even more excited for the Wii U version later this year.

Portable Smash Bros. blizz.

Remarkable production values combined with a staggering amount of content and fan service make Super Smash Bros. for Nintendo 3DS an entertaining, rewarding and downright addictive title that's immensely hard to put down. It's a hugely successful transition from the big screen, which retains everything — the in-depth gameplay, the seamlessly merged crossover universe and that unrivalled Nintendo charm — that has made each home console instalment to date an instant classic. It feels familiar, further defining the mould of the series instead of reshaping it, but it does so to impeccably high standards.That said, it's not perfect: the online multiplayer can be very hit-or-miss in terms of connection quality, and the customisation features are pretty lacking, although these aren't considerable enough to damage the overall experience. As the wealth of modes, stages, characters and other features prove, this isn't a quick release intended to tide over players until the Wii U version comes along. Rather, it delivers more than a 3DS game should feasibly be able to do, so much so that it'll be enjoyed alongside its HD counterpart and in its own right for years to come.