Genre: Party
Developer: Sora
Publisher: Nintendo

Nintendo hasn't primarily been about the technological aspects of video gaming since the Gamecube era, and on top of that, this Smash Bros. game had the requirement for eight player simultaneous play. Needless to say, the models and textures are a bit rough when zoomed in on as a consequence, at least relative to other eighth-generation titles. But at the same time, the visuals are true to the series' usual aesthetic, and the various character stylizations fit with the usual "Nintendo charm" credo.

Like all of the Smash Bros. games, this title has a tremendous variety of remixed music from the various franchises that originated the title's various characters, and all of it is quite strong. Sound effects are also good at representing the iconic nature of the video game series on offer.

The usual Smash Bros. control scheme remains intact from the previous entries, and it works just as well here as ever. Each character controls very distinctly, and some of the stronger outliers-- such as Sonic the Hedgehog-- feature physics vastly different than most of the others. Stages are solid, but are sometimes too clever by half, as they fall apart and rebuild themselves in unpredictable ways.

Formulaically, Smash Bros. is a strange creature; for most people the game follows the typical party formula, and the experience is like playing a Bomberman or Mario Party-style title-- with people frantically shouting and slinging jibes at one another, while laughing hysterically. For high-level players, the title is more of a 2d fighter, with tight technicals. On the balance, the game is most similar to Capcom's Marvel vs. Capcom series; not quite full-fledged fighter, but not quite pure party piece either. For those for whom the series "clicks" in some way-- and that is a sizeable crowd-- this Wii U edition of the venerable Smash Bros. will be a treat. For others, it'll be difficult to understand what the "neither here nor there" fuss is about.