The release of Super Smash Brothers for Nintendo 3DS was warmly welcomed by North American gaming fans on October 3.

Super Smash Brothers got its start in 1999 on the Nintendo 64 as a fighting game series featuring Nintendo characters.

Although this new version is the first time that Super Smash Brothers has been made for a portable system, the graphics and scope of the game haven’t been compromised.

The graphics are modeled in the style used in “Kid Icarus: Uprising,” and are full of bright colors, interactive stages, and a 360-degree scope of movement. Though playing on 3D mode caused me some eye strain in the midst of intense battles, the graphics are still stunning for the 3DS’ graphical capabilities.

The game features the classic Smash mode, where players can battle against computer controlled fighters, nearby friends, or random players worldwide, along with many new additions. Returning from previous installments is Classic mode, where players fight a certain number of characters non-stop before facing the infamous Master Hand.

In total, there are 49 fighters, 14 of which are new to the Smash series. Though certain characters from Super Smash Brothers Brawl, such as the Ice Climbers and Snake, were taken out in the new version, a diversity of new characters makes up for their losses.

One of the biggest additions to the character roster are customizable Mii fighters. Players can import Miis from the Mii maker, choose their fighting style between being a gunner, brawler, or sword fighter, and dress them in various outfits and hats.

Also new to the series is the ability to customize character statistics, allowing players to adjust fighters to be strongest in power, defense, or agility, or to be balanced in all three.

The game features a new play mode called “Smash Run” where players have five minutes to explore a vast labyrinth and collect power ups for their fighters. Players then pit their powered-up character against other powered-up characters in a fight to the last man standing.

A new variation on classic mode, known as “All-Star” is also available where players battle every character in the game with a limited amount of healing options.

The new “Stadium” mode brings back the Home-Run contest and Target Blast games from previous installments, while adding in various smash contests ranging from taking out 100 fighters as quickly as possible to fighting against a computer enemy to KO the most fighters.

All of these additions makes battles in Super Smash Brothers for 3DS all the more intense, creating a game that is wonderful for fighting game fans new and old, as the game is easy to learn but difficult to master.