Topic: Super Smash 3DS Stages

[Khushrenada]

What works? What doesn't? What do you like? What do you hate?

Personally, I wish they had gone more into past handheld games for stages. Most of it is based on 3DS games which makes sense as they will have models and code available from those games which is why Smash games usually revolve around the latest games made in a franchise. Still, with it being the first handheld release, it would have been nice to take advantage of the rich handheld history of Nintendo and have a few more stages from their past. A Metroid Fusion stage or Metroid 2 stage instead of Brinstar for instance. What about a Tetris stage instead of a Pictochat stage. Ah well.

It also bugs me that there is one blank square left on the stage menu. Is it meant for future DLC? Was a stage pulled? Is it Sakurai trolling everyone? I want to know.

[Mop it up]

Needs more N64 stages.

[Adrock]

What works? What doesn't? What do you like? What do you hate?

The only stage that doesn't work is Mushroomy Kingdom. It's one of the worst stages in the entire series. They made it half as terrible as it was in Brawl by cutting Level 1-2 and it's still one of the worst stages in the entire series. Of all the Mario stages to bring back, that is the one they chose? What the fuc...

Otherwise, I like all the new stages. Sure, I like some more than others, but that's a given. The worst I can say is that a single returning stage is terrible. If I'm nitpicking, I feel like quite a few series got shortchanged. I don't mind the returning stages. However, it would have been nice if those series also got a brand new stage. For example, Brinstar returns again yet Metroid doesn't get a new stage for the 3DS. Metroid Fusion has never gotten a lot of love in Super Smash Bros. so it would have been nice to see something from that game. I would have settled for a Metroid Prime Hunters stage if it meant we got a new Metroid stage in the game.

Additionally, I'd prefer if they remade the returning stages, or even just Corneria which doesn't hide its age as well as Jungle Japes or Brinstar. They could add something new here and there as well. And to piggyback on what Mop it up said, it would have been nice if they brought back N64 stages. There are no returning N64 stages. Some of those stages could use tweaks. Peach's Castle doesn't have ledges, for example. I suppose that makes it a bit unique.

And I really wish there was an option to turn off stage hazards. I mentioned this in the main thread in Console Discussion. While the Omega version of stages is great, it would be nice to have a version of the stage that didn't have hazards like the Yellow Devil.

It also bugs me that there is one blank square left on the stage menu. Is it meant for future DLC? Was a stage pulled? Is it Sakurai trolling everyone? I want to know.

Based on ROM dumps, people have found arrow icons and evidence of an in-game shop. They're thinking that the arrow leads to a second stage selection screen for DLC stages.

[pokepal148]

golden plains is trash, mushroomy kingdom could probably stand to move a little slower or stop every once in a while and dream land is disappointing. Otherwise pretty good.

[Soren]

The one match I've played in Magicant after I unlocked Ness I hated. It was probably because I was playing with PacMan for the first time and I never go the Flying Man as my ally. It just seemed a bit ho-hum.

[nickmitch]

Balloon Fight is crazy.  Always a lot of KOs there.  Dream Land too.  I like it better than most people here, it seems.

[Khushrenada]

Flying Man threw me off as I thought it was an assist trophy the first time I played it. After that, I'd basically camp out on that side of the map to ensure he was my ally. It's a shame too as I find the stage interesting (especially the part that opens up to Earthbound footage) but the Flying Man is an odd idea.

Oddly enough, I like Mushroomy Kingdom more this time around then I ever did on Brawl. I don't know why. I should my copy of Brawl but it just seems to move at a slower pace than I remember. I think it moves better than the Kirby Dream Land stage. I'm with Pokepal. It is disappointing. It looked so cool when I unlocked but it would be in my unwanted stages selection. As for Mushroomy Kingdon, maybe it is the 3D look or the fact it doesn't go into level 1-2 but it is more a middling stage for me. I'm not going to pick it but I'm not rolling my eyes if I end up playing on it either.

Not sure what Adrock means about Corneria being dated. Playing Melee before 3DS made me really appreciate the Corneria stage and how it was one of the best ones in that game. With Star Fox 64 3D, it's actually a sort of legitimate handheld game reference as well. It works. I prefer Corneria over Jungle Japes and Brinstar.

As for Gaur Plains, I love the look of it and it has some of the best music but it has an odd feature about it. Basically, if I stand on one of the top platforms/rocks and then do an up-smash on a character, I instantly knock them off the screen and KO them even if they have 0% damage. It's great when I'm playing All-Star and get that as the last stage since I know I'll be able to knock-out the competition fast and easy but it just seems like a design flaw. Maybe it is a 3DS thing and would be different on Wii U if it is there but just something odd I noticed.

[Adrock]

Corneria looks dated graphically. The backgrounds are sparse and you can tell it's from a launch window Gamecube game. I'd like to see them update the stage both in terms of graphics and using the knowledge of what worked and didn't work in the past. The latter is far more interesting to me though.

I've read about people absolutely hating Jungle Japes. While I still think it holds up graphically on 3DS' low resolution screen (and with the backgrounds being mostly shadow), I can see where people have a problem with it. The side platforms are too small and due to the raging water and that f-ing claptrap, you spend a lot of time fighting the stage than other players. Also, I'm not a terribly big fan of stages set at dusk (the main reason I dock points from Bridge of Eldin in Brawl). I find it harder to follow the action.

Mushroomy Kingdom strips that level from Super Mario Bros. of all of its charm. They turned one of the most iconic first levels in video games into a boring desert. If they really wanted to go the whole abandoned-level-is-abandoned route, I feel like there were better ways to do it. Maybe include some new platforms, giant mushrooms and vines, or some cameos from Mario characters who have been MIA for years hiding out there because they're sick of that mofo defeating them (e.g. Mouser, Tryclyde from Super Mario Bros. 2), all that while keeping the aesthetics of the original stage instead of one that looks nothing like it. They could have had a lot more fun with it than they did.

Golden Plains is okay, but they probably thought the hook (e.g. turn gold, get a minor stat boost for a few seconds or so) was cooler than it ended up being. It's one of my least favorite stages in the game, but I don't hate playing on it. Dreamland/Gameboy is alright but a missed opportunity. I think it would have been better if it switched between different Gameboy games as in it'd simultaneously been a pea soup green Gameboy stage for Mario, Kirby, Zelda, Mega Mam, Donkey Kong, Metroid, and Pac-Man, switching randomly between those themes.

[Ceric]

I don't think I've yet to run into all the stages since I actually pretty much despise the main Smash mode in this game.

[ObbyDent]

I don't think I've yet to run into all the stages since I actually pretty much despise the main Smash mode in this game.

You unlock all the stages by pretty much playing and unlocking all the characters. The only exception is Flat Zone 2, where you need to unlock Mr. Game & Watch and clear at least one challenge board.

[Adrock]

Another really great thing about the stages in this game: not a single vertical scrolling stage in sight.

I'm not especially fond of the horizontally scrolling stages, but I find them more playable. The 3D Land stage is alright.

[Caterkiller]

I think many of the stages are absolutely fantastic! I'm surprised at the ratio of past/new stages though. Yellow Devil, Flying Man, and that find me monster really urk me though. I love that we can play a flat version of almost everything but it isn't the same.

F-Zero is so awesome! And the 3D Land scrolling stage is so nice! Still can't stand mushroomy kingdom but 3D Land is as fun as Pokefloats to me!

[pokepal148]

Mushroomy Kingdom would be better if it would stop scrolling at a certain point

[Khushrenada]

Yeah. At least Dream Land has pauses in between its scrolling.

[Adrock]

In-depth thoughts on the third part of the Paper Mario stage (Bowser's Castle):

But seriously, it's awful. The rest of the stage is pretty good. The Bowser's Castle portion is made of nightmares. It's a shame since we've never had a Bowser's Castle stage in Super Smash Bros. and it could be really awesome.

[Shaymin]

Balloon Fight is the perfect stage for Farmville main destruction - the thing's so stupid it'll frequently jump into the water and get eaten at 8%.

[Mop it up]

It's a shame since we've never had a Bowser's Castle stage in Super Smash Bros. and it could be really awesome.

I never thought about this but that's true, there really hasn't been! I'm a bit surprised, seems like an obvious good idea for a stage.

[Luigi Dude]

The Paper Mario stage in general makes no sense to be in the 3DS version since 3 of the 4 games are on homes consoles and 2 out of the 3 sections of the stage are from home console games as well.  In comparison Mario & Luigi has had 4 games all on handhelds and all it gets is one crappy song remix in the home console oriented Paper Mario stage.

Well I guess the Wii U version could still get a Mario & Luigi stage, but considering every other Wii U stage so far is based of home console games I wouldn't bet on it.    If there isn't any Mario & Luigi stage then we can add that to the list of things Sakurai hates which currently includes the Wario Land series and Kirby games he didn't direct.

[Mop it up]

If there isn't any Mario & Luigi stage then we can add that to the list of things Sakurai hates which currently includes the Wario Land series and Kirby games he didn't direct.

Also Metroid, and probably Zelda too.

[Ceric]

I like a Metroid Prime Stage.
And an Earthbound Stage where Everyone is a robotic version of themselves
An Underwater Megaman Stage complete with spikes and weird jumping Mechanic.
A clay Shoot stage where discus are thrown and shoot at.
Mario Galaxy stage where you can run around the whole thing and also platforms.
A Battalion Wars Stage because why not?
Antigrav Mario Kart 8 Stage.
Pacman 2 The New Adventures Stage complete with "Look Look" and shooting a Slingshot onto the stage.  Just look it up and it make for an ... interesting ... stage.
Talking about the Pac-Man Stage that is there be able to cycle it through all the different graphic styles like you could in some of the collection games.
Donkey Kong Jungle Beat based level.
A Link Between Worlds level where everyone are drawings fighting on the wall.
Shoot a Mario level based off of Giant World in SMB3
A Nintendoland Level


Also a Metroid Escape Sequence Event.

[nickmitch]

Flying Man threw me off as I thought it was an assist trophy the first time I played it. After that, I'd basically camp out on that side of the map to ensure he was my ally. It's a shame too as I find the stage interesting (especially the part that opens up to Earthbound footage) but the Flying Man is an odd idea.

I think that it's cool that Sakurai included them as an idea, but it kinda ruins the stage for me as fighting on that one platform is my sole strategy for that stage.  I don't even get to notice the background stuff.

Another really great thing about the stages in this game: not a single vertical scrolling stage in sight.

Except in Smash Run.

[Luigi Dude]

I still don't see why some people have such a problem with the Flying Men.  They're really easy to KO, and after the 5th one is gone, they stop appearing.  Plus you can use them as well to you're advantage as well, so it's not like it's some unfair stage hazard that screws you over every time.

[Adrock]

Because clearly, no one else agrees with that assessment.

I've won several matches entirely on the shoulders of the Flying Men. Sure, I typically always win on this stage, but that's beside the point. They make the stage far less fun than it can be, and I'm not going to avoid using them because then I have to f-ing fight them. I don't want to be bothered since it's either too easy or annoying so I end up just not choosing the stage altogether. The Flying Men make an otherwise all-around excellent stage (graphics, music, and design) into a one-note stage where people just camp on the upper right platform and wait for the Flying Men to appear. They absolutely offer an unfair advantage because they're so f-ing strong. And I don't know about anyone else, but my matches are typically over before the last of the Flying Men appear.

I'd much prefer to turn them off most of the time, and maybe play a match here and there with them for shits and giggles. It's just a shame because Magicant is a really awesome stage besides the Flying Men.

[nickmitch]

I think that sums things up quite nicely. Bravo, sir.

[Wah]

Arena Ferox best course EVER!
Seriously, like flat courses? It's there.
Like platforms?
It's there
Like fire emblem's bad ass course?
It's there.