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Thursday, May 30, 2019

Super Smash Bros. Ultimate Verson 3.1.0 Released: Virtual Reality, amiibo Journeys, Pichu Nerfed!

By LUDWIG VON KOOPA - I think it's a solid patch overall.

Sometimes I like to write hard-hitting editorials on the pressing gaming issues of the day, and I have a backlog of those to talk about. Other times, I geek out over patch notes. This article is more of the latter, though I get that's probably not why you come to KoopaTV. I'll be sure to litter this article with references to other things if that's what'll keep you amused.

Anyway, tonight version 3.1.0 of Super Smash Bros. Ultimate for Nintendo Switch dropped, with a variety of new features. Chief among them, unfortunately, is compatibility with the demonic Nintendo Labo VR Kit, which has the boring and disorienting feature of letting you move the camera around during play. Here's the official Nintendo video about it:

 

You may remember that Nintendo invented the Nintendo Labo VR Kit to try to make virtual reality more fun and social. I'm pleased to report that the VR mode is a single-player experience only, thus rendering it not social in addition to not fun. Great work.

Of greater interest is that amiibos now have a greater role in the game. In fact, they can now go on journeys like this:

Super Smash Bros. Ultimate amiibo journeys to train George Zimmerman
And he never came back.

Journeys are an online mode (requiring a Nintendo Switch Online subscription) where your amiibo will fight in three matches against other people's amiibo that are going on journeys. These journeys have random rulesets, ranging from 1v1 time matches to free-for-all stocks, to stamina, to whatever. They tend to have items, so make sure your amiibo knows how to use items. You can't leave the journey until it's done, and you don't get to watch matches in real-time, only after they've concluded. But your amiibo does get experience from the affair.

You really are fighting other people's amiibo. Their owners show up in the Records menu like any other online match.

You can only go on a journey with any amiibo once a day. Personally, I'm waiting to finally get Alex Hunter's Journey on the Nintendo Switch by doing this mode.

You can also now use amiibo in online Battle Arenas! (But you can't have a local friend with you in a Battle Arena.)

There are now a variety of buffs and nerfs to the cast. Notably, everyone I play with except Bowser (untouched) got some kind of buff. That ranges from a very minor jab buff for Jigglypuff (in general, many characters got their multi-hits to better connect), to several big changes for Lucario (who might be the biggest winner of the patch), Little Mac (who is still bad), and Ludwig (my wand is bigger and easier to whack things with!).

Super Smash Bros. Ultimate Koopalings Ludwig Bowser Jr. wand hammer up-special attack range buff version 3.1.0
I don't have a comparison photo for what my wand used to look like, but right now it's bigger than I am.

Perhaps most significantly is that Pichu got nerfed dramatically. His attacks do much more recoil to himself. The rodent is easier to hit. Some of his attacks are weaker or laggier as well. It makes me wonder if I would've won my bracket in the Super Smash Bros. Ultimate North America Open 2019 in the second or third tournaments if this patch existed back then and I wasn't blocked by Pichu players. 


Ludwig should've written more in this article, but he just wants to play Super Smash Bros. Ultimate some more right now. ...And maybe he should sleep, too. Always a good idea. Was anything in the patch exciting to you? You can read the full details for yourself here.


Ludwig wrote about when version 3.0 was released, and Pichu got slightly nerfed in that patch as well.
It was thought to be bad enough when the Labo infiltrated the game as Spirits.
Now it's time for Super Smash Bros. Ultimate version 4.0.0!

2 comments :

  1. I watched Zero's reaction video to find out about the latest patch, and the various nerfs and also Lucario's buffs are tempting me to try to play this again.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Getting KOs with Lucario is a lot more consistent now and it feels great.

      Delete

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