While I had a great time playing

Smash Bros. for Wii U dropped a few single player options from its roster in terms of both fighters and play modes, but the losses aren't significant. As with the 3DS version, the revamped Classic mode has you wagering coins in order to ramp up the difficulty and potentially earn better unlockables and trophies, but there are a couple of nice twists. If you manage to succeed with the difficulty set at 8.0 or higher, you face a new challenge: Master Fortress. Here, you navigate a winding maze filled with enemies and lava that instantly kill you should you sustain too much damage. Master Fortress is quite possibly the toughest challenge a Smash Bros. game has ever offered, and is a thrill should you be seeking to push your limits.

Event modes have returned, and there are dozens of unique scenarios to try, from a legendary Pokémon battle, to a stage that demands you to keep other characters from touching the ground. Events and a running list of challenges add a lot of variety and thus stave off any encroaching repetition. Smash Bros. pushes you to experiment with characters you might not otherwise have given a second glance, and to apply their skills in unexpected ways. One of my favorites is a challenge that has you playing as Diddy Kong against another Diddy Kong, while the arena fills with throwaway Mii Fighters. You must knock out the other Diddy three times before you are knocked off once; after a few tries, I realized that the challenge was teaching me to use Diddy Kong's aerial abilities and take risks by chasing my foe off the stage and preventing his recovery. Once I discovered the proper approach, devised an effective strategy, and practiced the proper moves, I had little trouble. These modes exist to familiarize you with every fighter, and they highlight just how well the game has been made. Switching from character to character is natural, and movement is so effortless, and the controls so responsive, that only on the rarest of occasions am I conscious of the fact that I'm using a controller to guide my digital avatar.