Like many other Club Nintendo members who achieved Platinum status last year, I recently received an email with four special codes to download an early copy of the Super Smash Bros. for 3DS demo (the extra codes are for your friends). This demo will be available to everyone on September 19, but I took some video to give you a sneak peek!

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The demo only has five characters, one stage, and the primary game mode only, but it's still a great way to get a feel for the game. Surprisingly, the game really looks, plays and feels like a console-caliber Smash game. Nintendo's ability to cram this smooth an experience into the handheld iteration of the game is an impressive feat, to be sure.

It's possible that, for me, this version of the game could be my preferred way to play. Yes, the Wii U version will look better, but my past experience with the series on GameCube (Melee) and Wii (Brawl) lead me to believe that it's not a game that I would be likely to sit down on the couch to play. Rather, the idea of playing it on-the-go when I have time for a few, quick matches has far more appeal. 

Of course, the elephant in the room, especially for me, has to be the online play. If you spent any time trying to play online with Brawl on Wii, you'll know that the online play was laughably bad. It simply refused to connect to a match.

As someone who is unlikely to be able to get a regular group of physical players together, I was really relying on the online mode of Brawl to get the most out of the game, making the lacking online connectivity a huge disappointment. I'll be waiting to make any Smash purchase this year until reviews confirm that Nintendo has figured it out. As a note, early feedback from Japan, where the game has already released, is positive on this front.

Anyway, enough rambling. Here's the video:

So, what do you think? Is a handheld Smash Bros. game something you'd want? Will you be getting the game on Wii U or 3DS? Be sure to leave a comment to let me know!