Hands-On With The Super Smash Bros 3DS Demo...

It is now only a few short weeks before Nintendo's popular Super Smash Bros series makes its debut on the 3DS, and as promised, Mini Gamers has taken some time to try out the Free Demo version of the game, which we downloaded from the Nintendo eShop. The Demo is a good taster of the kinds of things that fans of the series can expect to find in the full 3DS version of the game, which launches on the 3rd of October 2014:

 Firstly, the entire battle roster of 49 character types was displayed in the demo version, although only four of the characters were actually playable in the demo - Mega Man, Mario, [Animal Crossing] Villager and Link.

The three returning characters in this series (Mario, Mega Man and Link,) all play very similarly to how they did in Super Smash Bros: Brawl, whilst the strangest newbie in the bunch, Villager, has a fun arsenal of wacky weapons from the cutesy world of Animal Crossing, including: some exploding fireworks, tree growing and felling, and 'accidentally' dropped gardening implements, which have never been seen in the Super Smash Bros universe before, but which work delightfully well within the mechanics of the game. Villager does have an active 'Boxing Glove' attack, but is otherwise as sweet and passive as they usually are in Animal Crossing.

Nonetheless, Villager is still a hugely entertaining and agile competitor.There are actually four different types of Villager for gamers to choose from - two male and two female - who all look very distinct.

As well as a new roster of characters and attacks, there are several new high-power items like the Blue Shell (Mario Kart), Fireball (Super Mario Bros.), and Bees (Animal Crossing), which can assist our competitor in inflicting the biggest percentage of damage on the other competitors. Most of these items are instantly deadly, but they can be evaded if characters move out of the way quick enough.

The demo showcases one of the stages which will be available in the full game, the 'Battlefield' stage. Even though there is only one stage, players do have the option to play it in its standard configuration (which includes three platforms) or in its basic configuration which is completely flat.

The only drawback to the Super Smash Bros demo  is that it is limited to thirty tries before it expires,(unlike the special Club Nintendo version that was released last week, which is unlimited,) but with the launch of the full game only a few weeks away, it is the perfect bite-size taster to whet fans appetites before the real thing arrives. Mini Gamers rating: 10/10.

The Super Smash Bros 3DS demo is available to download for free from the Nintendo eShop right now. Alternatively, you can access the demo by scanning the following QR code into your 3DS:

Pokemon Art Academy Spin-Off WILL Get UK Release...

Nintendo have announced that a special Pokemon edition of Art Academy will be released for the 3DS in Japan,  North America and Europe throughout 2014.

The game was originally thought of as a Japanese exclusive, (given the popularity of the Pokemon franchise in Japan) but UK fans can now look forward to drawing their favourite Pokemon characters when the game debuts in Europe on the 4th July 2014.

According to the game's specifications, players can take part in forty step-by-step art lessons, which will teach them to paint and draw many different Pokemon, including: Picachu, Oshawott, Charizard, Torchic, Fletchling and Fennekin, amongst others.

As with the other Art Academy games, lessons will gradually increase in skill and difficulty, allowing players the chance to really see their progress. Players will start out by sketching the basic Pokemon cartoon shapes, but will later be taught to add depth, colour, shading and perspective to their drawings.

This special Pokemon edition of Art Academy will also allow players to take pictures using the 3DS camera and use them as a reference when creating their art in the Free Paint mode, which lets players draw their own Pokemon characters from scratch or allows them to use provided images of over 100 Pokemon as reference.

Furthermore, all of the artwork created in the Free Paint mode can be uploaded via the Miiverse application of the 3DS to be shared with other players around the world. A new Japanese trailer shows some of the techniques that will be explored during the game:

(Having trouble viewing this trailer? CLICK HERE)

We here at Mini Gamers HQ are very excited about the prospect of a new Art Academy game and we look forward to bringing you all a full review of the game when it launches in July.