14 DAY TRIAL // The development team at Nintendo working on the 3DS version of Super Smash Bros. for the 3DS handheld is delivering a new trailer for the game, designed to show off the abilities of some of the included characters and to introduce AKB48 to gamers.
The group of Japanese singers are lending their image to the developers for the first time and are designed to increase the level of expectation for the title among younger gamers, who might not have any previous connection with the series.
AKB48 is a super group of girls that started out 48 strong, as the name implies, but has since expanded its ranks and tends to give massive concerts all across Japan.
It’s unclear how powerful they will be in Super Smash Bros. for 3DS and whether there are other real world groups or persons that the development team is aiming to bring to the video game.
The title will be launched on the handheld platform on September 13 in Japan, while gamers in North America and in Europe will have to wait until October 3.
The Wii U version of Super Smash Bros. is expected to arrive before the end of the year, but the dates of the associated Amiibo figures suggest that gamers will be able to get the title at some point in October.
An Amiibo future
A Mario figurine will probably be included in at least some editions of the game, allowing players to record their performance, improve their abilities as they gain experience and use them to challenge their friends and rivals in interesting ways.
Nintendo claims that a number of other titles will get Amiibo support retroactively, but Super Smash Bros. for the Wii U and the 3DS is the first title which supports them natively and allows gamers to experience everything the new products have to offer.
A boost for the Wii U
Nintendo has been seeing lower than expected sales for the Wii U home console since it introduced it, and at the moment, the platform cannot compete directly with the Xbox One from Microsoft and the PlayStation 4 from Sony.
The launch of Super Smash Bros. is designed to boost the device just in time for the crucial Christmas shopping season, and Nintendo is expecting at least a third of owners to pick up the new title, which includes a wide range of characters, starting with Mario and now ending with AKB48.
