10 awesome new things you need to know about Super Smash Bros. for Wii U

There are plenty of huge game releases still to come before the end of the year, but for Nintendo fans, one game stands out above the rest: Super Smash Bros. for Wii U. The Smash Bros. series has come to define Nintendo’s consoles in recent generations, stirring up as much excitement as any other popular series on the market. With less than a month until the game’s launch, there was still plenty we didn’t know, but on Thursday afternoon, Nintendo finally revealed everything we’d need to know about Super Smash Bros. for Wii U.

The 50-Fact Extravaganza (as Nintendo dubbed its latest Nintendo Direct) lasted longer than 30 minutes, so we’ll just cover the most important announcements.

1. 8-player Smash: Super Smash Bros. for Wii U will feature 8-player battles for the first time in series history. 8-player Smash is a special mode that will only feature particular stages, scaled up to support the increased amount of fighters. Best of all, all 8 players can be in the same room on the same TV.
2. New Classic Mode: The 3DS Classic Mode had players choose between three different paths for each battle. On the Wii U version, players will instead be matched up with other fighters based on their performance in the previous fight. Another player can also join in for Co-op Classic.
3. Event Mode: Players take on themed battles in Event Mode, fighting against specific characters to unlock paths to more battles.
4. Smash Tour: Taking the place of Smash Run on the 3DS is the board game-inspiried Smash Tour. Up to four players can pick a Mii and participate in a Smash Tour, moving around the board while collecting power-ups and fighters for the impending battles.
5. Special Orders: In this mode, Master Hand and Crazy Hand each have their own set of battles for players to choose from. Players are given prizes for each battle they complete, but the method of progression is different between Master Orders and Crazy Orders.
6. Controller Options: There are eight ways to play Super Smash Bros. for Wii U:
   1. Wii Remote Plus
   2. Nunchuk
   3. Wii U GamePad
   4. Classic Controller
   5. Classic Controller Pro
   6. Wii U Pro Controller
   7. GameCube Controller
   8. Nintendo 3DS
7. Masterpieces: If you get tired of fighting, the Wii U version of Smash Bros. comes with demos for classic games featuring each of the fighters. Find something you like? Head to the Nintendo eShop straight from the game and buy it.
8. Amiibo: Super Smash Bros. for Wii U will be the first Wii U game to support amiibo, Nintendo’s NFC figures. The amiibo will level up as you use them and have all of their information stored internally, so you can bring them to a friend’s house and pick up where you left off.
9. Stage Builder: Just like in Brawl, you’ll be able to build your own stages on the Wii U, but this time you can use the Wii U GamePad. Open the Stage Builder and start drawing.
10. DLC: It was bound to happen eventually — both Super Smash Bros. for 3DS and Wii U will have downloadable characters and stages. The first paid character will be Mewtwo, but anyone who owns copies of both the 3DS and Wii U version will get him for free.

And those are just the highlights! Be sure to watch the full Nintendo Direct below for more than 40 other details about the game that could finally turn the Wii U around this holiday season.