Super Smash Bros Link and Sheik

It won't be long now until gamers can get their hands on the latest iteration of Super Smash Bros., although the wait for the new games has felt like an eternity already. After announcing that the series would be arriving on the Wii U and 3DS during its press conference at E3 2011, the games finally made their playable debut at this year's Electronic Entertainment Expo. Our hands-on impressions of the Super Smash Bros. for Wii U and its 3DS counterpart were enough to get us excited, but there have been a lot of changes implemented into the forthcoming iterations.

Understandably, changes in a transition to new hardware are common for any longstanding video game series, let alone Nintendo's beloved crossover-themed beat 'em up, and we've learned quite a few changes will be affecting Super Smash Bros. fans. Whether it's the removal of edge guarding or any one of the newcomers joining the fray, there are some big additions coming to the series, but one of the bigger alterations this time around is the removal of transformations from franchise all together.

During a Q&A with Super Smash Bros. creator Masahiro Sakurai, we asked the legendary game developer why him and his team opted to remove the popular mechanic from the Wii U and 3DS versions of the game. Enquiring as to whether or not the limitations of the 3DS had anything to do with it, Sakurai clarified that (while the limitations of Nintendo's handheld were a contributing factor) the development team wanted players to "dive into playing one single character" instead of having them jump back and forth between characters during a match.

“I mean [the limitations of the 3DS] definitely impacted the decision, but one of the other reasons is that we wanted people to really dive into playing one single character and more deeply.”

Super Smash Bros Wii U 3DS Transformations Removed
They may be the same character, but Samus and Zero Suit will occupy their own spots on the roster.

Sakurai's logic behind this decision is sound, and the popular fan-made mod for Brawl, Project M, also isolates the characters into their own unique slots — much to the delight of tournament players. Still, after the mechanic's removal effectively dashed any hopes Pokemon Trainer had of returning, the ability to transform between move sets mid-battle will be missed.

Did you like transformations in past Smash Bros. games or are you okay with their removal this time around? Let us know in the comments below.

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Super Smash Bros. will be arriving on the Nintendo 3DS on October 3, 2014, while the Wii U version will hit stores shelves in Holiday 2014.

Follow Riley on Twitter @TheRileyLittle.