The fighting game itself is very polished compared to a lot of other games. The controls (at least in a local game) feel very good and responsive. All of the little side games like classic mode and homerun contest are fun if you get tired of the normal fighting game. The spirit mechanic is interesting since they are something to try to collect and they can be equipped to alter gameplay.

However, I am not fond of the story mode. The little cutscenes hype it up and get you excited, thinking it will be like the story mode in Brawl, but its not. It's just a bunch of spirit fights strung together to give the illusion that something bigger is happening. The boss fights are fun and the cutscenes are animated really well, but that's about it. I would say that one playthrough of the story mode is enough.

Online mode is awful. Most of the time, you get matched with someone that is so much better than you that its no longer fun, or the connection is so unstable that the game freezes every 3 seconds. Online is not worth it.

The characters are all unique in their playstyle, so there is someone for everyone. However, I personally hate about half of the characters in the game, both playing as and against. The DLC characters are pretty much up to par with the rest, but I think they are overpriced.

I think this game is best left as a fun game to play with friends locally, essentially as a party game for fun.