As we get closer to the holiday season, there has been an increase in video game releases.

Two highly anticipated games that were just released are “Hyrule Warriors” and “Super Smash Bros.”

“Hyrule Warriors”

“The Legend of Zelda” series released on Sept. 26 its latest addition to its vast collection of games: “Hyrule Warriors.”

The rest of the “Zelda” games sold rapidly and with positive responses all around the world.

Unlike the other 18 role-playing games where users only play as Link, “Hyrule Warriors” plays as a hack-and-slash style game in which a variety of characters are playable.

Enemies attack in melee form, where the player is pitted against numerous monsters. There are other characters available to choose from: Princess Zelda, Midna, Sheik, Lana, and others can be unlocked by playing in story mode.

The background story for “Hyrule Warriors” is fairly similar to many of the other “Zelda” games. Ganandorf is the main villain, slayed long ago but now planning to resurrect himself through a young sorceress, Cia.

Cia watches over the Triforce, and has been watching Link for some time, her feelings growing strongly for him. Ganandorf is able to turn Cia’s feelings into jealousy toward Princess Zelda, and get his revenge on the Hero of Hyrule, who defeated him before.

Cia opens the Gate of Souls (portals that unleash past enemies from Hyrule’s timeline) and wages war against all of Hyrule. Link teams up with the other playable characters to slay the released enemies, obtain the Triforce, and save Hyrule.

Thousands across the globe have anticipated the game, and it did not disappoint. Although it was a different pace than the other “Zelda” games, the fun is still there.

At first, I feared the game would get repetitive and boring, just fighting hordes of monsters one after the other.I was wrong.

The gameplay is amazing, with sharp graphics and loads of action. The story itself was gripping, but what really made the game was being able to play as some of my favorite “Zelda” characters from past games.

I give “Hyrule Warriors” four out of four Grizzly paws.

“Super Smash Bros”

Another greatly anticipated game was released Oct. 3: “Super Smash Bros” for the 3DS, the fourth of the “Smash Bros” series.

The game is a multiplayer hack-and-slash style where up to four friends can compete against each other, picking from a list of 37 characters, in a customizable arena.

The players smash buttons to unleash attacks and gain points when they take another player’s life.

More characters were released, including a Villager from “Animal Crossing,” Lucina and Robin from “Fire Emblem: Awakening,” Rosalina and Luma from the “Super Mario” games, to name a few.

They are also introducing a new aspect of the game called the “Smash Run,” where players will be given a set amount of time to roam around an open environment to find stat-increasing objects before their match. These objects give them an added boost against their opponents.

Because it is on the 3DS, it is easier for friends to connect and play together than it was with the Wii. Now, with the 3DS’s wireless abilities, friends can connect no matter how far away they are.

The new addition to the “Smash Bros” series so far has been one of my favorites. There are new characters and stages to unlock, and challenges to take on.

I give “Smash Bros”  three out of four Grizzly paws. I like the game, but when playing alone without friends, the challenges get repetitive and a bit dull.

Overall, both of these new games were great. I highly recommend them.