I've played smash since the beginning and me personally i do notice a difference but to each his/her own. Past games lvl 9 cpu's were a joke but the ones on here are way smarter and more aggressive imo. Especially with the amibo's from what i've read over the yr. I still can handle lvl 9's since smash is a simple pick up and play game with some strategy involved so i haven't lost my touch-