[Review] Super Street Fighter IV: 3D Edition

If you haven’t picked up a Street Fighter title on the PS3 or Xbox 360 you have been missing out on one of the best Street Fighter titles since Street Fighter 2 Turbo. Super Street Fighter manages to go back to the roots of it’s counterparts and manages to bring the fighter title into a whole new era.

 

Any Capcom fans that have wanted  more Street Fighter titles to get their hands on, look no further. It’s been over 20 years since Nintendo has received a Street Fighter title and as you may know, Nintendo has been missing out on some of the best Street Fighter titles of all time. Now Nintendo 3DS owners can get their hands on Ryu and Ken once again. Way back, well 3 years ago when the original Street Fighter IV‘s debut in arcades in 2008, causing a huge success on the Xbox 360 and Playstation 3 Capcom chose to bring the experience to a whole another level  with adding more features and playable characters for its Super Street Fighter IV upgrade.

 

Gameplay

I assume a lot of the street fighter fans that are reading this review are very worried how the gameplay could differ from it’s console counterparts. Well actually, it plays exactly the same and feels exactly the same. The 3D gives the gameplay a whole new depth however and really does bring the fight to your eyes. Not only is there the 3D to master, but also the lovely roster, 35 characters to mess around with to find the perfect one for your preferences of fighting. There are many different types of fighters which all have a different effect on how you play the game. If you choose Ryu or Ken, you’re expecting a pretty even match, even though Ryu is better at his punching as Ken is better with his legs. Both the same type of fighters but have minor differences which can make them better either way.  Each of the characters have their own special traits which make them unique. The game can be played by both the Circle Pad or the D-Pad, myself I actually found it much better the play it with the Circle Pad as it is more sufficient for moving around and blocking attacks, and don’t get me wrong the D-Pad holds up as well, but it is much easier to pull of fireballs and Sonic Booms with the Circle Pad. I actually have to say, the C-Pad really just make it feel like you’re playing the Arcade version of the game. For new players to the series or players who haven’t played a Street Fighter game before it may take you a bit longer to come to grips with the C-Pad, especially when it comes to pulling of combos. Now probably one thing a lot off hardcore fans like myself have been dreading to see in a Street Fighter game and that is the ability to pull of special moves at a cheap cost. In this case the touchscreen has become an enemy of mine as it is very easy to pull of special moves, this may be good for the casual players, and it is optional you are not forced to use it. As for spam, it’s not really possible as it has a bit of delay between the moves and sometimes can’t executed unless in an upright position. It’s pretty well balanced but will not take everyone’s fancy. .

 

Multiplayer

The Multiplayer of Super Street Fighter IV, conceals the package perfectly. The multiplayer has no disappointment here at all. You can battle players locally and across the Internet via Versus mode. It’s great and is one of the only launch titles to include multiplayer. Jumping into matches, both locally and online, is quick and simple, with the online play lag free. You can tweak the matches to what you would prefer, same as what you can You can even use the same type of customisations found in the single-player mode to tweak the one-on-one matches exactly to your liking. Not only that, if a friend of yours doesn’t have the game, you can play via download play! and they can play as Ryu, or even allow them to watch your match against other opponents on their own 3D using the awesome feature Channel Live. If you’re not one for the one-on-one typed matches then you are in luck as Capcom have also bundled  in a Figurine feature. This mode can earn you statuettes by winning matches and earning HP points, which earn you chances to spin the wheel to win various character figurine trophies depending on where the wheel stops. This will then give you a stronger opportunity to set up the perfect team of Figurine fighters for the Street Pass mode. The StreetPass mode is if you should pass another 3DS owner who’s done the same, your figurines and your opponent’s will act out a trophy battle between the two sides. This can also be performed whilst the 3DS is in sleep mode, so you can battle numerous people on your travels without flipping the lid. There are 500 figures to collect, and to be honest this is the best way to do it. It is very fun and makes a great use of the StreetPass function.

 

Design

Now with Capcom taking the next step to the 3D world, they have managed to pull of one of the best looking games on a handheld to date. Capcom have put many new features into this version of SSFIV including the new Dynamic View system. Now this is where the 3D really kicks in as now instead of seeing the fight in a 2D perspective, you can now be behind your character giving the fight a more depth of field, literally. Those this said, those who will be playing competitively won’t use this function to its full potential. The 3D on show is great and really does make you feel involved into the fight play with either with the Dynamic view or the normal 3D view. Playing in 2D doesn’t dramatically change the look of the game and still looks as good as the console versions, the 3D just enhances it in a way it hasn’t before and becomes an all-round joy to look at.

There are quite a few modes of play to choose from, both from a single-player and multi-player standpoint. The Story Mode of the game will allow you to fight your way through a host of opponents where you’ll eventually square off against Seth in an effort to beat the game. And if you’d rather just square off in a quick match, you can head into the Versus mode and set up your own matches, complete with a wealth of customisation options. The same artwork from the console release, including the backdrops are all included in this title. The only difference is that fact its portable.

 

Sound

The soundtracks in the Street Fighter series have always been able cause constantly stuck in your and bring back some nostalgia. The 3DS release has the same songs from that are in the console versions and does an outstanding job on carrying the mood off the fight over. They have also managed to include some  of the character dialogue for each of the 35 fighters to complete the audio package.

 

Final Thoughts
We literally have nothing bad to say about the Super Street Fighter Iv 3D edition is going to be probably one of the most talked about titles at launch, and no wonder why. It is truly amazing for any hardcore street fighter fans, to the newcomer. This is one of the best titles at launch to have a true look at the 3D capabilities as Capcom have put a lot on offer.  It is truly amazing how they have managed to take a full HD console version of the game and managed to fit it into this tiny cartage and manage to make it look as good as the console version. If you have always wanted a decent fighting game to play on the move… Look no further as it has arrived and oh boy has it.