Hadoken! Street Fighter breaks its way onto the 3DS with a bang! Is it just a meaningless port, or is it actually worth your hard earned money?
Street Fighter and I haven’t exactly had the best of history together. I was first introduced to the game when was around 10. I used to always be stuck at my grandma’s house during the summer, and I occasionally hung out with the kid next door since he also had a Sega Genesis. One day, my friend dropped his Sega down the stairs and it pretty much killed it. In result, he gave me a whole bunch of games. The best game of the bunch was Street Fighter II: Special Championship Edition. Man, was this game badass or what? Even though I struggled with each battle, I always attempted to at least beat the story mode of each character. The biggest issue I had was not knowing any of the special moves, so in result, I always got my ass kicked into an oblivion. Ever since then, I haven’t bought a Street Fighter game… until now.
Fast forward to 2011… the 3DS launch line up is announced, and it’s pretty much filled with halfassed ports and shovel ware. Street Fighter would have fell into this category, but it’s obvious that Capcom was the only developer that gave a damn about making a quality launch title for the 3DS. Super Street Fighter IV was originally a sort of expansion to the already existing Street Fighter IV on the Xbox 360 and PS3. The expansion added tweaks, new characters, stages, and whatnot. The 3DS version is more or less the same thing except it’s portable. Let’s get into this review, shall we?
Presentation:
Super Street Fighter IV is a game that gets you pumped up and ready to go for anything. Why? Because even the freaking menus are in 3D! The game has probably of the most wonderful controls that I’ve used yet for a 3DS game. Remember how I mentioned that SFII and I had issues because of me not knowing the moves? Well pathetic noobs such as myself, can now cower down to the touch screen and instantly activate a special move. This means the game is no longer about remembering overly complicated button combinations, and it’s more about timing & strategy than ever before. Sure, experienced players may hate this version because of this, but let me assure you, I can still kick people’s asses that constantly spam specials and button mash. I feel this is the perfect version for any new Street Fighter player.
Graphics:
SSFIV obviously can’t look as good as its console version. However, good graphics don’t make a better game, right? Regardless of this, SSFIV still looks amazing on the 3DS. The 3D effect adds in some cool depth to the graphics, and gives you the feeling that you’re actually standing between the fighters. The 3D versus mode is far by the stupidest addition the game. If you’re playing a 2D style fighting game, the last place you want to be is behind your fighter. It doesn’t even give you an advantage. One thing I have to nitpick about is the static backgrounds. Even the people in the background are just completely frozen. My question is: Why? I’ve seen several fighters between the PS1/2 eras with busy backgrounds in fighting games. Did time just freeze in the world of Street Fighter?
Sound:
The music in SSFIV are obvious remixes to the classic SFII soundtrack, as well as adding new tracks here and there. The voice acting in the game is superb in my opinion, and the goofiness of some of the characters really gives the game some comic relief when it’s needed.
Gameplay:
This is where SSFIV plays out in spades. Where do I start? First of all, the game has 35 characters! All of them have their own unique moves, specials, stories, and costumes. The game features the usual story (starts with a movie, ends with a movie), versus, 3D versus, and online multiplayer modes that are expected in most fighting games today. A unique addition to the package is the Streetpass mode where when if you pass by another person that has Streetpass enabled on their 3DS system, a set of your Street Fighter figures will duke it out. Whoever wins, will level up. Lastly, the online multiplayer seems to have semi-lag free matches. The matches I played weren’t unplayable, but I can tell between a few matches I had that lag was indeed slowing the game down a bit. Also, everyone online seems to suck. Just sayin’! ;)
Lasting Appeal:
There is a whole lot to do in SSFIV. The gameplay is fun, the characters are interesting, and the online play is a blast. It will take a good bit of time to clear the game with every character, and long time to unlock every icon, title, and if you live in a big city, level up all of your streetpass figures. I can see 3DS owners playing this game for a very long time.
For new 3DS owners, I highly recommend it. I mean, what else are going to get from such a lackluster launch lineup of games? Super Street Fighter IV is without a doubt the best 3DS launch title. Ubisoft & EA need to take notes on what Capcom has done here so they that their ports simply don’t reek of trashy shovel ware.
TL;DR – THE FINAL RUN DOWN
Presentation – 8/10 – The new touch screen option to instantly use your specials without complicated button combinations was a well needed addition to such a hardcore fighting series. New & Old players will both feel welcome. The menus are well done, but I don’t get actually on why all of them had to be in 3D. Lastly, if you do want to play the game without the help of the touch screen, using the L & R buttons for complex moves isn’t actually comfortable. You’re probably going to make your fingers move onto the touch screen after you get sick of trying big moves out.
Graphics – 8/10 – SSFIV looks fantastic, however the static backgrounds makes me wonder if the character models is all Capcom worked into. Why couldn’t the backgrounds have a little life?
Gameplay – 9/10 – The gameplay in SSFIV is a wonderful experience, and is the most entertaining 3DS game I’ve played yet. It’s also probably the only game I’ve been coming back to constantly next to Ghost Recon.
Sound – 8/10 – Classic Street Fighter music, along with some new tunes as well. The English voice actors in my opinion sound really good. The music isn’t exactly catchy or anything, but it still catches my attention when I hear a classic SF tune.
Lasting Appeal – 8/10 – With 35 characters, SSFIV will be keeping you busy for a very long time. Mastering them and learning which ones you’re best with, as well as competing with other people online will keep you on this game until some new quality games come out.
OVERALL SCORE – 8.5/10
BUY, RENT, or AVOID – BUY. Buying this game is a no brainer. If you own a 3DS, you have to own this game as well.
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