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Super Street Fighter IV 3D Review for Nintendo 3DS

Super Street Fighter IV 3D Review for Nintendo 3DS

Street Fighter in a New Dimension

It isn’t very often that a handheld game supersedes a console version of any game, much less a fighting game. In the history of handheld gaming, I think I can count the number of halfway decent fighting games on one hand. Something about the handheld genre just doesn’t lend itself very well to fighting games. The controls are generally wonky, rosters are truncated, and features are cut so the fighting game can be squished onto a handheld cartridge or disc. Super Street Fighter IV: 3D Edition bucks this trend. The game includes everything you’ve come to expect from the Street Fighter series, and includes even more features that will keep you engrossed for hours upon hours.

Super Street Fighter IV 3D Screenshot

Before we get to all of the awesome new features in Super Street Fighter IV: 3D Edition, let’s talk about old features. If you’ve already played Super Street Fighter IV on home consoles, the interface will look familiar to you. The game features thirty-five characters, and they are all unlocked from the beginning. The game’s main single-player mode, arcade mode, is identical to the console version, and you can take characters through the mode and earn collectibles by completing the arcade mode with all the different characters. If you need a break from the arcade mode, the game also features the same training and challenge modes that were featured in the console versions.

The online mode is also the same, using a fairly simplistic lobby system to match you up with either random opponents (with a lightning-fast Quick Match system) or opponents that fit a certain criteria. As you fight opponents online, you can level up your online ranking with battle points, and earn special badges and nameplates that will be displayed next to your ranking.

Super Street Fighter IV 3D Screenshot

Honestly, if they would have released the game with the same features as the console version and slapped a little 3D magic on it, I would have been impressed. Super Street Fighter IV is not an easy game to condense, and including this much content on a DS cartridge is nothing short of amazing. However, what makes Super Street Fighter IV: 3D Edition the best fighter I have played on a handheld is the sheer amount of extra content that was thrown in just for this new edition. And no, we aren’t talking about tack-on concept art or flimsy “bonus” content. We’re talking about actual new content that will pull you in to the action in brand new ways. Even if you are the most hardcore Street Fighter fan, there’s new content for you to enjoy here.

Super Street Fighter IV 3D Screenshot

One of my biggest gripes about fighting games on handheld consoles is the controls. They either are over-simplified or just not as responsive as they could be. As precise control is a huge factor in the Street Fighter series, I was understandably nervous about this aspect going in to the game. However, no matter whether you use the 3DS’ analog stick, or the d-pad (which I would personally recommend), the default controls are identical to the console versions, and if you are a seasoned veteran of the Street Fighter series, you’ll have no problem jumping right in. If you are not a Street Fighter buff, the game includes a “lite” control option that allows you to assign some of the more complex special moves to the 3DS’ touch screen. The screen is separated into four slots, and you can customize the special attacks that go in these slots any way you want. The button combinations are also a lot more forgiving in the “lite” mode, and although it can seem like a watered-down version of Street Fighter at first, there is a lot of fun to be had tinkering around with the touch-screen controls. The slower learning curve will certainly help those newer to the Street Fighter Universe.

Once you’ve mastered the controls, you will definitely want to check out the game’s multiplayer modes. Although the standard online mode is exactly the same as the console version, there is a special over-the-shoulder mode that can be used over local wireless or online. This new view enhances the strategic gameplay for which Street Fighter has become known, and looking for move cues is certainly a new experience. At first I was on the fence about the new view, as my personal play style took a severe hit. However, the more I tinkered around with it and played online, the more I liked it. Older fans of the series may have a hard time adjusting, but it is so rare to get a new experience in a fighting game that it is worth sticking out the learning curve.

Super Street Fighter IV 3D Screenshot

The biggest new feature is the Street Pass multiplayer mode. Much has been made of the new 3DS’ Street Pass mode, and if all games implement it the way Super Street Fighter IV: 3D Edition does, it’ll be the next big thing for Nintendo. As you progress in the game, earn battle points, and complete challenges, you will earn points that you can use to unlock figures. These figures can be equipped with certain skills and assembled into a team of five. Once you make your perfect fighting squad, you can hit the streets. Any person you encounter with Super Street Fighter IV: 3D Edition in their game slot will automatically fight your figures, and the results will be displayed the next time you start your system (in the messages area). Tweaking your fighting team with earned credits from the game (or using coins earned through walking) is addictive, and I can definitely see people carrying their 3DS systems to crowded areas and game stores just to pit their characters against others.

Though Street Pass is certainly the most interesting feature, what people will probably be most interested in is how the 3D looks. As Super Street Fighter IV: 3D Edition has become a flagship title for the 3DS, it was crucial that the 3D works well, and fortunately, it does. The game’s standard view has a nice “pop” to it, and all the levels have several layers of depth to them. However, the over-the-shoulder “3D” mode is where the 3D effect really goes from pretty cool to downright awesome. Characters really seem to come at you from the confines of the screen, and the immersion level goes right through the roof. It sounds cheesy, but it’s easy to feel like you’re right in the middle of the action in this mode, and watching Ryu perform a 3D hadoken that looks like it’s right about to hit you in the face is nothing short of magical.

If you are picking a 3DS up during the launch period, you may be tempted to bring home all the first-party Nintendo games and call it a day. However, you are really missing out if you don’t pick this one up. Even if you are new to the Street Fighter franchise, Super Street Fighter IV: 3D Edition has enough tweaks to make it easy to get into. And if you are a hardcore SF fan, this one should be a no-brainer. Though the 3DS library currently lacks a true “system seller” like Mario or Zelda, Super Street Fighter IV: 3D Edition is the closest thing it has to a killer app, and is a must-purchase for everyone interested in the new system.

RATING OUT OF 5 RATING DESCRIPTION 4.9 Graphics
The game looks almost identical to the console version, and the 3D is implemented wonderfully. 4.5 Control
Both new lite and pro control options work well, and give the game broader appeal that its predecessors. 3.9 Music / Sound FX / Voice Acting
Sound effects and background music sound good, but aren’t terribly remarkable. 4.7 Play Value
While much of the content is lifted directly from the console version, 3D visuals, new control schemes, and a deep Street Pass mode make this the ultimate version of Super Street Fighter IV. 4.6 Overall Rating – Must Buy
Not an average. See Rating legend below for a final score breakdown.

Review Rating Legend
0.1 – 1.9 = Avoid 2.5 – 2.9 = Average 3.5 – 3.9 = Good 4.5 – 4.9 = Must Buy
2.0 – 2.4 = Poor 3.0 – 3.4 = Fair 4.0 – 4.4 = Great 5.0 = The Best

Game Features:

  • Thirty-five Playable Characters – Play as a huge array of fighters ranging from classic world warriors like Ryu, Ken, Guile, and Chun Li to the newly added Hakan and Juri.
  • 3D Mode – A new over-the-shoulder camera option has been added, offering an exciting new perspective of the action.
  • Lite/Pro Control Modes – By utilizing a customizable touch screen interface, two new optional control schemes have been added to allow new players to pull off challenging moves with ease (Lite) and veterans to better access button combinations such as throws and three punches (Pro).
  • Online / Local WiFi Multiplayer – Fight your friends around the world or in the same room with the only title to utilize the full capabilities of Nintendo’s online network at launch.

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