Review – Super Street Fighter IV: 3D Edition

Part of the reason I was so excited to get the 3DS was because it meant I could play Street Fighter IV. When it initially came out a few years ago, I completely missed the boat. It wasn’t until recently that I caught up on what I’d been missing – and boy was I missing a lot. Before I got the 3DS, I prepped up my Street Fighter expectations by playing the console version. Hadou-can this game live up to my expectations?

Street Fighter IV’s premise hasn’t really changed much since the console versions – so I’ll talk about what HAS changed. For one thing, this isn’t your grandmother’s Street Fighter. It should be obvious from the title but this game is in not one, not two, but THREE dimensions! The 3D doesn’t add much to the game, but it doesn’t take away much either. I like to play with it on sometimes but other than the added depth I don’t really notice a difference in gameplay. Where the 3D really shines, if at all, is from the dynamic view option. This is an over-the-shoulder perspective way to play. Whether or not you like it depends entirely on who you play with. With a character like Ryu who doesn’t do a lot of crazy jumping around and isn’t very big, it’s really nice. However, if you’re trying to beat fools down with Cammy or Zangief, it’s going to get frustrating real quick-like.

The graphics are absolutely gorgeous. 3D or 2D, it looks practically identical to the console versions, which is absolutely amazing for a portable. The one thing that changes from the original graphics are the backgrounds – they’re completely static. It’s kind of disappointing to see the aircraft just sitting there with a bunch of mechanics frozen in mid-cheer, but at the same time, I’m glad the backgrounds that were distracting me in the console aren’t going to be a bother this time around.

What I’m most surprised about is how little difference the controls feel to me. The one thing you won’t have to worry about is picking up the 3DS and having to “relearn” your favorite fighters. The big change between the console and the portable though, is entirely in the touch pad. The 3DS version gives you the option to hotkey four different commands onto the screen. You can make it a shortcut for Hadouken, a quick way to execute an ultra attack, a fast way to throw, or the only way I’ve figured out how to taunt people. That last one isn’t very useful, but it just shows that you can customize it for all kinds of play. You can even assign it to do nothing if you find that sort of hotkeying thing a bit cheap. Admittedly, I didn’t like it at first, but until I learn how to use every single character, it’s nice to have as a crutch. Plus it gives people who haven’t had much chance to play fighting games a chance to win from time to time. Since this is the first time that Street Fighter IV is being released to a Nintendo console, I’m sure there are plenty of people who are just now being exposed to it.

An interesting touch to the game is this Figure collection part. Over the course of the game you collect Figure points and you use them on a slot machine to get random figures of characters. These figures have their own stats and can be used in a little Street Pass game. You pick your team of five fighters and your team fights other teams you meet on the street. I haven’t had a chance to test this out – but it’s definitely an interesting concept. Plus the statues are pretty nice. If you’re really good you can get the one you want to. I’ve got a handful of Cammy statues going already which I’m proud of more than I should be.

There’s something I want to point out, but it’s definitely nitpicking, so please bear with me. The voice acting is an unholy abomination sent directly from Hell to curse my ear holes. I figured a company with a fraction of the budget of Capcom could deliver some amazing noise bits, but oh man was I wrong. With a roster of 35 characters you’d think that maybe SOME of them would have reasonable voice acting, but not a single one is redeemable. I’m not going to hold all the blame on the actors – the writing is pure shit too. It was like they went “this is Street Fighter, they’ll play it regardless of the cutscenes, which they’re just going to ignore”. Just because that’s entirely 100% true doesn’t mean you shouldn’t have something decent for us to skip. You’re missing out on a huge fanbase here Capcom, and it’s not cool. It’s not cool at all.

In all seriousness, should you get Super Street Fighter IV: 3D edition? Well, I vote for yes. It’s not a perfect game, but it’s definitely really fun. It showcases what the 3DS is capable of while still holding onto its own identity. If you liked SSFIV, this is the same game, but on the go, which is just plain awesome. If you’ve never played Street Fighter, this is the perfect time to pick it up and start seeing what it’s all about. Plus, I need more people to play with. I won’t rest until I’ve beaten everyone I know with the most powerful fighter in Street Fighter history, the baddest dude in all the lands that causes all the men to shake with fear, and all the women shake with pleasure. My man, Dan.

Stare into those eyes and try not to fall in love. I dare you.