Super Street Fighter IV 3D Edition review

by Paul on Feb 22nd, 2012

Fighting games on handheld consoles have historically been a tricky business. On the one hand I love the fact that I can take the fight with me wherever I go, whether it be the bus, train or … er … the toilet, but on the other hand we have to deal with the two-pronged assault of crippling, ill-fitting controls and a game that is very much diluted from the offerings available on consoles. The very nature of handheld gaming puts itself at odds with the comfort and dexterity granted by gripping a controller with nice and chunky d-pads and buttons, while those dinky little cartridges cannot hope to compete when it comes to containing all that raw data. It’s surprising then to see Super Street Fighter IV appearing on 3DS, as a launch title no less. What’s even more surprising is that, after very little time at all, it reveals itself to be nothing like the disappointment I was expecting and is actually really rather good.

What we have here is the game as it was intended. All the characters, all the moves, all the stages. Quite how Capcom managed to shoe-horn in so much is beyond me. Of course, there had to be a compromise somewhere down the line and this trade-off reveals itself in the static backgrounds that we have in the stages. However, this is hardly a deal-breaker as the visuals overall are stunning with amazingly detailed characters. It was never going to match up graphically to what we are used to on the consoles but what we do have is very, very pretty.

The 3D effect is beautiful, although once the wow factor has subsided you’ll probably revert to plain old 2D after a while (something that the majority of 3DS games share). In a nod to the unique selling point of the device, Capcom have included an optional 3D mode, which places the camera just over the shoulder of your fighter. It looks amazing with the 3D slider pushed up but some fighters’ play style suffers due to this change in perspective. While it is great at showing off what the console can do, no-one is realistically going to stick at the game for very long with this view.

The talking point for this new version of SSFIV is the new customisable hotkeys on the lower 3DS screen. Die-hards will be pleased to learn that it is entirely optional, but to anyone not particularly well-versed in the ways of Street Fighter it soon becomes an essential addition; the lower screen is divided into four areas and each one can be assigned a special move or a combo. Not only does it open up the game to beginners, giving them access to advanced moves with just a single press of the hotkey, but it presents Capcom with the ideal method to work around the control limitations of the 3DS device. No matter how you slice it some characters are hard to control when playing on the 3DS and the addition of hotkeys really does make things more enjoyable. True, it will not please everyone. The argument that it waters down the experience is a valid one, but I’d argue that the ease of use it brings, along with the fact that it is optional and that when playing online you can choose whether to face ‘pros’ (those using traditional controls with only normal moves being mapped to the hotkeys) or ‘lite’ players (anything is fair game to be set as a hotkey), it’s not as big a deal as some make it out to be. I would encourage everyone to play the game as it is intended with ‘pro’ controls to begin with, especially if you only ever play with one or two characters, just to see how you get on. You’ll find that the more you play, the more you’ll improve and it is especially rewarding to be pulling off Ultras and Supers after a few hours play. But for those who will only ever dip into the game every now and then to play their mates online, the ‘lite’ mode really turns what could have been a walled garden into an open plateau of delight. Being able to pull off the bigger and more complex moves is a real wonder, even if it feels like cheating to begin with.

Venturing online can be a daunting affair. Street Fighter is one of those games where you can be truly humbled on your first go if you’re unlucky, but the game does its best to match you to an equally skilled opponent and games are set up quickly with minimal lag from what I’ve experienced.

Capcom have also included a cute little mini figure battling system that lets you take on others using StreetPass. As you play through the game you’ll accrue Fight Points. These can be used to purchase little figurines of your fighters. Each one has stats for power, defense and speed. Once you build up a team and then have your 3DS in sleep mode, passing by someone who has done the same as you will trigger a battle that will play out the next time you open up your console. There’s seven different figures for each fighter so there’s a great degree of “gotta catch ‘em all” appeal, but sadly passing people by to achieve all this a seemingly herculean task. I’ve yet to get any and I’m starting to run out of excuses for wandering around the town centre without being arrested for loitering.

In many ways SSFIV turns out to be the perfect choice for a launch title. It is quick and easy to get into, yet offers an incredible amount of content for those willing to invest a bit of time with it. The controls may not be perfect but Capcom have done the best they can with the tools they had. The hotkeys, while controversial to some, really help to strike the balance between playability and ease of use, and the whole thing is presented so well it sets the bar high for future developers working on 3DS titles. While it doesn’t fully replicate the home console experience, what we do get is as close we can realistically expect for a handheld console. Great to look at, lots of fun to play. What more can we ask for?

4/5

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