If you only bought one game to go with your 3DS when you first purchased it on March 27th, chances are that game was Capcom’s Super Street Fight IV 3D Edition. And for good reason. With every memorable fighter included and unlocked, every alternate costume, every online mode and even a new over-the-shoulder view providing an entirely unique take on the fighting genre, Super Street Fighter IV 3D Edition gives you the most bang for your buck out of all 3DS launch titles.

 

Capcom has created the ultimate version of Super Street Fighter IV for Nintendo’s new handheld, and they’ve done so without requiring ridiculous mode and costume downloads for more of your hard-earned money.  Yet owners of the PS3 or 360 versions of the game may have reservations about going portable with the game, as a few control mechanisms have been changed, and not necessarily for the best.

The lack of a couple shoulder buttons on the 3DS have forced Capcom to make some, for lack of a better term, funky changes to the whole control scheme. Hardcore SSFIV fighters may scoff at the idea of relegating the game’s most technically demanding inputs to a simple touchscreen option, but Capcom certainly did the best they could considering the limited input options. Thankfully, though, Capcom has also left a control scheme intact for the hardest of hardcore gamers, though it may take a little getting used to. Furthermore, in the online mode, gamers who wish to keep with the purist control scheme can select to shun those who use the simplified one-touch Ultra and Super Combo methods when fighting online.

 

Further on the controls, despite the lack of two key shoulder buttons, Capcom has managed to create an acceptable input method that lends itself perfectly to Nintendo’s new portable console. With Focus Attacks and Ultra and Super Combos requiring a minimal change from the norm, hardcore SSFIV fans are still able to fight the way they like and avoid taking on those who may feel delusionally badass with the simplified touch screen controls.

The sound is just as fantastic on the 3DS as it is on the HD consoles, provided you’re wearing a decent set of headphones. The music, the impacts, the voices, the background noises; all are fantastically intact for the portable iteration, and it’s safe to say that nothing but the exclusion of Japanese dialog has changed.

While HD video quality is not yet possible on Nintendo’s handheld, the application of the 3D engine makes it easy to forget you’re not playing this on a much more powerful console. The 3D is Super Street Fighter IV 3D Edition is a beautiful addition to the series. It took almost 2 decades for a Street Fighter title to land on a Nintendo console, but the allure of 3D has caused Capcom to broaden its horizons and bring its fantastic fighter to portable gamers.

As mentioned above, the 3DS version of SSFIV presents new modes and bonuses never seen in the Street Fighter series.  The first of these is the inclusion of Street Pass. By competing in fights, whether online, off or in Arcade mode, or even simply by having the player walk around in the real world to have the 3DS’s pedometer register fitness data, gamers are able to earn coins which can then be used to purchase random, multi-leveled trophies of their favorite fighters. By acquiring these trophies, players can assemble teams based on fighter level and Super and Ultra combo data to compete with other SSFIV players simply by walking past them on the street.

The second of these new inclusions is the over-the-shoulder view, which is implemented directly into the fights in Arcade Mode or Online competitions. While this view may take a little getting used to, I found it to be be very enjoyable and a very welcome departure from the norm of Street Fighter IV. The over-the-shoulder view is a welcome and 100% unique approach to the fighting genre that has never before been attempted.

If you are a fan of Super Street Fighter IV, a fighting fan, or even just a fan of damn good games, then Capcom’s first 3D title should be showing up hardcore on your radar. As mentioned above, if you get only one game with your 3DS, make sure it’s Super Street fighter IV 3D Edition. Now get out there and fight.

Review: SSFIV 3D Edition, 5.0 out of 5 based on 1 rating

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