Hands-On: Super Street Fighter IV 3D Edition

How does an Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3 Street Fighter game translate onto the 3DS? Pretty well, actually.

It’s official: The 3DS version of Super Street Fighter IV really is capable of comparison to its console counterpart. The fighting gameplay feels exactly as it should, and 3D Edition even takes advantage of the 3DS’s unique abilities to become something new rather than just a port.

In my hands-on time, the first thing I checked out was the new behind-the-shoulder view mode added just for the sake of the 3DS. Believe it or not, this view works as well as the traditional side view. I was able to Hadouken my way to victory without even having to get used to it. Is behind-the-shoulder really that necessary or mindblowing though? To be honest, not really, but it’s something different.

The traditional view also displays the game’s characters in 3D, so I don’t see a major reason to switch things up. As I said, 3D Edition is Super Street Fighter IV through and through. The gameplay is not slowed down, despite graphical fidelity that looks similar to the console versions. Players can choose three costumes of many different colors for each character, their victory phrases, combo styles, and more. 3D Edition‘s story mode features 3D cutscenes and each character’s story along the way too, so Capcom didn’t skimp on that either if it matters to you.

The biggest addition to 3D Edition is probably how the touchscreen can be used for special moves. Depending on how this is allowed in the game’s worldwide online battles, this could be its most hotly contested feature. In my humble opinion, it’s basically an easy mode.

The touchscreen is divided up into four squares, and by touching each square you can perform a special move (i.e. a Dragon Punch), or even the characters’ Special and Ultra Combos. Being able to perform these moves with a quick touch is handy, but the method certainly changes a Ryu vs. Ryu fireball duel or the challenge of quickly entering an Ultra Combo’s input. Hopefully, the ability to turn it off will be implemented for multiplayer.

Another interesting feature I tested out was 3D Edition‘s figurine battle system. As players win battles in the single player mode, they accrue Figurine Points (FP). These points are used to run a slot machine, with a big blue “Start” button to smash on the touchscreen, that awards players with one out of dozens and dozens of different Street Fighter character figurines. Each character has at least seven figurines associated with them, from levels 1 to 7, each with its own statistics. Players can customize these statistics, which include factors such as speed and strength, but only within a certain limit of points.

Once the player makes a lineup of 5 figurines, the 3DS’s wireless Street Pass feature silently takes this lineup and puts it against anyone else’s living in a nearby 3DS. It’s very similar to a Pokemon battle, though battles are fought depending on lineup spot rather than the winning figurines moving on. Once the five battles play out, the winner can acquire more figurines, and the history of each figurine battle is also logged so players can see what happened later.

Though players earn FP in the single player mode, this is a one way street. I was told that figurine wins do not unlock anything in 3D Edition‘s other modes. One last notable aspect of the figurine system is that it makes Super Street Fighter IV 3D Edition the only game I currently know of that utilizes Nintendo’s new 3DS Game Coin system. In 3D Edition, these are exchanged for more FP.

While hardcore players might take issue with the new touchscreen special move system, Super Street Fighter IV 3D Edition will likely also gain a new following thanks to the accessibility it provides. With a full roster of 35 characters, online play, the figurine side game, the comfortable 3DS analog stick, and some pretty nice looking graphics, I think Super Street Fighter IV 3D Edition will be a solid bet for 3DS owners.