Review by: Michael Barnes

I was impressed when Capcom released an IOS port of Street Fighter IV even though it only had a handful of fighters, scaled-down character models, and touchscreen controls. In comparison, their maiden 3DS release of Super Street Fighter IV: 3D Edition, has blown me away. It betters- by far- not only that mobile effort but it also makes a play at besting even its full-sized console brethren. No, you can’t use a $200 arcade-perfect fightstick to play it and yes, there are changes made not so much to technical quality but to gameplay accessibility. Regardless, this is possibly the definitive version of one of the very best fighting games ever made.

If you’ve played SSFIV, the game will be completely familiar. Every character to date is present and accounted for with full move sets and identical input schemes. Single player arcade, training, and challenge modes made the jump to the new platform and full multiplayer works just like it does on the consoles. The achievements and trophies are even in the game, despite Nintendo’s usual neglect of these modern gaming staples. The sounds, graphics, menus, animations, and all other visual assets are nearly a 1:1 port. Hardware limitations dictate some very minor alterations, so textures aren’t quite as nice as they are in 1080p and the background figures are not animated at all, if that matters to you. But once in a match and the Hadokens and Shoryukens start flying, I would defy even the hardest of the hardcore arcade or console gamer to find significant fault in the game’s overwhelmingly successful miniaturization. Although there are no compromises, there are a couple of changes, and I think they’re for the good.

The hardcore fighting game contingency has already balked at this edition’s most radical revision. The touchscreen of the 3DS is divided into four quadrant buttons onto which can be mapped any command in the game- including Super and Ultra combos. This means that in the heat of battle, the player needs only touch a button to trigger some of the more complex special moves. This also means that memorizing Byzantine command inputs as a core Street Fighter skill is de-emphasized. What detractors are neglecting to praise here is that this function immediately makes the game less intimidating and more approachable to newcomers, and it also demonstrates how strategic, observant play is still more important than rote memorization and muscle-memory. In the online game, it is possible to filter out players using the assisted controls to appease the purists.

I love the “lite” controls and I’m happy to see that the concept was carried forward and brought to full fruition from the IOS game, which also had one-touch combos. In addition to making the game more fun for casual players, it also decreases the game’s reliance on exact control which is something that is much harder to accomplish on the 3DS platform than it is in an arcade or on a fightstick-equipped console. With that said, the circle pad turns out to be a rather great fighting game controller. It functions more as a slider than as a thumbstick, and I’ve found that pulling off the benchmark forward-down-forward and down Shoryuken is almost 100% reliable. The button layout does require some adaption since the traditional 2x3 arrangement just isn’t possible. Every button can be customized to preference, so if you want the H Punch and H Kick on the face instead of the shoulders, it’s up to you.

As for new features, the game offers some options that leverage the 3DS’ StreetPass function. Players can spend coins (earned by playing the game or just walking around with the 3DS in sleep mode) to earn 500 different figures. These figures can be sent out to battle other 3DS owners’ teams even while the unit is not in use. It’s a cool, innovative idea but I think its utility is going to be fairly limited for many players. I rarely take my portables anywhere with me as it is, but the likelihood that I would be anywhere with a high concentration of folks owning both a 3DS and this game is low. In circles of friends or on school campuses, the feature makes more sense and could be a point of interest but I think for many it will be a non-starter.

As for the question of 3D, it looks very impressive in the standard side-view mode. The fighters pop right off the background, and dimensionality is evident in limbs and motion. Super and Ultra moves have an all-new flourish due to the effect that is exciting and quite impressive. There is also a special over-the-shoulder mode that puts the camera in a sort of third-person position behind the player’s fighter but it isn’t very useful as it becomes hard to judge spacing and range. It looks fantastic though, and I’ve found it to be a good way to show friends what the 3DS can do. But I never actually play in that setting and I doubt any one will once the novelty wears off.

SSFIV veterans might feel slighted that there are no new fighters (such as the recently announced arcade-exclusive ones including Evil Ryu) and no new core gameplay modes. I wasn’t particularly troubled by this, however, because the package as a whole is so complete and so satisfying as it is. This is a full-featured port on a new platform, and it is without question the best portable fighting game ever released. Whether or not that is enough to dub it a “killer app” for Street Fighter fans is hard to say at this early point, but early adopters including those new to fighting games shouldn’t miss this outstanding launch title.