The game with the name that keeps getting longer!
(Full disclosure: I haven’t played Street Fighter IV or Super Street Fighter IV on the HD consoles, but I’m a fan of Street Fighter 2, which is what they’re all based on anyways.)
With so many features available in the 3DS version of SSFIV, I was wondering which ones were going to be shown at the Nintendo World event.
As I waited to play the game, a trailer showing all the awesome modes was shown on loop: passer-by challenge mode, figure battles, online play, single-card download play (you can even give it to two people who don’t own the game and they can play together without you), online spectator mode, and many more.
The mode that was shown at the event was a simple arcade progression mode. Capcom had unlocked all characters and allowed them to be selectable, and there were so many different fighters that I practically lost count.
After I’d picked Ryu, I was given a choice of ultra combo, then viewing mode. I’ve played Street Fighter games from the side for about 15 years now, so I went for the new 3D angle. This mode puts the camera at such an angle that you can see your character from behind, yet still allows easy viewing of your combatant.
The game then plays exactly as normal in 3D mode, with no moves or directions are changed at all. It’s just a cool new way of viewing the action. It really emphasised the 3D as Ryu really popped out of the screen, especially when I did a jump backwards.
The graphics in general are fantastic, much better than the iPhone version and more akin to the HD versions in terms of the visual quality of the characters. Some things have been scaled back for this portable version, however. For example, the background characters are 2D sprites; this isn't much of a problem in normal view, but in the 3D view I could see behind them quite easily.
The controls are just how I remembered them from the SNES days, with L and R being your strong punch and kick, with the rest of your moves mapped to the face buttons. However, there's a new control option introduced in this version in the form of touch screen move presets. The lower screen is split into four sections; top and bottom-right were my fireball and hurricane kick, and the left sides were my super combos. Once my super meter was full, I just tapped the screen with my thumb and Ryu unleashed a massive fireball, finishing off my opponent. It's very satisfying.
I got about four characters in before my time was up, but this was more than enough to whet my appetite. I think this could be the Street Fighter game to get me back into the franchise, as it looks great, plays perfectly, and has a tonne of options. Plus, I can play it on the train.