Street Fighter X Tekken Review

Street Fighter and Tekken both have a long, proud history dating back more than a decade in a respectful rivalry. It surprised many when it was revealed that Capcom and Namco would team up to release two games: Capcom would make Street Fighter X Tekken and Namco would release Tekken X Street Fighter with the two games based on their own respective engines. While Street Fighter X Tekken includes characters from the Tekken universe, the game itself is based on Street Fighter’s 2D fighting mechanics.

If you are familiar with Street Fighter IV then you will be right at home with Street Fighter X Tekken. The developers at Capcom incorporated Super Combos and EX attacks, among other things like a six-button layout – three for punches and three for kicks. A three bar energy meter allows you to perform things like the aforementioned EX attacks, Cross Assault and Super Art.

In all there are over 40 characters split between Street Fighter and Tekken. A few special characters make appearances in the PS3 version of the game, including Cole MacGrath from inFamous, Mega Man and Pac-Man, among others. Additionally downloadable characters will be offered in the future. Needless to say fans of both franchises should be pleased.

Fights start after you select two characters. Super Street Fighter X Tekken involves two teams of two going at it similar to last year’s Marvel vs. Capcom. This allows for up to four people to play the game at once – making Street Fighter X Tekken a pretty compelling party game.

You can swap characters at any time, although it will leave you vulnerable to attack when you do. Aside from not having your character killed, swapping has the benefit of healing your character’s health in small amounts. Ultimately, it only takes the elimination of one of the two characters to win a match, so it is advisable to swap out if you are within a few hits of dying.

The biggest addition to the game is the gem system. Capcom won’t explicitly say it, but it is meant to make the game easier for non-experienced players. The gems boost character abilities or auto-assist with things like blocking. This allows players to either compensate for a weakness or play towards their strength. Fans will undoubtedly cry foul, yet it ultimately balances out surprisingly well.

There are several game modes to choose from in Street Fighter X Tekken. The traditional arcade mode has a limited story that doesn’t leave much to write home about. More impressive are the number of challenges (20 for each character) and the training mode which allows you to hone your skills whether you are new or a Street Fighter veteran. Online play is where most of your time will probably be spent.

As someone who is not particularly fond of fighting games I have to hand it to Capcom. Street Fighter X Tekken is a fast-paced and fun fighting game that will please fans of both franchises. With a robust number of characters to master as well as game modes to complete, Street Fighter X Tekken will keep you busy for weeks, perhaps even months to come.