Super Street Fighter IV 3D Review

Everyone that knows me in real life is well aware of the fact that I am a fighting game freak. With the recent revival and the incredible surge in popularity of classic fighters, a portable version of Capcom’s most recent fighting title, Super Street Fighter IV, seemed obvious. When the 3DS was first announced, I just rolled my eyes and barely paid attention to the rest of the list of games being announced for it. That is, until I saw that Capcom was porting over a 3D version of my favorite fighting game at the time. From then on the wait for the 3DS started to really make me anxious and the wait for the portable Street Fighter was exponentially more nerve-racking.

My main concern was if the game would play as well as its console counterpart, and thankfully, my concerns ended up being totally unfounded. The controls are pretty much exactly the same as any other variation on any system. The analog stick is a little hard to get used to, but the d-pad is excellent for pulling off even the most complex moves. There are two different control modes: Pro and Lite. The Lite mode allows you to pull off special and ultra combos with a simple touch of the screen. My preferred setting is the Pro mode, where you can pick button mappings for four different “buttons” on the screen for a little more ease. These changes make this title the most accessible Street Fighter game to date.

I knew that the latest Nintendo portable was getting a pretty decent graphics boost, but when I first laid my eyes on the beautiful title screen I knew that something special had happened. Not only because of the 3D, but the actual graphics look pretty close to the console version. The backgrounds are basically just still frames of the levels from the console version, but if you are like me, that doesn’t really matter much because what really matters, is the actual fighting and frame rate. I’m glad to say that in the classic 2D view, the game is just as fast and fluid as the console version, plus it is just as pretty to look at.

When switching the game to the 3D over the shoulder view with the 3D slider turned up, you definitely notice a drop in frame rate, but the pop of the 3D more than makes up for it. Sure, playing it in full 3D for a while does tend to put a strain on the eyes but the effect is well worth a slight headache. Is the 3D a total game changer? No, but it does add a cool visual change of pace from the standard fare of 2D fighting. The sound is equally as impressive. Every piece of music and bit of dialogue has been transferred from the console version to this compact fighter. The only major difference is that the ability to use Japanese voiceovers has not been included, but that’s just a small price to pay.

Aside from being the highest quality 3DS launch title, Super Street Fighter IV 3D is also the first globally online title for the handheld. I was expecting lag and overall just a terrible experience, but I actually love the online gameplay. The choices are pretty limited, where you can either just play a random user somewhere else in the world or play a friend in either standard or the over the shoulder view, but if you just want to throw down and fight somebody on the go, this is the perfect mode for you. I experienced only a slight amount of lag and setting up games is pretty easy.

All in all, this game pretty much as perfect of a port of the popular fighter as you will ever see. If you are pretty good with a standard controller, that skill will pretty easily migrate to your 3DS after a little practice. With full online functionality and a pretty neat and surprisingly deep StreetPass figure battle mode, you’ll never get tired of walking around and battling your friends in a variety of ways. With the job done on this title by Capcom, it will be interesting to see if other fighting game companies can make something just as stellar. This is a must buy for your 3DS. Leave your code in the comment section below if you would like someone to battle with on this awesome fighting title. Let’s take this outside!