Game Update! Street Fighter X Tekken. (And my personal thoughts on the game)

Finally more news about the highly anticipated cross over game Street FighterXTekken has been announced! Not much on the game has been revealed until now. The first ten characters have been announced characters including :

    (Ryu Street Fighter) 

(Ken Masters Street Fighter)

(Chun Li Street Fighter II)

(Guile Street Fighter II)

(Abel Street Fighter IV)

(Kazuya Mishima Tekken)

(Nina Williams Tekken)

(Bob Tekken 6)

(King Tekken)

(Marduk Tekken 4)

So far the roster to me is pretty impressive. I'm glad to see Guile and Ken back in a game, since they were left out of Marvel Vs Capcom 3. For the first 10 characters to be announced, I'm surprised even though as of now the game looks unbalanced it still seems to work. For example you have characters like Guile, Ken, Ryu, and Chun Li who are able to throw fire balls and awesome sonic booms, against pretty much the entire Tekken cast who are more hands on close up fighters. Even with that, characters that don't use projectiles still seem to be able to handle themselves fairly well. We've all seen or used Abel a character in street fighter with no projectiles just grabs and strikes, take down some of the heaviest hitters i.e Akuma and Ryu online and offline.

That was the first rough video shown when the game was announced. Since that time a lot of progress has been made, with more details to be revealed at this years E3. For those that don't know there will be two versions of the games. Street Fighter X Tekken and Tekken X Street Fighter, what's the difference? Street Fighter X Tekken as you've seen from the video will both look and play like a street fighter game. Using the same engine and design as Street Fighter 4 did, while Tekken X Street Fighter will play more like a Tekken game. Along with Tekken X Street Fighter it won't be that cell shaded look as seen already, but the Tekken 3D look to game which should be interesting. Not much besides those facts have been announced or revealed for Tekken X Street Fighter, but when more news comes along I will keep tell you. 

 

While the game still looks a little rough, keep in mind it's still in its early stages. This is one of the games that I cannot wait for. Having been a fan of Street Fighter since I was a young kid and a fan of Tekken since a early age as well, to me this one of my dream games. The only thing that could make this game better to me was if Capcom decided to make it a Capcom vs Namco vs Nintendo game. That would be my ultimate game where I can place Power Stone characters, Street Fighter characters, Devil May Cry characters with Tekken, Soul Calibur and Pac Man! against Zelda, Metroid, and Earthbound characters! That would be the ultimate game...yeah

 

Who do I think should be in the game?

(Akuma Super Street Fighter II Turbo)

   Akuma would make for a perfect fit in the Street Fighter X Tekken universe. With his dark personality and Raging Demon, who wouldn't want to see Akuma take on Panda from Tekken. 

(Steve Fox Tekken 4)

 Steve Fox the boxer, what more can I say? Being one of my personal favorite characters in the Tekken series, he would honestly fit in perfectly with the Street Fighter cast. With his ability to dodge moves, while still being able to lay quick hard strikes it's easy to understand why he could stand up to any character...fire balls and all. 

(Juri Super Street Fighter IV)

Juri happens to be one of the best new editions to Street Fighter. With her unpredictable moves, deadly kicks and aggressive personality she's not afraid to stand up to anybody. Another one of my personal favorites, Juri would be a more then welcomed edition to the line up. I could definitely see her having something to do with the storyline. 

(Eddy Gordo Tekken 3)

    Eddy Gordo and his Capoeira would certainly be different. His unique fighting style would fair well against those in Street Fighter, it would be interesting to see him go against Elena another Capoeira fighter from Street Fighter. 

Other characters I would love to see in the game are :

• Makoto (Street Fighter III : 3rd Strike)
• Cody ( Street Fighter Alpha 3)
• Alex (Street Fighter III)
• Elena (Street Fighter III)
• Fei Long (Super Street Fighter II)
• Cammy (Super Street Fighter II)
• Sakura (Street Fighter Alpha 2)
• R. Mika (Street Fighter Alpha 3)
• M.Bison (Street FuiFighter II)
• Dudley (Street Fighter III)
• Panda (Tekken 5)
• Jin Kazama (Tekken 3)
• Hwoarang (Tekken 3)
• Paul Phoenix (Tekken)
• Marshall Law (Tekken)
• Lei Wulong (Tekken 2)
• Bryan Fury (Tekken 3)
• Lars Alexandersson (Tekken 6 : Bloodline Rebellion)
• Alisa Boskonovitch (Tekken 6 : Bloodline Rebellion)
• Julie Chang (Tekken 3)

There you have my picks and quick picks, what are yours? I will be posting more on this game as more news comes in. This is a game that remains on my radar and one that I will be waiting for. I will now leave you with this image.

Super Street Fighter 4 3D Review!

Super Street Fighter 4 3D is one of the main launch titles for the nintendo 3DS. Is this title just a poorly done port of the console version, or does it have more to offer? Well this is somewhat of a port but not necessary a bad one. Super Street Fighter 4 3D includes every character you have on the console version, along with alternative costumes. Everything from the console version is here, including challenges, trails, trophies and icons to unlock. It may be a port but it's not a watered down one by any means.

Graphics

(2D image of a 3D game)

As far as graphics go SSF4 3D looks great, except there are a few problems that hold it back from being truly stunning. The character models look sharp and crisp, each character looks just as good as his/her console counter part. However the backgrounds have taken a hit. For those who have played the console version of the game, know that the backgrounds look just as sharp as the characters. Here however the backgrounds feel a bit flat and just dull at times. For a handheld version of street fighter, its one of the best i've played. There have been other street fighter games for a handheld(street fighter alpha series for the PSP) But this is one of the best if not the best handheld port of the franchise.

Gameplay

(2D gameplay video)

The gameplay is exactly what you would expect out of a street fighter game. The inclusion of the thumb stick makes this even smoother, giving you full control of your character and commands. The top screen of course shows your characters, while the bottom touch screen adapts a new system. Giving you four slots to save any commands you want. Meaning you can fill the slots with your ultra combo, super combo and anything else you want allowing you to access it with a touch of a button. How natural does it feel? If you ever played the iphone version of Street Fighter 4, having the option to touch the ultra meter to do your ultra combo then you will be somewhat familiar with the touch pad. Personally I didn't find myself using the four touch pads that frequently, however I do see how it can add to the gameplay. Setting certain moves on the touch pad it can allow the player to focus on the timing of the combos, not just memorizing the commands to land them. Each character plays like their console counterpart, meaning you still have the basic controls and quarter circles for your hadoukens. Capcom did a great job adapting the control to the 3DS. (side note, they still include guiles trade mark putting his glasses on and off in the game. awesome.) 

3D Good or bad?

The 3D in SSF4 3D doesn't look bad, although its not really worth keeping it on for long. You can choose to play normally in the same side by side angle as in the console, or the "3D versus" mode where you're put in a sometimes distracting over the shoulder view. Using the 3D in the regular mode doesn't look bad, in fact it makes the character models stand out even more which gives it a nice look. When engaged in the 3D versus mode, the over the shoulder view can be fun although personally I don't see many using it when it comes to competitively play. While first using the 3D versus mode it definitely isn't bad, the 3D looks solid and game play doesn't change. However while in 3D versus mode, because you do have a over the shoulder view some times it gets in the way of you seeing your opponent. For example you could be jumping in the air, the over the shoulder view sometimes won't let you see the opponent, leaving you defenseless. Capcom really did try to make the 3D in the game legitimate and not just some gimmicky add on. It has its minor problems at time, but overall the 3D in the game looks great even if its not always needed. 

Different Modes

(2D image of a 3D game)

There are many modes to try out, although none of the modes with the exception of street pass are new. Arcade mode returns and plays exactly like it does on its console counterpart. Super street fighter 4 3D utilizes the same format as the console version on the 3DS. For those who have attempted a "quick match" on the console version know that most of the times it doesn't work, citing unable to connect or other problems. Well that transfers over to the 3DS version as well, although the custom match making does find opponents rather quick. The connection online is good, having experiencing  no lag online the game is truly impressive. While playing matches you unlock "Figure Points" or FP which allow you to unlock different figures of the characters. Why would this matter? Each character figure can be used in Street Pass. Along with each character their figure has a certain level rank, health, and attack stats. When your 3DS is in sleep mode and you walk past somebody who also has a 3DS and SSF4 3D, automatically your figures will go against each other deciding a winner based on who has the better team. You are also able to trade these figures with your friends or others via wifi. One impressive feature is the "download now" feature. You can play with someone who doesn't have the game, by doing a data transfer you can play with a friend. Although your friend will be limited to only using Ryu, it is still a very impressive and cool feature. 

The Verdict 

Capcom has continued to treat their street fighter franchise with love, although a port of a console game this is no different. Super Street Fighter 4 3D is one of the major launch titles for the 3DS and rightfully so, with its naturalistic controls and modes its as if you forgot its a handheld game. The game is responsive and the characters look great. With all this praise its also important to point out its flaws, the 3D may look good but in a 2D fighting game its kind of unnecessary. While in 3D mode at times the camera could be a bit confusing. 

The score 

4/5

The Good

• The character models look great 
• If you're new to the series this is a great place to start 
• Online play is great 
• All the trials are back and icons/trophies to unlock will keep you busy
• Touch pad can make the game a little more interesting
• All the characters from the console version are here
• Plays smooth 

The Bad & The Ugly 

• 3D isn't really necessary in a 2D fighting game
• Backgrounds take a hit and stand out looking dull
• If you played the console version there isn't anything really new here