Since the announcement of the Nintendo 3DS, I’ll admit I’ve been a bit cynical about it given my own distaste for 3D gimmicks. Still, after getting the opportunity to try it out at last night’s Marvel VS Capcom 3 Fight Club event, I have to say my opinions on Nintendo’s latest handheld have changed. And it doesn’t hurt that the first game I got the opportunity to demo was Capcom’s Super Street Fighter IV 3D Edition.
Now, I’m not that great when it comes to fighting games. It is my one great shame as a gamer. But even so, I’ve never been one to pass up some Street Fighter action and, despite my personal limitations in the genre, I still know a thing or two.
So, how does Super Street Fighter IV 3D Edition stack up?
Like Street Fighter IV and Super Street Fighter IV, the game is a 2.5D fighting game: rendered in 3D but played across a 2D plane. However, 3D Edition introduces a new mechanic into the mix: Dynamic Mode.
Taking a cue from fighting games like Dissidia: Final Fantasy and Dragon Ball: Raging Blast, Super Street Fighter IV 3D Edition offers an over-the-shoulder third-person camera, showcasing the system’s 3D capabilities. However, this is mostly a visual change as the game still plays along the normal 2D plane.
If you’ve played the console or arcade versions of Street Fighter IV and Super Street Fighter IV, you’ll find that 3D Edition is essentially the same game with a few minor tweaks to accommodate gameplay on a handheld system. In its “Light” control scheme, the game utilizes the touchscreen to help pull off combos and special moves. Under the “Pro” control scheme, combos must be executed manually, though command shortcuts can be assigned to the touch screen hotkeys to make up for the limited control layout.
The game flows smoothly, and the incorporation of touch screen hotkeys feels natural to combat. If there is one issue I had with the gameplay, it was how easy the demo was. As stated before, I am not the best fighting game player in the world, but the two matches played as part of the demo were rather easy and at no time did I feel challenged, dispatching my CPU opponents with relative ease. Unfortunately, there was no multiplayer demo set up for the game, so the single player mode was the extent of the experience.
When it comes to the actual 3D capabilities of both the game and the handheld, the Super Street Fighter IV 3D Edition‘s 3D effect is quite effective, assuming you’re staring at the screen at the right angle. Thankfully, such a feat is not difficult to accomplish and the effect itself does not strain the eyes, which is my major issue with most 3D situations, such as film and TV. Again, Dynamic Mode is the way to go to experience the full 3D effect of the game.
Overall, Super Street Fighter IV 3D Edition is shaping up to be a great game for the Nintendo 3DS. Fully stocked with everything from the console versions, including the full roster of 35 characters, you can expect the game to be as big as the other versions of Super Street Fighter IV.
The game is set to be released as a launch title for the 3DS on March 27th.