PixlBit

SSFIV3DE. That's a long abbreviation.

Fans of the fighting genre who've played any version of Street Fighter IV will feel at home with the latest version on the 3DS. As the title is “Super,” veterans of the PS3 and 360 release of Super Street Fighter IV should be very familiar with the game, while those who've only played the original SFIV will find an almost entirely new title.

Let's get the bad news out of the way first: in two dimensions, SSFIV 3D Edition doesn't look quite as great as its PS3 and 360 counterparts. Larger screenshots of the title show the game clearly has a lower resolution and a few jagged edges. Less notably, backgrounds in the 3DS title are static and don't seem to move, so some stages appear a bit barren and devoid of life. Arguably the most obvious downside of Super Street Fighter IV 3D Edition is that it will be incompatible with arcade sticks that higher level players typically use for maximum control.

With the bad news out of the way, this preview has some great information from here on out. All 35 characters from the console version of the game made their way onto the 3DS with full 3D modes. Expect to see super combos, hyper combos, special attacks, kicks, punches, chops, blocks, turns, and poses in 3D, using one of two viewing modes. The traditional style has players face off with a view perpendicular to the action like nearly every previous Street Fighter title before. A more dynamic camera mode is available to view the fighter from behind the back. Both modes look sharp, though with the latter view, it's possible to watch some characters, like El Fuerte, the Latin chef turned luchadore, wall-jump off of what appears to be nothing. Even better, it seems the character stories in Arcade mode make their way into the game too.

Super Street Fighter IV 3D Edition has a control upgrade as well. Players can map out four special attacks to touch-screen buttons, allowing very easy access to difficult maneuvers like hyper combos and super combos. The buttons can take on simpler, more bread-and-butter attacks too, like Ryu's Hadoken. In addition, all three levels of punches and kicks are available in the game, unlike other portable ports of Street Fighter in the past.

Robust multiplayer options should make this one a crowd pleaser. Single-card download play allows a 3DS to transfer over Ryu, so SSFIV3DE-less fighters can battle against the owner of the game. Spectating against local wifi matches is possible too, so no one has to feel left out. Impressively, two SSFIV3DE-less people can even battle each other, albeit still only as Ryu, provided they've both received the download data for the game. In addition, a tag-based minigame featuring character figurines allows players to pit teams of five players against each other within seconds, earning points to spend to unlock more battle figurines. Players can also choose to trade the figurines with each other to complete a collection of about 245 figurines. Additionally, the game's Arcade mode has a standby option, in case a fierce competitor enters the area for a quick fight.

Online versus match-making itself packs quite a punch. Players can choose from a number of settings to make battles a little more fair, including modes that require the competition to have the same control scheme and skill level. Super Street Fighter IV 3D Edition is a fighting title that will provide players a chance to fight at every opportunity.

It appears that Super Street Fighter IV 3D Edition could be one of the 3DS's first great titles, being a fully-fledged port of a console game with a large number of added and improved features for gamers on the go.

Super Street Fighter IV 3D Edition will launch alongside the 3DS on March 27 for a suggested retail price of $39.99.