Super Street Fighter 3DS Review

As much as I love the 3DS I have to admit that the launch line-up is pretty weak. With Steel Diver and Nintendogs+Cats (what a dumbass name) tanking in the review department and people saying that Street Pass is the greatest thing about the system so far, it's hard to argue against that point. But there are diamonds in the rough, Rayman being one of them. But nothing shines like Street Fighter.

It may not be the flashiest fighter, but Street Fighter has always been at the top of my fighting game list. I love Mortal Kombat for the violence and I love MvC for the characters. But when it comes to the mechanics, nothing shines like Street Fighter.
Like it or not Street Fighter is the best and Super Street fighter added enough characters to the original roster from 4 to put it light years ahead of the competition. But how does it fare when it's made into a hand-held port. The answer: pretty damn well.

I'm not going to dwell on what makes Street Fighter great. You either like it or you don't. Besides, I am no fighting game expert. But I have played the original and the port and know enough to compare the two. Trust me, there is virtually no difference. All the characters from Super are there and they are not altered in the least. Seeing as the 3DS has a joystick, the combos are completely unchanged. COMPLETELY UNCHANGED! If you were an expert with a character in Super Street Fighter you will be an expert with him or her in the 3DS version. And for the newbie the bottom screen has four buttons, each with a quick prompt. Two have good moves and the other two have your super and ultra hotkeyed to them. The only issue are the left hotkeys as hitting them while moving isn't exactly easy, but it can be learned.

Seriously, those hotkeys are pretty cool.

Beyond mechanics, the game still looks fantastic. The characters look great and the graphics really show off what the system can do. They made the backgrounds stationary, but who cares. Do you really pay attention to the fat kid under the overpass? Neither do I. From what I hear, putting it in 3D mode slows down the frame-rate a tad, but it's not really noticeable for people who didn't play the original version religiously.

It looks like this, but 3D! Fantastic 3D.

As it's a port, I don't have much to say beyond this. But in terms of launch game quality, it's fantastic. It looks, plays, and handles perfectly. Playing against your friends is also a plus. I've heard that some people have lag issues when they play each other, but the games I've played against others have run smoothly. Rayman is great, but Street Fighter is nearly perfect. Along with Street Pass and Rayman, it should be more than enough to hold you over till the 3DS's fantastic summer line-up.

9 Out of 10.