Super Street Fighter IV: 3D Edition

Genre: Fighting

Players: 1-2 Competitive (Local Wireless, Online), StreetPass Support

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Review:

After decades of jokes about how Capcom “can’t count to three”, Super Street Fighter IV released in arcades in 2008, then brought to PlayStation 3, Xbox 360, and PC in 2009, with a port coming to mobile devices a year later in 2010. This was followed up with Super Street Fighter IV in 2010, which added 5 new stages, 10 new and returning characters, new costumes, new ultra combos, and various other added features. After this we got Super Street Fighter IV Arcade Edition, also in 2010, which added four more characters and additional balance changes. Then in 2014 we got Ultra Street Fighter IV, which included six new stages, five new characters, new balance changes, and a new “Double Ultra” option that gives players more flexibility with their ultra combos. In addition to releasing on platforms that already had versions of the game, Ultra Street Fighter IV also came to PlayStation 4.

In the midst of all of this, Capcom also brought Super Street Fighter IV to Nintendo 3DS in 2011 alongside the handheld system at launch, with this version dubbed “3D Edition”. It should be noted that this release of the game doesn’t include characters or features introduced to Street Fighter IV in Arcade Edition or later releases. However, this is somewhat forgivable, since it’s somewhat extraordinary that this game released on Nintendo 3DS at all.

Graphically, Super Street Fighter 4: 3D Edition is an excellent port that does a good job scaling down the console game’s 3D visuals to fit on Nintendo’s handheld, even working in the Nintendo 3DS’s stereoscopic 3D effects. The game does suffer from slowdown at times, but mostly this is a solid port of a modern game that was one of the most impressive releases at the launch of the handheld.

The Nintendo 3DS version does take advantage of other unique features of the hardware, though these are mostly gimmicky – you can easily activate special attacks and ultra combos using touchscreen buttons, and the game also includes a “3D Mode” that puts the camera behind your character… a gimmicky mode that’s not really conducive to the gameplay. There’s also figurines that can be traded via StreetPass which… doesn’t really add much to the core game.

There is one other major feature here that’s an admirable inclusion, and that is online play. I was even able to get into an online match in 2022, over a decade after this game launched, and it worked pretty smoothly… but don’t expect to replicate my experience – the online lobbies for this game are mostly empty.

Beyond this, what you’re left with is a solid port of an excellent Fighting Game. While I personally prefer Dead or Alive Dimensions over the gameplay in this game, I also recognize that’s a personal preference, and there are undoubtedly other players who will prefer this game’s more traditional 2D gameplay.

In the end, it’s kinda’ odd that the Nintendo 3DS received two excellent Fighting Games soon after it launched… and then didn’t receive much else of note within the genre. However, one could argue that this one-two punch may have scared away potential competitors, as both are truly excellent. If you want a great Fighting Game on Nintendo 3DS, you can’t go wrong with either title, and Street Fighter fans in particular should definitely pick this game up if they own a Nintendo 3DS.

tl;dr – Super Street Fighter IV 3D is a surprisingly excellent port of one of the earlier releases of Street Fighter IV. It has a few minor issues and it tries some gimmicky things on Nintendo 3DS that don’t really add to the package, but that doesn’t matter when the core game is this excellent. If you’re a Street Fighter fan looking to play this game on the go, you will not be disappointed.

Grade: A

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