Street Fighter x Tekken – Review
Reviewing Street Fighter x Tekken might be one of the toughest tasks i’ve ever set my mind to. For starters there are decades of video game history to fall back on, not for one game, but for both. Then there’s the fact of comparing this Vita edition to it’s console-comrade-in-arms. But more pressing is the age old feud between hardcore fighting fans and a more casual crowd that could care less about hitting that flawless 35-hit combo.
Unfortunately, Street Fighter x Tekken already fell flat on its face depth-wise back when it was first released on consoles. Combining two franchises somehow stripped the many characters of their unique fighting styles. Sure, their moves may look different, but in the end you’ll be hitting down-diagonal-left-or-right 99% of the time in order to launch some variation of a fireball. Gone are the extended special attacks that required proper timing, gone are the characters that needed that extra bit of skill to properly master.
That’s not to say the game isn’t enjoyable. Don’t misjudge it, Street Fighter x Tekken is a great time-waster while on the road. There’s the enormous roster that has nearly every character from both Street Fighter and Tekken, including some delightful parodies of classic icons. Fat Megaman anyone? And let’s be honest, seeing my personal long-time favourites Heihachi and Zangief fighting side by side stirred my retro-loving soul.
Just don’t expect to see this game in any serious competitions.
Content-wise you get the full package, everything present on PS3 and Xbox 360 is also in this portable edition, with the added bonus of Exlosive Kumite, an all-new mode that turns out to be nothing more than an endless brawl with enemies that keep growing stronger.
Where Street Fighter x Tekken differs, though, is in the way backgrounds and visuals are handled. Granted, every stage from the original is also in this edition, but they’re barely skeletons of the source material. There’s much less going on and three dimensional objects have been turned into 2D-sprites, making for an at times jarring sight.
We said it earlier in this review, Street Fighter x Tekken won’t exactly please the hardcore crowd, anyone looking for a good time while mindlessly jamming the Vita’s buttons could do much worse. The tag-team battles allow for some smart tactics, especially during online play, and the more powerful special attacks are a sight for the eyes.
Then again, you could do much better as well. Mortal Kombat, Ulitmate Marvel vs. Capcom being just two on an impressive list of Vita brawlers. And I’m not even counting the numerous PSP fighters that have long since proven their worth. A missed chance.
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