Above, I've embedded a new interview that GameTrailers did with a man from Capcom about the upcoming 3DS iteration of Super Street Fighter IV. While the interview itself is pretty good (albeit lacking in any info we didn't already know), I thought I'd use it as more of a launching point to discuss SSF4 and the rest of the 3DS launch lineup.
In case you need a little refresher on what games will be available for the 3DS on Day 1, I wrote a piece about it back when the announcement was first made listing which titles would be coming out as well as my thoughts on the selection. While I did concede that there wasn't a blockbuster killer app among the games, I wasn't upset like a lot of people were. I felt like it was a very solid lineup, with a few games that seemed legitimately good and not just launch day cash-in shovelware. As we draw ever closer to the North American launch (one more week!), it's time to now focus on just which game(s) are worthy of a purchase alongside the 3DS itself.
A lot of video game websites out there have received their 3DSes and the first reviews are starting to trickle in. The game I'm paying a particular interest in is Steel Diver. It was always the 3DS launch game that I was drawn to the most (despite cries of "boring!" from the comment section of pretty much every major gaming site on the web). The one thing, the ONE thing that I was always apprehensive of was whether or not it had enough content to justify a $40 dollar price tag. Unfortunately, it seems like Steel Diver comes up short in that respect.
As a poor, nigh destitute person of meager income, I must try and be as wise as I can with my gaming purchases. And so, rebuffed by the realities of Steel Diver's lack of bang-for-the-buck, I began to think of other possibilities for a Day 1 purchase. Pilotwings Resort? Nintendogs + cats? Eh... those aren't really for me. Super Monkey Ball 3D? While I'm a fan of the series, the 3DS version doesn't really have me interested. Madden? Please... EA is so ashamed of this hack-job they didn't even dignify it with a year in the title. There really is only one standout, one game that rises above the rest: Super Street Fighter IV 3D Edition.
GameTrailers named the embedded video above the "Full Experience Interview", and that reflects precisely what SSF4 on 3DS is: a full experience. Not only does it bring nearly every feature over from the console version of the game, but it has numerous added touches that utilize the 3DS' unique functionality. StreetPass, new touchscreen control options, and, of course, 3D visuals.
I'm going to admit, I'm not exactly the most experienced "street fighter". I, like so many others, plunked down my fair share of quarters at the local Street Fighter II arcade cabinet back in the day, and I've also put in a lot of time with Marvel vs Capcom 2 (if you care to consider that a Street Fighter game). I'm not really all that good at either game, but they are certainly a lot of fun. I've never played Street Fighter IV in any form, so playing it on the 3DS will be a completely new experience for me. I know a lot of people are turned off to the 3DS game because they've already played it so much on the XBox 360 or PS3, but obviously that's not going to be a problem for me.
So, to reiterate the question posed in the tile of this blog post: is Super Street Fighter IV the 3DS' best launch game? It seems very possible, if not outright likely. Everyone's certainly going to have their own opinions, but I believe the general consensus will prove SSF4 to be the cream of the launch crop. It's the one game I'm going to try and pick up along with the 3DS on launch day, so I'm hoping my suspicions hold true.
