Capcom is no stranger to competition in the fighting game arena. Major franchises like SNK, Marvel, and Tatsunoko have done battle against the Capcom roster but this time, a new challenger enters the ring, in Street Fighter X Tekken (read: Street Fighter cross Tekken). Namco's famed 3D fighter makes its 2D debut in the first of two titles in the Capcom - Namco co-venture. All throughout the development of Street Fighter X Tekken, two major questions have piqued gamers' curiosity; "How well do Tekken characters work in 2D" and "How do the mysterious gems work?" The answer to both of those questions are pretty positive.
Capcom's representation of Tekken characters remain true to their Namco roots in terms of general feel. Not only do the Tekken characters have quite a few more moves in comparison to the Street Fighter characters but in some cases, as with King's Shoulder Tackle and Rolling Elbow, even the inputs are the same. There are, however, some creative liberties taken to keep Tekken characters competitive against the Street Fighter cast. Several Tekken characters such as Jin and Steve were given projectile moves they don't have any iteration of in Tekken.
The use of Street Fighter IV's engine is apparent in Street Fighter X Tekken, both in visual aesthetics and in function. Link combos are still present but the timing on them is a bit different from Street Fighter IV's. Likewise, wall bounces are still applied to some moves like Ryu's EX Joudan Sokutou Geri (donkey kick) or Juri's EX Shikusen (dive kick).
The Tekken cast members make excellent use of the juggles, bounds (ground bounces) , and high attack-low attack mixups that the series is famous for. Heihachi's forward jab will lead into one of three attacks: one with a high hit property, one that low hits, or one that hits overhead and bounds.
The combination of the two game's combo mechanics lead to some pretty ridiculous combo moments. Up close, you'll be working with Street Fighter style links, into Tekken style juggles and bounds, or you'll start with Tekken style mix ups into combos that end in Street Fighter style super attacks. The game's effort to get players to cross the line comes through in spades.
The gem system has been kept under wraps during the game's development, and has rustled a few feathers for fear of an imbalanced game. Fortunately, the new feature fits in seamlessly with the game's core experience. Players familiar with the Heroes and Heralds mode in Capcom's previous fighter, Ultimate Marvel vs. Capcom 3, will find the gem system to be similar tool. Up to three gems with various stat boosts and activation conditions can be applied to a given character. Some will increase a character's damage when a combo is completed, while another will auto-guard at the cost of one super bar.
Street Fighter X Tekken offers the same modes and features that we've come to expect from recent Capcom fighting games. The ability to set a title and icon remain and works exactly like it's Street Fighter 4 and Marvel vs. Capcom 3 counterparts.
Arcade mode pits you against a series of two-on-two fights ultimately leading to a two-on-one fight against Akuma (if your team is lead by a Tekken character) or Ogre (if your team is lead by a Street Fighter character.) If you select a team that has some lore driven background together, you'll be treated to a unique team introduction before the fights begin. Where arcade mode falls short is in its endings. Rather than getting a thrilling anime cut scene, or even a still image slide show, players are rewarded with a black screen with white text of a brief character epilogue.
In versus mode, players can engage in player versus player or player versus computer matches. With tag team combat being the focus of Street Fighter X Tekken, players are also given the option to pair up and fight as a single team against an AI driven team or another two man team of players.
The network mode functions much like Versus mode with Ranked matches, unranked Endless Battle, and the all new Scramble Battle mode, in which four players take to the battlefield at once. Scramble Battle lacks the kind of precision and balance you'd expect from a fighting game, but as a party mode, makes an excellent addition to the overall package.
To fit with Street Fighter X Tekken's emphases on teamwork, an online training room (known as the Briefing Room) will allow players to partner up with players from around the world to perfect their team strategies and combos.
Training, Mission and Trial modes let players hone their skills in free-form or objective based combat. Street Fighter's resident comedian, Dan Hibiki, makes an appearance to teach players the basics of Street Fighter X Tekken in the game's Tutorial.
Street Fighter X Tekken may not convert die hard Tekken fans and may not be to the liking of die hard Street Fighter fans either, but fans of both titles, and fans of fighters in general will find an enjoyable experience in this game.
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