Street Fighter X Tekken is clearly Capcom's best next gen game to date despite the recent controversy of greed.
Boy was I wrong and I am glad I was wrong. Capcom was able to blend both elements quite well. As a hardcore Tekken fan and a more old school oriented Street Fighter Alpha/Third Strike fan I can honestly say I enjoyed this game despite my opinion of SF 4. SF 4 was good; but it was really missing some things that made the older games stand out. Now lets review.
Graphics:
The graphics took a little getting used to because of the strange color choices. It looks almost as if they were trying to make the characters look a little more like elements of a painting of some sorts. But after playing it I did notice a greater amount of detail in the game. I noticed how they remade the legs of
Chun-Li (a little less muscle which made her look better), redid the look of the models a little, and etc. The game really looks great.
Story:
The story revolves around Shadowloo and the Mishima Zaibatsu searching for the power of pandora's box. Jin most likely wants it to find answers about the devil gene since Jin wants to end the Mishima bloodline curse. And well Bison just can't stand letting power go to waste. And all of the other fighters join the battle for a variety of reasons.
Gameplay:
Of course gameplay is the main ingredient to a great game and this game doesn't disappoint. The game plays pretty much like a standard Capcom Fighter; however don't let that fool you. This game is totally different from Street Fighter 4 despite the SF side feeling more like their SF 4 counterparts. The overall gameplay is a combination of SF 4 and Tekken Tag; with a little twist here and there. Everything I can share will be explained next.
Important Basics:
You have your normal punch and kicks. However, every punch and kick can be canceled into a special except the hard kicks. Here are the standard basics of this game to get used to. Learn how to do link combos which are normal punches and kicks with quick start up and can get you back in ready stance quicker. Those moves can then be followed up by another normal or special move that can connect while an opponent is still in hit stun(damage animation). And also learn how to make good use of tag ins and launchers.
It is still taking me some time getting used to this link stuff cause I am not all that good at it; but after practicing I feel I am improving.
In this game you can switch partners anytime; but be careful cause a bad tag can set you up for some serious punishment. Play around with switching; because some moves can allow you to tag in your partner to continue combos if the hit stun or juggle state is long enough to allow it.
Launchers are used to pop your opponent in the air and you automatically tag in your partner for serious combo possibilities. You use it by pressing the medium punch and kick together. Launchers can even be used in the middle of some combos; so toy around with the new feature. Be careful when using it though. Launchers may give you slight invisibility; but they are not always safe unless hit confirmed; which means you connected with an attack before your next move.
Meter Costing Moves:
Every character has EX moves; which are enhanced versions of special moves. The properties of EX moves varies from character to character. EX moves could add extra hits, absorb an attack, bypass projectiles, and create more combo opportunities. When I say combo opportunity in regard to EX moves I am referring to wall / ground bounce, launch, and extra hit stun.
There are three kinds of super moves: super art, cross art, and cross assault. The super art is your standard super move; which takes up one bar. The cross art is your super cross art that knocks your opponent into your tag partner's own super art automatically; which takes up 3 bars. Think of the cross art as a super tag in. And then there is the cross assault; which allows both you and your partner to jump the other opponent temporarily. The cross assault takes up all three bars.
Pandora mode is a very dangerous ability. It is like a double edged sword. You get a power boost, infinite cross bar, and extra life when you sacrifice the character in play. But all of this comes with a price. If you don't defeat your opponent within the Pandora time limit; then you will pass out and lose the round. Pandora has its own timer; so you better get busy when that clock starts ticking.
Defense Techniques:
For defense you can use what is called the cross cancel. When you block an attack you can press forward heavy punch and kick together to attack or do some special movement. The type of cross cancel varies from character to character, so be mindful of who you have on your team.
When grounded you also have a forward recovery roll; which can be used to get out of tight spots due to being invulnerable. Just be careful cause it can be read. Escaping grabs works just like SF 4 as well just so you know. You have to hit light punch and kick at the moment a standard grab is used.
Enhancements:
The game uses a gem system. OOOOOOOHHHHHHH NOOO!
The reaction to the idea of gems was kind of on that level for some people cause it looked like something that could be another comeback mechanic that could be too overwhelming like MVC 3. Or maybe as nuts as those crazy gems from the arcade known as Marvel Super Heroes. You don't have to worry. The gems in this game isn't that overpowered.
I don't know all of the details cause I never really looked at them in serious detail; however I will gladly tell you what I do know.
Power- Adds more damage
Speed- Increase the speed of every move and
makes combos even easier to do. (I think)
Defense- Various defensive properties. I think there are a few
different types of defensive gems.
1. Auto Guard
2. Auto Throw defense
3. Damage Reduction
4. Regeneration
Cross- I think it gives you temporary cross bar boost.
These gems can only be activated under certain conditions and these gems are temporary. You have to pay attention on how each one works.
Customization:
You can customize the colors of your characters; but right know it lacks pretty bad in the color department. I guess we still have to wait for the patch that will include the extra colors. I hope we don't have to pay for custom colors.
You can also customize your gems for every character. This is a nifty feature; because you can use gems that accommodates to the way you play. Or you can use the gems to make up for the short comings of characters. For example, Juri has a low damage output; so using a power gem could help give Juri a temporary boost to temporarily compensate for that problem.
Tutorial and Training/Trial Mode
I pretty much added this due to how important it is for new comers and experienced gamers a like to practice getting accustomed to this game. This game does play similar to SF 4; but it isn't 100 percent SF 4. The tutorial mode is important cause it will help you better understand the basic premise of the game.
There are some things you definitely can take from SF 4; but everything will not always apply. Trial mode is going to be your best friend when it comes to understanding how to do combos. Decent combos are needed to do a fairly decent job online. The game doesn't go into major details on timing; but practicing on and offline will help you with that.
SF X Tekken Comparison:
The gameplay style is very similar to SF 4; but there are key differences that I already touched on in the gameplay section of this review. The timing seems a bit more forgiving due to the nature of the new combo system too. Now I am going to give you an idea of how each side plays differently.
Street Fighter characters are probably the move simpler characters to use since the move sets are easier to remember; cause it takes less time to see what moves are better to use. This side will definitely be easier for those who are more familiar with SF 4 or Street Fighter in general. It may take a bit more time for less experienced SF or SF 4 players to get used to the characters. Most Street Fighter characters have projectiles and relies on good spacing.
Now don't take what I said the wrong way about the SF side; because I am not saying Street Fighter characters are not interesting. The SF characters are good; because a good number of the SF characters seem to play better than their SF 4 counter part. For example, Ryu's combo fireball doesn't feel unless. I am only using the word useless loosely due to the fact that his super fireball was so slow and you can jump it at point blank range in SF 4 and SSF 4. The only way the SF 4 fireball super would work is if you air juggle combo it or use it after a focus attack. Due to the nature of the gameplay the SF characters have the ability to rush down anyone as well.
The Tekken characters are definitely the opposite of the SF characters. The Tekken side only has a few characters that actually have some kind of projectile. The Tekken side are made up of mostly characters who focus more any getting inside. And most of the tekken fighters have a certain move that can actually bypass projectiles. The type of moves Tekken characters have are very different. I was actually surprised at the effort Capcom put into the Tekken side.
Most Tekken characters play pretty close to the way they play in Tekken except in a more Street Fighter-ish environment. Grapplers have air grabs, some characters have counter attacks, some have low grabs, some have combo grabs, some have standard attacks that have a launch or bounce state that doesn't require meter, some have stances that gives players access to other specials that can only be done in that stance, and etc. Pretty much the Tekken side is more of a in your face style of play.
Assistance for new comers:
If you are new to fighter games; then this game has enough to help casual players out a little bit. The gems are designed to help the new players with the enhancements.
And the game provides a quick combo option; which are preset combos that are accessible at the push of a button. I still advise new comers to try to do their best to learn to combo without the help from the preset option cause you will get more out of this game if you do.
Online Mode:
This game has some features in it that will amaze you. I had to make an online mode section cause there is a lot to enjoy.
The online mode features the typical modes such as Rank match and Endless Battle; however there is far more to it this time. You can choose to play against any opponent(s) on your own; but the real fun begins when you get friends together. You can try playing with random people as a partner; but you just don't know how it will go.
You can invite a partner to your team in the main online menu and no matter where you go your partner will travel along with you. You can play rank and endless battle tag matches together as well as play the two brand new highlights of this game. The modes I am referring to are the Briefing Room and Scramble Mode.
The Briefing Room is an absolute marvel. This mode may just become the new standard for fighting games. In this mode you can train with your partner. Everything that is in a training mode are at your disposal. You can customize the training dummy, health meter, cross bar, attack patterns, look at the move list of every character, and etc. You can even set the training dummy to be controlled by the host or guest. Plus those who really need a helping hand on getting better can actually go online and learn from more elite players who are willing to help. Absolutely astounding!
For instance, yesterday me and my friend did some online training together and it was fun and very informative. We was able to share ideas, show each other how to do certain things, plan attacks, and etc. And changing the characters and settings was a smooth transition every time. And our training paid off too; cause we did fairly well for causal players trying to play at a more higher level.
Scramble mode is just as it sounds. In this mode all four players duke it out at the same time. There is no tagging just insane simultaneous battle. Both teams sure meter plus all moves are accessible except for cross assault since everyone is already there. Scramble mode can get crazy; but it is fun.
Online Functionality:
The online actually plays very well. Lag was rarely an issue unless someone's connection is just that bad. I did get quite a few disconnects against a few people; but a guess that is expected with so many variables.
The only problem I noticed was the random absence of sound. It isn't serious; but it does blemish the overall quality of the experience. Hopefully a patch is put together real soon to clear this problem up.
Final Thoughts:
This game is incredible in so many ways. The gameplay depth is immense, the online modes are revolutionary, and the inclusion of local/online play is pretty darn good. I heard from another player yesterday that players in the same house can actually team up against online players with separate systems. The most noticeable problem with the game is the absence of sound; but a quick fix with a patch should solve it. If you like fighting games and enjoying engaging, potential challenging battles; then you have to check this out. There are plenty of challenges and new experiences to be had.
Pros:
+You have plenty of the more popular characters from each brand.
+Most Street Fighter characters play better than their SF 4
forms.
+Tekken characters were created well despite being 2D.
+New combo system benefits both sides.
+The game moves at a faster pace.
+You no longer have to be on the same system to play
together as a pair.
+Local players can still pair up and go online together.
+Loners can still play by themselves against others.
+Lag isn't a serious issue.
+Online Training sets a new potential standard for fighting
games.
+Gems can help new comers and high level players a like.
+Pandora isn't a comeback mechanic that can be abused.
Cons:
-The random absence of sound hinders overall quality.
-Lack of custom colors hasn't been addressed.
-Some don't like the idea of not including an option
to play one on one player matches.
-The inability to disable gems.
(I know this Con sounds petty. I like the gems;
but it is an issue that quite a
number of players isn't a fan of it.)
I give this game a well deserved 9 out of 10. Capcom did a great job with this game. I would have gave this game an even higher score; however the day of release was pretty sloppy and made the product look rushed. And this sloppiness did hinder an experience that would have been otherwise perfect.