Super Street Fighter IV: 3D Edition for the Nintendo 3DS is the heavily anticipated and revolutionised addition to the iconic Street Fighter legacy. This game retains enough of the original features and game play that made it one of the best fighting games to begin with, and yet feels even more advanced and accessible now it’s been completely revamped for the 3DS.

This game features a wide range of thirty five characters, with both familiar and other lesser-known faces from the Street Fighter saga. Ten uncommon fighters (Juri and Hakan being exclusive to this release) appear next to legendary characters such as Ryu, Chun-Li, and many more, each with their own alternative costumes. The fighting style for this game has been completely overhauled, allowing the full use of all six buttons on the console to release devastating combos on your opponent. Signature moves are also under your control, as each character has two different fighting styles for you to choose from, each with their own style specific moves and special attacks. Fighting is made more intense through the use of both screens on the 3DS, with your ultra-combos logged on the touch screen, so a quick press on the bottom screen initiates an incredibly brutal attack that will decimate your opponent.

The Arcade Mode in this game holds more power than it did previously, as all the characters are unlocked from the get go, yet still makes for enthralling and entertaining gameplay. This mode changes accordingly depending on which character you play, giving them their own personal rivals and cinematic sequences. Thrown into Arcade Mode are two fun side missions; Pound My Ride, where you have to completely destroy a stationary car to earn points, and if you do so within the time limit you automatically earn a perfect. There is also Barrel Buster, where the same rules apply, but with added difficulty.

This more modernised Super Street Fighter has completely overhauled online playing, even allowing you to turn on the fight request system to give others around the world the chance to engage you in a duel. Two point systems are now in place; Player points are earned when you defeat a quarry, yet are lost when you yourself are defeated, and Battle points are allocated to specific characters. This allows you to gain points for both your overall fighting skills, and how good your best player is, with these points being put into a ranking system on an online leaderboard that can be viewed around the world. (Cat Emerson)