When worlds collide: Street Fighter X Tekken 

 

 

Genre: Fighting Game

Format:  Playstation 3, Xbox 360, PC Playstation Vita (coming soon)

Released: March 6, 2012

 

Fighting has always been my preferred choice of gaming, and I don’t see any other way than a good dose of it to get some stress off my back. I got my first taste of it way back in the summer of ’91, when I visited my cousin’s place and tried out the first incarnation of Street Fighter II for the Super Nintendo Entertainment System. I was an amateur back then when it came to throwing a Hadouken and Sonic Boom at the time, and I didn’t take things seriously until a few years later, when more games in the franchise were released and I began playing in the arcade scene frequently. Eventually, I dabbled with other brawling titles that gave a different taste of how to pound opponents senselessly, and Namco’s Tekken series provided a more methodical and spontaneous challenge than I could ever hope for… plus it was in “3D”.

 

Adding another member to their traditional lineup of VS games, Capcom has done the unthinkable once more and teamed up with competitor Namco Bandai Games to bring us a crossover game fighters around the world have dreamed of: Street Fighter X Tekken (with X pronounced as “Cross”).   First announced during San Diego Comic-Con 2010, the game is supervised (and marketed heavily) by the two front men behind SF and Tekken: namely Capcom’s Yoshinori Ono and Namco Bandai Tekken producer Katsuhiro Harada. These two men are the “heart and soul” behind the development and realizations of their respective franchises, and it’s their lead (and occasional “trolling”) that have led to this dream matchup. While others may technically point out that the 2005 Japan-only RPG game Namco X Capcom for the Playstation 2 featured characters from both sides, Street Fighter X Tekken marks the first time the two franchises collide in an environment that is perfectly suitable to their various abilities and skillsets. 

 

As a Capcom developed game, Street Fighter X Tekken is utilizing core elements and gameplay found in the Street Fighter IV games. Being a crossover game however, it’s a tag team game that shares victory conditions and guidelines that are akin to Tekken Tag Tournament, where a team loses a round automatically if one member’s health bar reaches zero. The game utilizes a 6-button styled layout, and much of the fighting is done in traditional Street Fighter-style, via a combination of command inputs and combos. But that’s not to say that the fighters from the Tekken universe don’t have their own unique moves either. They retain moves that compliment the 4-button system interface from their games and can be executed the same way as before. Overall, it’s a dream match set in a Street Fighter world, but new gameplay mechanics are there to learn for both sides, which are essential and crucial to attain victory.

 

Much like Tekken Tag Tournament, Street Fighter X Tekken relies on tagging and partner assist attacks to assure victory for the player’s team. Quick combos and punch combinations are relatively easier to pull off here, but one has to get accustomed to and effectively utilize the “Cross Gauge”, which acts as your traditional super meter. This bar fills up as the player dishes out and conversely takes damage. It fills up to three levels maximum, and EX moves and Super Combos can be executed depending on how many stocks the player has on their gauge. The clincher, though, is that if you got a maximum bar, you can unleash a “Cross Arts” or “Cross Assault” attack for heavy team attack damage. Cross Arts plays like a double team super attack, while Cross Assault has the player controlling both members of his team at the same time! Adding fun to the mix, Capcom has introduced a new feature called “Pair Play” that allows a friend to play alongside you, so if Cross Assault is activated, both of you have limited time to play together in the screen! How’s that for replay value and fun factor for you?

 

Other gameplay mechanics to take note of is the Gem system and Pandora Mode. Notice the gem option you can toggle at the character before a match? They activate depending on certain conditions that happen during the course of battle, granting the character buffers that turn the tide of battle in their favor. In the case of Pandora Mode, it acts as a last ditch effort tool that should only be used when desperate times call for desperate measures. When one of your characters’ lifebars reaches critical status, it glows to signal that you can activate Pandora – a mode that sacrifices that character to give your partner a burst of power the triples their power and strength! However, the trade-off is that it only lasts for a few short seconds, and is really meant as a gamble to turn the tide when all seems lost to win a round.

 

For its overall presentation, Street Fighter X Tekken has a nice set of characters that fans of both series will be happy to see who have made the cut. You have stalwart world warriors like Ryu, Ken, Guile, Chun-Li, Cammy, M. Bison, Sagat, and the Iron Fist crew in Kazuya, Nina, Jin, Xiaoyu, Yoshimitsu, Raven, Paul, and Law. Story mode-wise, it’s ideal to play the game with the default pairs, as you learn how each team fairs in searching for the mysterious “Pandora” – an alien artifact that lands on Earth acts as the catalyst for the game’s premise of teaming up both franchises.   If you’re itching to test your skills in battle, several modes are accessible, including a trial mode to learn some devastating combos with each character. The real fight comes with Network mode, which takes players to the global arena to fight against once another. Unlike Street Fighter IV, though, there are noticeable bugs and omissions in sound while playing online, but a future patch may easily rectify that and stabilize some lingering issues in game.

 

So as a final word: Is Street Fighter X Tekken worth your time and attention? Absolutely positively, and you’d be wise to honor both franchises by playing this tag team versus game, especially if you’re a fan of one or the other —or both! Boasting more than 40 playable characters (including some exclusive ones if you have the PS3 version), the possibilities and combinations of play will keep a fighter going for hours of satisfactory brawling madness. Future downloadable content releases will see upgrades, costumes, and eventually new characters from both sides joining the fray. This may be Capcom’s take on the conflict, but Namco Bandai will eventually release their own interpretation of the fight with Tekken X Street Fighter, and one has to wonder how that will play out someday. Only time will tell for sure. — TJD, GMA News

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^{Tim G. Villasor is a graduate of Multimedia Arts. He is a writer, blogger, gamer, and occasional cosplayer (usually Batman, The Dark Knight). He manages a popculture news and hobby blog called PopCultureCrusader, and is a member of the cosplay group Justice PH. You can reach him via Facebook, or visit his official blog.}