Street Fighter X Tekken Review (Vita)

I have always imagined that creating any game, with a faithful and solid fanbase, is one of the most stressful experiences for a developer. I had never imagined however, that a developer would have to take two separate, rather different, fanbases and have to cater for them both simultaneously. Capcom had to do just that though when Street Fighter X Tekken was released, and then did a pretty damn fine job. The PS Vita version has kept that success story rolling.

Straight off the bat SFxT on the Vita wins points because it includes all 12 DLC characters from the console versions. Words cannot accurately portray my excitement of finally being able to play as PAC-MAN without having to fork out extra. It also comes with a bunch of bonus outfits and stages which the average player will never use but it’s a nice bonus for those who do love that stuff. Of course, this being Capcom, there is still some optional stuff to download for the game but it’s so irrelevant I didn’t even notice it existed until I was nearly done reviewing.

The best part of SFxT PSV? The controls. Having already clocked many hours in Marvel vs. Capcom 3 on the Vita, who’s controls I found to be good but slightly floaty, I can say that SFxT’s controls are far more solid. The option to have what button command you’ve just pressed appear on screen was especially useful mastering the combos with the new Vita setup.

The triggers act as the Heavy attack for both punches and kicks, the Medium and Light attacks are mapped onto the standard control buttons, and you can use the touchscreen to pull off specific move sets you choose. The touchscreen takes a while to get used to, but the areas you have to tap are invisible (unless brought up by leaning a finger on the back touchpad) and to the far right of the screen so your thumb can still reach them with ease in the midst of a fight.

That’s not to say that the game is perfect. You can never match a full console release and arcade stick against a handheld system with a touchscreen, but to be able to having SFxT on the go it is a pretty excellent trade off. The online is mildly lacking, with longer load times and occasionally frustrating lag issues, but you can’t play over 3G anyway so it takes little away from its enjoyment as a handheld port. The Arcade and Exhibition modes are more than enough to keep you fighting and training up, specially as it’s all stored in your Battle Log with full trophy support.

The graphics look stunning. Are they as good as the console version? No. Of course not, don’t be silly. It’s a handheld for Thor’s sake. The smoothness is wonderful, the moves look terrific, and the Special EX Attacks look particularly beautiful. The game is obviously a little bit more Street Fighter themed as far as presentation goes but that’s no bad thing. Menus are easy to navigate, the battle log is right there to show off your achievements and fight record to the world, and the sound pumping out of that little Vita is eargasm-worthy at times. For a portable device the Vita makes SFxT look, frankly, stunning.

I would highly recommend picking Street Fighter X Tekken at retail rather than over PSN as it takes up a whopping 2.4GB (once updated) and is £10 more to buy digitally as it is from your average retailer of choice. Other than the rather large file size though I’m strapped for thinking of many negatives for SFxT.

The controls are solid and very easy to learn given the Vita’s obvious disadvantages for fighters, the graphics are terrific, the sound is excellent, and the fighter roster with extra bonuses to unlock are all present to give a bit more value for money. The only real criticism are some small multiplayer issues and a large downloadable file size which are far from deal breakers. Again, if you’re expecting pin-point accuracy in your fighting games then a handheld is not (yet) the first port of call you should be heading to. Street Fighter X Tekken is about delivering the best possible fighting experience on the go. Overall, it’s pretty damn great.

Street Fighter X Tekken is available now for the PlayStation Vita for £29.99, or £39.99 on PSN.