Capcom is aware that some of the major features it’s touting for the upcoming tag-team crossover title, Street Fighter x Tekken, are the very same its traditionalist audience might reject. It’s willing to take that gamble in the hopes more newcomers pick it up. This strategy makes sense if you’re already incorporating popular Tekken characters into the Street Fighter universe, thereby hopefully luring in some curious fans. Beyond strictly appealing to Tekken’s base though, Street Fighter x Tekken feels like it was purely made for fun, and takes the role very seriously. 

The biggest change for Street Fighter, and one that Capcom readily admits was the most controversial when it was announced, is the gameplay feature called Gems. Gems work a lot like Call of Duty customizable loadouts, and they fall into two categories: Boost and Assist. Boost Gems increase your abilities and get activated through your performance. So let’s say you complete three special moves, then a Boost Gem activates and you can become more powerful for a limited amount of time. 

Assist Gems, meanwhile, are the more controversial offering, Capcom says, because it seems like they are about leveling the playing field for someone just stepping into Street Fighter. One Assist Gem, for instance, would grant the ability to block attacks automatically. But Assist Gems have various ways of penalizing you for using them. The automatic block, for instance, will lead to the player’s cross gauge being decreased by one per block.  So there’s a real downside to using Assist Gems and, as Capcom is quick to point out, you shouldn’t rely on them if you don’t have to because they have the potential to really hinder your game. 

For its hardcore Street Fighter audience, Capcom highlights new fighting mechanics like cross assaults, where your tag-team partner can jump into a brawl and help out, two-on-one style. There’s also Pandora mode, where your buddy gives up his or her life so that the other may capitalize by turning crazy colors and wielding an unlimited power-up to deliver serious damage. 

Any online modes welcome up to four players, whether it’s Training, Versus, or the one we got to test drive: Scramble, where four players are on the screen at the same time duking it out in teams.  One bit of advice we were given for Scramble was to not get caught in the middle of a two-fighter sandwich. Trust us, it hurts. 

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PUBLISHER: Capcom  •  DEVELOPER: Capcom  •  MULTIPLAYER: Four-player local or online  •  RELEASE DATE: March 2012  •  FOR FANS OF: Street Fighter, Tekken, gems