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Did you know that my first arcade cabinet was Soul Edge? Well, if you do I might need to get a restraining order. Anyways that’s how much I love fighters…but let me assure you that doesn’t mean I’m any good at them. This obvious handicap doesn’t stop me from enjoying and picking up a fighter so…I spent the last couple of weeks playing Street Fighter X Tekken.

Street Fighter X Tekken is a two-on-two fighter that merges characters from the aforementioned juggernauts. Both of these titles have the reputation of a full character roster so it’s expected that Street Fighter X Tekken should offer a goodly amount right? No, not at all…there’s only 10 fighters to choose from! While I fully expect Capcom to release more fighters at a later date it does dampen first impressions.

Fighters need the most precise controls and fortunately I applaud the cleanliness of the simplified interface. Gamers new to fighters (or those wanting a more casual experience) can use simplified controls which makes it much easier to pull off special moves as well as creating combos. If you’re a vet you can turn this crutch off and have a more visceral experience. Whatever your preference you’ll be exceptionally pleased with one of the two control options.

Witnessing Street Fighter X Tekken in action is simply put–beautiful. The frame rate is smooth and closely resembles the console version. The one hiccup with the display is the button layout on the iPad (yeah…I praised  the controls above but hold on). The control layout is not optimized for the iPad which means that the buttons are too inconveniently spread out to even attempt to play it. Good news…the layout on the iPhone is superb so, excluding the iPad, Street Fighter X Tekken looks and feels fantastic.

Playing multiplayer leaves a bittersweet taste. Playing with your friends or a random stranger is as easy as pie. However, the only downside is the use of IAP that skews the balanced gameplay in favor of who throws down more bills. While this isn’t a game stopper, it’s a shame that you can’t turn this feature off.

The Bottom Line: 8/10 (Great)

Street Fighter X Tekken may not be as great as previous Street Fighter installments to hit the AppStore, nonetheless it still offers a enjoyable fighting experience no matter your skill level.