This week two fighting franchises crossed paths in one of the most anticipated gaming released of the month, Street Fighter X Tekken. Finally, feuding fans have the chance to back up their claims defending their favorite characters, facing off in the ring against the opposing franchise's counterpart. But players may be wondering whether or not they should drop big bucks on the newly released game. Here are five things fans should know before they purchase the combat-based competition.

1. This is only the first time these two classics will combine. Street Fighter X Tekken is the first of a two part release. The second, which will reverse the name titled, Tekken X Street Fighter is set for a later debut and will be developed by Namco. So if Tekken fans are disappointed by the game's 2-D Street Fighter style direction, don't fret. The rival fighting series will have its time to shine.

2. Tekken moves are tweaked. The players have been sped up a little bit to fit the Street Fighter mold. This makes the Tekken characters blend more easily into the flashy Street Fighter realm. It is unclear how Tekken fans will feel about this, but WorthPlaying.com's Brian Dumlao seems to think Capcom nailed it. In a way, the enhancements make 'Tekken' fighters feel like they belong, he wrote. And of course, the characters will retain their signature moves, but with a new twist.

3. Artwork in the Street Fighter 4 style. Since this is the Street Fighter side of the story, it's only sensible for the artwork to be based on previous games. The design is sure to be an eye-catcher for fans of the classic series, as pointed out by Oklahoma Daily's Shawn Stafford in his review. The art style is very reminiscent of Street Fighter 4: Cell-shaded in a way that makes the characters look as if they were painted on the screen with vibrant manga colors and cartoonish proportions, he wrote.

4. Versatile stages and sound effects, but not in online gameplay. Players have quite a selection of stages to scroll through, ranging from Jurassic-themed research labs to astronaut-ridden space stations. The music is an interesting choice -- rather than classic video-game style sounds the game caters to various music tastes. According to Stafford, options include tracks from pop group LMFAO, dance beats, and double-bass metal. However, there is a critical issue with the sound during online gameplay. According to EuroGamer, Capcom is looking into the problem, which is caused by game's netcode. The new netcode implemented in 'Street Fighter X Tekken' allows for up to four players to have a smooth online experience, however, depending on the connections stability between players, things like 'spontaneous match rollback,' voice effects cutting out,' and 'sound effects cutting out' are also occurring, assistant producer Tomoaki Ayano said to the publication.

5. Endings fall flat. For most players, a game's ending is meant to be a satisfying conclusion and a justification for all the hard work you and your characters have gone through. Fighting games are no different, which is why Street Fighter X Tekken owners may be in for a disappointment. As for the endings, for most characters, they are just text which I feel could have been done better, wrote Stafford.

Overall, Street Fighter X Tekken is a staple title, a must have for fans of the fighting game genre. There may be a few hiccups along the way, but Capcom promises to fix these bugs. Perhaps Tekken X Street Fighter will produce an even more impressive gaming experience.