Score
Gameplay:	9
Graphics:	9
Sound:	8
FunFactor:	9
PlasmaFactor:	9
Overall:	8.8

Street Fighter IV
March 8, 2009 by Jereme Puik

Street Fighter has been around for a good 23 yrs since its debut in 1987. I can remember playing some of the original games all the way back on the PS One. I never understood why Capcom would release so many iterations of the game from the likes of Street Fighter II to Super Street Fighter II and even the Street Fighter Alpha series in the mid-90s. Street Fighter obviously has a long history and after the release of Super Street Fighter II Turbo HD Remix on the PSN/XBLA, we finally received Street Fighter 4 more then 8 years after the release of Street Fighter III, a true sequel. With new features and fighters heading into the ring, is Street Fighter 4 the one premiere fighter of the year?

Hadouken!

Street Fighter 4 at its heart is an arcade game with everything obviously being about the fight. I’m going to say straight out that I suck at fighting games, and while I’ve had experience with fighters in the past, Street Fighter was always one of those games that have gotten to me on some level. However, with the ease of Street Fighter 4’s tight gameplay controls, it’s easy to get back into the game and find yourself at home once again. Even someone like me is able to just make it through his various online attempts. 

When you first boot up the game the obvious thing you’ll notice is its change in presentation from the Street Fighter games of the past. It’s taken a bit of a grunge approach especially looking at the opening music video intro of the game. Street Fighter 4 takes major inspiration from the Street Fighter II series mold and if you managed to get your hands on Street Fighter III, you’ll be disappointed to learn that not one of those characters made the cut to 4. The game is set, according to Capcom at least, after Street Fighter II and just before III. The biggest and most welcome addition is the 2D gameplay which has been refined for a 3D environment. There is no side stepping or free-running thankfully especially after Capcom had already tried it before and realized it just didn’t work. 

The starting cast of characters starts you off at 16 while in total there is a combined 25 character set. There are 12 combatants from Street Fighter II and four new characters all together built for this new release: Savateur Abel, Crimson Viper, Luchador El Fuerte and Rufus. There are some appearances from characters from Super Street Fighter II as well, so if you’re a veteran of the series you should have no problem finding your home with your favorite character. All characters have kept the same special moves that have traveled with them through the years so there’s not much change there aside from the obvious additions of the new characters. Each character has a learning curve, especially when finding your style and which character you want to stick with.

 

Online is pretty straightforward and really the only way a Street Fighter game should be played. If you’re playing through single player, random players can jump in and challenge you just as if you were at the arcade with someone throwing their quarters in next to you. It’s a pretty nifty feature and can be turned off if it becomes too bothersome. It’s about as lag free as the rest of the fighters out there, so you shouldn’t have too much trouble finding a sparring partner. Obviously you’ll want to make sure you’re at your best when you are online so you don’t get embarrassed too much like this fellow reviewer has been in many matches. 

A new mechanic to the fighting gameplay are the EX boosters. Here is where you’ll deal your most damage during the fight. As you continue to battle it out you’ll build up the meter which is located at the bottom of the screen. Once it fills itself up, you’ll be able to perform a special move and this works with any character you pick, each has its own in terms of variety. In order to execute it, you’ll have to pull off a special combo plus two other combination buttons. Now, this isn’t the ultimate death blow to your opponent, but it does add to the level of depth that Street Fighter has going for it. You still have your regular Super and Ultra special moves which will deal more damage in the long run. This works as long as you continue to build up that EX booster. 

How about the fighting mechanics itself? It’s a pretty solid fighter in its own right and Capcom has managed to keep the nostalgic feel of the game in tact especially to veterans of the series who will no doubt have the controller layout and combos memorized. To newcomers, you shouldn’t have too much trouble getting a grip on the fighting. Button mashing isn’t always recommended and it’s always a good idea to have some idea of what you’re doing. There is a practice arena where you’re pitted against a random dummy character that’ll help you practice timing and combinations. In addition, there is a list of combos in the start menu for reference. The character set list is pretty well balanced and there isn’t one “super” character like most other fighting games seem to have these days. The only “super” character you could possibly run into is someone online who just so happens to be a god in this series. Then that’s when you’ll probably be destroyed, either way, as long as you have fun with it, it shouldn’t be that big of a deal. If you’re new to the series you will no doubt struggle to survive, but as long as you keep at it you shouldn’t have a problem just getting by.

 

Graphics 

The game has an excellent presentation and with the opening music video, you can tell Capcom was going for that “updated classics” look. Each character has its own high polygon count and is obvious they were heading in the high definition direction. If you don’t own an HDTV then you’re missing out on what is probably the most beautiful fighter to date. During your battle through the single player portion of the game, mini cut scenes in 2D animation spread out a story among each character. It’s a short 2 minute clip that is probably something only the diehards will really care about. Street Fighter 4 is definitely a sharp title that Capcom took extreme care with. 

Sound 

Street Fighter 4 again is nostalgic in this area. Everything is updated from the old school time of the fighting genre. During the Arcade mode you can select if you’d like to listen to the original Japanese voiceovers or the English dub voices. The English dub voices are fairly well done for the most part, but have a few hiccups here and there. They tried to include accents in certain characters voices like Gief’s Russian bark for instance. It works well for its intention, so it shouldn’t be of bothersome to most. However, the highlight is the music and this is where things get crazy, in a good way. Old school tracks from back in the day have returned in an updated fashion. New tracks line up the certain characters’ themes and don’t seem to mesh with the general feel of the game.

Plasma Factor 

Multiplayer. That’s where the game shines the most. Everything from tournaments to playing a friend online for the hell of it is where the good times are at. You don’t have to be the skilled god to play Street Fighter. The great thing about the game s all you have to do is pick up the controller and have a blast. While for basic gamers starting in the fighting genre, it’s perfect for the new comers. Otherwise, if you want to dig deep into the game, that’s where the practice arena will help you out the most. 

The biggest thing that Street Fighter 4 has going for it, is its amount of depth that carries. The fighting mechanics for instance carry a lot of weight this time around. You have more options then being your typical button masher that the series started off as. With the amount of content lined up in the game you wont’ have to worry about finding yourself bored, unless you truly hate fighting games, then you would be better off passing on this. Street Fighter 4 will no doubt become a classic down the road. 

Conclusion 

Street Fighter 4 as mentioned earlier has a lot of depth. It’s immensely addictive and most importantly, fun. Whether in a tournament or playing against a friend online, you’ll have a blast either way. The journey of finding your one true character will be an entertaining trip for sure. My time with Street Fighter has shown me the error of my ways past button mashing and into the thinking of actually knowing what you’re doing during the fight. Now, it’s going to be quite bold to say this, but Street Fighter 4 is possibly the greatest fighting game of the year. I stepped away from saying ever made, because there have been some pretty good fighting games over the years, but Street Fighter 4 is definitely getting close that plateau.