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Street Fighter IV Review

Introduction

After nearly a decade of waiting, Street Fighter fans get to blow the dust off their old arcade sticks in the garage, and sink their teeth into the latest installment in the series “Street Fighter IV.” This high-profile fighter continues a 20 year long tradition, but moves the series away from the usual 2D sprites and into the next-gen realm of 3D renders. There has been a lot of anticipation to see whether or not Capcom could successfully translate the series, but rest assured fighting fans, Street Fighter IV delivers on all fronts.

Overview

The main improvement Capcom makes with SFIV resides within its accessibility. Whether you are a fighting game aficionado, or a newcomer to the genre, SFIV is a great place to start. With a revamped training mode, combo trials, and inputs being more forgiving, SFIV welcomes all skill levels. This doesn’t mean that the game is oversimplified; Street Fighter players from previous installments will find themselves right at home practicing one frame Ryu links in training mode and perfecting difficult combos. SFIV is accessible to new players while rewarding the fighting faithful who are looking for a deeply enriched fighting game that’s easy to learn, hard to master.  

One of the new major additions to the series is Focus Attacks, which allows players to press two buttons to charge an attack, “crumpling” an opponent if connected. While charging a focus attack players absorb the first hit allowing them to counter the opponent. This new system works well for punishing certain offensive strategies and it opens up a lot of combo potential, offering key momentum shifts in the fight.

On the topic of momentum shifts, SFIV not only offers super meter like previous installments, but Capcom has introduced a second mechanic called “Ultra Meter.” Ultra meter charges as you take damage, so the person losing the fight will get their Ultra ability first, allowing them to try to turn the momentum of the round. SFIV is all about the comeback, and rewards the underdog.

Along with the familiar Ryu, Ken, Chung Li, and others, SFIV offers some new faces to the franchise. Players are introduced to Abel, Crimson Viper, El Fuerte, and Rufus, all varied and unique. El Fuerte for instance is a Mexican luchador and aspiring gourmet chef. With a total of 25 playable characters, you are sure to get your palate wet with all the flavors SFIV has to offer.

Graphics

SFIV is a gorgeous game to look at. The animations are crisp, Hadoukens look really sharp, and character models are highly detailed. On top of the overtly crispy visuals, the game showcases an artistic ink effect. This effect is most prominent when doing a focus attack, but it adds enough to the game artistically to keep things authentic and fresh visually. The game hosts a nice variety of stages as well. You will find you and your opponent squaring off underneath a highway overpass one match, and at the base of a volcano the next. To add, SFIV carries enough alternate costumes, colors, win quotes, and other unlockables to keep you busy for a long time.  

Sound    

Whether it’s the noise of a flaming projecting being hurled horizontally, or the sound of Ryu burying his fist into Bison’s face, everything about SFIV’s gameplay sounds great. To be honest the J-Pop title theme music might get tiring after a while, especially if J-Pop isn’t necessarily your cup of tea. Also, the announcer’s voice isn’t exactly ideal either, and you might find yourself asking why Capcom couldn’t find a better guy for the job, but none of these things really detract from the experience. I saw them more as failed opportunities for Capcom to really add some style outside of the gameplay.

Online     

Obviously a huge perk to next generation fighting games is the ability to battle with players from around the world. No longer do you always need somebody to be sitting next to you for you to enjoy the player vs. player experience. With these notions in mind, SFIV’s online component is a bittersweet symphony. SFIV’s online is functional but unless your connection is really strong (which in most cases it won’t be) you will suffer from latency issues. Keeping the delicate nature of precise inputs in mind, having any sort of frame rate or latency issues really takes away from the fair competitive playing ground that fighting games offer in local play. Just be prepared to pull your hair out every time you lose a rated match due to a hiccup in gameplay and dropped combos.

Closing Comments     

Street Fighter IV is more than just the next installment in the Street Fighter universe; it serves as a rekindling to the fighting game community that will surely spark future releases in this genre. Capcom had a lot of hype to live up to, and when it’s all said and done Street Fighter IV delivers. The gameplay is refined and returns the franchise to its fundamental core without compromising depth. The graphics are sharp and artistic. With a few tweaks towards online stability, Capcom could immortalize this installment amongst the top of Street Fighter releases. If you are a fighting game fanatic SFIV is exactly what you’ve been waiting for, or if you are just dipping your toes into this genre SFIV is a great place to start.