Street Fighter IV

"While not without some minor flaws, Street Fighter IV is about as close to perfect as a game can get."

It's been a long time coming. In fact many believed this day would never come. Even the brains behind the series at Capcom thought that the legendary Street Fighter games had run their course. It turns out all that was needed was a very long break (ten years long to be exact). After waiting and hoping, after fighting game fans have been reduced to the few and far between members of the gaming crowd, Street Fighter IV has finally come to beckon the calls of the fighters of old and new to come see why Street Fighter has always been king. While not without some minor flaws, Street Fighter IV is about as close to perfect as a game can get

After you pick your jaw up off the floor you'll realize why it fell in the first place. Street Fighter IV's incredible new graphic style is a truly magnificent sight to behold. To appreciate the new look of the game I recommend letting others play it so you can take your time and notice all of the details that are peppered throughout the game. As many know by now Street Fighter IV is entirely in 3-D. While this has been a concern to the fighting fans of old this does not affect game play. Street Fighter IV retains the look and feel of the 2-D Street Fighter style (more on that later). Each fighter is displayed with stunning detail that resembles a 3-D comic book. At times it almost looks like a watercolor painting in motion. Everyone's muscles are fully flexed at all times as they all sport a steroid heavy look. It might take a fight or two to get used to but once you have given it some time, the look of the game will set in and seem to be a natural fit. With every hit and kick a character receives, reactions and facial movements will have onlookers rolling on the floor. Each time you see Ryu's eyes bulge or Blanka's face contort as he takes a vicious blow to the jaw you'll realize just how much care was put into the game. This level of detail is lacking in many games today and it is very welcome in a game that many take so seriously. Even the minute details in the backgrounds and the reactions of non-playable characters or inanimate objects as the fight goes will blow you away. If your concerns about the move to 3-D have kept you weary of getting into Street Fighter IV, you can put those concerns to rest. Trust me; it was a good move for Capcom to make. With its cartoony over-the-top look mixed with the classic Street Fighter designs, Street Fighter IV is a work of art.

2-D or not 2-D? That is the question on everybody's minds. Is this just a recap of Street Fighter EX with prettier graphics? Is it closer to Tekken or Street Fighter II in terms of play? All of these concerns have flooded the internet since the radical change in the look of Street Fighter IV was announced. Well this is not Street Fighter EX. The game is closer to Street Fighter II than Tekken. Think 2-D style with 3-D presentation. This is nothing new as games have been taking advantage of this gaming style for a while now. Recent games in the Megaman and Mario series have done so and even Little Big Planet plays like a 2-D game while being fully 3-D rendered. The choice to go 3-D has not affected the amazing game play of Street Fighter IV in the least. Moving back to the roots of play that Street Fighter II gave us, everything is done in fine style and welcomes new and old players. While not quite as technical as Street Fighter III: 3rd Strike, this game is no slouch. It merely simplifies things a little. Gone are the parry moves from Street Fighter III and in place are Focus Attacks. These work a lot like parries but are executed differently. Instead of stepping into an attack when it is about to make contact, simply push medium punch and kick at the same time. This allows you to absorb an attack without taking damage and take the advantage from your opponent. Focus Attacks take practice but when you have the timing down, they work well and adds a level of strategy to the game sure to please the hardcore fans. But it's not necessary to master, which will please the more casual fan base. There is no air blocking like the Alpha series but there are dash moves to rush your opponent by pushing forward twice rapidly. The six-button attacks are as you remember and special moves work with the same commands you are probably familiar with. Characters have been rebalanced to give each one relative strengths and weaknesses, so the game is as competitive as ever. Everything here is simply mind blowing and is sure to please anyone with a love of Street Fighter.

There are a number of modes to enjoy in Street Fighter IV. Each one offers something different and rewarding so it would be worth your while to explore each of them. Arcade Mode is pretty much what you would expect out of a fighter. You choose your character and fight your way through to the end boss, Seth. Each character has their own anime intro prologue and epilogue to add to their story. Sadly, these anime sequences are largely forgettable and totally laughable if heard with the English voiceovers. Do yourself a favor and switch the voices to Japanese in the sound options mode. Luckily these story pieces aren't essential to the game and can be skipped by hitting the Start button. What's really exciting is if you have online play capabilities, this really will feel like the Arcade experience. Others can interrupt your single player game and challenge you like a kid popping a quarter in an arcade machine. It's an awesome inclusion that really makes this feel like an authentic Street Fighter experience. As soon as the challenged fight is over you can opt to play them again or go back you to your single player game. If you are trying to beat the arcade mode and you don't want to be interrupted, simply turn this option off at the beginning of your quest and you can still remain online without being bothered. The inclusion of this level of control makes the game an even more rewarding and fun experience.

You're in luck if you are out to jump into online play without the hassle of the Arcade Mode too. Xbox Live Battle Mode allows you to jump into cyberspace and challenge people the world over. Before any online match transpires, you are shown who you will be fighting and what the connection strength is before the match begins. Ping rate will tell you if there is likely to be any lag and most online matches run very smoothly. You select either Ranked Match or Player Match. These are similar in play but the Ranked Match will record how well you do and save it to Leaderboards and compare you with the rest of the Street Fighters out there. Player Match will allow you to lose without consequence but your wins won't be recorded. Ranked Matches are intended for the more hardcore audience while Player Matches are for the more casual players or for someone still learning. You can always back out of a match before it begins if things don't meet with your liking. It is strongly recommended that if you do agree to the match that you finish it even if you are losing, especially in Ranked Matches. While there are no current penalties for checking out early in the middle of a fight, rumor has it that Capcom has plans address this in an upcoming patch via download later this year. It should be noted that while it is well done, online mode does not completely match the level of precision that someone sitting next to you playing on the same console can reach. For the tournament level fighter, playing with live people is the way to play. Still, online is quite impressive and makes multiplayer the real draw of Street Fighter IV, which is the way it should be.

The Challenge Mode is outstanding. Everything about learning the game and putting your skills to the test is right here. One option in Challenge Mode is called Trial. It is designed to teach the moves of all the characters. For those of you holding out on Street Fighter IV because of the sharp learning curve, this is your savior. It is also an excellent way for players to familiarize themselves with the new characters, the new moves, and the new combos so you can hone your skills. There are multiple levels of moves that the mode guides you through. Things start simple with punches and kicks and then progress to special moves like Guile's Sonic Boom or Ryu's Hadouken. Then things get more difficult in showing how to execute Super Moves and various combos of moves strung together to deliver some truly deadly blows to your opponent. The computer guides you through all of this and only makes you a better fighter. It is ingenious in the way everything is put together and is sure to make anyone a master if the player is willing to dedicate the time to it. After all that there are also other options in Challenge Mode like Survival and Time Attack. Each sub-mode gets harder and harder as you progress. If you have learned what you need to from Trial then you will dominate here and elsewhere in the game.

Training Mode is pretty standard stuff. You can set your opponent up to crouch, stand, or be controlled by the CPU. You can also have a friend join in and play to where you just practice moves on each other with no defeat in sight. There are the typical display options open to you so you can see your commands as you input them. This is nice to see if you are doing something wrong or if you pulled a move out of nowhere and want to see what you did to execute it. Training Mode is nothing out of the ordinary but it's still good to have.

Versus Mode even has some interesting options. While you can choose to play against another player sitting next to you, you can also choose to fight against the computer. What makes this special is you can keep playing the computer for as long as you want. There is no survival requisite and, since there is no ending like in Arcade Mode, you just play over and over until your heart's content. You can also choose your character and your opponent along with the difficulty level. It's a nice alternative for those without online capabilities and who might be flying solo. There is also the option to have CPU vs. CPU which will allow you to view your characters in full fighting force. This is also nice as it allows you to view the entire splendor that is Street Fighter IV without having to worry about winning a fight.
The character roster includes all twelve original World Warriors from Street Fighter II and four new characters. The new characters are Crimson Viper, Abel, Rufus, and El Fuerte. Each one brings something new to the game and they are all welcome additions to the Street Fighter lineup. For the console editions, there are an additional eight fighters added to the roster from other Street Fighter games of old. These characters are hidden and you must accomplish certain things to access them. Along with Seth, the game's main boss, this brings the total playable roster to twenty five. Each character has their own genuine unique style and none are mere palette swaps. For example, Ken and Ryu are similar but play very differently. Just because you are good with one doesn't mean you will be good with the other. All in all, the roster is very impressive and I believe Capcom was smart in not adding too many more characters to the mix as has been done in some of their past games like Marvel vs. Capcom 2. To add more might have made the game a bit cumbersome and would have surely intimidated new players. Everything is balanced and each character has their own strengths and weaknesses along with their own sets of strategies to master.

The sounds of the game are what you would expect out of a Street Fighter game. While not the thumping hip-hop tunes of Street Fighter III: 3rd Strike, they are exciting and create the mood for the game. Everything is fast paced and brutal in competition and the music reflects that well. Punches and kicks sound like you'd expect and each character has a great set of "oomph" and "aahhh" sounds when blows are landed. The opening music of the game is a little disturbing with the Japanese boy band song, but it's something you can skip. As I said before, go to the option menu and change the spoken dialogue to Japanese. The English voiceovers range from ok to just plain bad. The character's lips actually match what they are saying before a match begins if you have the Japanese dialogue turned on. Subtitles can still be viewed in English so this is worth doing to lower the level of camp and keep the mood of the game where it belongs.

It was inevitable that a game this good would have some minor things to keep it from being absolutely perfect. Though they are very few and far between, there are some slight shortcomings in Street Fighter IV. One complaint about the game is the ultra cheap boss at the end of Arcade Mode, Seth. Defeating him seems to be more luck than actual skill. His set moves make him an almost impossible foe. He has Zangief's pile driver, Ryu's Shoryuken, Chun-Li's ability to jump off walls and her speed, Guile's Sonic Boom, Dhalsim's long arm punch, a teleport like M. Bison's from Street Fighter Alpha 3, and the ability to suck you in close to him while pummeling you before you have a chance to react. Playing against him isn't so bad when using a character like Ken because of his speed and power. But beating Seth with a slow character like Dhalsim is quite a challenge. That said, Seth is as tough as nails and beating him will either leave you with a sense of accomplishment or relief.

Another complaint is the controls. The game, itself, controls just fine, provided you have a decent fighting game controller. If you are buying this game, forget playing with the default 360 pad. The D-pad for the 360 is atrocious and has no place existing in a world where fighting games like this are played. While this is not a flaw of the game itself, it is something you must consider if you plan on buying Street Fighter IV and if you plan on having any hope in competing online. Fortunately, there is hope. Here I will tell you about your special controller options that were released specifically for Street Fighter IV:
Street Fighter IV Fighting Pad - This little guy is designed like the Sega Saturn pads (considered by many to be the best fighting game pad ever created). It has a large and pronounced D-pad for executing moves and a six-button layout on the face of the controller. It also has rubber reinforced sides so that when you start to sweat during a heated match, your hands won't slip. The Fighting Pad also has Turbo options and each one comes with character art on the face. It is perfect for anyone that grew up playing Street Fighter at home rather than at the arcades.

Street Fighter IV Fightstick - This stick was designed to replicate the look and feel of the arcade. There are eight buttons on the face of the stick and the joystick feels close to the original arcade joysticks you might remember. While there have been reports of some sticks being defective, most of the sticks have met standards and are a great choice to play the game at home while maintaining the arcade style feel. The eight face buttons are laid out so that you can choose the first six to be your main buttons or the last six to be your buttons of choice. The reason for this design choice is that the inner six buttons are laid out with a slight curve in the traditional Japanese style of arcade games while the outer six are more akin to the American style arcade layout. There is a turbo option for selected buttons along with the ability to disable the home button and there is the option to select if the joystick operates in place of the D-pad, the left analog or right analog stick. This is particularly useful if you choose to use the stick for the computer as it is compatible with most MAME programs and fighting games for PC users. You can choose which buttons do what in the main game so that the stick plays exactly to your liking. In my experience, it is responsive and plays very well.

Street Fighter IV Tournament Edition Stick - It just doesn't get any better than this. This stick retails at $149.99 and is worth every penny. What you get here is a stick that was designed to fully recreate the arcade experience. The arcade cabinet design is replicated here in full detail. The joystick and buttons are all official Japanese Sanwa Denshi arcade parts, the layout is much like that of the Fight Stick in being an eight-button design so you can choose where to put your fingers, the cord is long, and the construction is absolutely outstanding. All of the options for the Fightstick are present here however the inclusion of Sanwa arcade parts and the collectivity of this stick make it the number one choice, provided you can even find one.

It is also worth noting that both the Tournament Stick and the Fightstick can be opened up and customized to your liking. The Tournament Stick has more options because of its large casing. If you prefer the American style concave buttons and the Happ “bat style” joystick over the Sanwa “ball style” joystick, you can simply open it up and switch it out. This is a double edged sword with the Tournament Stick as it is already made with supreme arcade parts and is a true collector's item. Upgrading the internals of the Fightstick is just as easy but because it is smaller, you may have to stick with Sanwa or Seimitsu parts. Both are fine options but the casing just isn't deep enough to include Happ parts. Be warned though; modifying either stick will void the warranty immediately and should not be done unless you are sure you want to do so and are sure you possess the technical skills to do so successfully.

Controllers aside, the real star of everything here is Street Fighter IV. It is an outstanding achievement and fits like a glove within the Street Fighter series. There are so many extras and options in the game that anyone is sure to find something to like. The level of balance is spot on and the attention to detail clearly shows as this game shines in every conceivable way. Capcom clearly took this project very seriously as they should have. Fighting fans can rejoice as the king has surely returned. This level of polish and refinement should set the standard for all future fighters. Street Fighter, welcome home. It's good to have you back!

Reviewer's Score: 10/10, Originally Posted: 02/20/09, Updated 02/24/09

Game Release: Street Fighter IV (US, 02/17/09)