Street Fighter IV

"The best fighting game of this generation. Street Fighter IV does not disappoint."

This is the game us Street Fighter fans have been waiting for all this time. You've seen the pictures, watched the videos, and now that the game is out, you might be dying to play it (if you don't already own it, that is). If you think this game might disappoint you, I can tell you that there's a good chance it won't. Personally, I didn't very much like Street Fighter III, but this game was a *huge* improvement over it. The original cast of characters are all back, plus some extra ones. You start with a limited amount of playable characters, and have to unlock the others by beating the Arcade Mode with certain characters. Just like with Super Street Fighter II Turbo HD Remix, this game also has online play. If you're wondering what type of Street Fighter series this game plays like, it feels like a mixture of SF2 and Alpha together, to me. And that's not a bad thing at all; it succeeds greatly in doing so. The graphics in this game are simply beautiful; probably some of the best graphics you'd ever see on the 360. All of the scenery, the character models, everything... It just looks amazing. The characters themselves have improved a bit, too. The game feels much more balanced than SF2 overall, and throws are not as powerful as they were before, which is a good thing. You have EX Moves, Super Moves, and Ultra Moves you can perform in this game.

They're really powerful, but it takes awhile to fill your Super bar up, and that's the disadvantage. Your Ultra bar can only be raised by taking damage; be careful if you try to get it to raise up! Also, in this game, there are animated cutscenes when you start the game with a character and also when you beat the game with a character. The characters are very well-drawn, the voices are pretty good (I hate Dan's, though), and the animation isn't bad overall. The game is mildly challenging, as there are several difficulties for you to try (as far as I know, more than any SF game to date). The music is somewhat decent, but doesn't hold a candle to SF2's. However, all (or nearly all) of the classic tunes from Street Fighter II and Alpha have returned. The only downside is that they *only* play in Rival Battles (more on that later). As for whether or not this game is better than Street Fighter II and/or Alpha, I can't decide, but it's still a pretty amazing game. There are a total of 48 achievements to get, and some of them are really hard, so you'll probably find yourself coming back to the Arcade even after unlocking the characters to get said achievements. Also, this game *can* be played successfully without an arcade stick, but personally, I think they're a good choice for any fighting game.

And since I brought up the controller, allow me to review the controls. They're pretty decent, and are smoother than SF2's. With an arcade stick, you'll have an easier time, but the 360 controller isn't that bad either (the buttons might confuse you for a bit though). The Super and Ultra Moves really aren't that difficult to do, either, and this is coming from someone who sucks at fighting games and can never execute super moves correctly in other fighting series/games. The sounds aren't half-bad, either. They're pretty good, and fit this installment in the Street Fighter franchise perfectly. Another thing I like about the game is that after each battle, the winning character will have a quote which relates to that person (for example, beating El Fuerte with someone might make them comment based on his cooking, since he's a chef). In Arcade mode, you have to fight a total of eight opponents, and before the eight battle, you'll always have to fight against that character's rival. Rival Battles are the same as regular battles, but there's a brief conversation before each one, and the characters make comments towards the opponent while fighting. Also, as stated earlier in the review, the classic Street Fighter themes will play during these battles.

These themes *cannot* be played in Multiplayer or heard in any other way besides the Rival Battles, however, which was rather disappointing. I was hoping to be able to play Multiplayer with my favorite tracks playing depending on the stage (or even character). The versus mode is pretty much the same as it is in any other Street Fighter game in the series; nothing wrong with it, really. The online mode is pretty fun, and is similar to SSF2THDR's, but there's no way to spectate people's matches before it is your turn (in Player Matches, that is). In Ranked Matches, it's strictly one-on-one with no one else in the game, and you have Battle Points (called BP) that you obtain for winning each fight. Losing will decrease your BP by a bit. The purpose of ranked matches, really, is to get achievements (and for the overly-competitive, increase your BP), but Player Matches are generally the same thing (minus the BP and achievements). There's also a Challenge mode in the game that I have yet to try out, but I think completing them just earns you new costumes and other things for the characters (this review will be updated once I can confirm and elaborate on the mode more).

People who preordered the game received the Collector's Edition box, which came with the game, an anime DVD that's dedicated to SFIV itself (it elaborates more on the story), a figurine of Crimson Viper, and the OST (original soundtrack). Paying a little extra money also made the game come with an official SF4 arcade stick, which actually looks pretty cool and is worth obtaining. Overall, Street Fighter IV is an amazing experience, and a must-have for any Street Fighter and/or fighting game fan. People who like SF were anticipating this game for the longest time, and it's definitely not a let-down. So what are you waiting for? Head to your nearest gaming store and go pick up a copy of this gem!

Reviewer's Score: 9/10, Originally Posted: 02/23/09

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