Review: Street Fighter IV
“Get ready to get angry and break controllers all over again!”
Street Fighter, a game that brings smiles of nostalgia and clenched hands around controllers for most gamers who haven’t been living under a rock since the late 80’s and early 90’s of gaming, is a fighting game that has finally brought in the fourth installment of the series. Taking many of the series classic styles and keeping true to them, Capcom has also modified and revived the game-play to bring it into this next generation.
Street Fighter has always been a game that I’ve been on the fence about. While I enjoy the occasional round of Marvel Vs. Capcom 2 or Soul Calibur, Street Fighter has always been a series that I’ve held at arm’s length for the sheer fact that I’ve never been very good at it. Picking up the newest one was actually a difficult decision but one that I have yet to regret. While the game brings back all of the original characters from Street Fighter II it also brings back some fan favorites and introduces new characters for players to try their hand at.
The balancing of characters is the same as any other fighting games with “tiered” fighters who are supposed to have an equalizer or a major challenge for each and every character on the roster but can still be overcome by changing your skills or mastering some of the more advanced tactics the game provides such as “Focus Attacks” and “Focus Cancels”. These two new ideas have been introduced to the series and are a slight replacement for the previous “tech hit” system that required an insane ability to time your movements in comparison to the attacks of your opponent in order to completely nullify the damage they may have dished out. While tech hits were more advanced and you were considered a god if you could master the ability, the focus moves bring in an easier interface with a greater ability to mix them up into your routine and conquer. Also added, in place of the multiple level supers in earlier titles, is the revenge system. The revenge gauge builds as you take damage (unlike your super gauge, which builds from both giving and receiving damage) and once you reach the line about 75% through the bar you can unleash an “Ultra” move. These ultras, when they connect with your opponent, have the ability to do some pretty devastating amounts of damage and can quickly turn the tide of battle in your favor if you are in a pinch, these are actually a lot more dangerous (though harder to pull off) than the super moves because the gauge seems to fill up insanely quick compared to the super meter, so fast that in some matches I’ve actually had a player hit me twice in one round with Ultra moves.
The game itself brings in some new innovations to the look and feel of the franchise. A new art style colors and animates characters in a realistic but at the same time very “anime” way. Kicking someone in the stomach and seeing their eyes bulge out has never been so entertaining but at the same time seem to be a natural look and feel to how a fighting game should act when you play it. While the action does seem to have been slowed down to an extent the pacing is more natural and allows for games to play out based more on the skill of both players instead of the ridiculous speed that comes with previous “turbo” games. The levels have even been given a shine and provide great, entertaining places to pummel your friends to death while not presenting too much “noise” to where it would distract you from the game at hand.
Unfortunately, while I would love to give this game a thumbs-up for everything it brings to the genre, the two biggest problems with the game are some of the most crippling I have yet to see for a game and only one is the fault of the actual developer. The first problems are the controls itself: Microsoft and Sony just did not seem to have fighting games in mind when they created their controllers for the new systems. The joysticks, as well as the d-pads, are horribly loose and unresponsive and make performing some of the more advanced ideas of Street Fighter IV not only next to impossible but painfully frustrating. While there are some remedies for this problem (from modifying your controllers to shelling out $150 for a an arcade stick) it makes it really difficult to fully take advantage of the game’s super and ultra moves and can make beating the harder difficulty levels as well as online play (against people who have either bought the arcade stick, gotten used to the horrible controllers, or modified them) next to impossible. This blocks out the ability to climb the leader boards and unlock some of the more advanced titles, icons, and characters. Unfortunately on this point both systems suffer from the problem of bad controllers but the PS3 seems to have a slight advantage with a bit firmer and slightly more responsive gamepad than its Microsoft competition.
The second problem lies within the online play and really the lack of a major piece (at least in my opinion) that makes playing Street Fighter with other people the experience that it is within an arcade. Though Capcom has added in the ability to turn on and off “Fight Requests” (where Xbox Live players can challenge you while you’re going through the Arcade Mode) which is very true to the arcade fashion of the game, the lack of a lobby means that really there isn’t much talking going on before and after a match and, while understandable, takes away from a lot of the multiplayer promise that Street Fighter IV has and can be a large downside to the feel of it. Other than that the stability seems to be solid for the network (something that is rare within the first few months of launch when everyone is playing) and the lack of slowdown during a game is a welcome surprise (though can change depending on you and your opponent’s internet connection).
Overall, admirers of the fighting genre as well as those who have been aching for a chance to get in the series will enjoy it. While the controls can be frustrating and take away from the enjoyment of the game you can still do and learn enough of the techniques to hold your own and can also make initiating an ultra and super move more of an accomplishment for the hard work you’ve taken to master the controller’s problems (even if its just luck). The online play, while quiet since no one really talks while fighting (which is both a huge pro and a con at the same time, sadly enough, since having twelve-year-olds curse me out has never been a wonderful experience) is an enjoyable experience with fast connection times and at this point plenty of people aching to tear into you and climb the leader boards to the top of the list. There is also a lot of life within the game with hundreds of unlockables and a multitude of characters to unlock and try your hand at.
The Bottom Line:
Presentation: Presented in a new art-style with a mix of traditional 2D-fighting scenery and 3D character models as well as attacks that utilize a mix of cell-shading and high-resolution graphics, this fighting game is definitely delivered in a beautiful packaging that sets a new standard for the “traditional” fighting game style.
Sound: Typical street fighter soundtracks bring you cheesy rock/rap songs meant to pump you up and get ready to destroy your opponents. The soundtrack for Street Fighter IV doesn’t fail to deliver in this category with songs that definitely are not orchestrated ballads but get the job done of being good fighting songs that don’t deter you from slamming your heel into someone’s skull.
Replay Value: With all of the bells and whistles that most fighting games come equipped with, Street Fighter IV bring plenty of replay value. Unlockable characters, new costumes, personal actions, icons, titles, and the multiplayer (both on Xbox Live in ranked and unranked as well as on one system) the game offers many different reasons to keep coming back and playing the game, both in single and multi-player, again and again for as long as you can stand it.
Difficulty: Though the game brings a lot of the old-school Street Fighter feel for veterans it is also easily accessible by newcomers to the series. The removal of “tech hits” (a more advanced form of block/parry that relies on timing) that was present in some of the more recent iterations of the series and the addition of the revenge meter and focus hits takes away some of the more advanced techniques but ushers in new and innovative ways that advanced players can master their characters. The problem with this is that (especially as far as the Xbox 360 is concerned) that the controller itself with its poor d-pad as well as analog stick make it considerably more difficult to master and manipulate some of the more advanced maneuvers that many veteran fighting game players are used to. The PS3 version suffers less, but only slightly, with a marginally better control scheme and layout.
Street Fighter IV is now available for both the Xbox 360 and the Playstation 3 for $59.99 and was published by Capcom and developed by Dimps and Capcom
