A (Sheng) Long time coming! (Street Fighter IV (Xbox 360))

Member Name: sagat

Product:	Street Fighter IV (Xbox 360)
Date:	03/03/09 (103 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: SF for a whole new generation

Disadvantages: Some strange system omissions

For any male over the age of twenty five, the three words, Street Fighter Four, must surely resonant throughout their soul. If you doubt the validity of that statement, then quite simply, you did not have a proper childhood.

Since first appearing in arcades all those years ago, Street Fighter 2 holds a special place in many people's hearts. I had my first experience playing it at after a swimming lesson and getting stomped by Zangief (at the same swimming pool where they filmed Mr Bean losing his shorts fact fans). Despite not having a clue what I was doing, I was hooked.

Fast forward almost twenty years and Capcom finally reward their patient/stupid fans, who have bought rehash after re-release after remix, with a brand new edition.

The development team have constantly stated their desire to take the series back to its roots and do away with some of the techical dexterity required to play more recent iterations. We have seen super combos, custom comboss, chain attacks, alpha counters, crouch cancels, parrying and super cancelling come and (mostly) go. This time around we are given the Focus Attack. As a poster on one forum commented- 'Most of Capcom's fighting games have been successes in spite of their engines'. As a result, this new 'innovation' was met with trepidation.

Quite simply, Street Fighter 4 is all sorts of awesomeness, only falling slightly short of perfection in my opinion. So, let's get started!

The roster comprises comprises of all the original eight World Warriors, the Four Kings, a smattering of Alpha and Super/ Super Turbo characters and six new characters.

The new characters are certainly interesting additions. Abel and Crimson Viper in particular look like solid choices for beginners. El Fuerte and Rufus may take some getting used to do to their play styles.

Unfortunately, Capcom have chosen not to include any of the Street Fighter 3 roster. Although the game was a slow burning success and not an instant smash, this is a strange and sad choice. Alex, Q and Hugo were favourites of mine, and given the lack of grapplers, the exclusion of the last two characters is certainly a strange choice.

The result is that the roster does not feel that exciting or new to long term players. Players returning to the series who di not even realise there was a Street Fighter 3, may not find this a problem, it all depends on your level of experience and preference.

The graphics are 2.5D with reactive backgrounds, for example, as you battle on the deck of a ship, knocking over your opponent causes the boat to rock and water to splash up. These little touches enhance the experience nicely. Personally, I am not a fan of the graphics. Some of the characters move very strangely and just don't look natural to me. Corners seem to have been cut at times, with Sagat having no pupils in certain cut scenes for example. In contrast, Dan's stance and move set animate extremely well and convey the humour behind the character for example. Similar nice touches are your character's gaze following your opponent if they jump up or duck. I really wish Capcom had taken a bigger risk and presented it in glorious 2D. Garou: Mark of the Wolves, Third Strike, Guilty Gear and newer 2D games are demonstrating just how gorgeous the style can be, but sadly, it looks like Capcom has moved on. Commercially it makes sense, so I can't complain too much.

The sound is a massive letdown. The intro theme is awful, sounding like something from High School Musical. Compared to the intro to SF2, or even 3, it pales miserabley. In game music consists of some new theme tunes and remixed versions, but nothing in particular to grab the attention. This is a real shame considering how iconic some of the original theme tunes are.

The effects are decent. You get a sense of inflicting damage, and moves appear nice and meaty when they connect. Performing Zangief's super or ultra for example gives a great view of crushing your opponents neck as they crash to the ground. Nice and satisfying!

The engine appears to be very solid, and nothing too ridiculous seems to have been found since the games' release. The jumps feel very floaty to me, but that seems the standard for 2.5D/3D games and most people probably won't find fault with it.

Holding down medium punch and medium kick powers up your Focus Attack. This allows you to absorb an opponents attack and counter with one of your own. You still take damage from these attacks, but you regenerate it over time as long as you are not hit. They are a nice evolution of the parry system and far more accessible for people new to the game than its predecessor.

The Focus Attacks add extra depth to gameplay and can be cancelled with a dash, providing the opportunities for some great mix up games as you try and confuse your opponent.

In addition to this, you also have your staple super moves. As you perform actions and cause damage, your bar increases with stocks. You can either use these stocks to perform EX Moves. An EX move is a normal special move beefed up. It may help it to cause more damage, or give you super armour, meaning that more than one hit is required to knock you out of the move. If your bar fills up, you can perform a super move, causing huge damage to your opponent if it connects. A la Super Turbo, you only get one super move, as opposed to the multitude available in the Alpha games. Sadly, you do not get to choose this as in Third Strike. This is a real shame, as this brought an extra layer of depth to Third Strike. Although some characters massively benefit from a certain super, making the others redundant, it was nice to have that option.

Ultras are another new addition. As you take damage, your gauge fills up. Unleash your ultra and cause ridiculous damage to your opponent. I am currently split on this move as it rewards you for losing. This move makes it possible to make an incredible comeback for very little effort. It is a massive reward versus little risk, especially as you have access to the move after only losing half your energy. They are accompanied by a rather impressive cinematic sequence which is initially great, but does get a bit tiresome after repeated viewings (unless you are watching Dan!) After extended play, I have decided that I do not like this addition. The move takes far too much energy considering you are being rewardd for losing. Plus the connection on some is a bit strange as they can tag you as you are mid-jump, which feels wrong.

Online play is where it is at, and I am currently very impressed with it. You can choose to enter lobbies or simply play arcade mode and accept challenges as you battle through. I have experienced excellent connections so far, and there is plenty of competition, which is wonderful after the debacle with the High Definition Remix that came out recently.

You can also choose whether to accept players by connection strength, similar skill level or higher skill level, which again is superb. As you battle and win, you earn (and lose) battle points depending on your performance. This may become a chore as more players resort to runaway Akuma tactics, but we shall see!

My first match was a super smooth connection where I proceeded to stomp a Ryu with my Zangief, resulting in him sending me an abusive message after. It feels great to be back in the ring!!!

Online play seems to mainly consist of Ryus, Kens and Sagats, but hopefully this will diversify as time goes on and people try out different characters. Unfortunately, Capcom have not implemented the blind pick system from HD Remix, meaning a lot of people wait for you to pick first. Considering alot of people play the aforementioned characters, this does seem strange when they let the clock run down just to pick Ken anyways!

Another major criticism is Capcom's decision to make content unlockable in the game. To unlock characters, you need to battle through arcade mode with characters, and for colours, you need to complete challenges. Both are a chore, especially for experienced players. I just wanted to jump in and test things out, but have had to spend around three hours unlocking bits. A similar gripe is the decision to charge for alternative outfits, but that is a product of modern times I suppose, so that just has to be swallowed.

The challenge mode could have been a good idea, but I do not feel it has been well implemented. You are given moves to carry out and perform, but on screen, you are given the move name (which doesnt always correspond with its traditional name) and by pressing a button, you can reveal the motion required. It would be far more helpful to have both shown on screen at the same time. On a more positive note, it does teach some new skills which newer players may not know. Again, actions such as cancels, links and chains are not properly explained, so this may cause bafflement. On the plus side, the mode seems solid with good hit detection (the lack of which almost caused my to destroy my Playstation when doing Mortal Kombats Conquest mode). When inputting commands, it should also demonstrate just how to pull off the move instead of leaving you to guess. Compared to other games, this feels like a bit of an after thought.

The hype around this game has been immense, and rightly so. The series has played an important part in the development of games as we know them. Street Fighter 4 is not perfect, but it is better than expected. If you are male and not sure whether to buy it, then just chop your nuts off now and go back to Viva Pinata! Real men play Street Fighter. Attack me if you dare, I will crush you.

Summary: Needs a Championship Edition to achieve perfection