A Fighting Game Fallen From Glory Regains Its Crown (Street Fighter IV XBox360 Review)

By Brian Shirk
Sunday, 16 August 2009

Tags: street fighter iv , street fighter II , street fighter , fighting games

Hadoken! Shoryuken! Tatsumaki Senpu...wha? Even though you probably can't pronounce the last name, you know the infamous fighters that spout those lines. The fireball hurling Ryu and Ken were once household names in America, because of their incredible fighting game that attracted all types of people to arcades.

This magnetic cabinet restored people's faith in arcades and almost single-handedly created a genre. I realize that Street Fighter II wasn't the first fighting game (or even the first Street Fighter for that matter), but it was the first fighting game that most people cared about.

It was well-regarded, because of its large, realistic character models, and for its intense fighting game action that involved inputting various button combinations. Street Fighter had balancing issues, which led to numerous iterations being released, but each character had a unique look and fighting style.

There were so many moves to learn that most players often stuck with one character. Changes were constantly made to the Street Fighter II formula with each new iteration, but the basic gameplay remained the same. Street Fighter II also managed to spawn numerous competitors.

The fighting game juggernaut was surrounded with competition from 2D fighting games, as well as new-fangled, 3D, polygonal fighters. Some of these changed the game, but very few reached the level of success attained by Street Fighter II in the early '90s.

To combat games like Virtua Fighter, Tekken, and Samurai Shodown, Capcom went back to the drawing board and crafted a new 2D fighter: Street Fighter III. Despite its flashy 2D graphics and excellent animation, it didn't go over well among most of the series fans.

By the time Street Fighter III was released, most gamers were infatuated with 3D graphics, so it was pretty much a lost cause. In addition to SFIII, Capcom briefly flirted with 3D graphics for its Street Fighter EX series, but development of the title was outsourced, and it just didn't feel like Street Fighter.

Several years passed, and the Street Fighter series faded with time. Various iterations of Street Fighter II were occasionally released with Capcom compilations, but most gamers were over Street Fighter. Nearly a decade later, a title was released that rekindled gamers' interest in the series. Guess what that title was? Another iteration of Street Fighter II.

Street Fighter II Turbo HD Remix wasn't quite as successful as previous titles in the series, but it managed to become a downloadable hit, because of its redrawn, high definition 2D visuals and smooth gameplay. Players were finally able to take their fighters off the streets and place them in the online realm on Xbox Live and Playstation Network, so many players' interest in Street Fighter was renewed.

By the release of SFIIT HD Remix, fans were already aware of another Street Fighter title--a true successor to Street Fighter III. Capcom was wary of making another "mistake", so they put their heart and soul into making Street Fighter IV an excellent follow-up to their most successful fighting game.

They learned their lesson using 2D graphics in Street Fighter II, so Capcom stepped it up a notch and used 3D characters with no visible polygons. Capcom may have taken forever to shift to 3D, but the wait was worth it, as Street Fighter IV actually feels like a 2D Street Fighter--but this time, with impressive visuals.

Even though Street Fighter IV features 3D character models, it's still a 2D fighting game. Characters can only move from left to right, or right to left on a 2D plane. There's no sidestepping or running in circles here. The backgrounds have a gorgeous painted look to them (well, most of them anyway), and many of them are bustling with detail, so the 2D aspect won't bother players one bit.

Giving Street Fighter IV 2D gameplay was a wise decision, because the character models move with incredible fluidity. The animations are superb, and are certainly the best I've seen in a fighting game with 3D visuals. Each character flexes their muscles realistically, and their moves are pulled off with blistering speed.

In fact, the characters actually move at a quicker pace than their 2D counterparts. To truly appreciate Street Fighter IV, players really need to see it in motion.

I'm no expert at fighting games--in fact, I'd go as far as saying I suck, but Street Fighter IV still managed to attract me. It's still an incredibly complex fighting game, but most moves can be pulled off by any player with a bit of practice. The tutorial still doesn't let you know the exact timing needed for each move, but the button combinations are given.

Most combinations can easily be performed with a joystick, but it might be difficult with a d-pad. Still, I managed to get worked by some d-pad wielders, so I know it's possible to perform like a pro with the d-pad.

Luckily, players who are already familiar with Street Fighter will find several recognizable faces and moves. You'll find pretty much the entire classic Street Fighter II roster, with the exception of T. Hawk and Dee Jay. While I'd normally miss Dee Jay, there are plenty of other fighters from the Street Fighter Alpha games, in addition to some new ones that are excellent replacements.

Personally, I'd rather use Ryu, Bison, or Cammy, than most of these newcomers, but fighters like Gouken and Rufus are welcome additions (jiggles and all). I'm especially happy to report that the fabled Shen Long returned as, Gouken. Long ago, EGM made a joke about Ryu and Ken's master being a secret unlockable character, and he's finally playable in Street Fighter IV.

His fighting style is similar to Ken and Ryu, but his moves are more complex, so he's a difficult character to master. He's also a nice counterbalance to the evil, Akuma (who Street Fighter Alpha fans probably recognize).

The returning and new characters are generally fun to use, and I'm happy to report that they each come with a bevy of new and old moves. Ryu, for example, still has his Hadoken (fireball), Shoryuken (uppercut), and spinning kick, but he also has a Super and Ultra Move.

Most characters have more special moves than Ryu, and they also have access to their own unique Supers and Ultras. Supers are activated by inputting a button combination when an on-screen bar charges. Your Super bar fills when you successfully execute any regular or special attacks.

Once it's full, you can input a devastating special attack. For example, Ryu executes his Super by inputting two quarter circles, and then a button, which is similar to his Hadoken attack. Likewise, his Ultra is executed in a similar fashion.

The Ultra bar fills from receiving damage and executing attacks, and the resulting moves typically do more damage than a Super (but they're also harder to execute). Ryu's Ultra is fairly simple however--all you have to do is perform two quarter circles, and then hold down all three punch buttons.

Ryu's Supers and Ultra are quite simple, but some characters' moves are difficult to execute. Zangief's techniques, for example, require fully rotating the joystick twice, and then the input of various buttons.

I couldn't figure out the timing of his move, even with a joystick, so unfortunately, I was unable to perform it. I had a similar problem with Cammy's Ultra, which involves moving the stick in a variety of directions.

Certain moves are incredibly frustrating, and it'd be nice to have some sort of on-screen aid to explain the exact timing. Maybe having a better joystick would help too.

Street Fighter games are notorious for being incredibly difficult, and this one is no different. The arcade mode is a significant challenge on most difficulties, so if you want to unlock characters, it'd be wise to do so on Easiest, which is the easiest of the game's six difficulties.

Certain characters are unlocked by using a select group of characters, while others require completing the game as every single character. Some even require you to win battles in specific ways, such as getting "first attacks", "ultra victories", or "perfects".

Unfortunately, conditions for unlocking certain characters isn't mentioned in-game, so you'll just have to experiment or check a FAQ if you want to unlock every character.

Besides having to unlock characters by meeting unknown conditions, Street Fighter IV is difficult because of its cheap AI. It quickly learns your moves, so the more you lose, the harder your enemy will become, on any difficulty. You'd think that the AI would lighten up if you lost repeatedly, but unfortunately, that's not the case.

Still, you should be able to beat most enemies with practice, but don't be surprised if you button mash the first few times you play. Even if you've completed the tutorials, you'll likely panic when fighting a difficult enemy, and that's when button mashing tends to occur. Instead, it's better to remain calm and learn your enemy's attack patterns.

If your foes tends to guard high, execute a sweep, and then maybe follow-up with an uppercut. If she keeps her distance, hit her with a fireball, or another long-range attack.

Unfortunately, you'll likely have to rely on luck to beat the final boss, Seth, on the hardest difficulties (and possibly even the easiest). He's quite cheap, and can execute a series of moves that are difficult to evade if you're not careful. With your worst characters, be prepared to fight him over and over. If you want to unlock every character and anime ending, you'll have to battle him at least twenty-four times.

I already mentioned that each character has an ending, but they also have an anime intro. The anime is of mediocre quality, but I felt that it had the typical Street Fighter charm (aka cheesiness). Each scene contains a bit of the game's story, so it's important to watch each video if you want to know each character's relation to each other.

Every scene in the game is fully voiced (in English and Japanese), and the English voice acting actually isn't that bad. A few voices are annoying, but I thought that most matched their particular character.

With fighting games, most people are solely concerned with the multiplayer, so it's important to mention how Street Fighter IV fares in that regard. The online mode is actually quite good, with plenty of unlockable titles and costumes.

I didn't run into any lag, and even if I did, it'd be easy to find a player with a decent connection, because each player's connection speed is listed in a comprehensible format. Thankfully, I never had to seek anyone out, because I could easily join matches within seconds, which is quite amazing considering that Street Fighter IV has been out for months.

The online gameplay is excellent, but another unique addition makes SFIV feel even more like an actual arcade experience. In a typical arcade or home console Street Fighter, players can interrupt your match Vs. the computer at any time and join your game. Well now, online players can do this if you enable the option in the menu.

Personally, I didn't want to be interrupted, but it's a great option for someone who wants to feel the arcade experience at home.

Besides featuring an excellent online mode, Street Fighter IV also features a few additional options. You can practice in a tutorial, or you can try Time Attack, Survival, and a technique mode. These modes are nothing special, and are something you've seen in other fighting games, but they're there for those who want a little something extra.

Overall, Street Fighter IV is well-rounded brawler, but there are a couple disappointing features. For one, I was disappointed that each character didn't have a themed stage. There are some courses that are reminiscent of certain Street Fighter II stages (Balrog's, Chun Li's, and Blanka's), but only a few characters have these.

With each round of Street Fighter IV, you'll fight characters at any location, so it doesn't quite have the vibe of the original. It's nice that some of the courses are quite detailed, but there are a few that are fairly bland, and I miss certain courses, such as Ken's.

I was also disappointed with Street Fighter IV's music. A few of the songs are memorable, but most will quickly be thrown in your memory's discard pile. None of the songs resonate with the player as much as those found in Street Fighter II, so the flashy visuals and gameplay are now the main attraction.

Street Fighter IV is still a hardcore fighting game, but it's one that could appeal to other players as much as Street Fighter II. The incredible animation makes it stand out from other fighting games, and the gameplay is deep enough to keep you hooked for weeks.

Playing people of vastly superior skill levels might discourage you from playing, but I'd say it's worth persevering for the few good matches you'll have with people of similar abilities. Competing against actual people is one of the main draws of the game, so I wouldn't recommend Street Fighter IV unless you know people in real life who enjoy fighting games, or don't mind playing random people online.

If you can find some fair competition, Street Fighter IV is a deep fighting game that you'll grow to love. Well, I'm gonna hit the dojo and get back to fighting. Hadoken!

Score: 9.0

Pros: