Sleepy Gamer

So why am I excited about this release?  Well… it’s Street Fighter 4, duh.  Even though the number 4 suggests that this the 4th game in the series, it’s really the 12th if you count all the iterations of SFI, SFII, SF Alpha, and SFIII.  Don’t get me started on that crappy Street Fighter 2010.  History aside, this entry proves to be just as epic as its previous legacies.  Let’s just hope that Capcom doesn’t repeat history and release a Street Fighter 4 Ultra Special Hyper Championship Edition to further confuse the hell out of us.

To be honest, when the first SFIV teasers were unveiled, it really wasn’t my cup of tea.  What was the deal with all the ink swirls and why did they keep Chun Li’s thunder thighs?  But as you play the final game, you start to realize how genius this art style really is.  For the first time, you can vividly see and feel all the pain induced from every punch, kick, and fireball.  From their over-the-top facial expressions, to the contorting bodies, you know that they’re in for a world of hurt.  In previous games, the 2-D character models seemed very copied and pasted into each level.  But because of the new 3-D engine, each character appears more dynamic and is more well integrated into the scenery.  Literally adding a new dimension to the visuals.  If you preferred the more gritty 2-D nature of SFIII, you might be disappointed.  But I can assure you that the game-play will surely change your mind.

Although SFIII was a masterpiece, it just didn’t garner the same amount of fan-base as its predecessor.  From all the advance parrying techniques to the unfamiliar faces, it was simply was simply too hardcore for many novice players to comprehend.  So for SF4, Capcom went back to the basics.  First, the entire cast from the original SFII are back.  Second, the core gameplay mechanics are almost identical to SFII, with some added features.  On the surface, you’ll find that all of the special moves are executed exactly the same as they did nearly 18 years ago, so all the novice players would feel comfortable.  But as you play more, you’ll uncover an insane amount of depth into this game.  With the introduction of focus attacks, EX, and cancelling moves, it’ll surely please the hardcore.  You can say SFIV offers the best of both worlds.

Like other fighting games, SFIV has an engaging online mode to satiate the hardcore appetites.  For the most part, the online game-play is smooth, uninterrupting, and downright fun.  To keep your frame rate running high, each potential opponent will display a network connectivity signal.  The stronger the signal, the less likely you’ll encounter lag.  This is mighty useful since you can freely boot people with weak signals, which will ensure the best connectivity possible.  Better yet, you can even play against online opponents during the single player campaign.  It’s like playing at the arcades as random players can periodically challenge you; although no quarters involved.  Keep in mind that it does get rather annoying to be constantly interrupted while you’re on the verge of unlocking new characters.  Thankfully, this option can be easily disabled.

So is SFIV for the novice?  Yes, and no.  This game is definitely a lot of fun to jump into, and it’s not as intimidating as other fighters.  If you ever had the inkling to learn a fighting game, you can’t do any better than this.  However, the competition is definitely stiff in the online arena, and if you don’t know what you’re doing, you will lose… a LOT.  Don’t let that discourage you from playing though.  There’s always the Practice Mode that will help hone your skills.  What’s even better is the Challenge Mode, that will teach the basic combo techniques.  Plus there’s a wealth of online resources out there as well, like this  one.  So do you think you’re ready to become the next Street Fighter?….SHOUR-YU-CAN!!

Sleepy gamer says BUY IT!