Street Fighter IV, available for both the PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360, is a beautifully executed fighting game, combining a robust selection of fighters, an accessible and refined combat system and a successful marriage of gorgeous 3-D visuals and intense 2-D action.
The combat in Street Fighter IV will be familiar to just about anyone that’s played a fighting game before. Players use six attack buttons (three punches and three kicks) in addition to a joystick or directional pad to execute combos, special moves and super moves. Performing combos and specials may be difficult for a newcomer to the genre, but fighting SF IV is much easier to grasp than highly technical fighting games like Virtua Fighter or Guilty Gear. Still, once you are acquainted with the gameplay of Street Fighter IV, the combat is a joy to behold. Each character has its own stance, moves and aesthetic, with excellent animations and a vibrant color palette.
The character designs range from sensible (Ryu wears traditional karate garb, and Balrog is an obvious caricature of a younger Mike Tyson) to the completely ridiculous (Rufus is a morbidly obese American biker/kung fu master and one of the fastest characters in the game). There are an incredible number of face-faults and exaggerated reactions each character performs, making the game even more similar to a living cartoon. These characters are generally fun in nature, but might be too silly for someone who favors more realistic visuals in his or her games.
Complementing these gameplay and design elements is a standard set of gameplay modes and loads of extra features. There are both local and online multiplayer options, and both run as smoothly as one could hope. The single-player options are less impressive, with only typical arcade, survival and time trial modes present. Arcade is the game’s story-driven sequence of fights, with occasional cut-scenes in both Japanese anime and in-game 3-D styles. The stat-tracking for online multiplayer is incredibly detailed, providing detailed character use, win/loss and gameplay preferences information. Both the Japanese and English audio tracks are available to the player, with the option to customize either language to specific characters.
Street Fighter IV might not be for the player who does not like traditional fighting games. SF IV is perhaps the best game of its kind in recent years, but it won’t turn haters into enthusiasts. The cartoon-like visuals and unimpressive single-player options also could be turn-offs to some gamers. Personally, the most frustrating part of playing Street Fighter IV is the incredibly difficult computer opponents. Playing against superior human opponents is one thing, but losing repeatedly to the game’s unfair final boss gets old. The “Very Easy” difficulty setting is, in fact, not very easy. Stick with “Easiest.”
Some “hardcore” fans of fighting games might not enjoy certain aspects of Street Fighter IV as well — the game plays at a medium clip, and plays more slowly than the Turbo editions of Street Fighter II. Fans of the series might not approve of some changes made, notably the 3-D visuals, which have never been successful for the franchise, and specific character selection. No characters from Street Fighter III are playable, and the new characters might not appeal to specific fans.
Overall, Street Fighter IV is incredibly fun. I am admittedly a longtime Street Fighter fan and feel that SF IV may be the best way to enjoy the series for both veterans and neophytes. It’s probably a good idea to play before you pay, but Street Fighter IV is in a tier all its own.
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