It's been more than a decade since the last
official Street Fighter title was released and nearly 25 years have passed
since the first game hit arcades. While its taken Capcom quite a long time
to release a new installment, Street Fighter IV was largely worth waiting
for. The game takes most of the familiar characters including Ryu,
Chun-Li, Zangief, Bison, Guile, Sakura and other from the classic SFII.
Many of the characters introduced in later installment are missing, but
Capcom has added several new ones like the rotund Rufus, mysterious agent
C. Viper and the somewhat odd Abel, to name a few. They're mostly decent
additions to the franchise, but not nearly as memorable as the original
cast. It's a mixed bag in this department, but the game balance works out
in the end. With so many familiar faces, its only natural that the
gameplay has been streamlines and rebalanced to become more newbie
friendly. Most of the elaborate, multi-tiered combo systems and nearly
impenetrable moves commands are gone in favor of a simpler approach that's
closer to the legendary SFII than more recent installments like the Alpha
and SFIII series. There are still ultra and super combos, throwing moves
and a few new twists like the Focus attacks, but SFIV stays true to the
most popular series more often than not. Capcom deserves credit for
sticking to its guns and not overdoing it this time. This makes SFIV
easily the most accessible title in the series to come out in a long time,
but that doesn't mean there's not a lot of depth either. SFIV attempts to
navigate the gap between casual and hardcore gaming and the good news is
that It mostly succeeds in its goal of bringing the series back to its
roots, but there's enough technique here to satisfy the hardcore gamer.
There are many allusions to previous games, making it a largely nostalgic
experience though there are some concessions to modern gaming such as
online leaderboards and networked play modes. Capcom's developers have
successfully struck a balance between classic and current game design
approaches.
These are merely extras added onto the
main gameplay, which hasn't changed all that much from the origins of the
series. You still battle it out against a rival in a two or three round
fight where the winner is determined by who has the best strategies,
technical skill and timing to damage opponents. The game includes about 20
classic fighters in all, though many of these have to be unlocked before
you can play them, which is annoying. Before each round begins, you can
set the level of difficulty and number of rounds you want to play. Once
you get into the ring, you'll find yourself in familiar territory - the
size of each level is about the same as previous games and the action
takes place in a strictly 2D plane. Despite some 3D cut-scenese and
intros, its strictly an old-school affair so you won't have to worry about
moving around in 3D space. While this might not seem like a step forward,
the highly polished graphics and visuals definitely look sleek on HD
screens, with impressive animations and beautifully rendered backgrounds
creating an impressive visual appearance throughout. The game's slickly
animated look mixes comic-book style character design with 3D lighting
effects and backdrops to create a unique looking title that melds the best
of classic Capcom hand-drawn artwork with a modern look. It's design is
consistent with previous games in the series, making it feel and play like
a natural progression for the franchise. This design approach plays to the
series' strengths and, as evidenced by other series' misguided attempts to
transition to full 3D, was probably the smartest aesthetic decision Capcom
could have made.
The
main portion of SFIV's single-player one on one fighting mode is quite
enjoyable, and thanks to its difficult end-boss, challenging as well.
However, the game doesn't merely offer this arcade-style play and offers
robust online and multiplayer modes that add to the depth. These modes
also allow you to collect bonus items such as medals that can be viewed in
the Gallery section, which makes them worth playing. Players can
participate in Network Battles or play against local players in ranked
matches using the game's Battle Request mode. Entering these modes is
quite simple and the player-matching system allows you to go against
opponents of any skill level and ability. The drawback to this approach is
apparent early on, as battles are usually either ridiculously easy or
nearly impossible. It makes for an occasionally frustrating experience,
but with some experience and skill you can battle your way up the
rankings, earn bonus features and even see yourself on the leaderboards. A
good strategy is to switch up your tactics, make your attacks less
predictable and charge your special bars to unleash them when you need
them. Another key thing to remember is to not lock yourself into a
specific character in this mode, since you can get more victories if you
use different characters.
Since it mirrors the pacing and play
mechanics of the standard game. It comes as no surprise that SFIV's online
mode is just as enjoyable as its off-line counterpart. Network play
delivers the same pace and energy as the main game modes. You can choose
the number of rounds, which language you'll use and set up private matches
against friends if you like. It's lack of lag or slowdown means SFIV
doesn't really suffer from the same drawbacks as many other fighting games
do online, making the experience as smooth and intense as if you're
battling an opponent head-to-head on an arcade machine. The game also
includes several other extra modes for players who want to go deeper into
the mechanics and strategies of battle or refine their skills. The most
interesting of this is the Challenge mode which challenges you to train in
various ways while building your skills up. SFIV's Challenge modes are
actually divided into three unique sections that offer different
approaches to training. In Survival Mode, the objective is to defeat as
many opponents as possible on a single energy bar, which can be quite
difficult but also rewarding. There's also a time trial mode that is
similar, but implements a timer where you have to defeat each opponent
before the time runs out. Finally, players can face off against the Trial
mode, where they have to perform each character's move sets and special
attacks in order to progress. In addition to the Challenge modes, SFIV
also includes an extensive training mode where you can practice your moves
in a non-combat setting, which should help you master the arts. In this
mode, you can set your opponents' stances, change your attacks and see how
much damage the attacks do, which can really be quite helpful as well. All
of these modes combine to make for an incredibly deep and challenging game
that lives up to the high standards set by its predecessors while going
several steps further.
One of the most important areas in any
fighting game are its controls and SFIV does an excellent job in this
department. Those familiar with the series' classic installments should
feel right at home with the game's command structure and button layouts,
which stay true to form. Three basic kick and punch buttons are
implemented as well as numerous special moves. Most players should have
little trouble with the game's interface, which is straightforward. The
character roster is filled with famous characters, and many of their
famous moves are included as well. Everything players might remember from
the SFII days from Ryu's Hadoken, Blanka's electric attack, Chun-Li's
famous kicks, Sagat's tiger punches and Guile's Sonic Booms are included
with many implementing the same move lists to perform. However, this
installment includes a few twists on the gameplay you remember. At the
bottom of the screen, you'll find a new Revenge Gauge indicator which
allows you to perform a special powerful attack when your character's
health falls below 50%. Each character can also perform unique attacks
using their Super Combo gauges. This gradually increases as you hit
opponents with special moves, and can then be used to perform devastating
Ultra Combo moves. To counter these moves, you can use the Heavy Armor
technique, which blocks damage and also gives you a window to launch a
counter move. Players can also attack using Focus attacks, which can be
used simply by holding down the medium punch and kick buttons and charging
them up. These attacks can inflict a lot of damage, but are relatively
simple to understand and use, which helps to keep SFIV's all-important
balance intact for the most part. There are a few issues that we faced,
most notably with end boss Seth who comes at players with unexpected fury
and power. Even more annoying, he mixes fighting styles of others randomly
and without any errors, making him extremely difficult to beat. This makes
for a frustrating experience, especially when you consider that you need
to beat him in order to unlock additional characters, making this task a
trial by fire that you'll endure more than enjoy. Aside from this, the
other characters are fairly well-balanced between strengths and
weaknesses, making their battles fare better overall.
The
game's controls are fairly decent if you use the standard PS3 controller.
Using the control pads are a waster, but the analog pads are much better
and allow you to perform half-circle moves and combos much easier. The
four face buttons are problematic, though using a third-party controller
improves things. Obviously, the ideal controller to use is an arcade style
fighting joystick. Using one of these really helps to bring the
arcade-experience alive and is where, honestly, the true arcade-spirit of
SFIV truly comes to life. The game's been designed with this in mind, and
while you can use a regular controller, which offers adequate feedback for
performing moves, you'll basically be missing a key part of the overall
experience. However, no matter which controller you do end up using, the
game's tight gameplay mechanics and truly responsive interface makes for a
truly excellent fighting experience that lives up to the highly playable
and incredibly addictive legacy set by the previous games. Character
movement and response is just as you'd remember from the 2D games, and
Capcom's decision not to mess with the success by keeping to the basics in
the control department can be seen as a good one. Instead of messing
around with 3D dodge moves or different planes of attack, SFIV's
straightforward fighting approach means you can concentrate on the combat
and tactics exclusively, making for a superb experience that blends the
classic feel of SFII with a few modern and sophisticated touches to create
a game that feels and controls exactly as you'd expect from the Street
Fighter series. While many gamers were justifiably worried that Capcom
wouldn't be able to make a game that had that 'SF feel', these largely
vanish once you get your hands on the controls and discover that SFIV
lives up to its legacy.
In most aspects, Capcom has done a
superb job in restoring its franchise, but there are a few minor issues.
Aesthetically, the new paint-style approach looks fantastic and does an
admirable job of bringing the classic hand-drawn SF look to HD but some of
the backgrounds can look a little glitchy at points. Its choice of music
is also somewhat annoying, with the high-energy pop music soundtrack
making a kind of disconnect from the somewhat gritty fighting action at
certain points. The biggest problem, as mentioned earlier is the end boss
Seth, who seems to be insanely difficult for no good reason, making the
end of each fighter's journey an unfortunately frustrating experience.
However, these flaws aren't enough to make the overall experience less
than satisfying - just minor issues in an otherwise superb comeback for
the series. There's no question the Street Fighter IV represents a solid
return for this storied franchise, and its solid play mechanics, great
controls and inspired illustrative visuals brings the series forward
without losing the essence of what makes the franchise so enduring.
Capcom's approach of using the traditional play mechanics and transposing
them onto a newly fashioned 3D background is surprisingly effective, with
many of the familiar characters and their moves returning in all their
fist-pumping glory. While its difficult to compare SFIV against more
robust, true 3D fighting games on the system like Namco's Soul Calibur IV
and Sega's Virtua Fighter V, this is still a remarkable game that
effectively delivers a satisfying modern take on this storied franchise.
- Michael Palisano
