|
Jim says: Growing up in the early 90's, a lot of things that have been long forgotten are still near and dear to my heart. Hammer pants, people shaving things into the back of their heads, the Reebok Pump -- the early 90's will likely be looked back on as the golden age of western culture. Hell -- that was when Paula Abdul had videos with Keanu Reeves AND an animated cat. But nothing reminds me more of my awkward tween years than pumping quarters into Street Fighter II. Now, nearly 20 years later, the series has finally entered into it's renaissance stage. The long-awaited Street Fighter IV is on store shelves. So how does it hold up to our childhood memories?
A little too well. Despite the gorgeous visual makeover, the online play, and the challenge mode, Street Fighter IV is Street Fighter II. Capcom has made a lot of changes over the years to the fighter formula it created with SFII, but very few of those exist here. We're talking the classic SFII experience with a beautiful new coat of paint. And while that means you'll likely enjoy the same addictively awesome experience that you did when you were 12, you're also going to wonder why you've spent $60 on what is essentially a visual makeover and a few new characters.
It should also be noted that SFIV is NOT an attempt to bring the Street Fighter franchise into the third dimension. At first glance (and first read if you've seen a number of the reviews and previews floating around out there) you might think that the Street Fighter formula has been overhauled to somehow magically retain everything you love and turn the series into a 3D fighter. The only thing 3D about this game are the visuals. Gameplay is still straight 2D classic SF. Again -- it's great for those of us that grew up loving the series, and again -- it's not introducing anything new that you might have expected from a new entry in 2009.
As I write this I can't help but feel that it sounds like I'm dumping on the game, and nothing could be further from the truth. Despite the sameness of it's base gameplay, SFIV offers some great little twists that make this the best version of Street Fighter II yet. The more hardcore amongst the SF clan will love the addition of ultra combos and focus attacks. The online play is lag free (so long as you pick an opponent with a good connection) -- something that few online fighters have been able to pull off. The medals and unlockables give you that carrot at the end of a stick to keep you coming back for more. All in all, it's a great package for any Street Fighter fan. It's just not the revolution so many were expecting it to be.
Also of note is the system that allows you to be open to online challenges during the single player arcade mode. This means you could be in mid-match when all of a sudden someone plunks in that virtual quarter, and you're ready to go. It can be switched on and off (thank god), and it does a great job of recreating that same feeling from the arcades of yesteryear.
I loved Street Fighter II as a kid, and I love Street Fighter IV as an adult. A lot of the reason for that is because of how alike the two games really are. If you're waxing nostalgic and would love to go back to the days of 2D ass-kicking, you're not going to find a better title than this. But if you were looking for something truly new and fresh? Once you remove all the bells and whistles, you're left with a game you've already been playing for 20 years.
Marc D says: It took so long long that I never thought it would come. But here it is - the sequel to one of my favorite games. But was it worth the wait? Maybe.
The original, inky trailer for Street Fighter IV left me both excited and confused. I loved the paint brush art style, but 3D graphics? Really? I was even more skeptical when screen caps started popping up in magazines and on the Internet; the characters just looked goofy to me. Fortunately my fears were not confirmed for the most part. Seeing the game in action, the art style mostly fits. There are some times where I think "give me a break", such as when eyes are popping out of sockets or chins are punched and stretched to someone's brow. I'm not outraged as I feared I would be, and in fact, I like some of the animations and character models. It's really a mixed bag - some good, some bad.
The returning characters are left, for the most part, unaltered from previous installments of Street Fighter. They all play as you would expect, with some minor tweaks to combos and attacks' precedences. Their 3D renders look as one might expect also - no major changes to design.
Some of the new characters are decent while others make me wish for un-downloadable content to erase the characters from the game. Crimson Viper, a very SNK-like character is a bit difficult to use, but is a decent addition to the line-up. Abel is a cool grappler, but at times he seems rather broken - being able to roll and have unbreakable and long-range combos is a bit much. All in all I'd say he's a good character, though.
But that's where things turn wrong - terribly, terribly wrong. Rufus and El Fuerte are filler characters that don't deserve to be in such an important game. Their character designs are horrible. Rufus looks like a homeless NASCAR fan and El Fuerte looks like he's a Down's victim. Their moves and voice-overs are face-palm inspiringly ridiculous. Uhg! Daigo Ikeno, I know you can do better than that.
Most of the music ranges from being decent to good. Songs are crispy and give off that arcade feel. The main song, though, is a bit melodramatic and obtuse. Let's keep the falsetto vocals out of Street Fighter, mmk? The character select music is particularly catchy, but in the worst way possible. I've had that damn song stuck in my head since the game came out. It sounds like a house-music rendition of something from Loony Tunes. It's not particularly great, but SFIV's music certainly fits the game.
Online play is fantastic - I've only experienced lag on one occasion (and I'm using a wireless connection). Connecting to other players is another matter, though. On average, you'll be rejected 20 times before joining a quick-match. It's faster to create a match and wait for someone else to join. Hopefully the code will be fixed in an upgrade soon.
The game has a surprising amount of features, but these features are hindered by the fact that they are used to keep alternative costumes hidden away, waiting to be unlocked. Time attacks, endurances, and "challenge" modes are all fun and good ways to practice, as well as unlock Ken's banana-colored costume.
The gameplay itself is fun as hell, but not as articulated as I had hoped. I'm having a blast, but I've often nearly shouted "how did that attack not connect?" Also, maybe it's just the fact that I've been playing the game for less than a week, but the strategic difference between weak, medium, and fierce punches/kicks does not seem to be as important in this game as it was in previous versions. Sure, weak kicks don't reach as far as fierce ones, but they take practically the same amount of time to animate.
The real strategic fun of the game comes in the form of focus attacks, which can be used to block once, then attack and crumple your oponent. Using focus attacks as parries (which really should have been in this game) can really trip up your enemy, not to mention knock him on his ass. They look spectacular, too. That inky effect from the trailers shows up here, adding some subtle awesomeness. If you're playing on a good sound system with a subwoofer, you'll be punched in the guy every time you perform one, too, as the move triggers a bassy auditory explosion.
In a more general view of the game, SFIV plays like a mix between Super SFII and SFIII. You've got the characters of SFII, but some elements of SFIII, such as combo canceling, have made it into the mix. The game's a little faster than SFII but not as fast as an Alpha installation. If you're familiar with any Street Fighter game, really, you shouldn't have much trouble adapting. The gameplay is solid, but has a few holes; I'd be willing to say it's less refined than Third Strike, but very enjoyable nonetheless.
The game is definitely not modest in terms of combos. Decent players will be racking up seven-hit-combos several times per round. The length of the matches is perfect; on average I'd say they're about 45 seconds. The characters are, for the most part, well balanced, but are not ass-hole-proof. Expect to be cornered and cheesed to death by some ass trying to accumulate battle points once in a while. In previous games, it was rare to find a tactic that was unbeatable, but (and again, I've only been playing SFIV a short time, so take this with a grain of salt), some characters seem to have impenetrable cornering abilities.
It may seem like I'm giving Street Fighter IV a bad review, but I'm not at all. The game is fantastic, but I don't think it's as good as Third Stike or maybe even Alpha 3. Nor do I think it will be a classic iteration of the series, mainstream (SFII) or niche (Third Strike). Despite these opinions, it's a great addition to the series. It's fun as hell and even moves the series forward in a few resepcts. If you like fighters buy this game.
Street Fighter IV is available now for the Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3 with a retail price of $59.99. The PlayStation 3 version was played for this review.
|
Bloguin is the revolutionary blog network specifically focused on helping bloggers get the most out of their websites. We're currently working on building a large network of online communities and hope to expand our blogging coverage to include a wide range of topics. 
The Bloguin Network allows advertisers to promote their products and services to our ever-growing number of visitors. We offer both site-specific ad placements as well as the ability to run a network-wide campaign. If you're interested in working with Bloguin to meet your advertising needs, please contact us.
The Bloguin Network is always looking to expand. We're specifically looking for blogs in the sports, entertainment, and video games field, but are open to adding any type of quality site.. If you're a blogger and interested in joining our network, please fill out our application form.
The Bloguin Login gives you full access to everything our network has to offer. Your name and password will work for each and every one of our sites. Signing up is simple, and will allow you to post in all our forums, create member blogs, and access other cool features! What are you waiting for? Create an Account! 