Written By: XI Fuller
Posted On: 02/16/2009 04:48 PM
The sequel to one of gaming’s legendary series is finally here. It’s time to review Street Fighter 4.
Gameplay and Story
The game plays beautifully. End of review.
But seriously, if you have ever played a Street Fighter game, you will know what to expect when you pick this game up. Fluid controls, an intuitive combo system and addictive-as-crack gameplay are the order of the day here. Gone is the excess baggage that has been tacked on to the series over the years, this game is about fighting, pure and simple.
Old school fans will be happy to know that most, if not all combos that have been learnt in previous games, have been included in Street Fighter 4, so you will be throwing Hadoukens and Dragon Punches in no time at all. There are however, enough new features in the game that experts will need to learn if they want to stay competent in the SFIV arena.
New to the series are “Focus Attacks”. Focus Attacks are charged using medium punch and medium kick combined. In the first phase of the attack, the player will be able to absorb one attack from the opponent, and the second phase is the counter attack (when the attack is fully charged). This will knock an opponent straight to the ground, allowing the player to prepare for a massive combo.
Buy one. It will make the game better. Honest.
Let me tell you this, and I’m sure you will see this in a lot of reviews for this game. Buy a fighting stick, the Dpad on the 360 controller sucks. A decent fighting stick will improve your game tremendously. One stick I can recommend is the Hori EX2, It’s cheap, can be found at almost any game shop, and with guides freely available on the net can be modified to be even better.
Online
The online system is pretty good in Street Fighter 4, with no noticeable lag for me at least, but this may change as more players purchase and play the game online. Of course Street Fighter purists will complain that they can’t pull off their favourite combos due to the millisecond lag that can be apparent (I don’t think I’ve run into any lag, but then again I’m no expert at Street Fighter, and probably haven’t noticed it), but if they want to prove that they are gods at Street Fighter…they will have to adjust! The online mode contains various unlockables, such as “Titles” and “Icons” as well as new colours and taunts for the characters which will keep players hooked.
Graphics and Sound
Street Fighter 4 is an absolute beauty of a game; it’s like controlling your own anime, and each episode is a kick ass three round punch-up. Speaking of anime, at the start of each characters story in arcade mode you are treated to a short introductory video. Some of these are awesome, and some of them are pretty drab…But short cutscenes aren’t why you are playing Street Fighter 4.
The game is so full of character and personality; it really brings to life how dull other fighting games are. The colours on screen are vibrant, and the special effects will leave you in awe. However the new art style of chunky, muscular characters may not be liked by some fans, and I can see where they are coming from, the design choices will take time to get used to, but once you finally accept it, you can truly appreciate this games beauty.
The sound in the game is also great, with fast tempo beats during fights that really help pump you up. The best song in the game? The first opening cutscene. When you hear its cheesiness, you’ll fall in love.
The Verdict
Pros:
Street Fighter is back, and it’s amazing
Smooth gameplay, fluid controls and an awesome online mode
Amazing comic book style graphics
Catchy tunes
Cons:
Can be a bit of a pain to play on a standard 360 pad (Not really the games fault)
