In reviewing Street Fighter IV, I thought I’d do something a little different from the norm, a little more thorough, and truly put the game through its paces. I took the game for a road test that even the likes of Jeremy Clarkson would be impressed by. I tested it on both pad and stick. PS3 and 360. Online and off. I took the game to tournaments and challenged some of Australia’s best. I lost (albeit placed 2nd in Adelaide’s first tournament) but learnt the true depth waiting to be explored with time and practice. Sure I could have just chucked the disk in, churned through the game with a couple characters and slapped on a score, but what’s the point?

Those of you that were going to buy Street Fighter IV rushed out in droves and snapped it up on launch and those of you that were undecided are likely sitting here still trying to make up your mind. Those of you that hate fighters needn’t read anything to decide. Heck, for those of you in luckier cities, your decision was made six months ago when you first dropped a shiny gold coin into the crowded cabinet at your local arcade, so why then review the title without truly putting it through its paces? Street Fighter IV is one title I’ve loved from the start and only learned to love more with time.

Unlike Street Fighter III, which was by and large seen as a commercial flop compared to its predecessor, Street Fighter IV sees the return of the original World Warrior line up from Street Fighter 2, the respective boss characters from Championship Edition, a few fan favourites and four new characters to add to the mix. The likes of Ryu and M. Bison need no introduction, but the new characters will take a little getting used to. Rufus is a curious sort. He’s grotesquely overweight, his sheer size clipping through characters grapples and creating the world’s first anti-boner from jiggle physics. He is also an agile, articulated and fast paced fighter. Not the only fast moving fighter on the block, El Fuerte is a luchador of small stature but immense power who dashes madly about the screen like Vega but with the grapple moves of Zangief. Abel is a French martial artist, who not only favours the grapple as well, but also appears to be the most fitting character of the new bunch. His close combat move-set makes him reminiscent of Alex from SFIII. The last of the new characters and the only new female, Crimson Viper is also the easiest of the new fighters to learn, with abundant agility and easy to string-together combos.

Also new on the scene is boss character Seth and believe me, god damn he can be a right old pain in the arse! Beating him in the first round is nothing, by the second one he’ll be coming at you full bore and victory won’t come easy. Make no mistake, you’ll still be pulling your hair out and smashing controllers on the harder difficulty settings, but he isn’t necessarily what I would call a cheap boss. He is simply an amalgamation of the best abilities of every warrior amassed into one being. From Dhalism’s elastic reach and Zangief’s crushing powerbomb to Bison’s teleport and Guile’s sonic boom, he is placed at a serious advantage, but not one that relies upon luck to win. He can be defeated and you better believe it’s a joyous occasion when that finally does happen.


Fei-Long, Rose
Sticking with tradition, Arcade mode is where the bulk of the action happens, but there is also Versus and online play modes to test those skills against human opponents. Needing no introduction, these can be customised as you wish, but in an interesting twist, you can also receive battle requests in Arcade mode if you desire. With full leader board support, expect the community to thrive for years to come. To hone your skills there is an extensive Challenge mode, broken into Time Attack, Survival and Trial, along with a Training mode to work out the basics.

Now, I could discuss the new characters and game modes till my fingers are worn and bloody, but really the only factor that truly matters is the way the game plays and to describe it in one word: beautiful. Street Fighter IV is one of the slickest and smoothest playing entries in the series yet. The mechanics take a step back to the series’ World Warrior roots that any player should soon feel right at home with. Sure your basic player will be capable at pulling off a Hadouken or sonic boom in seconds, but its once Focus attacks and Ultra Combos enter the fray that the magic really starts to shine and Street Fighter IV reveals its inner intricacy.


Gen, Cammy
The complicated parry system of Street Fighter III has been removed and the series truly returns to its original roots, welcoming new comers with open arms. That’s not to say that parrying is entirely removed, it has simply been superseded by the Focus attack, which is achieved by pressing by both medium attacks at the same time. This can be used to parry an attack at the moment of impact or charged to produce a staggering unblockable attack. Also streamlined is the incorporation of Super Arts. Characters have now been reduced to one single Super Combo attack and one Ultra Combo attack. Your four-tiered Super meter builds up with each attack move you make, while your revenge meter builds with each successive hit you endure. Once full, your revenge gauge allows you to pull off an Ultra Combo, which is by and large achieved in the same way as your special with a slight variation. Your Super meter is carried over from round to round, but your revenge gauge must be used in the round it is accumulated. A single tier of your Super meter can otherwise be used to perform an EX attack, a more powerful variation of your special attacks, achieved by performing the special attack with two attack buttons instead of one. It allows for some strategic planning and forces the player to be more conscious of their Super meter. An Ultra Combo can turn the course of battle in an instant when you’ve been taking a flogging, but a Super attack can truly be the key to victory.

Some will say that the game has lost its charm since moving to 3D and to them I say stick it where the sun don’t shine. When the series first attempted to go 3D with the EX line of games, the gameplay flopped simply because it was too slow in contrast with its 2D brethren. Sure the ugly polygons of the day didn’t help its case, but the speed of gameplay was the main deterring factor for players who had grown accustomed to the series increasing turbo speeds. In action, Street Fighter IV is as fast and furious as ever. Gameplay sticks to a traditional 2D plane, meaning no Tekken-style sidestepping allowed, keeping things as simple as they were since the days of the World Warrior. The only time the camera moves from its side on point of view is when a Super or Ultra is put to use, making the experience all the more satisfying for the player and all the more crushing for their victim.


Sakura, Dan
Street Fighter is notorious for tweaking the base game and passing on the costs to the consumer for the designers’ desire at perfection. Its one thing to be forced to change up your strategy to stay on top, but another to have to pay for the hindrance. With the ease of version updates with this console generation, no longer will you be forced to fork out hundreds of dollars for each new minor update until Capcom is finally satisfied with the finished product Now if the design team does decide to include a few new characters or feels a tweak to the gameplay is necessary you can be sure they’ll be readily available and you sure as hell won’t be forking over $100 each time the design team comes up with a new character… least you’d expect not!

The difference between PS3 and 360 is much of a muchness and largely falls under consumer preference. The controller is going to form the biggest deciding factor for players, where the PS3 provides a more reliable and appropriate D-Pad although I’d argue the analogue stick works better on the 360. If you use an arcade stick, the controller simply won’t matter. Apart from load times, in which the 360 surprisingly comes out on top, the other key factor to consider is simply which online community you prefer. Whatever you choose Street Fighter IV is a blast.

The title song is hideously bad, the voice-overs cheesy as all hell and some of the new characters just seem absurd… but this is Street Fighter and it is these ridiculous touches that make the game so memorable. If you still call out “Shoryuken!” each time you bust an uppercut, if you still lust for thunder thighs, if you still believe a 300kg man can propel himself through the air like a torpedo… then no doubt there’s still a special place in your heart for Street Fighter.

Street Fighter IV may not yet be perfect, but it is the best damn Street Fighter to emerge since its incarnation and is served in a medium that allows for the game to grow and shape with time. You couldn’t ask for anything more from the revival of a classic.

Pick up a copy and I’ll see you on the streets. The Red Cyclone is waiting.