According to the most recent Australian Weekly Video Game Charts, the most popular game in the country right now is Street Fighter IV. Chances are, if you're going to buy it, chances are you've already picked it up (along with the rest of the country) - but perhaps you're one of these dirty fence-sitters who hasn't quite made up their mind about whether or not it's worth forking out your hard earned dollars...

Well! If you are, or if you'd been living under a decently-sized hunk of granite and don't know much about Street Fighter IV, let our friend Matt Williams come to your rescue. He's taken some time to get "better acquainted" with both home console versions of the game, and now has a well-rounded review, just for you.

Read full article by Jessica Citizen

Good review. SF4 is definitely one for the multiplayer 2D fighters crowd and those who never really wanted to learn how to play an SF game properly (like me) probably won't enjoy it too much. I'll stick to Soul Calibur.

Apparently, the PS3 is what most of hardcore AU competitive players (esp those who go to OHN) play on. I think the fact that many of these players own PS2 based pro Hori sticks and that PS2 to USB adapters are easier to find than PS2 to Xbox 360 adapters may have something to do with it. In saying that, for most people, it'll boil down to which console they own.

Such an awesome game.

don't worry, i'm firmly perched on the fence who don't want the game

@ Mugsy

my first guess would have been the d-pad

Still have over a month to wait until I get my TE Fightstick.

I wouldn't say that's surprising - no PS3 game loads faster than its 360 counterpart, unless its installed.

Yes, I do believe that a proper 6 button arcade quality joystick is mandatory for the best experience. However, my brother has that sort of gear ($200 Pro Hori Sticks) so I have no excuse when it comes to hardware.

I just never had the desire to learn how to do the special moves on every execution, perform all the different combos, learn how to zone, parry etc etc. I use to play in Easy Mode in Marvel VS Capcom if that helps put it into perspective. For some reason, 3D fighters with full three dimensional movement (i.e. Soul Calibur) was something that was more natural for me.

ditto, that's why I don't like fighting games, all the memorization

Down, down forward, forward = fireball. Since 1987.

Street Fighter Alpha 3 MAX is better..

True, but likewise cricket has been around for even longer but I don't have the desire learn advance techniques on how to bat or bowl especially when factoring in other skills I wish to pick up in life.

In terms of street fighter, I can hold my own as a button masher (much to the disgust of my brother, esp when I'm using his Hori) and when playing with low level scrubs but, for me, the game's fun factor will wear off before I've gotten my $99 value from it.

exactly, SF4 doesn't have long term appeal for me, might got tired of it after a few weeks, but to spend the time to learn all the moves you need long term appeal of the game otherwise you've just wasted your time learning the moves

Ah but see that's the surprising factor, even when the game is installed on the PS3 it still loads faster uninstalled on the 360

In fact the game actually loads faster on the 360 when it is uninstalled strange enough

If I remember it takes roughly 6 seconds to load on the 360 when uninstalled, 20 seconds on the PS3 uninstalled and 10 seconds when installed on either console.



Matter of preference, although you can't use an arcade stick on the PSP

I'm over in Melbourne for the weekend so thought I'd check out how much the scene has improved over the last 6 months. The skill level is amazing. It's surprising how much the intricacies of the game shine through in the hands of the right player.

Actually.... Down, Down Forward, Forward + Punch = Fireball. Since 1987

you see? I hardly needed to know that :p