Street Fighter II returns

Author's Rating:

Pros: Visuals
Roster

Cons: Loose Control
Responsiveness
Computer can throw at any time

The Bottom Line: 
This old skool fan of the SF series wishes SF4 felt more like the classic. With some issues I can't overlook, SF4 does not make my recommend list.

Author's Review
I <3 Street Fighter II. For those who are in their 30's (like me) you should remember playing the classic title when it released in 1991. Street Fighter II was the first true fighting game to feature a cast of unique characters. Street Fighter II: The World Warrior featured 8 characters with 7 different styles. Street Fighter II: Champion Edition allowed players to play as the boss characters. From there, many updates were made adding features and altering the play of Capcom's Street Fighter II game. Eventually Capcom moved on to other Street Fighter based projects.

Years later, Capcom releases Street Fighter IV. Street Fighter IV is essentially a remake of Street Fighter II, but with additional characters and a modern look. The game brings back an initial roster of twelve characters (the cast of Street Fighter II: Champion Edition) plus four new comers. A slue of unlockable characters awaits from the Street Fighter Alpha series. Basically put, Street Fighter IV is Street Fighter II with modern presentation.

Street Fighter IV is beautiful. Rather than hand drawn sprites (as used in previous games), Street Fighter IV features cell shaded 3D models. This gives the game an anime-like appearence while allowing for dynamic views during slam and super attacks. I was absolutely stunned to see Ken with his gi bouncing off his shoulders as he performs certain attacks. The characters are well detailed and the game plays like a living anime.

Speaking of anime, Capcom uses anime cut scenes to tell the story. Despite the anime cut scenes, the story is another no-brainer. Some organization has launched a project to study Ryu and obtain the secret to creating the ultimate fighter. This story line is used in Street Fighter Alpha 3, Street Fighter II: V (the animated series), and Street Fighter II: The Animated Movie (1995). While each character has their own take on the tale, the timeline is as repetative as the King of Fighters, Tekken, Virtua Fighter, and other big name fighting series.

At the core, I can't tell if Street Fighter IV is trying to be a remake of Street Fighter II or differentiate itself. The game controls just like Street Fighter II. Play is 2D and uses the same six button layout. The series employs three levels of attack (hard, medium, and light) for both punches and kicks. Street Fighter II fans will find this familiar, but where Street Fighter IV differentiates is in the play mechanics. Players can now dash forward or backward. This closes or creates gaps when you want to push the action or relieve pressure. To throw the opponent, you must press both light attacks. New to the series is the personal move. This is a focussed attack performed by pressing both medium attacks.

For the most part, Street Fighter IV features a decent system. The problem I found was the sloppy controls. The (extra) animation put into the game forces players of the classic series to relearn much of their timing. When throwing a fireball, Ryu has a few extra frames of winding up before he releases it. Even with quick fireballs, the timing feels more like medium fireballs from the previous titles. Despite this, the standard attacks hold their quickness. I also didn't care for the loose controls. I've played games like King of Fighters 2006 and even classic Street Fighter II recently. In those titles, if you tap a direction, the character seems to snap to it. With a fully charged (official) Sony Dual Shock III, I couldn't figure out why there was a slight delay between movements. Even with sitting three feet from the Playstation 3. This caused quite a bit of my frustration with Street Fighter IV.

I can appreciate the character roster. The twelve returning characters from Street Fighter II fight very similar to their old school counterparts. Just as in Street Fighter II, a computer controlled Zangeif can pull players out of any stance, position, or move to perform the devastating Spinning Piledriver. While I'm more calm about these things than I used to be, part of me wanted to throw the controler at the screen. Blanka still has all his feral beast rolls and attacks. Chun Li can bounce around just as before, but the effectiveness of her heel kick has been reduced. The only real complaint I have about the fighting styles is that Ken and Ryu seem too much like clones. Previous titles they felt diverse enough, but with the exception of the flame on Ken's Dragon Punch, Ryu was not much different from his American counterpart.

Like almost every other game, Street Fighter IV features Downloadable Content (DLC). Sadly, I can only find additional costumes as DLC. By completing the game, you can unlock more than enough costumes for the characters, but if you want a few more, Capcom will happily take your money. Street Fighter IV features online play. If you're tired of playing the AI, you can play the best of the best on the web. While Trophies are supported, many of them require you to go online and match others to unlock.

As a child, I spent many allowences playing Street Fighter II. Street Fighter IV doesn't bring back those memories like I hoped it would. Due to a very loose control and frustratingly unbalanced human vs computer experience, I would not recommend Street Fighter IV. Capcom did release the classic Street Fighter II for download on PSN, so I may pick up the HD version (which uses modern graphics to replay the old series). With Super Street Fighter IV coming up, I would recommend waiting for that title than picking up Street Fighter IV. The game pushes another Street Fighter to the market, but failed to bring back the fond memories or even an enjoyable experience.

I do not recommend this game.