Street Fighter IV

Preview from Jae and Jae - Wednesday, 04 February 2009 @ 12:15pm

After kicking Yug’s butt numerous times over the weekend Jae’s got a preview of one of the most anticipated titles of '09.

Naturally fish need water to survive, birds need feathers to fly and I need fighting games to have pride and honour. Honour is very important in my family and Streetfighter feeds it to me. I’ve been feeding my cause recently with things like Tatsunoko VS Capcom, Soul Calibur IV and Street Fighter II HD Remix - all of which have good elements, although don’t innovate the genre like the originals from the early 90’s. I had originally bought (and by bought I mean convinced my older siblings to purchase) a SNES for the original Street Fighter II, the game that set the benchmark by which many titles came to imitate.

Just to note this preview is based off a trial copy of the game that includes two fighting stages and all of the playable arcade characters.

Awesome bicep powa!

Capcom have come out and said recently that SF4 is meant to appeal to the veterans as well as new comers, by bringing things back to basics. The game play definitely seems to support this. No fancy leaps in the air, no super 50 hit combos or player swap modes can be seen in this game. It does manage to sneak in some unexpected subtle differences in moves that you will come to notice. It took me a while to get use to some of the new mechanics, focus attacks for example, which are executed with medium punch + kick and the placement of throws - which are now only done by pressing low kick + punch. Thinking I could throw by simply pressing one button was disastrous the first few rounds until I sat down and learnt a little more.

Down forward punch, forward down forward punch and back down back kick became the staple move set to last an entire decade and a half. They’re still going strong in SF4 with some of the new characters adopting bits from every player. Those who deem themselves “hardcore” will come to appreciate playing this game with a joystick. I had previously invested in a PS3 Hori stick for Soul Calibur IV which translates to SF4 perfectly. I didn’t find it a great tool for the HD remix version I have on my hard drive, because that game is brutally hard. If you’re a playa playa from way back, it will be wise to invest in a joystick for this game. Especially if you’re thinking of getting the 360 version with that shotty D-pad.

Sit on me and tell me that you love me

The most intriguing new character would have to be Crimson Viper. With art work and special moves that look similar to the Kings of Fighter’s series, C.Viper can pack a nasty punch and firey kick right up your bum hole. Missing from the trial copy of this game were the console exclusive characters; Gen, Cammy, Dan, Fei-long and Rose. No big loss for me as I never fancied their move sets in previous titles. I’m a Ryu, Chun Li and Sakura kind of guy, all the way, AZN power!

Blubber conquers all

It's the subtleties that make SF4 a sure classic. Nice facial detail, well segmented power bar and ultra moves to bring the fight back in your favour are all new elements that extend the game. I'll bet some good money that this game will still be a common return to my system for the next decade. Perhaps a Super Street Fighter IV in the near future or even a Street Fighter IV Ultra HD remix. Oh no, Capcom thought of it! I can't wait to see the final build and see if the modes, including online play, will help this title survive the test of time. One gripe I have is that the special edition will give you the ability to unlock special outfits. I'm not too interested in spending over $100 for a fighter so the costumes will have to be missed for this player. Bring on Feb 20th! Then bring on the tourneys.