The Street Fighter series has been quietly dominating the fighting game and tournament scene now for over fifteen years. In those years Capcom, the creators of Street Fighter and several other popular franchises, has made many sequels and updates to its flagship series; some good, some not so good, but each sequel has offered a new experience to the fighting genre and has allowed Capcom to become one of the most influential companies in the video game industry today.
It is mostly due to their constant fan service that Capcom has had such tremendous support for so long. They give the fans what they want. It’s a simple concept really. Two players face off against one another in a test of skill, dexterity, and a little bit of luck.
“Put your quarters where your mouth is…”
May the best man or woman win. It’s this easy to play/difficult to master style of game Capcom has crafted over the years that has allowed many gamers like me to get together with a few good friends and have blast beating the crap out of each other in a game that blends realistic fighting styles and mystical attacks in one great package.
The Story behind the series has roughly remained the same. Once again fighters from all over the globe have gathered together to decide who will become the next world warrior. The game does offer plenty of animated cut scenes to convey each characters storyline as they progress throughout the game. However, the plotline in this game just like in many of the previous Street Fighter games, is mainly just a filler for the real reason to play it; the fighting.
At its core, a fighting game is only as good as its selection of characters. Making sure each one is formidable but not too over/underpowered is the key to making a great fighting game with longevity. I say longevity because many fighting games have come along over the years and many have been forgotten because their core game play was flawed in some way. Only through the passage of time can a games’ fighting engine really be put to the test. Super Street Fighter 2 Turbo was released on March 1994 and to this day people are still discovering new tactics and combos for that game. If a game is designed well it will age like a fine wine and just get better and better as time goes by.
Capcom’s latest entry into the Street Fighter series stays true to this basic idea. It’s still a game that anyone can pick up and play and be able to scrape out a few wins against the game’s A.I. It takes time, dedication and trial and error however, to become truly skilled and able to take on all comers.
The graphic style Capcom has developed for this game is remarkable to watch in motion. The game feels and looks like a live action comic book with vivid colors displayed on screen and a very cool inkblot-type of effect that is used during some of the characters’ attacks.
The soundtrack has received an overhaul as well and now includes new remixed versions of each fighter’s theme music as well as a new opening theme song to replacing STREET FIGHTER 4’s awful intro song (don’t believe me? Check it out for yourself. Click HERE to watch SF4’s opening theme song in all of its J-Pop glory).
SUPER STREET FIGHTER 4 offers a roster of 35 different characters each with their own unique fighting style. How you approach one character, say, Vega (very fast, full of unpredictable attacks, low damage) will vary greatly from, say, T.Hawk (slow, powerful attacks, dangerous up close). It’s this diversity between characters that allows many different playing styles to develop and forces players to constantly adapt their skills to tackle each new situation. Because each character has their own set of strengths and weaknesses, having an answer or figuring out a solution to a specific situation draws players to spend an inordinate amount of time learning the game and its play mechanics.
Capcom has truly outdone themselves with this iteration of their game. They've expanded the online capabilities to make the game even more fun to play over XBL or PSN and at $40 you really can't lose. In my opinion this is one of the most balanced and complete version of the Street Fighter series to date. If you own a PlayStation 3 console or an Xbox 360 console and you call yourself a fighting game fan you won’t want to miss out on SUPER STREET FIGHTER 4.
