Everybody Was Kung Fu Fighting - Street Fighter IV

So I caved…

I mean, I accidentally fell in the door of GameStop on the way home from work, got pushed by a crowd down to the back of the store where my bag was infiltrated by a copy of Street Fighter IV for the 360. Dan was in a similar position…he didn’t want Resident Evil V, but it forced itself on him, like a drunk teenage girl at Wesley.

Anyway, from what I’ve gotten to play of it so far, I’m loving every second. EVERY SECOND, YOU HEAR THAT!!!

There’s a review of sorts under the cut. For those that couldn’t be arsed reading it, I’m giving it 4/5.

And for those that might care, my Gamertag is NathanCable…just in case anyone fancies trying to kick my ass (you’ll probably succeed…but for politeness’ sake, at least comment and let me know yours so I can and will accept, cos otherwise it’s just stalkery…)

Ever wanted to visit the early 90s, but found yourself lacking a Delorian and a flux capacitor? Well, Capcom have managed to compress the whole experience onto a little disc, and have called it Street Fighter IV.

Just in case you’re too young to remember, the Street Fighter series (well, let’s be honest, it was mainly Street Fighter II and all its different forms, like Alpha, EX, EX Alpha, Alpha XX…y’know what I mean) was the staple of arcade games in the early 90s. If you wanted realistic motion capture, super-powerful characters beating on others that never stood a chance, and a hell of a lot of blood, you played Mortal Kombat II; if you didn’t, it was Street Fighter II. SFIV manages to capture everything that made the original the success it was, completely updating it for the modern gamer and consoles, never quite losing its touch.

In terms of gameplay, SFIV bucks the recent trend of bringing 2-D fighters into the third dimension. The backgrounds and characters are 3-D, but the action plays out on a level playing field, with no side-stepping; you’re either moving towards your opponent or away from them. Or jumping over them, of course. This has a knock on effect with controls, making for smooth execution of moves, both special and otherwise. The analog-stick and D-pad are equally functional, with buttons attributed to light/medium/heavy punches and kicks (which are mostly the same in terms of damage and combo-strings) and the special moves of the core, original characters have remained the same (albeit with vastly updated effects) making the game ludicrously easy to get into if you haven’t played a fighting game in a few years.

There are some new characters thrown into the mix, but all the stalwarts like Ken, Ryu, Chun-Li and Guile remain. The basic gameplay modes include one-player arcade (fight your way against the roster with some very loosely interconnected story modes) and versus mode, so you can trade punches with your nearest and dearest, armed with another controller. SFIV also comes kitted out for online play, meaning you can relive all those experiences of the older kid coming along to kick your ass without ever leaving the comfort of your own sofa.

Artistically and graphically beautiful, SFIV will bring back memories of all that time ago, and hopefully win over a lot of new gamers: the very simple gameplay modes might disappoint some gamers who’ve grown accustomed to lengthy story modes and similar extras, but will delight anyone who remembers what gaming was like in the olden days. Yes, I just called the early 90s “the olden days”: if that doesn’t give you an idea of how awesomely nostalgic this game is, nothing ever will.

Originally published on FrankTheMonkey.com and shared to BurnAllZombies.com, March 15, 2009.