Super Street Fighter IV

There are four games that make up the Street Fighter IV series; SFIV, SSFIV, SSFIV: AE, and SSFIV: 3D Edition. The Street Fighter IV series goes back to its Street Fighter 2 roots, which created a fighting game craze in the early 90's. By the mid and late 90's the videogame market was oversaturated with fighters, many who were short lived but a handful of franchises stood the test of time. The Street Fighter series is one of them. Content (5/5) It contains all the original content from SSIV except for the Championship mode. Ten additional fighters were implemented in the update; Makoto, Ibuki, Dudley, Adon, Cody, Guy, Dee Jay, T. Hawk, with Haken and Juri being completely new characters. The online experience was also enhanced with the addition of; Team battle, Ranked match, Replay channel, and Endless battle. I believe all characters were given an additional ultra. Story (4/5) This is obsolete in 90% of fighting games, but for what its worth it varies from warrior to warrior. Some storyline is revealed when you start your journey and a bit more when you beat the game. If you're looking for a complex back-story, you won't find it here. Graphics (5/5) Simply amazing, they use 3d sprites on a 2d plain. The graphic style is a combination of SFIII and the SF EX series with an HD twist. It's very pleasing to the eye, the character polish and detail is top notch. I don't recall the precise number of stages but it's enough to keep you from complaining about variety. Even though the stages are in a 2d style they perfectly match the quality of the characters, the days of high quality backgrounds and low quality sprites or vise a versa are long gone. My favorite stages include; Construction site, Overpass, and Small Airport, must see to appreciate. BGM (5/5) I can't say much about the BGM, I get too sucked into the game play to even notice most of it but I recognized many of the classic SFII themes, which are obviously remixed or re-mastered in the best quality. During my many hours of game play I have not noticed a song that's out of place, sorry guys but no random jazz beats (MvC reference). I did wish the music was a tad louder but a sound system would fix that, which I'm looking into. Game play (5/5) As I mentioned the style of play is extremely close to that of SFII, which works rather well despite the fact that the fighting engine is twenty years old. There are other additions like; focus attack, super, and ultra combo systems. If you were not a fan of the SFII series back in the day, you might want to give it a chance this time around. It's polished enough to fell like a new game. Controls (5/5) Instantly familiar if you played any Street Fighter game in the past. Many moves remain the same for classic characters. I had no problems pulling off 99% of special moves rather early on, with the exception of Guile's double dash and the handful of moves with that motion. The combo system is not too harsh on the fingers, I did find it easier to use a standard controller opposed to an arcade stick. I reserve my arcade stick implementation for offline play. Replay value (5/5) The trials mode has kept me quite busy even after a year or so. I'm only 60% through it, it could get pretty challenging. The online experience has also kept me occupied since my purchase; I play a couple matches almost everyday. This is one of those games that you'll keep coming back too even after newer incarnations are released. When the PSN was hacked earlier this year, I ran out and bought a 3ds and a copy of SSFIV: 3D Edition just to play online. I have several titles on my 3ds but this is the game I play the most on it, I'll post a review of that version as well. Minor Imperfections: I have very few complaints; the costume packs Capcom offer as DLC could get really expensive if you want all the alternate costumes for all the characters, some of them are not that great looking. Of course this is optional. The game play itself is rather slow compared to so many other fighting game titles, this doesn't bug me but it would have been nice to have the option of toggling the game play pace. On the other hand I think it would unbalance the game if this option were available. Also the online mode for ranked matches could be a hassle at times, I found it easier to play arcade mode with fight request on. Otherwise it could take a couple minutes to find matches. General View (5/5) I played the original SFIV a hand full of times at my buddy's house, around the time this version was launched. I thought SSFIV would be an excellent edition to my collection; I had no Idea I was going to spend so much time with it. The ten added characters and enhanced online modes made a great addition to the series; Super Street Fighter IV exceeded my expectations and became an instant classic.

Before the review starts I would like to say that I love video games, but I play them for fun, not competition: The original Street Fighter IV was a very gun game. The fighting engine was solid, along with the controls, and it was great to see the return of a great series after 7 years since the last numbered entry. The Street Fighter series has long been known for its game engine, and IV did not disappoint. What it was missing however, was the fun and ridiculousness that other games in the series had. There were 25 characters, however most of them were clones of ryu and were not fun to play as. With Super Street Fighter 4 you get 10 original fun characters who add a lot to the game. You get to pick your ultra move when you select your character (Ultra Moves are what can be used when your Revenge meter builds up (by getting damaged)). Super Combos reward the player for doing well by allowing a strong moving, that is not quite as powerful as the ultra. By offering the player a choice of Ultra Moves new strategies are implemented, and it feels like you can change the character to fit how you play. For example, in the original street fighter 4 many moves I could not pull off or understand, now I can pick a move that I understand how to do. The 10 new characters all add so much more to the game instead of just being generic clones. You can play as 2 characters from the beat-em-up Final Fight, a Gentleman Boxer named Dudley, a Poisonous Korean Acrobat, a Greasy sunburned body builder, an Australian kick master etc. These characters add much needed variety into street fighter 4, and many of their moves are simpler to perform than the predecessor. Also included is the use of Bonus Stages like in the original street fighter 2, the stages are 3D versions of the Car Smashing and Barrel Bashing minigames and while they aren't amazing, like everything else in this game they add variety and fun. Like all your standard fighters there is arcade mode which you play through and fight boss and rival characters, an extensive and great online mode, and local multiplayer. One minor addition which made all the difference to me, was an option you can unlock that plays character themes in vs. mode, as compared to the stage themes (like classic Street Fighter games). This is great and makes for some epic fights, however one downside is that this option only works in vs (on or offline) mode. Overall if love fun fighting games, that are not only full of variety, but have a very solid and well made game engine, than this is game is second only to the ridiculous Marvel vs Capcom 2.

I just wanted to address some of the main complaints I see with regards to this game. Apparently, some folks out there who purchased the original Street Fighter 4 have a problem with "paying for the same game twice". Some folks think that they "wasted their money" on the original SF4, because Super SF4 is better. Others think that this is nothing more than "Capcom's attempt to milk a franchise and rip off its customers." I can understand the cynicism n this day and age, but it's unwarranted here, -You aren't "paying for the same game twice", because of the ridiculous amount of additional content they've added. 10 brand new characters is major. Most franchises don't even add 10 new characters in a SEQUEL, let alone an update. PLUS gameplay revisions and all new ultras for the existing cast that can completely change the way the old characters are played. PLUS a more social online atmosphere thanks to lobbies, team battle, and the upcoming free DLC tournament mode. There's a lot of stuff here that wasn't here before... -You didn't "waste your money" on the original SF4 because IT WAS A GREAT GAME, AND YOU ENJOYED IT. The original SF4 was a fantastic, genre-reviving game with infinite replay value and appeal. The past 14 months of intense beat downs, tournaments, hype, and discovery were well worth the $60 we paid for it. Purchasing Super SF4 won't change that. Especially since the knowledge you earned over the past year will serve you very well in this new game. -This isn't "Capcom's attempt to milk a franchise and rip off its customers", because so much of the ingredients to this feast were based on fan requests. Online lobbies? Fans demanded it. Better balance? Fans demanded it. Street Fighter 3 characters? Fans demanded it. Listening to classic character themes during regular battles? Fans demanded it. The list goes on. Capcom simply saw the demand, and provided the supply. Sure, it would have been great if this massive cornucopia of fighting were available in the original SF4, but unfortunately Capcom doesn't have a magic wand that creates fighting games out of thin air. Limited time and resources forced them to split the costs and risks over two separate releases (remember, the original SF4 was a huge gamble that Capcom wasn't sure would be a success.) In the end, it's all just business. In February 2009, Capcom released a game called Street Fighter 4. I paid 60 bucks, and in return got way more than 60 bucks worth of value for it. Both sides profited. Fast forward to April 2010 as Capcom now approaches me with the similar proposition. Pay them 60 bucks in exchange for more than 60 bucks worth of enjoyment. I see no reason why I shouldn't pull the trigger again. Oh wait...you mean to tell me, it's not 60 bucks? It's even CHEAPER? Well, maybe we need to reconsider who exactly is ripping off whom here...

This is one of the funnest games I've ever played. Definitely the funnest I've played in 2010. Has the best replay value of any game out there. I don't quite agree with the reviews that say "this is what Vanilla Street Fighter should have been like," because well, sure that would have been nice if it was, but how would Capcom know what the fans want fixed from the original, before the original was out? They pretty much saw what players wanted, then fixed allot of what fans said needed fixing. We now have a "super" balanced game, where (at least to me) it seems nearly impossible to tell which characters are better, as now they all require learning how to use, and all have tough matchups. This game, much like the rest of the street fighter series, is NOT designed to be played till you beat the game. This is a tournament style game designed to be played against other people. You will never get good at it if you only play against the CPU. Likewise if none of your friends play the game and you aren't willing to get into the Street Fighter scene to find good players to play against, and only like games with a very well developed storyline, I would suggest you pass this one up. It takes a *TON* of time and effort to get to even a mediocre level of play. Also you have to not mind loosing, because if you're new to fighting games you WILL lose a lot. However if you are a fan of fighting games what are you waiting for? BUY the damn game and start playing! If you're looking to get into 2D fighter games and are considering starting out with SFIV, yes, get this over the vanilla SF or any other current 2D fighting game, it will have the most people playing it, and is also the funnest one (in my opinion). Also don't forget to pick up a stick (if you don't already have one), I personally prefer the TE layout over the Hori layout, but that is all opinion. There is no real difference between the madcatz SFIV TE and the SSFIV TE, so unless you want it for looks, get whichever is cheaper.

After playing Street Fighter IV, I had some issues. Sure, it was a fun game, but something seemed to be missing. I don't mean characters, but something else. Something less tangible. To this day I am not really sure what was missing from the SFIV, but whatever it was found it's way on to SSFIV. First off, I want to say that for the price this game is being offered for, it is very reasonable. I was like a lot of gamers out there when I heard that Super Street Fighter IV was coming out. My exact thoughts were "Wow, way to shaft us, Capcom!" In fact, I may have even said it out loud......in the store......in front of children.......but I digress. This game is head and shoulders above the SFIV fans grew to love and, in fact, one of the best features is the fact that it seems easier to pull off the Ultra combos without the arcade stick. While arcade stick owners still seem to have an edge, the advantage is a lot more balanced this time around. Simply put, it has the arcade feel without NEEDING the arcade. However, if you are truly serious about this game and haven't splurged yet, pick up an arcade controller. I am not quite THAT gung ho about Street Fighter, but luckily I have a friend who is and I can say with some certainty, the Sony PS3 Street Fighter IV FightStick does help with the more difficult maneuvers. PS3 Street Fighter IV Round 2 FightPad - Cammy controllers are a cheaper way to go, but I can't attest to how helpful they are. Secondly, the new characters are AMAZING. Juri has got to be, hands down, one of the best additions to the franchise period. I like how the various characters are balanced out and how everyone has two Ultras. It would have been nicer had everyone been given the choice to switch between the two on the fly, but I find that to be a nitpick if anything. Seth is still a pain in the @$$, but hey.....he's the boss. He wouldn't be much of a villain if he didn't resort to cheap moves and impossible counters. The new stages are pretty to see, but stages in games like this I tend to care less about. There is no real interaction with it so it is little more than some new wallpaper. The reintroduction of bonus stages is nostalgic gold. KUDOS! Third, this is a NOT A FIGHTING GAME. This is practically a lifestyle. With the TREMENDOUS amount of characters to choose....many of which are unique....each requires a learning curve that can only be compared to the arts. Sure, novices can pick up and play, but to truly dominate in every facet; prepare to put some schoolwork in. This alone makes this game exceed where so many other fighting games fall flat.....longevity. If you haven't played Street Fighter in a few years.......or even if you have been playing Street Fighter IV for the last several months.....you will find yourself learning the skills all over again. This very thing can be seen as a negative, though. Some of us don't want so steep a learning curve. If that is the case, you are better off passing this up. This game requires practice. Lastly, and probably the biggest plus of all: Everyone is unlocked at the start. My biggest gripe with Street Fighter IV was having to toil through to try out the new characters. In this game, they are all available to tinker with from the get-go. I really enjoy this aspect since, well.....I tend to be impatient. If you are a fan of fighting games, this one should be a no-brainer. If you are only a pseudo-fan of fighting games (like I am), you will probably want to rent it, but do so with an open mind. You won't be awesome after a few fights. This game takes patience to master and yields some of the most satisfying results once you do. All in all, I still feel like this could have been handled as a cheaper add-on with some patches to SFIV, but when you compare the cost of admission with the massive improvements, even the most cynical of gamers out there should have a softened heart to Capcom. So long as they continue to produce quality like this, they'll keep on getting my money.

I only played Street Fighter 4 a couple of times before I realized that I just plain didn't like it. And that's pretty bad coming from someone who grew up with the series, playing the first incarnation of Street Fighter 2 when it hit arcades in the early 90s. Something seemed off to me, balance was horrible, and the online modes were lackluster. Plus it seemed like there was a lot missing that they could've put in, but didn't just so they could make the release date. Sure enough, Super Street Fighter 4 was announced just a few months later. So I waited, and once I saw gameplay of the new characters and the changes they made to the original cast, I went and pre-ordered it, knowing I wouldn't be disappointed. Obviously, I wasn't, given the title of this review and the ratings, and anyone who was disappointed with the first SF4 should at least give this a rental/borrow. First things first, the new characters. While I wish they would've added a few more unique characters (like Oro, so then we could have the 4 true masters in one title finally!), the characters they added all rock for the most part, and getting to see Dudley take on Balrog is something that needs to be seen for yourself in order to experience the gentlemanly bad-assedry. Juri's pretty rad too, and once I played as her in the Training mode just to see her moves, I could see why there are so many people playing as her online. The original cast from SF4 got changed here and there, like some attacks having different priority, being slowed down, or not being invincible during an EX move. Sagat and Ryu were notorious for being god-like in the previous version, and here...they're still pretty tough, but not -as- impossible to take down as they were. Trust me when I say that if you play competitively, the tiers list will be quite different from the SF4 tiers. Heck, I think Cody's an automatic upper tier just because his knife attacks do chip damage while being blocked and one of his Ultras can almost always hit you when you're on the ground. Online modes have been revamped as well, and it's so much better from what it used to be. There's little to no lag most of the time when I'm playing people in the same region, though sometimes there'll be a quick freeze for both players, and then it goes back to normal. Endless Battle is similar to the mode in the Dead or Alive 2 remake for Xbox, where a person hosts a game, then others keep playing them until they're defeated. This can be a true test of skill if you think you're all that. I still wish there was a way to do rematches when a match ends in the Ranked Battle, so I wouldn't have to go right back to the Network menu to pick another match type, but it's not that big of a complaint. I did have some problems with trying to join another person's Ranked Match. Sometimes it would say that there was a problem, and ask if I wanted to try again, only to have another problem. If this happens to you, just host your own game. SSF4 is so hot, there's ALWAYS someone to play against. Heck, look at Super Street Fighter 2 HD Remix- there's ALWAYS someone to play against on there too, and that thing's been out for a while. There are a few extra features, like titles and icons you can earn through Arcade, Network and Challenge modes, and there's also a completely new set of trophies to earn here. Nope, they didn't just port over the old list from SF4, everything's new and you'll have to earn them again. Costume packs from SF4 transfer over to SSF4, and that 'bonus' that Capcom talked about for people who have their SF4 files still saved...is just an extra color. It's a cool filter [that only works for the original color] that gives you a comic book look, similar to the style in Valkyria Chronicles. Capcom also gave a couple of characters an extra Rival scene in Arcade mode, but unfortunately, Gen and Akuma didn't get one. The opening and ending animated scenes are still horrible, but eh, how often do fighting games get good endings in Arcade mode? I would've liked Capcom to have finally made a Story mode like what Guilty Gear and BlazBlue had. They've been sitting back while the fans figure out what's actually going on with the story for way too long. Even the endings here, which are completely different from those in SF4, don't explain much if they have anything to do with the story, and what they do explain is often left for you to figure out (like Akuma's). The graphics remain the same from SF4 of course, but the new animations for new Ultras can range from incredible to incredibly goofy (like Akuma's new Tasmanian Devil Ultra). There are a lot of new tracks to listen to, and I'm happy to say all of them are just as memorable as the old themes from the first Street Fighter 2. You gotta love Cody's theme, and especially the new Dudley mix. As with the last game, you can also set the voices to English or Japanese...or mix and match and choose who you want to speak either language. 'very good for those people who whine about 'omg da english subs sux0rz' all the time and think it affects gameplay. All in all, despite the few problems here, I'm glad I waited for this. Oh heck, I was actually hyped for this game, and I -never- get like that for anything. While I love BlazBlue, Street Fighter tends to be the fighting game series that I always play the most, and with SF4, it looks like it'll be staying that way for a while. Now if Guilty Gear X3 comes out...

This street fighter game captured memories of past SF games, but I don't think it is something you can play over and over. Comparing it to Soul Calibur 2, this game does not have enough modes of play for people who play by themself. The online mode was nice, but its difficult if you are not a good player. The game moves haven't changed much in 20 years. Some of the super power moves are confusing. I had more fun playing older fighters like Virtua Fighter 4 and Soul Calibur. The game art and music is cool on this. Not a bad reboot of the game characters. With Capcom creating more and more SF games, this one will quickly lose its value. I probably wouldn't buy it again.

Some of you may remember Street Fighter 2. Back then, SF2 was all but the only game in town, but it was notorious for its endless rehashes that often amounted to minor upgrades - that we were expected to pay full retail price for, again and again. So you might see this "Super" Street Fighter 4 and think, "Oh no, not THIS time..." Well, relax. This is not just an expensive patch. Super Street Fighter 4 is jam-packed with enough new content, new fighters, new gameplay and new strategies to not only feel like a fully qualified sequel to the previous game, but to eclipse the original iteration in nearly every respect (the only points where the original manages to win are in the quality of its anime cutscenes, and the relative cheapness of the arcade mode boss. Yes, Seth is actually worse now.) So in buying, your decision is going to be based on what camp you're in. Did you enjoy Street Fighter IV? Then you will undoubtedly enjoy Super Street Fighter IV, and won't at all feel like you're rehashing old ground. Did you *not* enjoy Street Fighter IV? Then you can safely skip this one. Despite being a full-on sequel it's still SF4 at its core, a slower, more technical 2D fighter with a low barrier to entry and a loooooooong road to mastery. New to the world of Street Fighter? The best I can say is that you can safely skip the original SF4 and proceed directly to Super. Other than that, just know that both games were modeled very closely after Street Fighter 2, the granddaddy of all modern fighters, and are therefore generally more subtle and controlled than the more reflexive and manic funfests that most modern fighters try to be. Super Street Fighter 4 can be fun at first too, but only through hard work and dedication can one find out what the game truly has to offer. It's like a thinking man's game, except in this case the thinking man is kicking you in the face for trying to shoot him with a fireball. The bottom line: If you're hesitant about upgrading to the new version, don't be. If you think this new version's going to change your mind, it won't. And if you just don't know yet, then check it out - at the very least, the gameplay-to-cost ratio is through the roof, so you'll be entertained for a very long time.