Best Game Ever: Super Street Fighter 4 (Xbox 360, PS3, PC)

On February 17, 2009, Capcom gave us something that not many people at the time thought was possible beforehand. A brand new fighting game built with the classic 2D fighting game formula that everyone knows and loves, mixed with sleek 3D graphics. That game was Street Fighter 4 (SF4). Years in development, many long time fighting game fan’s had their prayers answered when Capcom finally released the next iteration of their premier fighting game franchise. With a total of 25 playable characters, both classic and new-school, and new online capabilities; Street Fighter 4 brought back the popularity and flare of the classic fighting game scene to a new generation of players.

Enter Super Street Fighter 4 (SSF4). A brand new expansion to the original Street Fighter 4 that adds new features, characters, backgrounds, soundtrack, and game play modes that were not included before. Of all the changes, players will first notice the overhaul to the game’s menus and sounds throughout the game as they navigate different screens and choose any of the game modes available. It should be noted that the game’s main theme from SF4 was removed and instead replaced with a different theme. The over-all look of everything is similar to the ink painting scheme that was present in the original SF4. This look blends well together with the over-the-top shots of different fighters for each menu. Each screen is a beautiful shot of many of the characters featured in SSF4’s roster of fighters, including the main menu being a shot of Ryu and Ken battling it out with each other. Every time a player selects an option or changes a screen, they are greeted with a variety of sounds, some varying from epic punching sounds and the games main theme playing in the background.

In game, SSF4 does not disappoint in the visuals department. The fighters themselves each exhibit massive amounts of personality in both the clothes they wear and moves they make. Each character retains his/her special moves from previous Street Fighter games and maintain their iconic looks that has resonated with fans for so many years. Players have the choice of using American or Japanese voices for characters as they fight their way to victory, both tracks are great in their own rights. The environments in SSF4 are rendered in 3D and given a lot of detail, while the game play remains on a 2D playing field. Each stage players fight on have a personality of their own, including some events and easter eggs players might not notice the first time around.

What makes the Street Fighter franchise so popular is the game play. The original SF4 stayed true to the classic 2D style game play, very similar to older Capcom games like Super Street Fighter 2 Turbo and Street Fighter 3 Third Strike. SSF4 retains this ground work and adds both new characters and rebalanced elements to the game play, this includes damage outputs and frame data changes. There are 10 new characters added, bringing the total roster amount to 35 different fighters for players to choose from. This adds a huge amount of variety of matches and outcomes that will keep any hardcore fighting game fan busy learning match-ups for a long time. Much like original SF4, SSF4 allows players the ability to utilize short-cuts for special move inputs. This is made to allow new players to jump into the game easily and have fun fighting each other, without the worry of trying to pull off advanced moves and combos. While some may feel this dumbs down the necessary skill to play a Street Fighter game, SSF4 still has plenty of complex moves and combos available to discover that will challenge anyone who is willing to attempt to execute them. This is part of Capcom’s attempt to try to bring together new players and long time fans into harmony, so that way everyone can enjoy playing the game, a blend of simplicity and complexity together.

There are plenty of modes available in SSF4 that are both old and new features to fans of original SF4. Online play is expanded upon with the addition of Endless Battle lobby, where up to eight players can play each other in an arcade style of king of the hill. Also available is both Ranked matches, where players compete for battle points and achieve a ranking, and Tournament Mode, where brackets can be set up in a tournament style single round elimination set up. What is probably the feature that many will utilize the most is the Replay Editor, this is where matches can be recorded, saved, reviewed, and uploaded many times over. It is a very useful tool for anyone who wants to try and improve their skills and reach a desired competitive level. Players can view replays of matches they or others have been a part of, and be able to see the inputs of both contestants displayed on the side of the screen.

Super Street Fighter 4 has a lot of new content that is well worth anyone’s dollar. It is far from the same game of which it is derived from, and is a new game that is definitely worthy of any fighting game fans time. With all the new additions that Capcom has provide it’s fans, it is real easy to see why Street Fighter is such a premier franchise within the gaming community and industry. And the fun does not stop there, downloadable content is available over Xbox Live and Playstation Network, which includes new costumes for all of the game’s roster of fighters, each costume being different for each fighter. This is a game that will played over and over again by many gamers, old and new, for years to come. All of this and more offered definitely shows everyone in the gaming world why Super Street Fighter 4 lives up to it’s legacy, and why Street Fighter is indeed gaming’s World Warrior.

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