The Buzz

Last year’s Street Fighter IV was a re-invigorating entry into the fighting genre. The fighters are back for another round in Super Street Fighter IV. Yes I said it. But didn’t they just release Street fighter 4 about a year ago. True but now this has a lot of additions and tweaks that should satisfy almost any fan or new comer to the series.

All the fighters from Street Fighter IV are here and are joined 10 new characters bringing the total roster count to 35. Some characters from previous games in the series such as Cody and Guy from Final Fight, Dudley, Ibuki and Makoto return from the Street Fighter III series. Then there are 2 new brand new faces to the mix, Hakan, a Turkish oil wrestler who seeks to prove that Turkish oil wrestling is the greatest fighting style. Secondly Juri who is a young South Korean female Taekwondo fighter who works for S.I.N. Juri has an energy-boosting device implanted inside her left eye called the “Feng Shui Engine”, which provides her with time-warping abilities. The best thing about it all the characters are unlocked from the start

SSF has a wide array of modes to choose from. The arcade mode has new story lines, cut scenes and rivalries. Though the story may not be the best it doesn’t take away much from the overall experience. In addition to the arcade the barrel buster and car crusher bonus stages make their 3D debut/return. The challenge trial mode has been modified, so instead of having to perform 3 or 4 sets of combos, you have to just perform just one set combo/move to progress to the next level.

The online component has been enhanced. Connecting to players is faster and easier. A new point system was created, where you can earn battle point (BP) and player points (PP) from winning fights. The game features a few additional to the online modes, including Team Battle where you are divided up into two teams and battle in tournament style. Replay Channel, which allows players to view and save replays from around the world, and Endless Battle, in which the winner stays and plays against a rotating group. With those additions championship mode and 1 on 1 player match (where the fights were fought more casually) have been removed.

With a lot of people you can dish out some pain with and a wide variation of game modes, quality game-play is essential. It delivers as the controls are very solid and responsive. The game play remains on a traditional 2D format. Characters are more balanced then the previous game. Weaker characters like Vega now have a slightly more level playing field to work with, while beasts like Ryu and Sagat are less dominant. so you have more of a fighting chance. The timing of the moves is different; you can connect with combos I couldn’t connect before. Everyone have two Ultra Combos, but only one can be selected to be used in a fight. Though most of the new Ultra they threw in the game is uninspired, they do present you with new possibilities for a comeback.

The fighters are designed with a hand-drawn cell shading style which gives them both the cartoonish image, whilst maintaining a 3D appearance. The fighting backgrounds are entirely 3D and are immensely detailed. Showcasing stages from Street fighter IV also 5 new stages, one being a revision of Seth boss stage.

Could they have just easily made this into downloadable content instead of re-releasing another version? Hmmmm nope. This game is too much for DLC. It contains ten new characters, new stages, tweaks to all existing characters, new modes, and a new engine. In the end, this is an excellent update to an already incredible fighting game. So get ready and FIGHT!!!