Video game review: Ultra Street Fighter IV

For over thirty years, Capcom has continued to mesmerize and entertain fans with their various selections of video game titles that range from popular side-scrolling shooters to action adventure games, all of which have proven to be stellar hits in their repertoire. 

 

However, none can argue or contest the Japanese developer’s signature brawling series “Street Fighter”, which has remained a staple and one of the company’s flagship franchises for the past twenty-five years.

While the original game introduced the concept of the game in its barest form, the series would not hit its stride until the release of Street Fighter II, which literally changed a generation and is widely considered the grandfather of the fighting game genre.

As Street Fighter’s popularity grew, various upgraded versions and sequels soon followed through the years, with the latest now upon us with the release of the newest iteration of Street Fighter IV, aptly dubbed “Ultra Street Fighter IV”. 

 

Coming out this August after a period that saw the update offered two months beforehand, the retail edition of Ultra Street Fighter IV is a blessing that comes packed with new content and added CGI footage not seen in the digital release.
 

As longtime fans of the series already know by now, a new version of a Street Fighter game usually connotes additions and changes to the game in the form of new characters and balance changers. Ultra Street Fighter IV is no exception, and introduces five new challengers to the already expansive roster of characters, bringing the total number of fighters to 44. 

 

 

Besides seeing familiar faces like Ryu, Ken, Chun-Li, and Guile again, the new blood is ported straight out of the crossover game Street Fighter X Tekken, with Elena, Hugo, Poison, and Rolento making their debut and rendered accordingly with skulls that fit into the game’s mold. 

 

The fifth new “original character” is Decapre, Cammy’s clone and one of Shadoloo’s Bison Dolls, who makes her very first appearance in the Street Fighter series. Her character utilizes a move set that is an amalgamation of her “sister” and her creator, with special moves that combine those attributes with a penchant for using psychic weaponry and blades, which is somewhat of a nod to Capcom’s other property and futuristic ninja hero, Strider Hiryu.

 

For those new to Street Fighter, this is the latest update to the newest installment in the long-running brawler series, which was resurrected as Street Fighter IV – in a time when many thought fighting games would never see the light of day again.

After almost a decade since the release of Street Fighter III: 3rd Strike, no proper sequel for the franchise was made, and many fans started to lose hope on whether or not Capcom had plans to make one at all. But in 2008 SFIV finaly came, and made the transition hefty yet subtle transition to next generation gaming standards by combining 3D cel-shaded graphics with the tried and proven 2D gameplay that has remained fundamentally important to the series success.

As a result, SF IV was hailed as a fantastic comeback for the franchise, and besides helping revitalize interest in the fighting game genre, the game is a masterpiece and sits as one of the top fighting games used in tournaments hosted by the fighting game community, such as the annual e-sport event known as the Evolution Championship Series. 

 

Besides adding new characters to the roster, Ultra also supplies new and old players with brand new mechanics that will literally turn the tide of battle – Red Focus Attack, Ultra Combo Double, and Delayed Standing. Red Focus Attack allows that player to absorb more hits than a regular Focus Attack, which is executed by pressing medium punch + medium kick together with light punch and sees the character flashing red. The same principles apply to using Red Focus, such as cancelling to it after performing a special move or being broken off by an “Armor Break” move or throw, but it’s a new gameplay factor that adds diversity to the methods a fighting game guru can use in Street Fighter IV.

 

As the name implies, an Ultra Combo Double allows the player to use BOTH of his or her character’s Ultra Combos in battle and executed in the very same manner. However the drawback to choosing both is that it deals less damage than choosing one, making it essential to use only if the player wants more tactics or combos to use during the course of battle.

Finally, the Delayed Standing mechanic is used for players who need to delay their “wake up” time so their opponent does not take advantage of their recovery period. That’s executed by pressing two buttons after getting knockdown pretty bad, and gives an edge to someone on the receiving end who needs to delay any punishment their enemy gives to them. This latter method was added by Capcom by fans who wanted to eliminate unblockable set ups in the game.

 

Aside from the new gameplay mechanics, some new modes and features have been included in Ultra Street Fighter IV that will give some replay value to the game  - Online Training, Fight Request during Offline Training, Offline Battle Log, an Elimination Mode, and the ability to upload replays via YouTube.

Like its predecessor Hyper Street Fighter II, players also have the option to select which version of their character to play from the five versions of Street Fighter IV released. For example, if someone wanted to play Ryu from Street Fighter IV, and go up against Sagat from Super Street Fighter IV Arcade Edition, they can do that with the balancing changes and variations from those versions applying to gameplay. This is only available for offline play however, as online matches stick to Ultra Street Fighter IV mode by default.

 

If you’re itching for a good fight and need the perfect fighting game piece to play in, get Ultra Street Fighter IV for the Xbox 360 and Playstation 3. While it certainly lives up to the reputation of Capcom constantly updating and rereleasing old titles, this is one old horse that can get all the fine-tuning it needs, and dedicated fans will still buy into it and play like this writer did. Like Ryu’s quote states perfectly 0- “The answer lies in the heart of battle”. — TJD, GMA News