Street Fighter IV Review
- Posted February 15th, 2009 at 19:05 EDT by Steven Williamson
- 16,929 views
- 66 Comments
Review Score
- PSU Review Score
- 9.5
- Avg. user review score:
- 7.4
Summary
Street Fighter IV is a sublime reintroduction to a brilliant series, one that will be celebrated by fans and adored by new players alike.
We like
- The way it plays like Street Fighter of old, but still feels fresh and new
- The wide range of moves and the in-depth combat system
- The excellent training mode, which gives everyone a chance to master the moves
We dislike
- The lengthy waiting period after losing a fight
See PSU's review on Metacritic & GameRankings
Shoryuken!!! Few videogame series have made such a strong impact on their respective genres in the way that Street Fighter has over its 20 year lifespan. My memories take me back to the early-Nineties and Street Fighter II, which was heralded as being the catalyst that ignited the fighting game boom of that decade. I remember sneaking out of the schoolyard at lunch times to play mini-tournaments on the arcade machine in our local chip shop. The machine was used so often by school kids that the punch and kick buttons had been worn down from teenage sweat and frantic button-mashing.
It was Street Fighter II that spawned the iconic roster of virtual fighters which are now firmly etched into the memories of fans, and remembered with great fondness by all who were lucky enough to have spent time in its company. Blanka, Chun-Li, Ryu, Ken and Guile are just a few of the names that immediately trigger nostalgic flashbacks to epic SNES battles that would keep my brother and I locked away happily for hours in our bedroom without any need for food, drink or conversation.
It was with Street Fighter II that the series’ six-button configuration was born, giving us a deep fighting experience that required skill to master, but could still be enjoyed by anyone. From Blanka’s Lighting Cannonball to E.Honda’s Killer Head Ram to Ken’s Hadoken, the character-specific special moves were all impressive to watch, yet tricky to pull off in the heat of the flurrying battles, which were brilliantly orchestrated through a range of carefully traded blows, head butts, slaps, throws, fireballs and dragon punches.
Street Fighter IV has brought these memories flooding back to me with a tidal wave of affection, but more importantly, it has given us, fans of the series, a chance to re-live them all over again. Furthermore, a new legion of gamers now has the opportunity to see what all the fuss was about, and I have no doubt that they’ll absolutely love it. Street Fighter IV encapsulates the glory days of Street Fighter II by bringing back the iconic list of fighters and their familiar move sets, but it also flings some new fighters into the arena, most of whom fit seamlessly into the roster and feel like they’ve always been part of the furniture. Street Fighter is back, looking better than ever, with some superb enhancements that make it just as much fun, if not more, than I remember. This is virtual sparring at its very best and a glorious return to the quintessential fighter of this generation.
The character roster in Street Fighter IV boasts all of the recognizable figures from Street Fighter II. The mystical Indian Yogi, Dhalsim, returns, who fights well from long range thanks to his elasticized arms and legs, alongside “chunky-thighs” Chun-Li with her face-slapping Spinning Bird Kick, and the Russian Wrestler, Zangief, with his hugely powerful frame and devastating Spinning Piledriver move. The four bosses also reappear -– Vega, Sagat, M Bison and Balrog bring their blend of hard-hitting moves into the arena and all look suitably 'next-gen', rendered impressively in stylized 3D computer graphics. The characters look like they’ve always done, but have now blossomed into crisper, sharper and more vivid figures on screen and represent a true evolution of the series.
Backdrops have also been given a much needed lick of virtual paint. Some of them are still familiar. Guile’s home base of The United States Air Force airbase with an F-16 fighter jet in the background, for example, makes a return, but has been given a shot of next-gen sheen and now has so much more depth and detail to it. Similarly, other locations, including the likes of the Rundown Back Alley, Volcanic Rim, Beautiful Bay, and Cruise Ship Storm boast impressive animations and weather affects that breath life into them.
While it's certainly nice to have a good mix of suitably impressive and opulently decorated arenas to battle in, it's still the fighting that shines brightest and makes Street Fighter IV so addictive and entertaining. The games takes place on a 2D plane, which means that each battle is a tug-of-war match, a finely balanced tactical fight where you have to try and second guess your opponent's next move. The set-up is a ... (continued on next page)
Comments
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disposableheroV |
disposableheroV- 7:05pm GMT - February 15th, 2009
- 4
Aww yeah man, great review. Can't wait to get it.
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PS3COOLDUDE
- 7:34pm GMT - February 15th, 2009
- 9
One word to describe Street Fighter 4 "WOW" You will surely enjoy the game! so buy it when it arrives!
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The Master
- 8:48pm GMT - February 15th, 2009
- 17
Really...a 9.5...so same level as killzone 2....really???
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Shin Asura |
Rukia- 9:24pm GMT - February 15th, 2009
- 20
HOly shat, why isn't it tuesday yet
O M G !!!!!!!
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PsychoMantis |
KuruptX- 9:58pm GMT - February 15th, 2009
- 21
I haven't played a street fighter game in a long time I fear ill get pwned big time. :lol:
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acidjoker
- 11:50pm GMT - February 15th, 2009
- 25
well street fighter is good and fan , bt nothing is better dan TEKKEN ! nothing would be like dat game ! NOTHING at all ! =D
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LOVE tekken
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btw i guess 9.5 is too much for street fighter ! i mean common guyzz ! dont just rate for nothing ! it could be 8 or 7 not 9.5 . bad rated . sorry
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IceColdEskimo |
IceColdEskimo- 12:05am GMT - February 16th, 2009
- 27
about 40 more hours until I can get my hands on this game
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r_e_f_l_e_x |
r_e_f_l_e_x- 12:14am GMT - February 16th, 2009
- 28
yeah i thought this guy might be baised considering he has played it since he was younger
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shamurai7
- 12:53am GMT - February 16th, 2009
- 29
hmmm, i have not played it but it does not look graphically as impressive as sould calibur, and it does not have a character creator? I think ill pass unless this title is only like 30 dollars. Really what can the production value be behind a pseudo 3d fighter? I cant imagine putting a similar price tag on this compared to MGS 4, KZ2, Resistance 2, FF13, God of War 3. I think Ill wait to see what tekken has to offer me. This game would have to have 40 distinct characters with unique styles to cost 60 dollars.
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Bigdoggy |
Gypscrew- 1:11am GMT - February 16th, 2009
- 30
just to get some people to understand here (those that are wondering why it's the same score or whatever as Killzone 2). Remember there are different kinds of games here.
Fighters
FPS
RPG
Racers
etc etc
This game got a 9.5 compared to other fighters, why some of you are trying to compare fighters to FPS is beyond me.
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lurkingshadow89 |
DEATH555666- 2:16am GMT - February 16th, 2009
- 32
im not one for knocking on a game and really im not im knocking on the review. All the reviews psu usally do r a lil stingy in the sense games arnt givin enough credit. like resistance 2 got an 8.5 where as killzone 2 got a 9.5. Now im sure street fight I V will be amazing but u cant give it what u would give killzone 2 that is being overly giving in my apinion. once again im buying street fighter im not knocking it but u cant tell me it can hold water to killzone 2. 9 mabe not what killzone was givin.
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darksora |
Rav_M- 3:56am GMT - February 16th, 2009
- 34
Why are people comparing this to Killzone 2's review?!?! Seriously, this is a completely different genre so when it's given a 9.5 its being rated against other fighters not a FPS game.
Seriously, some people can be so retarded! >_< Anyways, can't wait to play this :D Although I won't be able to get it, I'll be playing it at my friends and cousins :p
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draculaboy |
draculaboy99- 4:54am GMT - February 16th, 2009
- 36
going to get it today
(yesterday i got killzone 2 and today this )
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three3-times |
three3_timeZ- 7:06am GMT - February 16th, 2009
- 41
GREAT game, best beat em up all time imo, shame i got this for my 360. will have to buy for my PS3 when it comes out or when i get paid! its only £28!
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hitman8062 |
hitman8062- 9:50am GMT - February 16th, 2009
- 43
I need advice...
Street Fighter IV or Resident Evil 5 which one should i get?
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subwaydesign
- 10:50am GMT - February 16th, 2009
- 45
@38
"MK should take a look and go back to its roots"
EXACTLY my thoughts. i haven't enjoyed an MK game since MK3. had a little fun with 4 but not nearly as much...
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shmupmaniac
- 1:34pm GMT - February 16th, 2009
- 47
Street fighter is awesome. I still can't believe how people can complain about the difficulty of games these days, though. They are way easier than they used to be. Try finishing Ghosts and Goblins, Castlevania or Megaman on the NES, then you'll know hard.
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NirvanaFr3ak |
NirvanaFreak- 1:44pm GMT - February 16th, 2009
- 48
Nice review. But seriously you need to work on your dislikes. I don't think having to wait 20 more seconds to restart the fight in a plausible excuse to lower the rating by .5. There has to be something else. The pros are perfect though.
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RagingStorm |
RagingStormX- 3:10pm GMT - February 16th, 2009
- 49
@ 42... you couldn't have been more wrong. That is part of Konami's code, most popular for Contra. The only code for street fighter back in the day was; Down, R, Up, L, Y, B (get all 10 star for SSF2T on SNES). Pfft...and for the cats riding on Tekken, best fighting games series ever? HA...it may be up there with the top three best 3D fighters...but as for fighters as a whole 2D and 3D...Tekken isn't up to par. ( Note - Tekken is by no means garbage..and is arguabley the best 3D fighter..but it only rules the 3D fighters realm)
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