LogFAQs > #934809721

#28. Street Fighter IV


Street Fighter IV is the most extensive online gaming experience Ive had by a long shot. Online multiplayer isnt a selling point for me at all, and yet I found myself getting engrossed into this games fight scene. I played several Board 8ers in this game over the years, as well as just random people online. There was just something addictive about it. It was easily accessible regardless of your skill level (while I am miles ahead of any of my real life friends since none of them got into fighters the way I did, I am thoroughly average overall) or who you wanted to play as, and it had a good community. I used to love watching the Street Fighter IV tournaments for EVO, too. I tried getting into the online scene for Street Fighter V solely because of how much fun I had with this one, and it just wasnt the same. I cant explain it (well, other than it just not being as good of a game as SFIV, I guess!).

Anyway, I still remember that original trailer of Ryu and Ken fighting with the new art style as Indestructible played in the background (it makes me sad that they only used that song in vanilla Street Fighter IV) as people were trying to dissect every nuance in it to figure out what the style would be and what new techniques they would add. There was so much hype because it had been a decade since Street Fighter III, and it absolutely delivered on that hype. One of the biggest new elements SFIV added was the Focus Attack, which would let you absorb a single hit and deliver a crippling counterattack, which would leave your opponent open for a followup, or you could just safely retreat. You also had EX Moves, which would use up a bar on your Super Meter and allow you to deliver a stronger version of a special move. Then there were Ultra Moves, which were devastating attacks that could quickly turn a match around if you landed them, and they had outstanding cinematic presentation to accompany them. Your Ultra Meter built up as you took damage, so it was basically a way to ensure that you were never totally out of a match.

While I did spend a lot of time on the original Street Fighter IV, my love for the game really skyrocketed with Super Street Fighter IV. I could never find a character I wanted to main in vanilla, but with the addition of Guy and Cody with Super, I found my boys. Im a big fan of the Street Fighter Alpha series and I loved Final Fight back in the day, so I latched onto them right away. Super Street Fighter IV also added a bunch of classic characters from the past, and by the time Ultra came out, you had an almost incomparable roster for the series (Street Fighter Vs is a little underwhelming in comparison, at least to me). I loved Guys speed and his pension for misdirection, although his Ultra moves were really difficult to land, so that limited his effectiveness for me. If I was trying to be serious online, I usually rolled with Cody because he had a good keep away game and some strong counterattacks, as well as a super satisfying Ultra move that I loved hitting people with whenever it landed.

Also, unlike Street Fighter V, Street Fighter IV actually had a really good single player mode. I beat it with every single character, and it was fun seeing the ending cutscenes, as well as the intros with their rivals with unique dialogue in the penultimate battle (hearkening back to the Alpha series). In terms of fighting game plots, it actually feels pretty cohesive, which is really impressive! But the gameplay is so much fun that I didnt mind beating arcade mode with every character. As far as fighting games go, its hard to do much better than this one.

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