The Van Redd Review: Street Fighter 4
Posted: Thu Mar 26, 2009 5:06 pmThe World Warriors have returned! In 3D!
To be honest I was curious if Street Fighter would even still resonate with the modern gaming culture. Fighting game fundamentals have changed a lot since the early nineties and Street Fighter has actually...not...and it works. If you remember pulling off Shadokens and Hurricane Kicks, or if the words TIGER! TIGER! TIGER UPPERCUT! make you seeth with rage then you will feel right home again.
The graphics are an amazing mix of 3D characters on a 2D plane. It really comes off well and has a wonderful painted look to it. The animations flow smoothly and I have found no slowdown while playing offline. Speaking of playing offline, there is a nifty option to let yourself be challenged by online players while you chill out in arcade mode. I LOVE THIS! However beware that this is the default setting so if you want to just get done with unlocking characters then turn it off.
The only real problem with this game is the learning curve. It is STEEP! The game has a training mode but in my opinion it is only useful to people who come from a strong background of Street Fighter lore. It explains nothing about how to do crossups or other skills you will need to take on anyone in a real match. The combo training goes from easy to bat**** insane fairly quickly and unless you decide to drop a large amount of coin on a hard to find arcade stick then you will probably not get anything out of it.
Also, be aware that this game is NOT for everyone. It is built around hardcore competition and the well designed online makes it easy and usually fun. Until you lose all your meaningless battle points on a bad run of matches and curse at the top of your lungs while your significant other thinks your have a conniption fit. The point being is that some of you just won't like it, so rent first and if you like it purchase after.
Final Word:
Holy **** this game is awesome....both drunk AND sober!
To be honest I was curious if Street Fighter would even still resonate with the modern gaming culture. Fighting game fundamentals have changed a lot since the early nineties and Street Fighter has actually...not...and it works. If you remember pulling off Shadokens and Hurricane Kicks, or if the words TIGER! TIGER! TIGER UPPERCUT! make you seeth with rage then you will feel right home again.
The graphics are an amazing mix of 3D characters on a 2D plane. It really comes off well and has a wonderful painted look to it. The animations flow smoothly and I have found no slowdown while playing offline. Speaking of playing offline, there is a nifty option to let yourself be challenged by online players while you chill out in arcade mode. I LOVE THIS! However beware that this is the default setting so if you want to just get done with unlocking characters then turn it off.
The only real problem with this game is the learning curve. It is STEEP! The game has a training mode but in my opinion it is only useful to people who come from a strong background of Street Fighter lore. It explains nothing about how to do crossups or other skills you will need to take on anyone in a real match. The combo training goes from easy to bat**** insane fairly quickly and unless you decide to drop a large amount of coin on a hard to find arcade stick then you will probably not get anything out of it.
Also, be aware that this game is NOT for everyone. It is built around hardcore competition and the well designed online makes it easy and usually fun. Until you lose all your meaningless battle points on a bad run of matches and curse at the top of your lungs while your significant other thinks your have a conniption fit. The point being is that some of you just won't like it, so rent first and if you like it purchase after.
Final Word:
Holy **** this game is awesome....both drunk AND sober!