REVIEW:  The sequel to the wildly popular Street Fighter IV features a generous 10 new characters made up of 8 returning veterans and 2 newcomers. Additions to the roster include: Cody, Guy, Adon, T. Hawk, Dee Jay, Dudley, Ibuki, Makoto, Juri & Hakan... all superb choices in my opinion. The roster update is nothing short of spectacular and demonstrates one of the top "pros" of the series' going with 3D graphics... (there's simply no way any team of artists could've created 10 high quality, well-animated character sprites in less than a year.)

 

 

The new characters from the series past look superb in SF4's "cartoony yet intricately detailed" 3D art style. The majority look and sound the way they should, but a few of the characters indeed have their quirks and "awkward" moments... *sigh* some characters just look much more natural in 2D. More importantly, their play-styles are traditional enough to make more old school Street Fighter players happy and each has his/her fair share of new abilities & gameplay strategies! The newcomers, Juri & Hakan, offer two exceptionally unique fighting styles & personalities to the series... both of which are forces to be reckoned with!


The most significant update in addition to the new characters is that each character now has two Ultra Combos to choose from before the match begins, not unlike Super Arts from Street Fighter III. The new ultras are a mixed bag... some are even more epic than the originals and hit hard, while others seem less-inspired, overly-exaggerated, and/or involve entirely too much spinning.... Returning characters didn't receive any movelist updates but certain move priorities & abilities were tweaked. The changes are minor ones overall but what isn't broken doesn't have to be fixed I guess. The combo system is still solid, fun, and requires a high level of skill to master.

 

 

Presentation-wise, SSF IV lives up to the original's... if not succeeding it. Thankfully, that dreadful "Indestructible" theme song was removed from the game entirely. The new intro is packed with style, badass remixed Street Fighter themes from the series' past and present and flows nicely from beginning to end. The main menu is incredibly slick, and given some much needed personality by badass character artwork (specific for certain modes mind you). Arcade Mode brings back the story element for each character, and offers all new prologues & endings... the character storylines are what you'd come to expect from the series and don't take themselves too seriously, but most of the story artwork doesn't fail to impress at least. Also included are some all new "Rival Fight" sequences which no Street Fighter fan should miss.


The new "Arrange" character soundtracks build upon SFIV's already solid soundtrack and add some great flavor to the game. Nearly all of the remixed themes bring a certain nostalgia that only a true Street Fighter fan can fully appreciate. ;) The 5 new stages are all visually stimulating and each carries a decent soundtrack of their own. On the flip side, I was hoping they'd "remix" some of the returning stages visually like they did in the old days. Call it nitpicking, but I think a change of sky color and some new background details/characters can go a long way in a sequel. What also seems to be lacking is a Gallery/Theater mode where you can view artwork & ending cinematics. The Car Crusher & Barrel Buster bonus modes have returned for nostalgia value, but the modes didn't really evolve. I was hoping it would be a bit more challenging to get a high score... why not make "combos" count as more points in Barrel Buster?

 

Now for one of my biggest gripes I have with the game, and it might surprise you: Why can't I EX cancel or hit my opponent after KO anymore? Seriously Capcom? You took the time... to take it out of the game?!? Of all things, why take something like that out? It's fun little things, like overkill hits, that I love most about fighting games sometimes. Call it nitpicking (again)... but I really really really enjoy punching (or kicking) my opponent in the gut one more time after KO'ing them with a light attack. For the record, the lack of this feature lowers my Replayability / Fun rating by one full point. :(
 

 
As expected, the Online Mode improves on the original's layout in every way by offering some awesome new options like Team Battle, Endless Battle and the all new Replay Channel where you can view, save, & share replays. Replay Channel is an especially stylish mode and actually adds quite a bit of replay value for me (no pun intended)! Lag has been very minimal in my online experience so far and I'd say the online mode gets a high passing grade overall.

 

Page Updated: November 17th, 2024 Developer(s): Dimps, Capcom Publisher(s): Capcom Designer(s): Yoshinori Ono          Producer Daigo Ikeno              Character Design Yasuyuki Oda           Game Designer Artwork by: Daigo Ikeno, HIROAKI Platform(s): PlayStation 3, Xbox 360, Arcade, Nintendo 3DS Release Date(s): Apr. 27th, 2010           PS3/360 Apr. 28th, 2010           PS3/360 Dec. 16th, 2010          Arcade Feb. 26th, 2011           3DS Mar. 27th, 2011          3DS Characters:  Ryu, Ken, Chun Li, Dhalsim, Zangief, E. Honda, Blanka, Guile, Sagat, Bison, Balrog, Vega, C. Viper, El Fuerte, Abel, Rufus, Seth, Akuma, Gouken, Cammy, Rose, Gen, Fei Long, Dan, Sakura, T. Hawk, Dee Jay, Cody, Guy, Adon, Juri, Dudley, Ibuki, Makoto, Hakan, Yun (Arcade), Yang (Arcade), Evil Ryu (Arcade), Oni Akuma (Arcade) Featured Video: Related Games: Street Fighter 4, Super SF4: 3D Edition, Super SF4: Arcade Edition, Ultra SF4, Street Fighter V, Street Fighter 6, Street Fighter, Street Fighter 2, SF2 Champion Edition, SF2 Turbo, Super SF2, Super SF2 Turbo, Super SF2 Turbo: Revival, Super SF2 Turbo HD Remix, Ultra SF2, SFIII: New Generation, SFIII: 2nd Impact, SFIII: 3rd Strike, Street Fighter Alpha, Street Fighter Alpha 2, Street Fighter Alpha 3, SFA3 Upper, SFA3 Max, SFA: Anthology, Street Fighter Anniversary Collection, Street Fighter EX, Street Fighter EX2, Street Fighter EX3, Street Fighter: The Movie, Super Puzzle Fighter 2 Turbo, SPF2T HD Remix, Pocket Fighter, Street Fighter X Tekken    Gameplay Engine  8.5 / 10 Story / Theme  8.0 / 10 Overall Graphics  9.5 / 10 Animation  9.0 / 10 Music / Sound Effects  9.0 / 10 Innovation  8.0 / 10 Art Direction  8.5 / 10 Customization  9.5 / 10 Options / Extras  8.5 / 10 Intro / Presentation  9.0 / 10 Replayability / Fun  8.5 / 10 "Ouch" Factor  9.0 / 10 Characters  9.0 / 10 BOTTOM LINE  9.2 / 10  Review based on PS3 version       Final Words: As a Street Fighter fan of 23 years (when this review was written)... I had extremely high hopes for the sequel to the "competitive smash hit" that was Street Fighter IV: Vanilla. With the Super update, and a whopping 10 new characters, Capcom did not disappoint and certainly kept the HYPE going strong. Perhaps most importantly, the new additions in Super were all excellent choices... offering a more diverse and interesting roster over the "don't call it a comeback" prequel's roster that was made up of mostly SF2 veterans. I was slightly disappointed / bored with SFIVV's roster, but returning 3rd Strike classics and exciting newcomers like Juri Han and Hakan made a big statement. Now with a total of 35 characters — a mix of new and old that feels balanced... Super SF4 really seems to have found its own rhythm. I thought the addition of some "new" moves to returning SF4's veterans would've benefited the gameplay and mix-up possibilities (AKA fun)... but I guess Capcom didn't want to change the game balance too much, since many returning / new players were having so much fun with it. While SF4's overall gameplay mechanics still seem "toned down" technically from past favorite entries of the series... Super SF4's new characters and Ultra Combos spice things up nicely!  Capcom's work shouldn't go unnoticed on this particular upgrade. They put some heart into this one! Super SF4's 10 new characters, 45 new Ultra Combos, and 5 new stages warrant a revisit to the series - regardless of your skill level or "seriousness" about competitive Street Fighter. Worth the launch price of $40? Definitely. In closing, Super SF4 is sure to please fans new and old. Super SF4 was succeeded by two main sequels: SF4: Arcade Edition and Ultra SF4. On a personal note, Super was my personal favorite sequel of the SF4 series. ~TFG WEBMASTER | @Fighters_Gen    Click Here for all Posters / Box Art!                                                                                       Click Here for all Character Art! FOLLOW    ON:                             TFG NEWS CHARACTERS GAMES