Not Just For Arcades Anymore

If any game could rejuvenate the fighting genre, it would be the newest Street Fighter.  The series that brought millions of fans to arcades for the newest game in the series back in the day has come out swinging with the newest edition. If this game doesn't save the genre from the life-support it's on, it's hard to imagine what could.
    Everything in this edition just feels right, gone are the air blocks of the older games, instead focus attacks have taken their place. Focus attacks allow you to absorb a hit and retaliate with your own, that also has a chance t o stun your opponent, giving you an opportunity to string together a combo. The game does a nice job of allowing you to play to your level, letting people have fun just throwing jabs, or even throw a mean wall combo at someone as Ryu. Also, no one feels cheap or over-powering, though every character has their own play style, ranging from agile, to powerful and slow.
   
      The graphics have a beautiful painting look to them, a nice variation from the industry

standard of making things look insanely realistic. The thick black lines that outline the fighters are a nice touch, but the designs on all the characters are flat-out beautiful. Everyone from the Luchador El Fuerta to the intimidating Seth, even the old-stays like Balrog and yes, Dan, have a very nice design to them that you never embarrassed by their look to play. Other than a few laughable voice-overs, the voice overs are fitting, M. Bison sounds like he should, and Crimson Viper sounds like she doesn't care about anything. The title song is also annoyingly catchy, though it would be nice if there were more choices to choose from because like all things you hear a thousand times, it will either catch onto you, or you'll hate it with all of your soul.
    Trust me when I say Street Fighter IV is a hell of a game, making the point that 2D fighting is still amazing when done correctly, you don't need to lean on a million characters or a stupid amount of violence to entertain folks with fighting

games in the 21st century. You just need a good core game, sprinkled with something to set it apart (In this case, amazing artwork, and of course, Dan) to make a memorable game in this generation. Nothing with this game is done poorly, well, other than the anime intros for Arcade Mode. From the great online play to the fluid animations, Street Fighter IV does a mess of things right, and rarely anything wrong. If you at least think of just one fighting game now-a-days, take a look at SFIV, I doubt you'll regret it.