Street Fighter IV 5/5

Let me start by saying I don't like fighting games. (Insert long dramatic pause).

These games are often:

• boring to play against CPU opponents
• have overcomplicated controls and
  
• are usually dominated by a single player in a group of friends (especially when you are 30)

However, Capcom has managed to do something amazing here, and has brought me back into the fighting fold. They revitalized a dying, or rather dead genre of gaming. Fighters of the 2D variety was until recently a relic of the 90's; the stage was overtaken by games such as Tekken and Soul Calibur. The old 2D games couldn't compete with the amazing visuals plus the smooth and intricate animations of the new 3D generation. Although I was initially enthralled by these new generation of games, I found the long intricate combos and animations took away a lot of control from the player, and complicated the game to a point where for anyone but the master gamers, button mashing was the only way to play.

Street Fighter IV changes this - the controls are easy to pick up and intuitive. This was evidenced by my wife: after one day, she was throwing fireballs and the occasional Ultra Combo. However, this does not mean the game is simple. While the rules and controls are intuitive, at the highest level the game is as tense as a game of chess. In my online experiences, the toughest opponents would jump in and out, probing my defenses but not exposing themselves to hard counterattacks. I had some truly amazing moments playing online, with the most interesting games against opponents with iron clad defenses, trying to coax them into making that single mistake that will open them up to a well timed combo.

The action takes place on a 2D plane much like the classic Street Fighter 2. The game world and characters are however rendered in 3D. The camera does very slight perspective shifts when jumping or moving from side to side, but does not interfere with gameplay. Some Ultra combos will dramatically tear the camera out of place and have it follow the unblockable action that follows, but it snaps right back in, the player never worries about playing in a 3D world. The decision to make this game essentially on a 2D plane vs. 3D is what elevates it to what it is.

The online play is smooth; even with medium quality connections to opponents, I have not noticed any lag (playing the Xbox360 version). Rather than look for online opponents, I simply play the arcade mode and turn on the fight request feature that lets anyone on Xbox live (similar system is in place on the PS3) challange me, much like in an actual arcade. It's the equivalent of someone walking up to an arcade machine and throwing in a quarter. Fighters get boring quickly if you play against computer controlled opponents. The online connectivity provides access to an infinite supply of human opponents to challenge you. No longer do you worry about finding a friend that will have time to play, never mind a matching skill level.

The reason I gave this game 5/5 is that I see it standing as a beacon other games will try to replicate for a long time to come. The combination of a deep, yet accessible 2D fighter with amazing online play makes this one of the best competitive games of any genre.

I can be found online under the handle ArcaneDigital.