GameSpoon - A week with Street Fighter IV!!!!!

Street Fighter totally ate its Wheaties.

I have been playing Street Fighter games since about 1993. I came across my first Street Fighter II game at a local strip mall. The game was in its demo mode and the fighters were Ken And Ryu chucking fireballs at each other. It was quite possibly the coolest, most monotonous thing I have ever seen.

Well, 18 years later, the newest iteration of the game has come out. Even though 3 other Street fighter games have come out since, Street Fighter IV is truly the next incarnation of II. This game plays the same way as II, and seamlessly incorporates features of the others.

I have dipped my toes into about everything this game has to offer. The Arcade mode features your standard series of one-on-one matches against a series of computer-controlled opponents. It has a standard local versus mode where you and a pal can jump kick and yell obscenities at each other. The training mode is also included, where you can hone your skills against an opponent you can set to stand, crouch, jump, & block as well as have a CPU or Human controlled opponent for never ending matches. There is also a Challenge mode where you can compete in a race against the clock to beat a series of opponents, a survival mode where you only get one life bar.......to beat a series of opponents, and a trial mode which teaches you the intricacies of combat.

And then there is the online mode.

Fuck! People are REALLY good at this game. The online mode provides you with player matches and ranked matches. Ranked matches give Battle Points to rank your skill in fighting. I have played a few ranked matches and got absolutely wrecked. I have won one match in online play, which gave me 87 BP. I now have 12. Sigh...... well, at least you can create our own room in the player match setting where you and your pal can jump kick and yell obscenities at each other.

Quite possibly the COOLEST new feature in the is game is the ability to set yourself open to challenges while playing in Arcade Mode. While going through your character's story, anyone at any time can challenge you to a fight. While you will not get too far in the Arcade mode with this on, it is neat to see A NEW CHALLENGER HAS ARRIVED come across the screen without anyone else sitting in your livingroom.

In my very biased opinion, this is the best fighting game I have ever played. If it isnt the best fighting game you have ever played, let me know........ so i can yell at you.