Having said that however, our biggest concern with SFIV is Capcom’s assumption that everyone who sits down to play the game’s Arcade mode (SFIV’s core single-player option, lest we forget) is already a Street Fighter god, with the final boss in particular proving to be ridiculously cheap, pulling off unblockable Ultra Combos and ludicrously overpowered grapples at the drop of a hat. Of course, Street Fighter has never exactly been forgiving, and in all likelihood as a direct result of its penny-pinching arcade origins. But unless you’re well trained in focus attacks, grapples and super moves, you’ll be seeing a whole lot of that continue screen even on the most moderate of difficulties. Whether that should be considered a complaint or not is entirely subjective. It could (and probably should), after all, be viewed as something to work towards, a deliberate act to prove your worth; the immense sense of satisfaction upon defeating the game’s final boss your ultimate goal.

One place you definitely won’t be seeing that continue screen, however, is in Street Fighter IV’s remarkable online component. Because of the game’s limited offline modes (solo modes are limited to the core Arcade offering and a Challenge mode filled with time attacks, survivals and a glorified practice arena), online play is unquestionably where lone players will find themselves most often. Split across ranked and player matches (the former rewarding Battle Points which unlock player icons and titles) online play is impressive and thoroughly addictive, with the numerous games we played holding up without even a hint of latency. Furthering Capcom’s notion of accessibility, you’re also able to search for players with a similar skill to that of your own, so heading online needn’t be as intimidating as it once was in previous fighters.

And as a side note, though we didn’t get to try out the game with one of those fancy arcade sticks or with the DualShock 3, as briefly touched upon earlier, we found the 360 d-pad to be woefully inadequate. Astoundingly however, the analogue stick more than sufficed, proving to be surprisingly accurate and a viable tool with which to pull off Super Combos et al. It’s purely down to personal preference, but before writing off the 360 controller altogether, that knowledge is perhaps worth bearing in mind.

Street Fighter IV isn’t just a fitting tribute to its predecessors; it’s the finest fighter you’ll have ever played. It’s Capcom’s magnum opus, a stunning refinement of everything that’s come before it and a title that sets a new standard for the genre; a standard that arguably hasn’t been topped since Super Street Fighter II. Capcom has done it again. The king of fighters has returned.

Pages: 1 2

Have you downloaded the latest issue from GamerZines yet? Check it out here!