Admittedly, I wasn’t the biggest fan of Street Fighter IV. After years of playing the Street Fighter Alpha series, then transitioning onto the Street Fighter III series, SFIV seemed lacking in comparison. Gone was the complex technicality of Street Fighter III 3rd Strike(which led to it’s longevity), and playability of Alpha. Whereas III was a natural progression from the Alpha series, IV seemed like a step back.
Before it’s released, it was revealed that SFIV takes place before Street Fighter III. Recently, I came across a post in TFW2005’s SFIV thread, which said that SFIV basically plays like an enhanced version of Super Street Fighter II Turbo, the last incarnation of Street Fighter II before the Alpha series.
That’s when it dawned on me; continuity wise, it makes sense! Each character who “returned” in SF3 is more complex than they are in SFIV. For example, guys like Ken are notably more complex to use(and nowhere near as cheap), with a lot of versatility. Also the choice between 2-3 ultra moves(or special arts). Also the EX moves from SF3 are in IV. Knowing that SFIV played more like an enhanced SSFIITurbo helped me warm up to it, a bit.
However I am even more excited for Super Street Fighter IV! Some of my qualms have been resolved, for example each character will have between 2-3 ultra moves. The bad ass super dragon punch that Ryu had? BACK! Guy was fun to use in the Alpha series, and he is back. Overall the game looks more fun. See for yourself:
Will Super Street Fighter IV live up to the hype and exceed expectations? Will it surpass 2009’s SFIV? It’s got the potential to. Personally, I think it will.
