I know Dtoid, nay, this entire series of tubes is busting at the seams with SFIV reviews…but you know what? Screw it. I’m going to put my two cents in, even with the inflation of opinions reducing its value down to that of a flea. It’s happening.
I'll try to keep it short and sweet. I know big ones are exhaustive.

Title: Street Fighter IV
Console: Xbox 360
Controller: 360 Elite (Black) Controller
Setup: Basic Philips Television (Tube / Not HD Capable) & Stereo
Vice’s Familiarity: Decent
Notes: I haven’t played Online VS yet. I know I know! It’s crazy to hear that, but I don’t have the money for a new Gold Subscription lately, haha. I already hurt my low funds by buying this game…

To start off straight, this is my first owned Street Fighter title. The most experience I’ve ever had with the series would have been gained from playing it a few times at a miniature golf course on the outskirts of LA, at the local Hockey Rink and a few times at a friend’s house. Despite this, I’m familiar with the moves, intensity, goofy style etc. I can’t help but let it remind me of when I was a kid, and I honestly think that’s one of the strong points of SFIV. The game’s fighting system is disgustingly accurate to SFII, but feels completely fresh. The game feels refined, innovated, and yet still stuck in its old ways. And that’s not necessarily a bad thing. Because Capcom embraced the franchise’s style with open arms, even 10 years after the last title, is a testament to their dedication to the franchise’s fans and history.

The inclusion of new and cinematic Ultra Combos really helps break up the gameplay, providing a nice, new form of stress to the already hand cramping intensity that this game already is. For a guy who hasn’t even owned Street Fighter before, all the moves are instantly accessible from what little I did remember, and it was a great ‘welcome home’ type feeling when I first picked up the controller.

-The Highlights-
*Faithful to the Franchise: You cannot deny that this game is a gem in the series. It capitalizes on the strengths of the former titles, and still introduces enough innovation to warrant itself as a true sequel.
*Approachable / Layered Gameplay: I’ve never been a hardcore SF player, and still this title feels extremely welcoming (in my opinion) in comparison to the other installments. Fresh faced characters allow for newbies to join in on the fun with little effort, but returning World Warriors and a layered combat system allow vets to refine their technique like before.
*No Slow Down (On Local): An issue I’ve always seemed to have with the older titles was the constant slow down, even in arcade mode. I don’t know if I’m the only one that experienced these bouts of infuriating lag, but I haven’t hit slow down once (on local play), and it’s extremely relieving.
*Amazing Artistic Direction: Many people blast the game for its unique visuals, but I find them astounding. Capcom has really hit a unique style, something no one’s done before. If you compare this game to any fighter, any game in general, there’s nothing that looks quite like it. Street Fighter’s already known for its design approach and gameplay, but now it has a look that’s undeniably just that…Street Fighter.
*Great Soundtrack: New and Old Scores saturate the title, providing not only a great backdrop to fights, but also a trainload of nostalgia. My favorite song? PVR, the music for the Overpass Day stage.

-The Lowlights-
*Seth: Yes yes, if you’ve been reading all the reviews lately, the unanimous agreement is that Seth is a whore. Extremely unbalanced and a bitch to beat, I’ve also never been a fan of Emulation type bosses. The ones that take jigsaw examples of former fighters and apply their movesets to themselves? It’s a shame too, as Seth has a great design. It’s too bad the looks don’t match the character.
*Anime Cutscenes: Ehhhhh, I’m going to be a bitch about this one. The cutscenes are nice, but when compared to the visual design in the rest of the game, it feels out of place and corny. I would have rather had in-game, in-engine based scenes. That’s just me though.

--Conclusion--
-Buy it if you’ve ever even liked Street Fighter at any point
-Rent it if you love fighters, but have never tried Street Fighter in the past


Oh right, and here you go guys, a little Blanka sketch I did in class while bored.
Slapped some colors on so you can tell who it is.