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Fans of the Street Fighter series and those
anticipating the Xbox360 and PLAYSTATION3 releases of
Street Fighter IV – due in to arrive in Europe in March next
year – were eagerly awaiting a show floor unveiling of the home
consoles offering. Unfortunately, all that was playable was the
Arcade build previously seen at Capcom’s Captivate ’08 event,
although utilising a finalised Arcade Control Cabinet.
The title plays incredibly similar to the Street
Fighter series’ biggest hit, Street Fighter II and
in-fact draws so much from the previous title, that
Street
Fighter IV looks more like a true successor, making the true
Street Fighter III look almost like a spin-off for the more
hardcore one-on-one Beat-‘Em-Up fans. And that’s effectively were
the title will end-up within most gamers hearts; as successful as
Street Fighter III – and, more so, it’s final iteration,
Street Fighter III: Third Strike – was, by the time of release
the majority of Street Fighter II fans had moved-on, having
grown tired of repeated rehashes such as Street Fighter II Turbo,
Super Street Fighter II and Super Street Fighter II Turbo.
Although the title features 3D Character Models, the
game still plays on a 2D plane – similarly to the Super Smash
Bros. series. The player is once again provided with weak,
medium and strong punches or kicks as basic attacks for all
characters, a range of Special Moves, and Super Moves, which require
the use of a fully charged Energy Gauge at the bottom of the screen.
The game is responsive, and features the same, although
significantly updated, Collision Detection System as that seen in
Street Fighter II.
The title is very surreally stylised. With
thick-and-chunky Character Models and bright and bouncy backdrops,
the title certainly sets itself apart. The animation is smooth,
running with a slick frame-rate and some fantastically brutal
reactions when connecting harder hits. The new characters are
modelled well into the line-up, but their limited number and the
apparent removal of a handful of fan favourites may disappoint many.
However, when speaking directly to Capcom, we were told not to
mention any names, as new announcements concerning the home console
line-up may be arriving sooner than expected… |
