Street Fighter IV

In much the same way the one-on-one sword duels of old maintained a degree of honour, so too has the fighting genre of video games held on to an impressive level of dignity. Unlike other veins of gaming, the market has not become oversaturated with innumerable franchises competing for the crown and confusing consumers. Instead, a handful of trusted names emerged, guaranteeing satisfaction for their loyal fans with each subsequent release.

One of these is Street Fighter, the classic beat-‘em-up that first appeared in 1987 and delighted the genre’s aficionados in arcades and on home consoles for more than a decade. Shortly after the turn of the millennium, the series seemed to fade away with fewer and fewer new releases. The last numbered entry in the series, Street Fighter III, was released in the late ‘90s.

RETURN  OF  THE  KING
But next month marks its comeback. Street Fighter IV is everything fans remember and more. Refusing to succumb to the trend of completely updating its appearance for a new generation of hardware, the game retains the classic art style of its 2D predecessors while still taking advantage of the third dimension to give the action added flourish. It looks nothing short of unique when compared to its more contemporary rivals.

But Street Fighter has never been about how it looks – it’s all about how it plays. Veterans are already counting the seconds until the game’s release as Street Fighter IV promises to recreate the experience of earlier titles perfectly, from the roster of familiar fighters to the traditional six-button gameplay.

“Street Fighter IV has the perfect blend and balance of gameplay that allows all people to play and enjoy the game regardless of whether they can pull of a Super Focus Cancel move or just choose to bash the buttons,” says Capcom’s head of UK marketing Stuart Turner.

“There really are no barriers for anyone that wants to join in and have fun.”
Everything that made the games such cherished classics has been perfectly preserved, with additional features that will provide a challenge for long-time players and entice new ones.

As well as new characters and locations, every brawler has a range of new special moves, such as Focus Attacks, Super Combos and the Ultra Combo. Multiplayer, the game’s most popular feature has also been expanded.

“We’ve already seen the massive popularity of online fighting thanks to the phenomenal sales of Super Street Fighter II Turbo HD Remix via Xbox Live,” says Turner.

“With Street Fighter IV, we’re taking this even further with online competitions, tournaments and rankings, which should see good sales continuing throughout the product’s lifestyle.

“Expectations are extremely high for Street Fighter IV and growing by the day as we get closer to launch,” adds Turner. “When word got out we had a couple of imported SFIV arcade cabinets in the office, we were inundated with journalists, retailers, celebrities, agencies and even other publishers wanting ‘meetings’ at our office.”

Press coverage for the game has been universally positive with the first reviews around the 95 to 100 per cent range.

According to Turner, Capcom has already had to increase the production run significantly to meet the demand indicated by soaring pre-orders, and the publisher remains hopeful it will be able to sufficiently supply retailers at launch.

“By now pre-orders should hint at what’s to come. Given that promotion of the title beyond the first few weeks on sale and throughout 2009 is backed up by the online gameplay elements we expect a consistent stream of sales from day one. The research and feedback we’ve received so far is that the emotional response to Ken, Ryu, Chun Li and friends opens it up to an audience – and potential sales – that other fighters have struggled to reach in the past.”

While the game holds obvious appeal for long-time fans, Capcom is confident Street Fighter IV will introduce the legendary series to a whole new generation of players.

NEW  GENERATION
“Street Fighter IV will be perfect for those who used to bunk off school in the early ‘90s to shovel 20ps into the Street Fighter II machines in chip stores and cab offices up and down the country,” Turner elaborates. “It’ll be even better for those too young to really remember but want their chance to get their hands on one of the must have games of 2009 as well as be a part of genuine gaming culture.

“In 1992, Gladiators was the most popular TV show, Take That were riding high in the charts and Street Fighter II was a gaming phenomenon. Now in 2009, Take That are back and better while Sky are no doubt delighted with the new improved Gladiators formula so it’s only right that a new improved Street Fighter be the game of choice for the latest generation of console owners.”