Street Fighter IV

[Wrestlevania]

I had no idea you were such an SF fan... Did you pick up the HD Remix? If so, how do think it fared? I personally hated their previous XBLA port of Street Fighter (I'm sure it never used to be so insanely difficult), but I didn't pick up the HD Remix...

I was initially excited about HD Remix, but the more I saw of and heard about it the less enthralled I was; it just didn't quite sit right with me. I'd rather preserve the many years of fond memories I have playing Special Championship Edition on the MegaDrive instead. SiN's your bod for HD Remix impressions.

I've also been playing 3rd Strike and the Zero prequels on and off over the last few years - plus a dearth of SNK and Marvel/Capcom fighters - which has been more than enough to tide me over until a proper Street Fighter sequel came out.

I was fearful that there'd never actually be a fourth installment -- so pleased Capcom were bold and decided to release it. I think it's going to be massive, even amongst new/younger gamers.

[n0wak]

Played a bit of it last night when I probably should have been sleeping.

I was intending to do a single, quick arcade run through but things ended up taking longer than I planned. For reasons I'll get into later.

First off, it's pretty awesome. As a long time fan of Street Fighter 2, and someone that never played Alpha and only slightly played SF3 (which I didn't like all that much), I feel right at home here. Was able to jump right in with Ken and play well and effectively right from the start. It was a good feeling. Everything moves well, responds well and controls well. Basically, it's the SF2 I loved, modernized.

I do have a few issues with the controls, but most of those I attribute to the XBox controller. I found the game to be forgiving when pulling off special moves, but, partly because of that, also difficult to consistently pull-off the super combos. When I'd try to do the double hadouken+punch movement, I'd end up doing a shoryuken more often than not. I'm hoping those MadCatz pads or something comes out soon.

Anyway, I was plowing my way through the game on Medium difficulty. No trouble initially, but I expected that. I didn't lose a match until I got to E.Honda, when I lost two, and then continued until I got to this new fat-ball character Rufus. Dead or Alive apparently doesn't have a monopoly on character bounciness, although it's considerably more disturbing here. He beat me in the first match because I didn't know what to expect from him -- weird spin moves threw me off -- but had no problem with him in the rematch. Then came Seth.

Holy fucking shit. I spent more time *trying* to beat Seth than all other World Warriors combined. I say "trying" because I couldn't beat this cheap, teleporting, unblockable move fucker at all. I gave up and went to sleep. Talk about a dissonance in difficulty. Fuck that guy.

But the rest of the game was pretty good. We should play online someday!

[Wrestlevania]

But the rest of the game was pretty good. We should play online someday!

Oh, without question. I'm planning to start a "Mortal Thumbat" thread in Multiplayer Networking very soon, but go ahead if you want to get started now. I need to loosen up for a few days first (once it arrives).

[Scrobbs]

I hope everyone is getting it on PS3!

[MonkeyWrench]

Received confirmation that my 360 copy has shipped, but I'm going to pickup the PS3 version on Friday too so that I can kick it old school with my PS3 owning friends, who are all people I spent hours playing SF2 with.

If anyone fancies a kickin' * give me a shout:

PS3: TarkaWrench

Xbox360: KungFu Ramone

I've not been this excited about a beat'em up for a long, long time.

* Maybe doubtful, my kung-fu skills are probably weak nowadays!

[Wrestlevania]

Yowser, that's dedication to gaming (and your friends) and I, for one, salute you.

Definitely up for some Xbox Live fisticuffs, too.

[MonkeyWrench]

Heh...yeah maybe, but I draw the line at buying one of those tournament sticks!

[ThunderPeel2001]

I've also been playing 3rd Strike and the Zero prequels on and off over the last few years - plus a dearth of SNK and Marvel/Capcom fighters - which has been more than enough to tide me over until a proper Street Fighter sequel came out.

I loved the Alpha/Zero series (3 was perfect, once you understand the different "isms"). The HD remix looks pretty great and everything, but if it's LITERALLY the same game but with better gfx, then it's definitely not top of my shopping list... Although, like you I was very interested before it came out.

[MonkeyWrench]

Received my 360 copy today...just installing it now. I caved in an ordered the official SF4 pad for PS3 today, will be picking that up tomorrow along with the game. This weekend is going to be smart I tell thee.

[SiN]

I was initially excited about HD Remix, but the more I saw of and heard about it the less enthralled I was; it just didn't quite sit right with me. I'd rather preserve the many years of fond memories I have playing Special Championship Edition on the MegaDrive instead. SiN's your bod for HD Remix impressions.

In short: it's very good. It's the SF2 you know and love in glorious HD. The art is gorgeous, but the fact that it's the same # frames of animation takes away from it. It looks sharp, but the animation isn't silky smooth.

Single player is arse, just because the AI is way too hard. Fighting certain characters (M. Bison, THawk) becomes an exercise in luck and frustration, rather than a fun brawl.

Online is where it's at then. I've been playing since December. It's very good. Very little lag. Surprisingly, the online scene isn't flooded with people taking the "cheap" characters (Blanka, M. Bison, T Hawk IMO) but there are quite a few of them out there. Most players are reasonably "well behaved".

Problem is that it doesn't have the same persistence that SFIV has. Your win/loss ratio is saved, but it's hidden somewhere in the leaderboards. Apart from that it's great. And surprisingly, it plays differently enough compared to SFIV to make it worth owning both. I doubt I'll be playing much SSF2 now that I've got SFIV, but if you were worried about getting the same game twice, that isn't the case.

Still though, a month or two ago I would have said, "yeah, get it!", but with SFIV I don't think it's worth it.

Speaking of SFIV, it's awesome! I played from 10pm to 2am, and then forced myself to stop!

On the surface, it seems exactly like SF2, but it doesn't take too long to figure out it's very, very different. Even the movement feels different. The fighters have more weight to them, so jump-kicks, etc need to be timed a bit differently. The moves themselves are the same deal. I was able to jump right in with Ken, but there are subtle changes everywhere. Also, the moves are definitely easier to pull off, which is nice.

Mechanically, it's a very interesting game. VERY interesting. With the moves easier to pull off, there's more room for tactics, and Capcom have added mechanics to encourage this. Focus attacks, the revenge bar, and Ex Special Moves (souped up versions of your normal special moves) are what I've got figured out. There's still stuff I haven't learned yet. This on top of the normal move cancelling and other stuff in SF2.

The only problem is that the Xbox controller is a pain to play with! Like, it's worse here than it was with SSF2THDR. My biggest problem is that moves rely on holding down two face buttons at once, which is surprisingly difficult to do on a pad! I end up putting the controller on my lap and using two fingers when I want to do a Focus Attack, and then switching back to the normal holding method after that. I *really* need a TE stick!

And yeah, like nowak said, the difficulty spike at the end is annoying! I was able to get through Arcade with Ken on Medium, and that was a lot of work. I tried with Ryu, but beating Sagat is just impossible! I came pretty close though...

But yeah, SFIV is awesome. Accessible in the sense that the moves are pretty easy to pull off, but deep enough to last a long while.

Mo

[MonkeyWrench]

Sweet jesus this is good! I fired up single player just to get my feet after such a long hiatus from the tournament circuit, but accepted the option to allow people to challenge me, I only managed to get one match in against the CPU! Just like the good old days in my local arcade! Plays like shit with the 360 controller mind, the d-pad just isn't responsive enough, so I may invest in the 360 version of the official pad.

Love the theme tune too!

[n0wak]

Online is where it's at then. I've been playing since December. It's very good. Very little lag. Surprisingly, the online scene isn't flooded with people taking the "cheap" characters (Blanka, M. Bison, T Hawk IMO) but there are quite a few of them out there. Most players are reasonably "well behaved".

I think 90% of the people that I played chose either Ken or Ryu. Which is kinda annoying. I think the problem with that right now is that SFIV is still new and everyone goes with the "familiar" characters, of which Ryu and Ken are the best known. I'm sure things will mix up quite a bit after a while.

Also, the fact that half the characters are locked at the beginning has a lot to do with it. WHY CAPCOM WHY?

But I did get into an eight or so match bout with one dude and we typically chose different characters, including a couple of the new ones, and it was obvious that we were still feeling out the changes to the system. It was quite fun though, especially since there was zero lag and the other guy was about the same skill level. He decimated me with Sagat, but I destroyed him with Honda, and we were about equal with Ken/Ryu, which made for some exciting matches.

I kinda wish it had the "coin mode" that SF2 Live (not HD) had, where you can get a party of four players and just take turns. Being stuck in a one on one system makes it hard for a group of friends to play.

Also, the moves are definitely easier to pull off, which is nice.

The only problem is that the Xbox controller is a pain to play with!

Well, I think those two are obviously related. Just good design, I guess. But the problem that I keep having is that while regular special moves are easier to pull off, I'm having a harder time pulling off the Supers. Since it's more lenient with the moves, I end up doing a shoryuken or hadouken (single quarter circle) instead of the super (double quarter circle) that I want. Might have made sense to make the super moves use a distinct motion, but I guess the purists would complain.

I tried with Ryu, but beating Sagat is just impossible! I came pretty close though...

I didn't have any problems with Sagat but Seth is just a fucking nightmare.

[gdf]

My favourite is Akuma, and Ryu's moveset is closest to his so I'm settled with him for the time being.

Anyway, this is pretty much the best fightan I've ever played. It looks incredible and the gameplay is very fast paced. Still getting to grips with Focus attack, it's a pretty useful tool if the chips are down and you need to buy some time. EX moves work well and I'll never get sick of pulling off Supers and Ultras.

D-Pad (PS3) is much better from what I've played. The stick just isn't practical for rapid button presses, and although the arc-movement nature of a lot of moves is a little easier with it, I can't say I've had any problems yet using the D-Pad.

Other than a blister. FFFFUUUUUUUUU-

[gdf]

ZANGIEF'S THROWS ARE SO FUCKING CHEAP!

[SiN]

ZANGIEF'S THROWS ARE SO FUCKING CHEAP!

See also: Abel.

[MonkeyWrench]

They are, but not quite as cheap as when Seth performs them. It seems like that character fights under a different set of move rules, he can counter most moves once the you've won the first round. Don't know whether that transfers to multiplayer or not.

[Wrestlevania]

I am home.

[MonkeyWrench]

Welcome home...I think?

Picked up the PS3 pad today. Not had a chance to test it in combat, but it feels pretty good in the mitts. I think my kung-fu skills will be much strong with this on my side.

[Nevsky]

My copy arrived in the post this morning.

Enjoying it so far, although my experience has been dulled a little by frustrations with the 360 controller, cheapness of some of the characters (even on medium) and my general crap abilities.

Although I've won both of the Live matches I've played. Worried about playing more because I'll lose the 100% record!

[Twilo]

I...

I love this game.

I want to marry it.

Even the singleplayer AI is good, though Seth is superhard. I'm concerned about unlocking Akuma, Gouken etc. because you can't use continues, and Seth can sometimes just cheese you to death with his stupid Ultra combo where he sucks you up and smashes you off the screen.

As for "cheap" characters, I didn't have any problems (although rufus confuses me, I haven't got a real idea of what he can do so I get caught by his weird moves all the time). My character of choice is chun-li and she's got the right tools to deal with most situations (though I lament the loss of her spinning upwards kick which is now only available as part of a combo and has no utility as anti-air)

I have the PS3 version, I learned my lesson about the 360 dpad way back on castlevania SotN. I'm trying to track down a PS3 stick; while the dpad is perfectly adequate, I'm really hurting for lack of 6 face buttons. Trying to do chun-li's ultra is a little tricky: <(charge)><>KKK when one of the kicks is a shoulder button (or if you have a shoulder set to KKK, same problem). Sensitive combos benefit too, you can input much more quickly with your fingers than with just your thumb.

A stick makes the back/forward/back/forward motion much easier too, you don't end up accidentally crouching or anything.

The "player profile" this is great, I'm actually enjoying unlocking new titles and stuff, or the full set of taunts/colours for different characters. Only problem is taking the game over to someone else's house, where they won't have anything unlocked unless they own a copy too, so no sakura :/

[gdf]

See also: Abel.

I'm OK with Abel, I keep my distance and use a lot of dodging then Heavy Kick and EX Hurrican Kick with focus attacks.

[MonkeyWrench]

Enjoying it so far, although my experience has been dulled a little by frustrations with the 360 controller, cheapness of some of the characters (even on medium) and my general crap abilities.

I would highly reccomend the official pad. You'll probably find your abilities aren't so crap after all.

[Twilo]

I would highly reccomend the official pad. You'll probably find your abilities aren't so crap after all.

How good are these for the left/right/left/right sort of motion?

Also, how easy is PPP or KKK the "hard" way (without binding a button to it), can you do it with just a thumb?

I really want a hori stick or the madcatz stick failing that, but probably not enough to go to the trouble of mailing one in; these pads are more likely to be stocked in the local stores.

[MonkeyWrench]

How good are these for the left/right/left/right sort of motion?

Also, how easy is PPP or KKK the "hard" way (without binding a button to it), can you do it with just a thumb?

Better than the official 360 and PS3 pads. As for button presses, I suppose it would be ok with your thumb, a bit of a funny angle mind, but I rest the pad on my knee and use my fingers ala arcade stick stylee.

Anyway, been playing this online today in ranked matches, got 100% wins so far. If you don't turn off the online option it's impossible to complete a match against the CPU without being challenged, good to see it's doing well online. I'm nothing but impressed by the net code, Capcom has really kicked ass on that front, I can't see any difference between local and online versus.

[Nick]

WTF this game is awesome but I swear I never found Street Fighter this hard! I got it today and couldn't beat arcade on medium. I feel like I'm completely missing something. I'm hoping I just need to get more used to Focus attacks and EX Specials etc.

Still, I'm enjoying it so far.