Street Fighter IV Review

Capcom’s anticipated heavyweight is back for another go and ready to take on all challengers.

The Good:

Street Fighter is back and just as good as it ever was. In this installment you’re free to choose from any of the original 12 characters plus 6 new characters (more on them later) for some toe to toe with your friends, the AI, or a stranger online. By completing arcade mode with different characters you can unlock some other familiar faces, such as: Cammy, Fei Long, Dan, and more. The fighting system has been reworked and now includes the powerful focus attacks. These attacks are unblockable, and if landed successfully, will knock your opponent to the ground. Also new to the game is the revenge meter. This meter fills up as you take damage, allowing you to unleash a powerful special attack on your opponent when it is full. Basically it acts as a contrast to the EX meter, which fills up as you land successfull attacks on your opponent. Things like hadoukens are also much easier to pull off than they ever were before. Despite all these new additions to the battle system it still feels like classic Street Fighter, so veterans won’t be left in the dark.

There are plenty of great modes this time around, inlucding the classic arcade mode. If it ain’t broke don’t fix it seems to be the mentality here. You play through a random selection of characters, eventually facing your rival (which differs depending on your fighter) and ending with a battle against Seth (who is unlockable). At the beginning and end of arcade mode you are shown a video shedding some light on your chosen fighter’s reasons for entering the tournament, their situation following the tournament, etc. These videos aren’t very long or story heavy, but since when were Street Fighter games story heavy anyway?

Street Fighter IV’s online play runs very smoothly. I had no problems finding an opponent and experienced no lag whatsoever from either side. Players can adorn their online profile with various titles that read everything from “Go Easy On Me” to “Merciless”.

This game looks beautiful. From the character models to the stages they fight in, everything is visually pleasing. There are even some familiar stages such as Guile’s airbase and Blanka’s Brazilian jungle. Character models have an almost cel-shaded look to them which works out very nicely combined with the detailed muscle tones.

The Bad:

Where the hell are the bonus stages?! I was looking forward to engaging in a car smashing frenzy in between battles, but this feature is sadly nowhere to be found. Another sorely missed feature is the tournament mode, I have heard something about it being available in a DLC package somewhere down the line, but if you ask me it should have been included with the game.

If you’re anything like me, you’ll probably stick to the classic characters because the new ones are pretty ridiculous. I wouldn’t consider a luchadore wrestler who has a knack for cooking to be on par with characters like Vega or Akuma, and Rufus just seems to be a joke character more than anything else.

It is possible to set-up arcade mode in a way so that players can challenge you on XboxLive as you play through your single player game. This is a great idea, but, you have no choice but to accept every single challenge. This makes playing through arcade mode with this feature on pointless, because you will be receiving back-to-back challenges. A good concept, but would be much cooler if the option to decline were present.

It's Super Dynamic Cooking Time.......

The Ugly:

That intro theme, I don’t think I’ve ever came so close to bludgeoning my own head before.

The Verdict:

Street Fighter IV doesn’t dissapoint. This game will please fans and newcomers alike. However, Capcom have this way of releasing revised Street Fighter game after Street Fighter game, and that makes me a bit weary about buying this game. Although, with the emergence of DLC onto the gaming scene this could change. We’ll have to just wait and see until then.

Grade: A

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Resident Evil 5 Preview

The 5th installment of one of the video game industry’s most respected franchises is to be released next week, let’s take a look at what’s in-store.

How Does It Work?:
Based on my experiences with the demo, it’s safe to say that RE5 handles more or less the same as RE4 did. We are given the same 3rd person over-the-shoulder view, and the aiming appears to be the same as well. The enemies this time around are much smarter than in previous installments. Capcom have continued to stray away from the stereotypical zombie and opted to go with mind-controlled humans (as in RE4) instead. This means your foes will be able to run, and possess a wide array of melee weapons. New to the series is the co-op mode. Players will be able to team up with friends online or offline in order to play through the game as a team. I played co-op with the A.I. in the demo, and my experience was not a positive one to say the least. Hopefully Capcom will improve the A.I. for the full game so those who wish to play solo will not have a stressfull time.

What Does It Look Like?:
RE5 look stunning. Both cut-scenes and gameplay look very realistic. One can even see the veins buldge in Redfield’s arm (see above photo). The shadows, the landscape, the enemies, everything looks well-polished and it looks just as good if not better than Resident Evil Degeneration did.

Who Is In It?:
Players will be controlling a familiar face in RE5. The main protagonist is none other than the first installment and Code Veronica’s Chris Redfield. Chris has joined the Bio-terrorism Secuirty Assessment Alliance, which sends him to Africa to investigate some odd occurences. His partner will be a new character by the name of Sheva Alomar. Sheva will be the character controlled by the 2nd player in co-op mode. Also returning is antagonist Albert Wesker. Wekser will be joined by a woman named Excella Gionne, and it is also said that Ozwell E. Spencer will be introduced.

The release date for RE5 is March 13, 2009, so save your pennies. Based on my exeperiences with the demo, this will be rent at first for me. Althought I don’t doubt that I will buy the game afterwards.

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