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Super Street Fighter IV Review for Xbox 360

Super Street Fighter IV Review for Xbox 360

Street Fighter IV…Made Super!

One thing that Street Fighter fans have come to expect is the eventual rerelease of their favorite franchise. No matter whether you love or hate the Super, Turbo, and Hyper subtitles, Capcom have made a habit of extending the life of every numerical entry in the Street Fighter series by eventually slapping it with some bonus content and then reselling it to hungry fans with an exciting adjective accompanying the original title. Although it’s easy to approach Super Street Fighter IV with some trepidation due to its recycled status, this is one rerelease that is definitely worth getting if you are a fan of the Street Fighter series.

Super Street Fighter IV screenshot

As you might expect, all of the combat mechanics that were introduced in Street Fighter IV are still in the Super rerelease. Characters can still perform focus attacks to counter opponents and ultra combos to turn the tide of a match. However, the ultra combo feature has been enhanced, and characters now have more than one ultra combo to equip characters with prior to battle. Although ultra combos from the original Street Fighter IV can be equipped, the new attacks are a lot of fun to learn, despite being just as difficult to pick up.

Although the new attacks are certainly a great way to get players back into the game, what most fans are probably looking forward to is the new characters. Of course, all of Street fighter IV’s original cast is back, but there are ten new additions, some of which may be familiar to longtime fans of the franchise. Adon, who fans may remember from the original Street Fighter and Street fighter Alpha series, returns in Super Street Fighter IV, and Dudley, Ibuki, and Makoto are back from Street Fighter III.

In addition to the appearance of old Street Fighter favorites, Super Street Fighter IV also includes cameos from some familiar Final Fight characters and some fresh new faces. These new characters are all very well-balanced, and the game’s new Arcade mode does a great job of introducing these new faces into the Street Fighter universe. These new characters include Juri, who is a Korean Tae-Kwon-Do fighter, and Hakan, who is a big red Turkish Oil wrestler. Hakan is particularly fun to play with (or against), as his oil fighting technique allows him to slide around the battlefield and maneuver quickly around heavy attacks.

Super Street Fighter IV screenshot

However, the improvements in Super Street Fighter IV don’t just stop at characters and battle enhancements. One thing that fans have come to expect from the Street fighter rereleases is the incorporation of fun bonus modes. Bonus modes in Street fighter IV are small mini-game-like modes that help punctuate lengthy Arcade campaigns. Although there doesn’t seem to be anything new in Super Street Fighter IV, classics like the car-breaking event and the barrel destruction stage are both available in the arcade mode as well as the challenge mode.

Though all of these tweaks and additions are great for Super Street fighter’s offline longevity, the mode that will keep you playing after you have tried out all the new characters and had your fill of the bonus mode is online play. While Street Fighter IV’s online mode was by no means bad, it only featured ranked and custom matches, which got tiring after awhile. However, the online action in Super Street fighter IV has two new modes to add to the mix: endless battle and team battle. Endless battle is probably the most interesting of the two modes, as it takes an old-school approach to online online. Up to eight players can join a battle, and players can keep competing against each other in a series of “best-of” matches, much like you would see in an arcade. Turn order is determined by last win and time spent waiting, and you can stay in this mode as long as you want, watching and competing against other players.

Super Street Fighter IV screenshot

However, if you want a more active mode to play in, you can check out the team battle mode. This mode pits you and a partner against another team of two. Although you can’t swap out during matches, team members can alternate matches and work together to defeat the opposing team. Though this mode can feel a little repetitive at times, the team-based gameplay is reminiscent of the latest King of Fighters title, and it will certainly appeal to a certain segment of the game’s intended audience.

Super Street Fighter IV screenshot

Technically, Super Street Fighter IV is on par with its predecessor. Visuals are virtually the same, aside from a technically spectacular opening cutscene. Although you will see some new costume elements for characters returning from Street Fighter IV, you’d be hard-pressed to tell the difference between the two going by visuals alone. Voiceovers are hit or miss (no matter which language you set as default), but the background music (which includes a mix of old and new tunes) is delightful to listen to.

Although it can be hard to rationalize purchasing a rereleased game, Super Street Fighter IV is definitely one that is worth the extra purchase. With ten extra characters, new moves, and an overhauled online mode, this title honestly feels like more of a sequel than just a rerelease. And with an MSRP of $40.00, and the promise of DLC to come this summer (including a new Tournament mode), there is plenty of value to be had with this title.

If you are on the fence about repurchasing a game with the “Street Fighter IV” logo, don’t be. This is one rerelease that is sure to make you fall in love with the series all over again.

RATING OUT OF 5 RATING DESCRIPTION 4.1 Graphics
Graphics look just as beautiful as they did a year ago. Opening cutscene is particularly impressive. 4.0 Control
New moves feature similar control mechanics, and overall the battle scheme is challenging but rewarding. 3.8 Music / Sound FX / Voice Acting
Voiceovers (in both languages) have high and low points, but background music is nicely varied. 4.8 Play Value
With ten new characters, new online features, and the return of bonus stages, there is plenty of new content to explore in Super Street Fighter IV. 4.5 Overall Rating – Must Buy
Not an average. See Rating legend above for a final score breakdown.

Game Features:

  • The follow-up to Street Fighter IV further redefines the fighting game genre with classic 2D Street Fighter fighting action, a host of new and returning characters, more advanced online gameplay, new ultra combos, and much more.
  • Super Street Fighter IV features the full roster of 25 characters from Street Fighter IV such as Ryu, Ken, Crimson Viper, Abel, El Fuerte, and Rufus, while adding characters new to the world of Street Fighter IV.
  • The impressive new roster includes classic combatants from previous Street Fighter games like T. Hawk as well as all-new characters such as the mysterious and deadly female fighter, Juri. Super Street Fighter IV adds new Ultra Combos and advancements to the state of the art online matchmaking and online gameplay introduced in Street Fighter IV with numerous additional features.
  • Super Street Fighter IV takes many of the groundbreaking features introduced in Street Fighter IV and refines everything to deliver the ultimate vision of Street Fighter to fans the world over.

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