Growing up with a Super Nintendo was so much more fun thanks to Capcom and Street Fighter. Ryu (sounds like Rio) and his pal Ken use their super cool karate chops to prove to the world they are forces to be reckoned with. In an alternate reality where the supernatural meets the ordinary mundane existance of humanity, the characters in Street Fighter have both complex pasts and mystical powers. Sex, violence and spirituality all rolled into one good fighting stance and taunt.
A lot of fans will tell you that after Street Fighter Alpha III they should have stopped the ridiculous rolling out of subversions. When they went straight to SFIV, no one seemed to be satisfied with the game or the graphics. Now on PS4, the “fifth” edition of the game is breathtakingly beautiful and well designed but it has weighed a lot of the experience on the online play component. It is a close as an action fighting game can get to being an MMO. The collector’s edition has an artwork booklet and a 10″ statue of Ryu in his uniform. It was the best Valentine’s Day present I have gotten from my pals at Capcom.
At first, I wasn’t really happy with the game play. Going through each character’s back story as a means to develop the narrative worked as an okay gimmick, but I missed the good old days when you played 8 rounds against the computer to crown yourself king of the fighters. So much thought went into each story line but it wasn’t enough to keep me from wondering where some of my favorite characters went. Maybe I need to win a few ranked matches to unlock them, or maybe they have been replaced by sexier versions of their original concept. Laura reminds me a bit of Blanka, but the bust and the curvy body are definitely an improvement. She is sexed up but not as much as R. Mika, which surprises me to know is still left with her scantly disguise. I’m in awe because no one seems to boycott these types of displays of objectifying women when it is clear that the game targets young men. Then again I play it and don’t look twice either, which makes me part of the problem as well.
I would highly recommend this game for those need a trip down memory lane with a dash of nostalgia and a chunk of modernism. The graphics are insane. The story grows on you. The trophy list is challenging and the effort is well within the humanly possible range. It doesn’t draw me back as often as it did during my Super Nintendo days but it is still a go to format to play with your peeps and toss the control at them in anger for spamming the special moves buttons, a tradition worth passing on to the next generation of Street Fighters everywhere.
Mrs. Enginerd - Nerd Whisperer 