The Really Good Fight: Street Fighter IV

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LET'S BEGIN WITH a simple statement before we start picking nits: "Street Fighter IV" is, by far, the best fighting game to hit consoles in a long while, if not ever. The controls are tight, the graphics are sharp, and the animation is fluid. The fighting game masters at Capcom put a lot of effort into making this a quality entry in their venerable franchise, and if you are even a quasi-fan of this style of game, buy it. You'll love it.

The basic idea of the game is unchanged — you face off against an opponent in a one-on-one no-holds-barred competition, and the fight goes until either there's only one left standing or the clock runs out. The character roster mixes the classics from past "Street Fighter" titles like "SF II" and "Alpha" (though strangely, no one from "SF III") with a few new additions. As always in this kind of game, some characters are more powerful than others, but overall the new characters fit into the roster well. One exception is the final boss, who is exceptionally cheap on every difficulty, frustrating the player — and not in a good way.

While the overall gameplay has remained the same, there have been several tweaks and additions, the largest of which is the new Focus system. This allows a character to charge up an attack that will knock down your opponent, opening him up for more pummeling. A bonus is that it can also allow the player to absorb an incoming attack, setting up a counter move. Several other nuances can be found, making the fighting strategic as well as fast and furious.

Final note: You'll want to get some arcade-style control sticks. Neither the 360 nor the PS3 controllers are really up to the task.

Photo courtesy Capcom