Street Fighter IV - EG Expo Preview

While SFIV isn’t technically the franchise’s first foray into the third dimension, it’s certainly the first time most gamers will have seen their preferred fighters rendered in polygons rather than pixels. Having had a chance to play a few rounds of the arcade version of the game the gameplay remains resolutely locked to two dimensions, the graphics have had a fully 3D makeover. Not that things have gone realistic or anything.

SFIV stays totally true to the aesthetic of its 2D predecessors, with the familiarly exaggerated proportions and improbable physiques we’ve come to love. So yes, those thighs are just as impressive as ever. Beat-em-ups usually need to look fantastic to stand out, and in this respect SFIV certainly doesn’t disappoint, with incredibly detailed and personality-laden stage backgrounds, and stellar character designs (the new additions to the cast sit comfortably next to the old gang).

Plus it’s slick, fast, fun and incredibly well-animated. The entire game has a fluidity that always reminds you why SF still remains one of the most highly respected fighting franchises even after the passage of nearly two decades, and the game now includes all-new animated super finishers for all characters, mastery of which proves an ample (and satisfying, if my opponent’s smirks were any indication) reward for dedication to skill over button-mashing.

Though my time was spent with the arcade version (which is, naturally a joy to play on a fully specced-out cabinet) the more frugal (or reclusive) among you will obviously be more intrigued to hear about the home console and PC versions. Due on February 12 2009, the Xbox 360, PS3 and Windows versions will naturally be graphically identical to the arcade source, and all feature the not-inconsiderable bonus of online play. Like its downloadable companion piece, SF2 Turbo HD, SFIV apparently features clever lag-reducing algorithms that remove the input delays that commonly ruin the performance of even the most hardcore players. PC gamers who’ve used the software (in conjunction with various PC-based fighters and emulators) claim that it works exactly as advertised, even for transatlantic scuffles, so dust off those arcade sticks (or buy one – several are being planned to tie in with the release) as SFIV could spark something of an online revolution amongst fight fans come release in February 2009.

(By Paul Davies)

SSF2 Turbo HD - EG Expo Preview

Super Street Fighter II Turbo HD (the HD being the important bit) is one of those ‘double-take’ games, Whether you’re a dedicated tournament player with intimate knowledge of how many frames it takes to execute a hadouken, or you just remember throwing down a few rounds of Ryu vs. Ken at a mate’s house after school in 1992, you do not remember Street Fighter looking this good. Capcom have literally gone back to the drawing board for the visuals, so while the core gameplay remains frame-for-frame identical to SFs of yore, the character sprites and background art have been completely re-drawn to take advantage of modern HDTVs. The effect, when running on a full HD set, is striking, to say the least. The game looks gorgeous in a way that most modern games don’t – after all, how many purely high-definition 2D games have been released since the dawn of the new console generation?

The character roster looks like something of a street fighter greatest hits, so characters from later instalments (like the dreaded Shin Akuma) make an appearance alongside series favourites like Ryu, Ken, Guile, Sagat, Chun-Li and Cammy (keeping the British end up), who’ll no doubt all be pitted against one another endlessly in online ranked battles, which Capcom are promising will be lag-free thanks to the implementation of some clever latency-reducing algorithms. Released this week over Xbox Live and PSN, SFII Turbo HD is well worth a look for both casual players as well as the more dedicated.

By Paul Davies