FIGHT!

It was back in 1991 that my whole world changed. Hell, everybody's world changed! Because, it was back in 1991 that Capcom unleashed Street Fighter II : The World Warrior on an unsuspecting population.

It was a sequel to a game that was of little note, except for having huge rubber pads instead of buttons, basing the power of the on-screen moves around the power with which the buttons were hit. This was meant to develop skill, but in effect just meant that the best players were huge guys in puffy jackets. Street Fighter really was nothing of note. So, when Street Fighter II first appeared, I giggled at it.

I still don't know for sure what made me play it. I think it was possibly due to there being an entire bank of the machines in the arcade, instead of just the usual sole cabinet. And all were busy! I remembered seeing the original game left empty after about a week, as everybody realised how useless the "Smack it harder" system really was.

Street Fighter II was different, though. For a start, there were 6 buttons. Sounds like nothing today, but it was a jaw-dropper for me. I imagined how it would work ; A flurry of light punches, leading into a couple of medium, followed by a heavy to finish it all. I put in my coin, picked the character my cursor happened to be on, and was immediately taken out of the mundane everyday world I existed in and instead dropped into a surreal but beautiful nightmare.

My karate dude was up against a man that stretched his arms to hit me from the other side of the screen! Not only that, the bastard could also breathe fire. How unfair! Naturally, I picked stretchy dude when I died. Only, I couldn't spit the fire like the CPU could. So, I lost again, to the original karate dude I had picked who obviously was the worst one. So, I picked the soldier this time.

Once again, I lost. But, I somehow won a round this time! It was clear to me that this 'Guile' character was the way forwards, although if I could just figure out how to make karate guy do that magic attack then things would be different. After some experimentation, I discovered that moving the stick backwards, down, forwards, and pressing 2 of the punch buttons made the fireball appear. (Little did I know how I was overcomplicating things at the time!)

I was hooked. Along with the entire world. A new breed of arcade game now existed, and you were no longer judged on your single player abilities. Now, everything was about how well you could stick it to the other guy. Tournaments sprang up, everyone was fighting evevryone else, and the impact of this one game reshaped the entire face of gaming forever. It would be safe to say that no fighting franchise has had the same effect as Street Fighter did. And whilst subsequent incarnations have upped the technology, the style, and the complexity, they have not SHORYUKEN'ed the public consciousness in quite the same way.

Until now, that is. For now, we have Street Fighter IV. A game that has the potential to do to your home consoles what it did to the arcades of the world 18 years ago.

There are games that create a buzz. There are games that bring something new. And then, there is Street Fighter IV. What it has done is to somehow remind us all of those heady days of the early 90's. Days of tournaments, of battling prowess, of practising your combos for hours on end so that when you next fought in public you would have something to show your opponent, and your audience. Days that had seemingly been lost forever. Oh, sure, there is still a healthy tournament scene, but it is reserved for the specialists.

Street Fighter IV is bringing it all back into the public domain. By welcoming new players into its arms, and removing some of the barriers that have been built by years of tweaking to perfection, suddenly being the best doesn't seem so far away. Only, rather than having to go to an arcade and face the wrath of large guys in puffy jackets, all you need to do now is face the wrath of high-pitched annoying 12 year old Americans over XBox Live or PSN. Just insert the disc, start up, and prepare for the onslaught of an endless supply of Ken players hitting the Fierce Dragon Punch on you. By including the ability to let random players challenge you whilst working through arcade mode, Capcom have captured the feel of arcades at their best.

Feel is where this game particularly shines. Without ignoring the quality of the graphics, which are simply sublime, they are not what fighting is about. Fights need a flow to them, and a way of seperating the good players from those who just aimlessly mash. The new 'Focus' system ensures that there is always an option available to punish the mindless mashers. Hit focus at the exact moment an attack hits, and you absorb the energy of it, replenishing your health. Your opponent is also briefly stunned, which allows you to get your own attack in. And, yes, it is possible to counter a Focus with a Focus of your own, leading to back and forth battles. Charge a Focus long enough, and your opponent crumples to the floor. Nicest of all is that there is no requirement to build up any kind of meter to do this, as there are already two meters to keep your eye on anyway!

First is the standard 'If you hit them it will come' meter that when full allows you to unleash your Super Combo. New to IV is the 'Revenge' meter, which fills as you take damage. Once it hits halfway, you have access to a highly damaging and spectacular looking Ultra Combo, making for a rather nifty catch-up mechanic. Far from being the 'Get Out Of Jail Free' card that it sounds like, this system guarantees fights remain exciting until the end, as hitting someone with your Ultra charges THEIR meter, allowing them to retaliate should they survive.

The whole game emphasises this tactical element, rather than relying on intricate joystick movements to release the most damaging attacks. Fast-fingers are still needed, but they are no longer the only entry requirement. It is possible for a novice to inflict decent damage with mostly regular attacks, whilst the inclusion of EX versions of special and regular attacks (activated by pressing an extra punch or kick button), along with the ability to miss throw attempts, opens up fights from the tight manic action of earlier games in the franchise. Matches between veterans will still rely on the same setups, zones, and traps, but players who learn to accomodate the new mechanics into their armouries will soon find themselves borderline unstoppable.

There is no other way to describe it, Street Fighter IV is the complete package. Graphically impressive enough to catch the casual eye, accessible enough to catch the mainstream, and deep enough to keep hold of the core. Sometimes, what you have in front of you is simply a peach. Congratulations, Capcom, you have made me feel younger!