Release dates:
PS3/Xbox 360: February 17th, 2008
PC: TBA
Media:
General info/pics/videos
Good match videos
New console character rundowns from CES 2009 by Seth Killian:
Rose/Cammy/Gen/Fei Long/Dan
Challenge mode guide by Seth Killian
Seth Killian on the MadCatz FightPad/FightSticks
What is Street Fighter IV like compared to previous SF/Capcom games? Will I like it?
SF4 mainly mixes the basic gameplay of the Street Fighter II series with mechanics from the Street Fighter III series. It ends up playing something like a mix of those games coupled with some definite Alpha/CvS flavor, plus some all-new features like the saving/focus attack. Look further down for a little more detail about the gameplay. If you are a fan of fighting games in general and like relatively modern-but-traditional SF-based games like Street Fighter Alpha 2 or Capcom vs SNK 2 then you are sure to like it. If you only like the Street Fighter II games, you might be put off by 2 button throws, lower damage, quick get ups, etc. If you only like SF3 (or 3rd Strike in particular), you may not like the lack of parries or the noted exclusion of SFIII series characters from the game altogether, which as become a common complaint from SF3 fans. If you are new to Street Fighter or fighting games in general, I can't think of a better game to start with. SF4 is a great middle ground between the simplistic but harsh and unforgiving style of SF2 and the over-complicated and combo-heavy style of most modern fighting games. On top of that, a ton of new players are going to be playing along with you, undoubtedly the biggest new player base there's been for a fighting game in the Western hemisphere since 1992.
Which characters are in Street Fighter IV? I heard there were going to be a bunch of new ones just for the console version. What are the new characters like?
Yes, there are console exclusive characters. Here is a complete list:
Returning characters from the arcade: Ryu, Ken, Chun-Li, Guile, Blanka, Zangief, Dhalsim, E.Honda, Balrog, Vega, Sagat, M.Bison, Akuma
All-new for SF4 from the arcade: Abel, C.Viper, El Fuerte, Rufus
CPU only in arcade, now playable on console: Seth, Gouken
Returning characters exclusive for console: Fei-Long, Cammy, Sakura, Rose, Dan, Gen
You can check out the video links at the top of this post to see most of these characters in action, but I'll go over the four newcomers.
Abel: He is an MMA kinda dude, he's from France. He is a half-grappler type character, so while he has a command throw (which is only a half-circle instead of a 360), he has a lot of other stuff as well. He has rekka chains with different enders as mixups, and the EX version of those have armor. He has Sean's overhead kick, but his is actually good. He's got an invincible command roll and an anti-air grab as well. His ultra can pass through fireballs and is very fast for how far it travels. His combos are very good and can lead to a knockdown, or you can choose to reset the opponent onto their feet and make them block left/right as they land, or throw. Strong character and pretty good for a beginner. He can combo into his ultra relatively easily as well.
C.Viper: She is some kind of assassin or spy or something from America. She is a tricky and unique character that has lots of awkward mixups and ways to pressure. Her signature move is probably her air flame kick, which depending on the strength you use, will travel various distances. For example, she can cancel a jump attack into a heavy flame kick, and it will travel over the opponent's head and have to be blocked from the other side. If you have good execution and creativity, you can create some crazy and confusing mixups. She can also do the flame kick on the ground, and it will avoid throws and lows. Her other main move is her electric charge punch, which is safe and is a central part of her ground game. She has a ground pound that can be used to hit certain areas on the floor, and a dragon punch-style anti-air. Her charge punch/ground pound can also be faked, which leads to more mixup potential. She has a lot of stuff, but is a hard character to learn, use, and win with. I wouldn't recommend a beginner to use her if you want to win.
El Fuerte: A Mexican luchador. He is the fastest character in the game, and has tons of moves that let him move around the screen. He's got a command dash with different followups, like a body splash that is overhead and can cross up, and a running slide. The EX version of his dash has armor as well. He has an anti-air throw, but he actually leaves the ground unlike Abel's, and it recovers very quickly, so he can use that to move, too. He can jump off the walls and flip flop all over the place. He also has a combo using his close fierce punch and his command dash, resulting in a combo loop that does a lot of damage (but is very hard to do). Overall he is pretty hard to play because he doesn't deal a lot of damage in general and takes a lot. I would say he is harder to use then C.Viper, just because he doesn't have basic stuff to rely on like Viper's rush punch.
Rufus: This guy is real fat. You might expect him to be slow, but actually he's one of the fastest characters in the game. His style is a very straightforward powerhouse rushdown style, and may be the most basic character to use in the game. His most notable move is probably his dive kick, which doesn't have to be blocked high, but can be done instantly from the ground, can cross up, and he can control the angle of it as well. Think Yun/Yang dive kick mixups but 5x faster. His spinning tornado punch is safe on block and is his main combo/pressure move on the ground. His EX messiah kick is one of the best anti-pressure moves in the game, and he has 4 practical ways to combo into his ultra, 3 of which do not require any super meter. I would recommend Rufus to a beginner without a second thought. JSYK, I'm gonna use Rufus.
Why aren't there any characters from Street Fighter III? I really like Dudley and Q and I wish they were in this game!
I think SF4 takes place like 10 minutes after Street Fighter II. Maybe it's because SF3 bombed in arcade sales and they want to stay as far away from it as possible. Or it could be because Ono (the producer of SF4) wants to piss off 3rd Strike fans. No one knows and it would be nice if the 'where is Q/Dudley/Alex/Makoto' crybaby posts were kept to a maximum of one-per-page, please.
What other kind of new stuff will be in the console version?
New stages, some new remixed music for those stages, English voices, and of course online play. Seth Killian of Capcom said that USA to Japan online tests were "like playing someone next door", but it remains to be seen just how good it is. While the final verdict is out on the netcode specifically, we do know the online portion will have "a ridiculous amount of options" according to the game's producer, Yoshinori Ono. One noted feature is the ability to start an 'open' single player game, where your friends can hop in and challenge you, just as it would happen in the arcade. You can read more about it in this interview: Street Fighter IV Preview from GamePro. In addition to this stuff, features from the arcade version like alternate costumes, additional colors, rankings, and things remaining to be seen will also be present. There is no list of Xbox 360 achievements so far, but you can see a list of all the Playstation Network trophies here: SFIV PSN trophy list
The Xbox 360/PS3 pad sucks! Is there going to be a better option?
Yeaup, MadCatz is making a SF4 6-button Saturn-style pad and two flavors of arcade sticks. Don't worry about whatever crap MadCatz has produced in the past, these controllers are designed by people who know what they are doing, and will be the best option for the money, no matter which one you get.
MadCatz 'FightPad' PS3/360($40): No I am not gonna make links for the different character versions. They come with Ryu, Ken, Chun-Li, Blanka, or Akuma art, just search around yourself. Pretty self-explanatory. They are based on the six button Saturn pad style layout, which has been a mainstay for pad players since the Genesis 6-button pad.
MadCatz 'FightStick' PS3/360 ($70 PS3/$80 360): Smaller than the TE (less hand space), joystick and buttons manufactured by MadCatz. What makes this stick a great value is the quick disconnects for all of the internal connections, which means you can get this stick, then easily swap out the buttons for real arcade-quality ones from somewhere like...Lizard Lick. No soldering iron/dremel required!
MadCatz 'FightStick' Tournament Edition PS3/360 ($150): Larger than the standard stick (more hand room), comes stock with joystick and buttons manufactured by Sanwa, the most popular arcade controls in the world. The faceplate is removable for alternate artwork and has a cord storage department at the back of the stick. Has quick disconnects, so you can change parts just as easily as the standard stick. It has labeled pin outs, and a universal mounting plate and a bored-out bottom so that you can install any joystick on the market (Seth Killian keeps saying you can install an American stick in it, but MarkMan says you can't...guess we'll have to wait and see). There are screw holes in the bottom so that you can actually mount it on a stable surface.
The botton layout of both sticks is a slightly modified HRAP1 layout, so that the left 6 buttons are the japanese layout, while the right 6 are straight like American/Euro style.
I'm watching some of these match videos and man they are doing some crazy shit sometimes. Explain this shit to me!
Well, let's get the basics out of the way. You throw by pressing f or b and both light attack buttons. You break throws the same way, but you can also break them when holding d/b or d/f (which will result in a crouching light kick if you aren't being thrown). Saving attack is done by pressing both medium attack buttons. This has a lot of uses that I'll cover below. Pressing both hard attack buttons performs a taunt, which do not change any kind of stats like they do in Street Fighter III: 3rd Strike. There is dashing. There is no air blocking. There are no super jumps, with the exclusion of C.Viper, who has super jumps (and super jump cancels as well, which allow her to cancel her ground pound into other specials, just like it is used in 3rd Strike).
There are two meters at the bottom of the screen now. The big straight one that looks like a super meter is a super meter. It is filled by doing special moves, blocking, hitting, or having your attacks blocked, just like in Super Street Fighter II Turbo (ST). It's split into 4 sections, which are referred to as 'stocks'. There are 3 ways to use your super meter. The first two are simple:
You can use your character's super move, which requires all 4 stocks. Supers are usually done the same way they always were, which is by doing a special move motion twice, then pressing a button. For example, Ryu's super move is a super fireball, and you perform it by doing two qcf motions and hitting a punch button, just like in ST. Super canceling from SF3 is still in the game, which is when you cancel a special move into a super. For example, Ryu can cancel a normal fireball into his super fireball by doing qcf+P, qcf+P. The first fireball motion also serves as the first motion for the super.
The 2nd way is by performing EX moves, which are from the Street Fighter III games. They only use 1 stock, and are powered-up versions of a character's special moves. These are done by performing a special move motion and pressing two punches/two kicks. For example, Ryu can throw an EX fireball by doing a qcf and pressing LP+MP or MP+HP or even LP+HP at the same time, just like in SF3. The 3rd way to use super meter involves the new Saving Attack feature, which I'll get to later.
Now onto the other meter. It's the small circular one on the edge of the super meter, and it's called the ultra gauge. Ultras are kind of the 'ultimate' or 'level 3' supers of SF4. Unlike the super meter, the ultra gauge only fills when you take damage either directly or by using the Saving Attack or an armor move to absorb damage. When the meter fills halfway, it will turn red and you can perform an ultra. The catch is that as you get even more ultra meter (and take damage), the gauge will continue to fill, and the more ultra meter you have when it hits, the more damage it will do. To perform an ultra, you have to do a special motion twice and press all 3 punch/kick buttons. For example, Ryu's ultra is a ultra fireball (surprise), and you do it by doing qcf twice and LP+MP+HP. Unlike the super meter, the ultra meter resets every round and does not carry over. Use it or lose it. One other thing to note is that ultras can only be done by themselves, i.e., you can't cancel into them from normal attacks like you can a special or super. You CAN still combo them (in many ways), but it can't just be canceled from a normal attack or something.
I already knew all that motherfucker, I mean the fuckin crazy dash cancel horseshit I saw Diego Umejuarez do in the ethernet quicktime movie!
The Saving Attack (or Focus Attack, which is its proper name in the West) is SF4's main new gameplay mechanic. At its most basic form, it is kind of like a parry+attack, but is extremely versatile and can be used in a ton of different ways, both offensively and defensively. First of all, SA attacks can absorb 1 hit. You will take the damage from the attack, but the life you lose will appear grey and then begin to refill after a moment, as long as you are not blocking an attack. If you get hit before the life refills, you simple lose the energy that hasn't refilled yet (and take the damage from whatever move you got hit by). SA can absorb 1 hit and 1 hit only. If a 2nd hit comes before the attack comes out, you will simply get hit. In addition to this, every character has 1 or more special moves that 'break' SA. You might see this in match videos with a glass breaking sound effect and a visual cue to go along with it. For example, Ryu's hurricane kick and Sagat's tiger knee are SA-breaking moves. The SA can be charged by holding the two buttons down. It breaks down into 3 levels:
Level 1 SA: Done by simply tapping MP+MK. This will normally just plainly hit the opponent, but if it hits them in the middle of a move (called a counter-hit), they will fall into a stun (which I will refer to as a 'crumple' from now on), after which you can combo after. Hitting a crumple using the SA is a common way to combo into ultras.
Level 2 SA: Done by holding MP+MK for any length of time and then releasing before it's fully charged. A level 2 SA will crumple if it hits, no matter what (well, unless it hits them in the air of course). It also puts the opponent into a much heavier block stun (basically the time they are stuck in place after blocking something).
Level 3 SA: Done by holding MP+MK and never releasing them until the attack comes out. This is unblockable, and will always crumple like the level 2 SA.
The 3rd and aspect of the SA is dash canceling. To dash normally in SF4, simply press forward or back twice (f,f or b,b). There are 2 ways to use dashes with the SA, and neither of them use meter (common misconception).
The first way is to dash before the SA hits, while you are still charging it. This can be used as a fake to bait the opponent. For example, you knock down Ryu and start charging your saving attack (which will eventually become unblockable). The Ryu player sees this and doesn't want to get hit, so he tries to dragon punch (which would beat your saving attack) as he gets up. You proceed to backdash before your SA comes out, leaving his dragon punch to completely miss and then you can regulate.
The second way is to dash after the SA hits. Well, I say after but you could also say it's at the same time. This is normally how you combo from a saving attack. Simply perform the saving attack, then at the same time as it hits, perform a dash. Your character will hit the opponent and then immediately cancel into a dash, allowing you do perform a ground combo on the opponent if your SA crumpled them, or some kind of throw/attack mixup if it was a level 1 SA that just hit normally. Some characters can even combo from a level 1 SA that hits normally if you dash cancel it. If you dash cancel from a level 2 SA, you will actually have advantage after the dash, so it can be an effective offense starter even if it gets blocked. You can also backdash in the same situation, using the SA as a safe poke that you can space from, rather than a tool to start your offense with.
Now onto the final use of the Saving Attack. I wasn't joking when I said it had a lot of uses. You can cancel any ground move into the SA as long as it hits or is blocked, and you can cancel projectiles into it no matter what. This costs 2 stocks of your super meter, and is done by simply performing a saving attack as a move connects. This function has a lot of uses.
Let's have another Ryu example. Ryu can perform a dragon punch, which beats pretty much everything but leaves you to get punished badly if it is blocked. If Ryu has 2 stocks, however he can perform and dragon punch, then press MP+MK for the saving attack to make it safe if it is blocked. But it doesn't end there. He can then dash (remember dash canceling the SA?) as soon as he performs the SA. This basically looks like Ryu has canceled a dragon punch directly into a dash. If the opponent blocked the dragon punch, Ryu actually has the upper hand after his dash, and can then throw or attack the opponent in some way, going from defense to offense instantly. If the dragon punch hits, the opponent will be knocked into the air, and Ryu can then perform his ultra fireball to hit them as they fall. If you click the 'match videos' link at the top of this post and search 'daigo', you can see this in action.
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Alright that's long enough. Use this thread to talk about Capcom's Street Fighter IV Video Game.
shamelessly copied from Street Fighter IV - Zoneing With The Fire Balls - The Something Awful Forums
I know we had a SFIV thread about 2 years ago, but it was a speculation thread so I figured that I could post one with actual info about the game to get people talking.
Edit by mikey: I like this posts formats alot. So yea check out the sf4 intro
http://www.joystiq.com/2009/02/07/watch-the-street-fighter-iv-opening-cinema/#continued
