GDC 2008: Street Fighter IV Hands-on

Feb 20, 2008

Note: This article refers to the arcade version of SF IV, which is expected to be similar to the console version.

Ever since the first teaser trailer was shown for Street Fighter IV, we've been eager to see the game in action. Sure, getting a sneak peek at the redesigned art style of the franchise was one thing, but we couldn't wait to fling a couple of fireballs, sonic booms and launch dragon punches into the faces of unsuspecting opponents. Luckily, we managed to get some hands on with the arcade version of the game at this year's GDC. Two arcade cabinets, fresh from the AOU Amusement Expo, were set up in Capcom's suite, and we had an opportunity to pummel our way through many of the World Warriors.

While the animated appearance of Street Fighter IV is easily the sharpest and slickest presentation of the fighting series, fighting fans can take solace in the fact that it plays exactly like previous games. Without looking at some of the move sets plastered on the cabinet, we were able to trigger most of our favorite attacks from memory, which made us very comfortable when it came to leaping into battle. This was a very specific design choice made on the part of Capcom, as the team working on the game decided to borrow the best game elements of from Street Fighter II, 3, EX and Alpha to comprise the rules behind Street Fighter IV. While that might seem like a lot of elements to balance and adjust, the team is still in the process of refining which gameplay features players will and won't be able to use.

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What we did notice was that the arcade cabinet featured the eight classic World Warriors as well as the two new characters, Abel and Crimson Viper, who definitely have the skills to fit in with the other fighters. Abel is a large, bruising fighter from France, who appears to practice either Savate or Judo. His moves seem to be a combination of agile attacks reminiscent of Fei Long with the power of Zangief, as we noticed him performing 360 degree throws, shoulder rolls, and charging attacks that quickly closed distance between himself and his opponents.

Crimson Viper, by contrast, is an American secret agent with some special abilities thanks to her technological gear. It appears that her gloves are lined with electrodes, allowing her to discharge electrical bolts or punches similar to Blanka. These also provide her with additional strength, as she can perform ground pounds to damage enemies, and use many of these punches to juggle opponents. Viper also appears to have boots that channel flame, as she can pull off a modified hurricane kick that surrounds her in fire.

Apart from these two new characters, the original characters appear to return with only mild variations on their move sets or their power orientations. For example, we were told that Ryu, Ken and Chun Li are currently patterned after their characters from 3rd Strike, while Dhalsim is much more like his Street Fighter Alpha counterpart. Again, we were told that certain moves were still being tailored for the final game, so while technical hits and throws were still included, parries were removed from the game. What's more, the damage scale has been tuned down slightly, so comboing off of existing specials will result in lower damage against enemies, akin to that in 3rd Strike.

Even though many of the elements are still being tweaked, two of the new battle systems were in place, and we were able to get a sense of how these will impact fights in Street Fighter IV. The first element are Focus Attacks, which are known as Saving Attacks in Japan. This allows players to power up one strike. While the attack is unblockable when charged, it doesn't make players invulnerable; a character in this state will soak the damage of one attack for free, akin to Juggernaut's super armor move in Marvel Vs. Capcom. Since players can effectively use this as a counter if timed just right, this can be used to cut through even EX attacks and land a serious blow. This was easily demonstrated with Abel, whose shoulder charge deflected most strikes against him.

The second system was the Ultra Combo attack, which builds upon the power and the strength of the super combo system. However, there are three caveats that players have when it comes to these incredibly powerful strikes. The first is that players need to have filled up their super combo meter as well as their revenge meter which is next to their life bar. This meter, situated next to the character's life bar, fills with every damaging strike they take, and can be built up twice, potentially adding to the strength of the Ultra Combo. The second facet is that as players finish their move, players will need to press two buttons instead of one to trigger the combo. Finally, players won't be able to carry over the built up power in their revenge bar or combo meter to the next round, as each resets at the start of each round.

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However, once it's triggered, the Ultra is a thing of beauty to behold. Characters easily land ten or more strikes on their opponent when an ultra is unleashed, which can even the playing field for someone that's been getting stomped or put a battle completely out of reach. We witnessed Abel smashing his way through opponents with a flurry of kidney kicks which transitioned into a 360 degree throw up into the air. Abel finished this up by leaping after his opponent and power bombing them into the ground. This was pretty striking, as was Ryu's Ultra strike where he gathered his chi (similar to that in the teaser trailer) before unleashing it on his opponent.

Apart from the eye-catching power of these strikes, we were entranced by the redesigned animation style for Street Fighter IV. Running at an incredibly smooth 60 frames a second, the 3D character models in the game pop off the screen with their animations. One very cool facet that the designers are thinking about keeping in are ink streaks that show up on screen as a strong or fierce strike hits its intended target. But it's much more than the bursts of energy that are projected from character's hands or special strikes that enthralls someone watching the game. Most of the backgrounds are either brand new or are redesigned takes on previous stages, such as the classic market scene that many fans associate with the franchise.

We'll have much more on Street Fighter IV soon. For now, check out these new videos of the game in action.