The game uses the IC card system that all Japanese fighters today use, but so far its only use is to record wins, and for the player to purchase costumes, which so far are only alternate colors for existing costumes.
As I arrived in line to try my hand at Capcoms new fighter, I was taken aback. The game looked truly beautiful. Character detail was crisp and visible, while background lighting was well implemented and subtle. Darkers stages like the Buddhist temple offered an interesting change of pace, as a single light source at the middle of the stage serves as the only illumination. Corner games are drowned in darkness, which lend an interesting mood.
Similarly, the game preserves the original teaser trailers sumi-e brushstroke style, but uses it sparingly unlike the teaser. Certain powerful moves leave a trail of black paint splatter as the character moves towards their target. The effect is not only beautiful, but it screams artistic confidence. Street Fighters art style is very cohesive and determined.
Once I hopped on a machine for the first time, a surge of excitement mixed with nervousness coursed through my body. Not only was this going to be my first time playing Street Fighter IV, but it would be in front of throngs of people who, instead of standing in line to play the game, were happy to puff on cigarettes and gander.
Being a shotokan player for most of my life, I chose my staple character Ryu, and headed into the fray. My first battle was against a player controlled El Fuerte, a lucha libre character making his first appearance in Street Fighter IV. Despite being a Ryu player for the better part of my existence, I was still convinced I was out of my depth. There had been several location tests for the game in the same arcade, and this was my first time playing the game.
When I finally defeated my opponent (with an Ultra move no less), my moment of victory was downright palpable. Sure, I was able to squeeze a win out of my first game of Street Fighter IV, but there was something more gratifying than that: Ryu still played like Ryu.
That would be an elementary train of thought for most gamers looking in from the outside, for those following Street Fighter IVs development from its first announcement, this will naturally come as a relief. From the introduction of the revenge bar, to the exclusion of parries, Street Fighter fans have been on a roller coaster from day 1.
The revenge bar is, surprisingly, is a great addition to the game. Separate from the characters Super bar, the Revenge meter (which fills as the character is hit) is used to either execute a saving attack (an offensive move from a block akin to a parry), or a full one can be used to execute the characters highest level attack, known as an Ultra.
The super bar fills based on hits dealt to the enemy, and can be used to augment regular attacks, or can be used in full to release a super attack, which are less powerful than Ultras. With these two bars in tandem, Street Fighter IV becomes a much more offensive based game, as turtling (blocking incessantly without an offensive strategy) has little reward, especially when an aggresive player has more options open to him as he attacks, whether hes particularly successful or not.
