Mobile Brawl - Street Fighter IV iPhone Review

"While it isn't likely that we'll see a fighting game on the iPhone at any point (they simply demand too much precision and timing for something like a touch screen), the fact that it handles every other genre reasonably well, even sports titles, is quite a feat."

--ExpertPenguin - October 2009

Well. Didn't see that coming.

While I am not sure exactly WHY this exists, Street Fighter IV is indeed on the iPhone/iPod Touch, and for the low price of $9.99, everyone can get their portable fix of what is in my opinion, one of the best fighters around. But was Capcom able to shrink down their deep, gorgeous fighter into a portable form (without buttons no less!), or was I right after all?

Heh.




By all accounts, this game should not work. It's on a cellphone. The game and controller share the same screen. There are only 8 of the original 25 characters. The controls are cut down and simplified.

Why then, is Street Fighter IV enjoyable on the iPhone despite this?

Capcom knew their boundaries. The iPhone version doesn't attempt to be the arcade, or even the console version. Instead, it stands out on its own as a unique experience, one that fighting fans will undeniably scoff at, but one that those new to the genre or curious about fighters can enjoy.

The visuals were faithfully carried over with 2D sprites that mimic the look of the original, the catchy stage music made it in as well, and the voices? They are crystal clear, albeit a bit repetitive. There's a Tournament (arcade) mode, one on one fighting, practice, wireless fighting over bluetooth, and even a Saikyo Dojo where you can go through an entire suite of tutorials, trials, and battle tactics with the man himself, Dan Hibiki.



This is all well and good of course, but the burning question is, how are the controls, and how do they hold up? Answer: Surprisingly well!

The game uses a simplified four button setup very similar to the recent Tatsunoko vs. Capcom, with Punch, Kick, Special (EX), and Focus respectively mapped out on screen. The virtual analog is very responsive when it comes to pulling off moves, but does have a tendency to stick and be finicky when it comes to performing some of the more complex motions. Thankfully, not only did Capcom simplify some of the more complex motions, but there's even an assist option to make the "special" button handle all special moves with a single press, so the virtual stick's shortcomings are minimized. It's an excellent design choice ensures that veterans will be able to pull off their usual combos with some practice, and newcomers won't have to drill themselves endlessly in order to pull off some of the cooler maneuvers.



Yes, this also means that if it worked in the arcade, it works here as well. Quite a feat for a mobile game.

The funny thing about this version of SFIV is that even though the game isn't arcade perfect, it's every bit as playable, every bit as enjoyable as its big brother. The atmosphere scales over to the iPhone's sharp, colorful display very well, the characters, though few, are fully realized and uncompromised, and the controls, even though finicky, even though my expectations were admittedly low, managed to impress me and hopefully, sets a bar other developers should aspire to for their virtual pads. Somehow, Capcom did it. They said they were bringing Street Fighter to the iPhone, that they would make it work, and they did. I'll hold off on eating crow until they fine tune the controls a bit more, but damn if this isn't a good start.

It's almost funny to mention. Street Fighter on the iPhone. Who would've guessed?

Well done.

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God of Visuals.

God of War III is nearly among us, friends. One week. Of course with it comes the ubiquitous pre-release hyperbole, but in this case, it's definitely deserved. All the buzz, reviews I'm struggling to avoid are saying it's amazing.

Especially its visual presentation. While God of War is certainly no stranger to setting a visual bar every time one is released, 3 is exceptionally well done. Never mind the demo everyone's been salivating over this past year, the actual game is so many leaps and bounds beyond it, it's almost unbelievable. The guys over at Digital Foundry threw up a small blog on the improvements made since the demo, and even though dev terminology is being flung left and right, it's still an interesting read if you're even slightly curious about the refinements that can come about during the last year of a game's development.

Or, if you just want the visual payoff you can just click that header pic from the demo, and see what it looks like now.

Either way, it's stunning. Uncharted 3 now has a visual bar to overcome. Who would've thought?

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Someone's got to clean up the mess.

/hiatus end.


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Strength.

ANOTHER Bayonetta post?

Yes.

Because this game is exceptional. Excellent, even. But I rave on about it enough. One thing that particularly stood out for me was her design, and it's a driving force behind why I'm never embarassed to show people this game no matter how over-the-top things get. Almost brilliantly, the things she says, does wouldn't work for any other character, and if it was attempted, it'd be a failure, indeed.

Anyone who's spoken to me aloud about her knows what's coming next, but instead of subjecting you to one of my rants, I'll instead show this very well put together collection of thoughts from the Game OverThinker, because he's spot on with my opinion.

I always smile inwardly when things I've said appear elsewhere in the mainstream..it means I definitely picked the right field. Video after the jump.



Agree? Disagree? Comments please. There aren't enough of them around here ;)

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This looks amazing. Here are three ways to have it NOT suck, Sega.

Watch this.



Looks great, doesn't it? Here's how Sega can keep from screwing it up. Again.

1 - MAKE SURE WE'RE ONLY USING SONIC. REAL SONIC.

I may be one of the only fans left keeping track, but ever since this generation started, Sonic Team's taken to promising the fans that each new title is a return to form, that we'll only be using Sonic, no sidekicks along for the ride, and that we'll do what he does best.

Then they turn it on us.

This bait-and-switch tactic worked with the godawful Sonic The Hedgehog when they pulled Shadow's vehicles and Silver's physics sandbox gameplay out of a hat months before release, and of course, in Sonic Unleashed when they revealed that Sonic would be transforming into a damned werehog, again veering off of normal Sonic gameplay and forcing players into a cheap, slow paced brawler. Oh yeah. They managed to sneak Tails and another new annoying sidekick in the form of Chip in there as well. Sega, understand that we don't need to play as Sonic, his brothers, sisters, extended family, second cousins, THEIR cousins, AND the black sheep inbetween. Running and jumping is a pastime in gaming that'll never grow old. Sonic doing this has not gotten old. Variety of this sort is atrocious and the #1 thing ruining Sonic games post 1995.


NO.

2 - More Platforming, less (yes, I said LESS) Speed.

Ever since Sonic's transition from 2D to 3D, the design seems to have been running in reverse. Sonic games of the Genesis era were tricky, filled with secrets, and had great platforming in huge, multi-tiered levels. Almost as if it were a present for making it through, they were always bookended with short stretches that allowed Sonic to show off his trademark speed. They were brief moments, but they were always rewarding and a blast to experience.


(What a REAL Sonic level used to look like. Click to enlarge)

Sonic games in the post-Dreamcast era have had an emphasis on speed, with platforming either falling by the wayside, or being an afterthought. This has forced the game's structure into a psuedo on rails trial-and-error affair, with success coming not from how well tuned your reflexes are, but how well you've memorized a stage after failing countless times. Even my recent favorite of the series, Sonic Unleashed suffers from this. The stages are amazing rollercoaster rides, yes, but the bottleneck it forces players into, essentially having to play a level the way the developers want you to instead of encouraging exploration and multiple paths is one of the things that has been killing the series since 2000.

A return to the secret filled, challenging platform days would be amazing. Sonic's fast. This has been established. But it's a character trait, not a singular gameplay rule. Imagine if everything Mario did in his games was centered around plumbing.

Yep.

3 - Please no "epic" plotlines.

Am I the only person who remembers when Sonic was just a tree hugging, chili dog eating, 'tude filled advocate for animal rights? Robotnik captures the animals and enslaves them, then Sonic sets out to rescue them. That's the motivation. All Mario had was a princess, a bunch of mushroom men, or his brother, but Sonic? He was rescuing the entire damn wilderness. But while Mario has been content rescuing Peach for over 20 years with nary a deviation in plot, Sonic's adventures just keep getting more epic, and simultaneously more ridiculous. Emerald legends, strange relics, plots to destroy the earth, mystical beings, clones, prophetic destinies, it ended up coming to a head (at least for me) in 2006 when he had a love interest in Princess Elise.


Fuck.

I don't need to explain what's wrong with this picture and I'm not going to. All I'm going to say is, if I get ahold of this and I find some radical overarching plot that involves Sonic being thrown back in time due to the activation of a mystical device powered by the tears of an ancient mole race who've been controlling time through the whims of a mystical plant being who speaks through his ass, I'm going down to San Francisco myself and shooting someone in the face.

Sega, you look over this carefully and we'll be golden. Otherwise, you're bound to lose a longtime fan. I know I'm not the only one tired of perpetuating The Sonic Cycle over and over again.


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Quick Thought - Bayonetta

Bayonetta is the best action game this year, Period. Yes I realize I'm saying this when God of War 3 is on the cusp of release. Yes, I realize the year just started.

But my definition of what makes a great action game, and an epic action game what they are are two different things.

While there isn't any doubt in my mind that God of War will be an epic spectacle, a graphical and aural marvel with some of the most cinematic and downright visceral moments in gaming coupled with a stellar storyline, these are all bullet points.

Genuinely?

On its merits as an infinitely playable action game, I don't think it'll top Bayonetta.

Bayonetta is fun, fast, gorgeous and has unprecedented depth. It's as much a celebration of action games as it is gaming in general, refuses to take itself too seriously, and in terms of creativity and completely off-the-wall game design, I've never played ANYTHING like it.

It has a very endearing, self-referential arcade game quality to it that makes it addictive, and the sheer number of weapons and combat situations, coupled with some of the most over the top setpieces I've ever seen, ensure there's a reason to play it over and over, discovering something new nearly every time. No really. When your character's potential moveset has enough depth to rival that of a Virtua Fighter character, something special is going on there.

God of War cannot claim this. As polished as its combat engine is, it's still an intensely cinematic game that's meant to be experienced, not replayed like a traditional game. When it's over, it's over, and there will be stories, but revisiting is just smoothing over familiar territory. A replay of God of War is nostalgic at best.

Replaying Bayonetta is peeling back layers. I've gone through the game twice, have replayed countless missions and boss fights, and I'm STILL finding out new things, still having as much fun as I had the first go-around.

Similar to what Rockstar did with Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas in reminding everyone in the industry exactly who the master of the open-world genre was, Hideki Kamiya and Platinum Games just stepped in and reminded everyone exactly who redefined the action genre in 2001 in the first place.


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Yes, I paid $99.99 for this.

If you ask me, it was worth every penny.

I mean...LOOK AT IT.

Kinda want that other one though...

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