Arnold-KatayevSometimes it's nice when the game industry still has that old-school feeling to it. It always brings me back to a more nostalgic state of mind. With the rebirth of fighting games and the genre altogether, Capcom also decided to bring back a bit of tradition. That tradition being the release of updated Street Fighters. Just like the Street Fighter games that preceded Street Fighter IV, Capcom is gearing up to release, what was originally planned to be downloadable content, as one full game, with a lower price-tag.
The addition of a few downloadable extra characters was originally in store for Street Fighter IV, but that instead turned out to be a major overhaul and update, and so we're getting Super Street Fighter IV instead. Considering that we're looking at a price-tag of anywhere between $30-40, once you see the amount of features Capcom plans to add, you may find yourself quite excited for this all new SFIV update.
Of course, the first and most important thing with an update to a fighting game is always the additions made to the roster. At over 20 fighters, SFIV was already plentiful in that regard, but because the franchise is so rich, there were still a number of key characters that were missing, and fans made no reservations about voicing their complaints. So for Super SFIV, T.Hawk and Dee Jay have been added to complete the original Street Fighter II-series cast. Joining them will be a number of Street Fighter III and Alpha characters and two all new characters. Now we know that the new characters are Hakan and Juri (likely translated to Juli for American and European release), as Capcom has confirmed that much, giving us a total of four confirmed fighters. But, Capcom has yet to comment on which Street Fighter III and Alpha characters would appear.
Now, weeks ago an alleged fact sheet leaked online, and so far it's been pretty accurate with what Super SFIV would feature. That same fact sheet listed the following SFIII and Alpha fighters as playable: Dudley, Ibuki, Makoto, Adon, Cody, and Guy. Because Capcom has told us there will be eight fighters added to Super SFIV, we know that at least two of those SFIII characters will not make it over. But, Super SFIV producer Yoshinori Ono states that it could be more than eight total fighters, all depending on the fan reaction. To us, that implies they are currently working on all of the SFIII/Alpha fighters listed, but may cut two out of the packaged game if need be, and save it for DLC. So, who knows, maybe Super SFIV will get the DLC that SFIV never did. It's all up in the air. Point is, you have a rough idea of who to expect.
The SFIII fighters are said to have been molded to fit the SFIV universe and mechanics. So that means no more picking between one super and using it exclusively for a match. Fighters will have their SFIII Super Arts split into one Super and two Ultras. The exception here is Gen, who is said to have four Ultras, because of his two fighting styles. Sakura is expected to finally get her missing Shinkuu Hadoken as a Super, and other fighters will be given Air Ultras, as well. In fact, and this is according to both Capcom and the alleged fact-sheet, a good number of fighters will be seeing new or updated moves, supers and ultras – the "fact-sheet" says Guile, Zangief, Rufus, Dhalsim, Chun-Li, Gouken, and Sagat are some of those characters.
Even better is the alleged return of Bonus Stages, which has had a lot of people very excited. It would be quite a bit of fun to destroy a car or kick some barrels in an all new SF game like Super SFIV, so we really hope these sources that have leaked the info are credible. Super SFIV is also said to feature an all new mechanic called "Tadan Saving", but that has not been confirmed, yet. Lastly, Capcom producer Yoshinori Ono also stated improvements and upgrades made to the online system that they can't talk about just yet.
In the SF universe, Super Street Fighter IV's story takes place one year after the events of SFIV. The game is expected to ship Spring 2010 for a price that should be considerably cheaper than a standard $60 game. Our money's on $39.99. There will be no cross-compatibility between SFIV and Super SFIV, since they are running considerably different mechanics and setups. Also, Capcom says they have a very special surprise in store for owners of Street Fighter IV as an incentive to not sell their copies.
