Street Fighter IV on iPhone

It was released today, and partly the reason I made this blog.

If you don't want to get it because of the poor quality textures, go die. Consider the platform, the characters look fine and the backgrounds are just that, backgrounds, who cares if they're fuzzy static pictures, you don't play a fighting game to gawk at the freaking background.

If you don't want to get it because its $12.99, go to hell. This game is well worth the premium price. Sometimes you just have to pay for quality. If you're really that stingy when it comes to iPhone games then you should have a Jailbroken one, then price shouldn't be a problem.

If you don't want to get it because you're certain the controls will be horrible, put your fears to rest you judgmental bastard. Trust me, they work far better than an Xbox 360 d-pad and you can position them wherever you like.

If you don't want to get it because you think your fingers will cover up the screen, expel such paranoid delusions. Unless you have gigantor sausage fingers ten centimeters thick it shouldn't be a problem.

I sat eagerly awaiting this game since the start of the month, having high expectations for it, and I was most not disappointed. I shall consider the game by itself, but mainly in comparison of the console (360) version.

There are four buttons which essentially are; Punch, Kick, Special and Focus Attack. The Special button is used to perform EX-Special moves, more powerful versions of regular special moves costing one segment of the super bar, and the Focus Attack is a feature from the original, a counter-stance that when charged can stun the opponent briefly. But the main consideration point is the virtual joystick. Initially you may be confused as to how to use it, but I say to you this:
IGNORE the joystick, focus on pressing the yellow arrows. Do this, and you will find the directional input to be very good, and far better than the horrendous Xbox 360 d-pad. You can edit the opacity of the buttons and even their placement on the screen. I find putting the virtual joystick slightly more to the center of the screen, away from the sides. I consider my fingers fairly short and round, yet they do not get in the way of playing the game. If your thumbs get in the way, you either have gigantic thumbs or you're playing the game wrong, you thick twat.

With that in mind, you will find the rest of the gameplay very good. Animation is smooth and it gameplay feels just like the console version, but without the vile uneven mass of misshapen snot of lumpy plastic that serves as a d-pad. I've never experienced any slowdown on my third generation iPod Touch and this game is no exception. Your mileage may vary, but as I play it, it moves with an almost poetic grace as punch two-in-ones into shoryuken. While there is only one punch and one kick button, I find this to be a suitable compromise and combat plays fine without different strength buttons. By contrast, the Gameboy Advance versions of Street Fighter Alpha 3 and Super Street Fighter II Turbo Revival had all six punch/kick buttons, relegating one for A, B, L and R, and the strength of the button press differentiating a medium kick from a hard kick (control mapping customizable). I found this hard to use as it was very picky about the button press and ended up mainly using one punch/kick strength almost the whole fight. As such, condensing all of the essential moves to one button and a directional input (fast punch, uppercut, poking low kick, sweep, etc) was a good move.
To further add to the optimized controls, super combos and ultra combos can now be activated by tapping on either your or your opponent's super/revenge bar. This makes performing them far easier for those who find difficulty in half-circle motions. I recommend tapping your opponent's meter to activate them, as they are closer to the main buttons. Auto-guard and Special move assist options are also available.

In terms of actual game content we are given a Tournament (arcade) mode, standard fight the other characters and beat Bison (or Vega, if it suits you). They kept in post-fight quotes, displayed against your character's winning portrait, which was a nice touch. There is a Free-Sparring (CPU versus) mode for quick one-on-one bouts. There is a Training mode, to get a feel for the controls and practice your techniques. Finally there is a Dojo mode, similair to the challenges of the main game, where you must complete many challenges of various conditions. I am unsure whether the Dojo challenges here confer some unlockables, though I would assume it would. In addition we get a Bluetooth multiplayer option, and the ability to save the replays of fights, so if you defeated your opponent with a spectacular counter-hit-shinryuken-ultra-finish then you can save your fight and relive your glorious moment of victory. Replay value is high if you like Street Fighter.

On to the minor details, there are many options to customize the experience. If you found yourself being obliterated by the often-complained cheap AI of the console versions then fear not! There are multiple difficulty settings and the default is much easier (and I suppose more fairer) than the original, allowing fighters of all skill levels to get your hadouken groove on. 8 characters, all looking and playing fantastic. Essentially the Street Fighter II roster minus E. Honda and Zangeif, replaced with Abel (I guess they wanted to include at least one newcomer). 7 stages, all taken from the console version. Yes, they are fuzzy static images but who cares? You're focusing on the fight, not the details of the locale. A minor sacrifice in my opinion. Each character has two color options. At this point I am unsure of unlockables, though either that or DLC in updates are likely possibilities. Dan is the mentor for the Dojo stages after all. The opening is different to the console version, being just the unabridged stylized Ryu and Ken fight, with the pop song that served as the main theme replaced with generic-but-awesome techno/rock assortment. In addition (kinda spoilers), finish Tournament mode and you will be treated to an awesome trailer for the upcoming Super Street Fighter IV. Both these videos are of high-quality.
Audio-wise, sound and music are good. Unfortunately, the cheesy english voices are used, but it is only a minor nitpick. Ryu screaming "Shinkuu.... HAAAADOOUUUUKEN" is really all that matters.
In terms of the characters themselves, in motion it looks almost just like the console games. If you look closely you'll notice that the characters are actually pre-rendered sprites based off the 3D models of the console games, kinda like Killer Instinct, those old games that use pre-rendered objects turned into sprites. However, it looks so good its actually really hard to determine if they really are 2D, and since the camera is static we don't get any sprite stretching from pseudo 3D views.

Rest assured that this is not a butchered port. It is not a Darkstalkers Chronicles, ruined by an unplayable d-pad. Rather, Street Fighter IV on iPhone is like Tekken 5 Dark Resurrection on PSP, beatifully ported with near-nothing subtracted with excellent graphics, animation, optimized gameplay and high-quality video clips just to show how far portable gaming has come.

Keep in mind, this is me playing the game for 30 minutes. I might discover more about the game as I play, it may be updated, but it has already blown me away with its initial offering. My recommendation is simply this;
If you like Street Fighter IV or fighting games in general, you MUST get this. It is easily the best fighting game available on the platform, easily one of the best games available on iPhone period. I cannot recommend it enough. If you have reservations about the controls, trust me, they work wonderfully. If you have reservations about the price, quite frankly, go fuck yourself. This is a quality game that plays just as well as its $69 counterpart and while I like to get games as cheap as possible and would rather more games be at the minimum price, this is one game that is well worth the $12.99 price tag.

Stay tuned for updates.