Random thoughts on Street Fighter 4

Street Fighter 4 has been dominating my time ever since its release almost two weeks ago. I originally had some trepidation about the game. Capcom usually has to tweak the fighting engine with new releases before they get it right. But so far I'm enjoying the new game.

The high-definition, 3D graphics make the fighters look better than ever. In still screenshots they look rather goofy, but in motion it all looks seamless and smooth. The pseudo-cel-shaded style pays homage to the anime-style of the Alpha and Street Fighter 3 series, while meeting the standards for the 21st century.

A few other thoughts:

• The announcer makes me want to punch the screen half the time. It's the same problem with Street Fighter Alpha 3 and Capcom vs. SNK 2. Why, why, why isn't there an option to disable him?
• Most of the English voices grate just as much. Blanka, Akuma, and Zangief are the worst.
• Pressing three punches for Ultras is unnecessary. Why not use heavy punch/kick for ultras and weak/medium punch/kick for supers?
• Speaking of which it takes a long time to build meter for super combos. EX specials have proven more useful.
• Dan is hilarious. His ultra made me laugh my ass off.
• I'm still trying to get the hang of the focus attack-dash cancel thing everyone harps on and on about.
• The intro boasts a brilliant sense of style (although I am NOT feeling the theme song). If they could've incorporated it into the game, it would've pushed the whole thing to another level.
• Online play is a blast. I've had my ass thoroughly kicked and dished out my share of ass whuppings in return. And lag isn't too bad if the connection is good.
• Reviews have been calling this game very "casual friendly" and that is not true with even the most generous definition of "casual". I don't think this is a problem because if Street Fighter ever reached the point of hitting this benchmark it'd cease to be Street Fighter. I can't see the average Wii Sports player getting the hang of quarter-circle motions.
• I don't care for any of the new fighters except for maybe Crimson Viper. Abel's okay. El Fuerte gets on my nerves and Rufus is just gross.
• Why the hell is Capcom trying to nickel-and-dime us with this alternate costume bullshit? Namco has been providing alternate costumes and customizable clothing for years at no extra charge.
  

Despite all the complaints, I really enjoy the game. It's great to pick up a few online matches here and there. The unlockable prizes make for a nice distraction too, even though unlocking all the fighters felt like needless busywork. Hopefully a patch will tweak a few annoyances *cough*announcer*cough*.