Ultra Street Fighter IV

Competitive gaming experiences will always be a core part of a gamer’s identity. With the variety of titles that have existed, there aren’t many that can rival this franchise. In Ultra Street Fighter IV, you get a game that ticks a lot of the right boxes to deliver a sublime experience for players. If you’re looking to warm up your controller for a bit, sit back and read our review of this title.

In recent years, developers have paid increased attention to the demands and needs of competitive fighting game players, but Ultra Street Fighter 4 is a perfect illustration of how a fighting game can fulfill those goals without alienating more casual players. For a 2014 title, it managed to present an experience that still feels fresh and rewarding in 2022. Street Fighter V: Champion Edition may be a thing, but that doesn’t stop this game from shining, especially on its low price today.

Gameplay Changes

Ultra Street Fighter IV adds a slew of new features and adjustments to the game's earlier editions, Super Street Fighter IV Arcade Edition and its other updates. Six new levels, five new characters, and three additional game features skillfully integrate into an already feature-rich game, introducing new methods that keep this seasoned fighter feeling better.

Character Tweaks

Every character has been tweaked in some way in order to extend the pool of viable characters and reduce the gap between the top and bottom tiers. The real extent of Capcom's achievement in this area will take some time and competitions to reveal, but thus far, the adjustments appear to be positive. Fixing Rufus' Messiah Kick and reversing some of Yun's harsh 2012 nerfs assist to make those characters seem like threats again. Subtle changes, like as Ken's crouching forward speed or Dudley's standing ferocious hit box, indicate that long-ignored characters may now have a chance to shine. Characters that have struggled to the bottom appear to be worth resurrecting now more than ever.

New Characters

Any significant Street Fighter upgrade would be incomplete without the inclusion of new combatants. Street Fighter fans will recognize Poison, Rolento, Hugo, and Elena from their appearances in Street Fighter X Tekken. These characters, however, are not simply altered Street Fighter x Tekken duplicates; rather, they have been redesigned to fit seamlessly inside Street Fighter IV's play style. Decapre completes the lineup. While she resembles another world fighter, Decapre has her own particular combat style that effectively combines charge-based strikes with rushdown techniques, two fighting methods that generally do not match.

Verdict

Ultra Street Fighter 4 expands on an already fantastic, content-rich fighting game in ways that both fighting fans and casual fans will love.

Pros

• Awesome new characters
• Good balance between characters

Cons

• Trials mode could be better