With the advent of Street Fighter IV upon the world I am overcome with such feeling that it can only be described as divine exaltation.  Well it could also be described as good or awesome I suppose but if I don’t use the thesaurus at least once in my life it may never happen.

The game is familiar enough to the previous incarnations that it is not very difficult to perform the basics and get right to the fighting.  A fireball is a fireball is a fireball after all.   There are enough differences though that it makes for a fun (sometimes frustrating) experience learning all the new features of the game.  The super combos (not really new but coming directly from Street Fighter II, its newer to me), ultra combos and the focus attacks are all nice additions to the game in my opinion and add quite a bit to the depth of a match.   The challenge mode  and trial modes are fairly common fare for a fighting game these days but still enjoyable.  Unfortunately, like most good things, even the sublime feeling that washes over me when the theme music plays (yes I do like it) comes to an abrupt end when I actually play the game online.

It’s not even the mechanics of the game since out of all the versions I’ve played this one is pretty close to perfection.  It lacks a few features that would have been nice at release but there is always hope for downloadable content later.  Anyway, its not the game that makes me cry into my pillow at night but the utter deterioration of any skill that I possessed at the game.   My mighty fists and feet of fury can still special deliver a parcel of pain to my opponents but not as much as I feel I could have back in the day.  I’ve taken no names other than one.  My pride, or whatever it goes by these days.

P.S. The matchmaking could use some work.  A perfect victory over a person that has obviously never played a fighting game in their life does little to bolster my ego after being thoroughly  trounced by the next teeny bopper I have to face.

-v- out.