Review: Super Street Fighter IV Arcade Edition

Well, here we are at the third iteration in Capcom’s flagship fighting game, Super Street Fighter IV: Arcade Edition (or AE). In addition to new character balances, four brand new characters are added to the rosters: Hong Kong Twins, Yun and Yang (who were previously introduced in Street Fighter III), make their next-gen debut in AE. The other two are Evil Ryu (Ryu who succumbs to the Satsui no Hadou) and Oni (a more sinister looking Akuma). The latter are brand new additions to the series with some pretty neat tricks. Because this is mainly rebalanced for competitive play, many characters received new changes to their move sets. A comprehensive of list of many of the changes to each character can be found on this helpful list compiled by Eventhubs.

Evil Ryu's health is pitiful, but his offense is much scarier than Regular Ryu.

With that out of the way, Arcade Edition adds several changes to the game. All of the new characters are given their own little story in Arcade mode, and are selectable in just about everything else except Trial Mode. The addition of Yun and Yang may have upset players because of their strong performance in Japanese tournament play. In addition to the offline changes, AE adds new features to the online experience. The Replay Channel gets several new options, such as being able to send your friends your replays and search out specific players. For the hardcore types, there is a channel specifically for players who have a high Player Point ranking. While all these nice features are great, what about people who don’t want to throw down 15 dollars for the upgrade? Capcom’s got you covered. AE features the option to easily switch between Super and AE in the option menu. Disappointed by all the nerfs to your favorite characters? Just flip to Super and relive the days of charge characters domination. Those without AE can still enjoy online play with AE. An AE player will automatically switch to Super if there are non-AE players.

Yun's divekicks will make you very very angry.

Ultimately, the bottom line is: it worth the upgrade? With 4 new characters and a substantial rebalance to the cast, AE is catered to the hardcore crowd. The new characters are a blast to play with, but some may think they are very powerful in comparison to everyone else (In 10 of my online ranked matches, I’ve fought 4 Yuns, 3 Yangs, and 1 Oni). As prolific top Japanese players, Daigo and Mago show off why some characters are simply ridiculously strong (Yun & Fei Long), and a lot of people will flock to them. Some people will love some of AE’s character buffs (Makoto and Fei Long for example), while others will have to deal with nerfs (Guile and E.Honda players). If you are simply a casual player that doesn’t care for character rebalances and all those under the hood changes, AE won’t change your mind about the game. Regardless of which camp you’re in, Arcade Edition is modest update (possibly the last) to SSFIV that hopes to close the gap between characters and overall a more enjoyable experiences for street fighters everywhere.

Unless you sold your soul and switched your main to Yun, Yang, or Fei Long bandwagon.