Do you have what it takes to get a review published right here on Kotaku? Corey does, as he oils up to tackle a barrel.
Yes, that’s right, we’re now publishing reader reviews here on Kotaku. This is your chance to deliver sensible game purchasing advice to the rest of the Kotaku community.
And thanks to the very kind chaps at Madman Entertainment, purveyor of all kinds of cool, indie and esoteric film, the best reader review we publish each month will win a prize pack containing ten of the latest Madman DVD releases.
This review was submitted by Corey Lee. If you’ve played Super Street Fighter IV, or just want to ask Corey more about it, leave your thoughts in the comments below.
Super Street Fighter IV (Xbox 360/PS3)
It’s back and more Super than ever! Super Street Fighter IV (SSFIV) takes that familiar Street Fighter IV formula, adds some features, takes away some imperfections and leaves you with something that will make you all appreciate how the wait was simply worth it.
Loved
New And Old Faces: One of the major features of SSFIV is the inclusion of ten more characters to add to the fighting mix. Turkish oil wrestling, Tai Kwon Do, knife stabbing and stone throwing, it’s all here. Despite the diversity of styles, each one has been balanced out appropriately to demonstrate clear strengths and exploitable weaknesses. And they’re all available from the start so experiment to your heart’s content!
Online Redesign: Forget the days where you pulled angry red faces at your competition. SSFIV multiplayer not only includes your old ranked battles but multiplayer lobbies for up to eight players and a team battle system that could start a long series of Charge vs Shotokan Wars. Furthermore, playing your fellow Aussie has never been easier thanks to more specific matchmaking options than before. The new background images are a nice touch as well.
Vandalism Is Fun: But not necessarily something I would openly endorse. The return of the bonus car smashing and barrel breaking stages in SSFIV will bring a tear to the faithful and a “Wow, this is amusing” from the new comers. It’s all old school and yet it’s still quite cool.
Additional Ultras: The choice is yours. Will you choose the tried-and-tested ultra you could probably input with your eyes closed or a new ultra that will strike confusion in your opponents? Well, at least until they learn how exactly to avoid it.
Hated
Anime Cutscenes: Fighting games never have particularly engrossing storylines and SSFIV doesn’t buck the trend here either. Expect more lousy, contrived intros and conclusions in Arcade Mode to help pass off why each character wants to kick the other’s arse.
Online Experiences: It varies. Subjectively, my experience using Vega against a countless array of Ryus and Kens can get difficult and tiresome. Over my time with SSFIV so far, I have come across many opponents sticking to the old characters in favour of the new ones. Although I think this trend will probably change later on.
“FISTS WILL FLY AT THIS LOCATION”: Thank you, disembodied voice, for your annoyingly obvious statements. It’s nice to know when the announcer keeps making references to my imminent defeat in-game.
No Tournament Mode: It’s coming but it’s not here yet. As the instruction manual tells you.
Ultimately, what SSFIV has managed to accomplish is not a simple money-grabbing exercise but a worthwhile reiteration of an already worthy game. Working on those minor flaws in the original, SSFIV has enough new content to justify purchasing that same old experience the second time around.
Reviewed by: Corey Lee
You can have your Reader Review published on Kotaku. Send your review to us at the usual address. Make sure it’s written in the same format as above and in under 500 words – yes, we’ve upped the word limit. We’ll publish the best ones we get and the best of the month will win a Madman DVD prize pack.
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