What Is Ultra Street Fighter IV?

Capcom invited us to get hands on and personal with the newest iteration of the stupidly long running Street Fighter series which is set to hit the PS3, Xbox 360 and PC this Summer. Ultra Street Fighter IV is an update aimed pretty much at the hardcore Street Fighter following that adds five new characters to the roster, six new fisticuff locations and some new gameplay types/mechanics.

This latest update is coming out in two forms – a physical retail release priced at £19.99 and a digital update to previous versions hitting online stores for £11.99 this Summer. The retail edition features every piece of downloadable content released for Street Fighter IV so far, making it an ideal starting point for newcomers to the series.

In reality there’s only one brand new fighter, Decapre, who appears to be a rather angry version of Cammy. She sports a blue tight fitting suit, catwoman­esque face mask and pig­tails that flop around like squid tentacles. The other four new characters have all been brought over from the Street Fighter x Tekken ­ Poison, Hugo, Rolento and Elena.

As mentioned before, there are six new stages to compete in and as with the characters, all six of the new levels are ported over from a previously available Street Fighter title. Pitstop 109, Mad Gear Hideout, Cosmic Elevator, Blast Furnace, Half Pipe and Jurassic Era Research Facility ­ all of which make the jump from Street Fighter x Tekken with all of their swanky animations and dynamic elements intact.

Capcom also brings a few more new options for the original band of fighters. Every single alternative outfit will be available, be that from DLC or previous in­game unlockables, and for the first time in the series, you’re able to select the playing version of that character from any of the four versions of SFIV. For example, pick Ryu from Street Fighter IV or why not Ken from Super Street Fighter IV Arcade Edition 2012?

Ultra Street Fighter IV looks set to prove that Capcom are the undisputed champions of the arcade fighter. It’s a comprehensive re­balance of one of the best beat­em­ups of the last decade with new additions that I’m sure the hardcore fan will appreciate.

Personally, I’m not very good at beat-em-ups and after playing Ultra Street Fighter IV, I’ve come to the conclusion that I probably never will be. I bought Street Fighter IV on release back in 2008 and without inspecting it thoroughly, I couldn’t tell much difference, but it’s clear that USFIV is not being aimed towards me.

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