SF4 Follow-up Review!
((Please note that at this moment I am off about 500 miles off the coast of Africa at E-cafe that is mad frozen syrup slow! I’ll upload the pictures and the Youtube vid later. Along with the stuff I got from Tetsunoko Vs. Capcom later on next week but here is the long long long interview/review!!!))
((((SETH KILLIAN Vs. SCOTT POPULAR SFIV Follow-up Interview/Review))))
Am I Stoked? Very! After my 2nd SFIV Lok test and I’m still excited about this but before we take a step in the world SFIV. I had an opportunity to ask Seth Killian some questions that I and tons of SFIV fans worldwide desperately need the answers too.
1) Now that I have played SFIV, I feel pretty damn good about the game. I was a bit apprehensive about the whole 2.5D, the return of the original 8, and no parries. But this is a different game compared to the other SF game. For you, what are the slight and obvious things that make SFIV stand apart from the other games in the SF series?
The first thing that jumps out is the look of the game. It has a really strong artistic style that stamps it as uniquely Street Fighter, instead of just another random 3D game going for photorealism in unrealistic situations, or a lot of funny hats.
The game also really has a ton of details. In addition to all the tiny gameplay features that hardcores work hard to discover, there are also a lot of really great graphical flourishes that just take a loooong time to notice, because you’re staring at the on-screen action.
The thing I am also really liking about SFIV as a hardcore player is the aggression of the game. Between very dangerous focus attacks, new cancel options, ultras, and even throws, SFIV is shaping up to be a real slugfest. Meter also charges REALLY slow if you try and sit on the other side of the screen and spam specials, so if you want to power up you’re better off mixing it up than running away.
2) Going back to the original 8! What was the reason in using them instead of creating a totally new line-up?
Well we’ve actually got the original 12, plus the new guys. The original World Warriors were brought back mostly because they are classic characters and gaming archetypes. They are also just awesome–really strong character designs that are every bit as fun as they ever were.
The new mechanics of SFIV, plus some tweaks to each of them as individuals also cause them to play in pretty different ways than ever before, so it’s great to be able to have people’s long-time favorite characters return with this kind of freshness.
3) During this Lok test, I plan on playing more of the new characters. From what I saw during the last Lok Test the New characters fight very differently from the original 12.
Out of the 4 new characters, who do you think will be the crowd favorite and who has been the most interesting character for “YOU” to play?
I think crowd favorites are likely to be Viper and El Fuerte, but for me I really love Abel (really versatile moveset) and Rufus. When you win with Rufus, people just hang their heads in shame cause they can’t believe they lost to such a zany tub of guts. But Rufus has a really good divekick (think Yun from SF4), a great overhead, and a few other nasty surprises (that crouching fierce!) that keep him straight-up fun.
4) Does SFIV meet your expectations and what do you think it will do for the Fighting Game scene?
I’ll let the community decide for themselves about the game, but I think SFIV has already been a success just in terms of reminding us all how much we all love Street Fighter, and WHY we love it. This is just a fundamentally really fun kind of game, and going back to the roots a bit has got some lapsed Street Fighters excited again, which is what it’s all about for me–everyone just getting together and slugging it out.
5) In the future, I definitely see SFIV being featured in several major video game tournaments worldwide. Do you see SFIV’s game play matching the intensity of games like Street Fighter 3rd Strike, Marvel vs. Capcom 2, Tekken 6, Guilty Gear Accent Core the list goes on and on?
As a tournament director, I know it takes a while to build that kind of passion behind a game. Sometimes some unpredictable gameplay feature can push things in unexpected new directions too, but right now I honestly think SFIV is on track to have that kind of madness and hype behind it’s tournaments.
6) What is your favorite new feature of SFIV?
Focus attacks. Simple to execute (two buttons!), but they have a million different uses and lead to a lot of different setups. Different characters also have really different focus attacks, so it adds to their individual flavor in terms of creating unique possibilities.
7) The arcade release date for SFIV is July 18th. (I think) Is there any word on the home console’s SFIV release?
Not yet, sorry.
What else can we do with these character IC Cards besides keep our records and change our characters colors?
The IC cards are cool. Stat tracking is pretty robust, and you can also track the progress of your guild (yes, they support guilds). You earn “Battle Points” by winning, and you can transfer Battle Points into Zenny to spend on alternate costumes, etc.
You also get specific awards for being at certain arcades at certain times, like exclusive merchandise. It’s pretty crazy.
9) I have read several video game sites complaining about SFIV’s lack of stages. Honestly, I really didn’t mind it at all though. Especially, since SFIV’s isn’t a game where the stages have the potential to kill me! Could you address this issue? Or is it just a bunch of noob video game reviewers looking for something to nit-pick at?
If people’s major complaint about SFIV is about “not enough stages,” that sounds like the game is a big success to me 
At any rate the level of detail in these stages is really high. There are a few that are already in my top 5 stages of all time (yes, I have a top 5 stages, so what?)
10) There are a lot of enthusiastic video game music lovers who are dying to know exactly “who” is behind the music of SFIV?
All will be revealed soon. I’m not always a fan of videogame music, but there are already a couple of SFIV themes I can’t get out of my head.
11) This is a longshot and a bit off topic but I just gotta know. Since SFIV and Tatsunoko vs. Capcom will come out this year. Can we assume that there may be a tiny dust like sub-atomic particle of a chance that games like
No franchise at Capcom is ever truly dead, especially where there is fan spirit and enthusiasm, so yes, I think I can say with confidence there are sub-atomic particles of a chance
S-Kill Ladies and Gentlemen! Everyone let’s give it up for S-Kill! So my verdict on SFIV is still the same. It is Solid as Hell! About 2 months ago I was talking to of GameSpy about SFIV and he told me that SFIV is the Old Testament and everything else is in the Book of Revelations. I laughed but now that I’m thinking about it. He might have been right. SFIV is taking up a lot of my
During the First day of the 8th Lok test, the cabinets were set to arcade mode and there was no win limit. But on Saturday and Sunday a win limit of 5 wins was imposed. Then there was only one cabinet where you could select between the
Character Wise: Honestly I didn’t have enough time to play all the characters but here is my run down of all the SFIV characters.
RYU: The beast from the east is back on the job! He is the staple of the SF Series and an overall good character to learn. He still has his rushing forward and Fierce Punch and his EX-Vacuum Hurricane Kick is a must to add into any combo! His Ultra chips for good amount of damage as well and look just as fresh!
KEN: Flashy and Flamboyant as ever. Mr. Master is the guy to watch out for. His jumping Medium Kick is cross-up-a-licious and his Forward MK on the ground is a great advancing poke that can be followed by a crouching Short Kick to a crouching MK buffer to the Fireball which leaves you safe from your opponents retaliation. ((Yeaaaa!))
GUILE: The Saga of a Man with only 2 special moves continues! Never-the –less, He is a strong base character with good priority on his regular moves. But against skilled player it is still a hard battle for Guile. He does have a new normal which is an overhead punch (Forward and Medium Punch) but that’s about it.
CHUN-LI: She’s a very pokey character with an excellent ground game due to her 3rd Strike Design. Jumping Cross-up to the standing jabs to her lighting legs is a good combo. But you really want to watch out for her Ultra which travels the length of the screen and through projectiles with the greatest of ease! `
E.HONDA: I heard a lot of Japanese player saying that he sucks. But I think it’s still too early to make that decision if you ask me. He has a new 2 hit combo that looks like some real Sumo slapping tactics and His Ultra ends with big slap to the Chest that looks really nice.
BLANKA: That Damn Dog! His Super and Ultra has the ability to juggle very well. His slide has more range than usual and he hop can through opponents with his dash. He has a Good Saving attack and his EX-Ball goes through projectiles and EX-projectiles.
ZANGIEF: Have you ever heard Bonecrusher’s song “Never Scared?!” This should be Gief’s Theme music. His EX-DP has excellent range which easily puts you in range to perform his SPD of EX-SPD. His Splash crossed up really well as usual. You can interrupt people’s combos with the SPD. His EX-Siberian Suplex travels a good distant with power armor. He has one of the best saving attacks in the game! Beware of The Soviet Farm Hand!
DHALISM: Marvelous zoning at it finest also the amount of animation and detail put into Dhalism basic movements and specials is amazing! His Supers chip extremely well and his Super Fireball is on some old Marvel Vs. Capcom 2 mix-up tactics. The plethora of dirty tricks to do after his Super Fireball is horrendous.
M.BISON/BALROG (Boxer): This spirit of Iron Mike Tyson lives on I tell you! The Ex version of his head but and charge punches are deadly. The now has an overhead charging punch like Q. And most importantly his Ultra and Super do fantastic chip damage!
BALROG/VEGA (CLAW): That damn claw. Speed, range, and incredible jumping abilities! His EX Wall Dive hits on the way to the wall then his EX Flash kick is a perfect anti-air attack. His EX Roll chips very well. His Ultra looks like the Spider-man’s Maximum Spider Attack. If you win without the mask his win poses changes from him behind the mask to him licking the one of the blades on his claw.
SAGAT: His EX-Tiger Uppercut is Heavenly and the EX-Tiger takes you a good length across the screen. Honestly, I expected him to have a lot more range especially his standing Fierce but his Crouching Fierce Punch is making up for it. You can cancel his Forward Short Kick movement with all of his specials to cover more ground. You can use it kinda like Makoto’s Kara cancel movements but slower.
VEGA/M.BISON (Dictator): (High Tier) His knees are too safe. Psycho Crusher and Ultra Psycho Crusher are brilliant. He still slides through his opponent after his super making it hard to punish him after missing the super.
ABEL: (High Tier) The Best thing outta
C.VIPER: The most interesting and the sexiest new character of SFIV! She is the Cammy that I want to play. Her Burn Knuckle is safe and can be cancelled into her super. She is the only character in the game with a Super Jump! Her Ultra’s giant puff of smoke is rather deceptive and it works like a charm against opponent who like to jump in a lot.
RUFUS: He’s the fat American version of Yun. His dive kick is great and if you hold forward and kick he rolls for another kick afterward. His Crouching Fierce range is second only to DHALISM. This Spinning Attack eats FB and the EX Spinning Attack is a Vacuum. My favorite combos for Rufus were his Spin cancelled to the Super and his jumping Round House Kick to the EX-DP or the Spin. Rufus maybe silly looking but he has a lot combo potential, speed, and decent power. Skill wise he’s is far from a joke character.
EL FURTE: Speedy Gozales FTW! Deception and Cross-ups. He is the most SNK like character in SFIV. If you like Ramos in KOF you will feel right at home with El FURTE. So far I’ve seen and played against ELF players and that tend to abuse the hell out of his splash dive because it’s fast and it crosses up very well. He’s Saving Attack is a short flying elbow that looks like an overhead but I’m not sure. The only problem I see with ELF is his lack of attack power, so expect to work a lot to get the KO against Heavy weights like Boxer, Zangief, E.Honda, and Sagat.
Character Customization: In the Beginning, I wasn’t to big on character customization. Color palette swapping was cool but character customization was a No No! But as Calibur told me, “It’s totally based on the individual.” Which it is. . . But let’s face it people. Some people have good fashion and some of use could gain a lot by picking up a fashion magazine. I can’t tell you how many times I’ve seen HORRIBLE character customizations in Tekken, Virtual Fighter, and Soul Calibur. In SF series, I have never felt that the characters needed funny hats and blinky wrist bands gimmicks because the character design was on point. Not like a lot of games now (not just fighting games) were the characters’ designs are just…. “Meh” to say the least. I really saw no reason to customize the SF characters but when I saw the picture of Chun-Li in what kinda looked like Lei-Fang’s Chinese Dress from the DOA series and Blanka’s intelligent Splunker outfit. I changed my mind, but I promise you that my characters’ fashion will be POPULAR!
The 8th SFIV Lok Test Experience: I’ve noticed that there are a lot of people in the SFIV lines and most of these people are well in the 20’s ~ 30’s. I’ve also heard that SFIV is being viewed basically as a “fan service” game. This isn’t a bad idea. It definitely brings the old school players out of the woodworks, but the new look and feel should suffice the new gamers as well. I talked to UJI, age 21 highly skilled Dhalism player, who believes that SFIV could be more popular that Tekken 6 and he can easily foresee many people playing SFIV after its release. Only time will tell but I’m so ready for SFIV to come out now in the game centers and even more so on the PC and home consoles.
Much Respect to: Seth Killian (S-KILL), Calibur and Forgenjuro (We Da Best), UJI (That last Dhalism vs. Sagat match was too real, but I’m gonna to ace you next time!), Jean Snow (from WIRED magazine) nice post man!, The ADORES’ arcade staff for being cool. All the SRK posters for additional info, Capcom for giving me a chance to review a fantastic game and YOU for reading this long ass review! Be sure to check out my post on www.dfpradio.com for more pictures and wildness of that weekend and don’t forget to watch the youtube video as well.
There are 3 Comments to "SF4 Follow-up Review!"
[...] For the whole interview goes here!!! s [...]
The only Killian I need is George Killian… Mmm, good beer!
This game is straight piffy. Love it.