GameXplain reviews single player and multiplayer separately

Does Capcom miss its mark?

Street Fighter is nothing without solid controls. The gameplay has become something that requires the most precise of executions when inputting your commands if you’re to stand a chance against your opponents. When Street Fighter IV hit consoles last year, Capcom proved that it still had a few tricks up its sleeve, so when it announced that the venerable fighter was coming to the iPhone, I wasn’t surprised in the least. However, I was a bit skeptical about the game. Street Fighter on Apple’s device didn’t strike me as a perfect fit considering the touch pad interface.

Not only does the game work, it works well.

Street Fighter IV brings a smaller chunk of that core game we all know and makes it palatable on the iPhone. While the controls have taken a bit of a hit when compared to a traditional controller, they get the job done with a bare minimum of setbacks. You’re given a virtual controller, with all buttons represented on-screen, making for something that could be jarring for the uninitiated, but the game does a great job of making sure things remain approachable.

The biggest tweak made to the controls lie in the fact that there are four attack buttons rather than the traditional six, with only two dedicated to the standard punch & kick attacks. The other two are used for special attacks (fireballs, dragon punches, etc.) and focus blocks. This layout does a great job of helping folks who aren’t accustomed to a touch screen dive into the game without getting penalized for taking their time with it, and it’s a brilliant touch. Though you can absolutely go through the usual motions and manually perform any special move in the game, the automated attacks are there and are more than capable of helping you out within your matches.

Another shining star comes with the game’s presentation – the visuals absolutely shine, creating something that’s a pleasure to play. Obviously they don’t share the same high fidelity of the console version, but the game looks remarkable nonetheless. Along with that, there’s a fair amount of content packed within the download. Naturally, it’s not going to have as much as its console brethren, but it does a great job of giving plenty to the gamer on the go. In addition to that, the game comes with eight characters to choose from, with a handful of training modes to compliment the core tournament mode of the game, which seems a bit sparse, but when you consider the game’s multiplayer mode, this drawback quickly falls by the wayside.

As always, Street Fighter is best when playing with others.

Just like what’s found in the console counterpart, the real legs of Street Fighter IV come with the game’s multiplayer. It’s not hugely robust, but it does allow gamers to test their mettle against each other using the iPhone’s Bluetooth functionality. Only a versus mode is available, but it works extremely well with no lag or lost matches. When playing a game as frantic as this while on a cell phone, that’s truly an impressive feat, making the multiplayer mode the real draw of the game. The only downside to this is that you’ll have to be in range of your opponent’s Bluetooth connection – no wifi or 3g is available, but that’s a small concession when you look at everything else offered here.

While playing Street Fighter IV, I ran into a few niggles, but they didn’t hold a candle to the rest of the game. Granted, there’s not as much content or unlockables when compared to the console version, but it makes sense. Considering the portable nature of this download, it doesn’t require a vast array of goodies to keep you busy. It’s clean, it’s streamlined, it’s a pleasure to play, and it captures everything that makes this series so much fun. It’s Street Fighter, plain and simple.

Street Fighter IV was reviewed with version 1.00.00.