Many years have past since I last played Street Fighter to the degree that I used to, though don’t be fooled into thinking I’m some sort of master, the truth is that most of my time playing all those years ago was spent picking my character up off his backside. So fast forward to the present and the latest version, Street Fighter IV and to be honest not much has changed for me really, yes I still suck at Street Fighter, however I still love the game just as much too, in fact scratch that, I love it more.

Anyone who has ever played Street Fighter in any form is probably waiting with baited breath for the latest version, and to be honest straight from the off, they aren’t going to be disappointed, Street Fighter IV is awesome and you can quote me on that. As soon as you pop the disc in to the machine the memories come flooding back, of course there are changes, such as online modes and loads of other additions that we will get to later, but the main thing is that this is still the addictive, manic button pressing and D-pad twisting game that it has always been.

Now I did mention earlier that I suck at Street Fighter, however I didn’t mention that I can now pull off nearly every special move in the game, which is thanks to the slightly more accessible inputs on the controls, meaning that almost anyone with a little practice should have those special moves flying out with expert precision. The game also includes super attacks, allowing you to cause a bit more damage, or if you are really aiming to win the bout in style and your EX gauge is full, you can perform an Ultra attack, which should finish off your opponent.

One of the things that really make this game is the appearance of the characters that made the roster all those years ago, such as Ryu, Ken, Guile and Dhalsim. Each of the characters are exactly as you remember them, except now they are obviously better looking. Anyone who has ever played as these characters can’t fail to forget the distinct sound of their attacks, such as the Dragon Punch or Hurricane Kick and all of these moves that you remember well all make a welcome appearance in Street Fighter IV, except this time they feel even better than before.

So far everything sounds quite familiar, however don’t be fooled into thinking that Street Fighter IV is just a pretty rehash of previous games, because it does have significant additions. Once such addition is the focus system, which allows you to absorb an incoming and turn it back on your opponent, this addition fits in so well you would be forgiven for thinking it made an appearance all those years ago. Another addition of course is the fact that Street Fighter has now made the shift to glorious 3D, which helps add more to the action than you can imagine. Characters fill the screen, with their bulging muscles and huge frames (well in some cases). The level of detail in the characters is incredible, in fact sometimes you will be so mesmerised by them that you will probably forget about the fight.

As well as highly detailed characters, Street Fighter IV also provides plenty of stunning arenas to fight in, ranging from a crowded alley and a volcano level to a ship’s deck, though this is only three of many. All of the arenas you will fight in have plenty going on in the background, adding to the atmosphere of the fight and the game in general.

The single player game consists of three modes, Arcade, which sees you journey through your chosen characters path taking on everyone who stands in your way, before finally facing up to your arch enemy. This mode is obviously quite straightforward, although it’s not always easy to reach the climax without using a few continues. The games other modes include Time Attack, Survival Mode and Training Mode which helps this all add up to a nice single player package.

The multiplayer mode in Street Fighter can be played in two ways, you can either allow challenges from other players while you are in the middle of a single player game, or you can just play the traditional way and go directly online. Having tried the first option of allowing people to challenge me while playing single player mode, I can say with all honesty that I won’t be doing that again, first of all it can be rather annoying when you have finally beat THAT opponent, only to be interrupted in the middle of the game, however what is more annoying is that you have to start all over again in Arcade mode, which to be honest is not ideal at all. Some people will love the option to allow people to challenge them, however this option was not for me, therefore I took the opportunity to turn it off.

Other than my grievance with single player / multiplayer integration, the online mode is pretty much perfect, you have your usually ranked and unranked matches, with the former allowing you to earn battle points and climb the leaderboards. Capcom will also include other excellent features with a release day patch, therefore further enhancing the already impressive online modes.

Street Fighter IV is a beat’em up like no other, it’s thrilling to play and is in fact better than ever. Like the PR letter that came with our review copy says, who cares if it hurt your thumbs after ten minutes, who cares that it’s got no story or big guns, this is Street Fighter and boy is it back.