Ultra Street Fighter IV

When the streets are too difficult, it’s time to hit the dojo

The streets are crowded with killers and, for most, it’s not safe to go outside. the place is heaving with battle-hardened world warriors eager to show off skills perfected over the five years since Street Fighter IV’s debut. the hadokens are perfectly spaced, the dive kick mixups are unreadable, the combos are painfully long and the one-frame links look effortless. You’d have to be  supremely confident or totally mad to challenge them.

thankfully, for those looking for some friendly online sparring, capcom has introduced a few new modes in Ultra Street Fighter IV to accomodate. team battle offers a casual environment for a group of friends to duke it out free from the pressures of normal online multiplayer. there are no ego points at stake or rank-ups to chase, but there’s still ample opportunity to pull off some fist-pumping victories that can be lorded over friends.

team battle pits two teams of two, three or four players against each other in a struggle for survival. one combatant from each side enters the arena, with the loser hitting the road and the winner staying on. the catch is that the winner only recovers a very small amount of health before going up against the next challenger. becoming the last fighter standing requires skill, strategy, composure and the ability to adapt on the fly.Ultra also introduces the much-requested online training mode which, as is likely obvious, enables players to jump into graph-papered training room with a buddy to sharpen skills. this mode is particularly useful for people that find themselves crumpled over at  the feet of a particular character or mixup.

the beauty of online training is that it’s possible to source partners from around the world. found a great cammy player online? send a friend request and then team up. having no one to train with is no longer an excuse for being rubbish: the gym is full of folks to spot you.

Jumping into online games has been consistently trouble free and, with the exception of the odd player located in some far-off corner of the world, lag-free. with the new content, Ultra Street Fighter IV is one of the most robust, feature-rich fighting games available, as good online as it is offline.