Brawler SF1V

Street Fighter IV will be hitting North American shores on both the Play Station 3 and the Xbox 360 on February 17.

Street Fighter has been a favorite amongst gamers ever since the first installment, released by Capcom, hit arcades in 1987.

The original SF began as a challenging and entertaining 2D brawler. Since 87' the series has undergone multiple evolutions, some more successful than others.

When SF IV arrived at arcades last year, longtime fans were blown away for a variety of reasons.

The graphics are nothing short of phenomenal. Characters and environments are rendered as 3D models with polygons, which gives the fighters a special stylized effect, and a hand-drawn look. The characters still battle it out on a 2D plane, just like in the original installment.

The new game-play features, such as "focus attacks" and "ultra combos," provides a highly addictive fighting system.

The former, are moves that allow the player to absorb an attack, and then launch a counter attack in response. The "focus attack" technique is executed by holding the medium punch and kick buttons simultaneously. Depending on how long the buttons are held, the "focus attack" can become very powerful.

"Ultra combos" are long, cinematic moves featuring lengthy combinations of attacks; as opposed to "super combos," which can be used after hitting the opponent several times. "Ultra combos" are able to be executed after the player incurs a specific amount of damage.

SF IV offers an impressive roster of 25 characters. Old school favorites Ryu, Sagat, and Chun-Li join newcomers Abel, the amnesiac fighter, and the beautiful female spy Crimson Viper. Other characters such as Cammy, Gen, and Rose have been confirmed for the home editions of SF IV.

What makes SF IV such a success is that it stays true to its 2D fighter roots while offering its audience a fresh graphical update, and multiple new features.