Like a long lost friend
This time, we have all our beloved old skool characters gathered once again each pack with more devastating moves, don't expect however to win games with your ever familar killer moves which you have spend hours everyday to sharpen back then. Because of new generic as well as individuals moves, the game promises that a slightly different and more complexed playing style approach as well as sound tactics are required in order to become a decent player hence it's inevitable that you're going to need longer practises this time if you wish to become who you were back then ruling the arcades with long winning streaks.
Another noticeable aspect of the game this time is the balancing of characters, the advantage gap has been shorten tremendously between characters and no longer will you smile upon relief when opponent chooses Dalhsim or E Honda, infact it can be daunting in SFIV to see your opponent using what we called 'funny characters' back then whom were so used to being treated like a thrashing sandbag because you may yet to have a grasp of what to expect from these 'dark horses' that are obviously not that 'funny' anymore. Likewise, 'A-Listers' Ryu, Ken...etc no longer have that edge over the rest, or maybe psychologically it still does to some.
For those who love the sense of superiority of stringing hits on your opponent, SFIV provides delightful sets of combos that varies for every single fighter. Unlike SFII, there are more choices and preferences on setting up your combos albeit there are certain sets of ideal ones to capitalise on your opponent's mistakes with maximum damage. For me, the combos feels just 'right and realistic' yet impactful, neither are there sky flying messy beatings nor ordinary and repetitive 2 - 3 hits combo. It's also apparent that the recovery period now gets extended by roughly a second upon getting hit which provides players with more ease when stringing long sets of combos but make no mistake though as it's not going to make the game any easier then the previous series.
If you are a fan of 2D fighting games, SFIV is a game not to be missed whether you are seeking serious challengers to play competitively or one of those looking to relive your nostalgic moments with your long lost classmate that you used to play with for hours.