Filed under: Gaming, Software, iPhone, App Store
GDC 2010: Street Fighter IV for the iPhone out now
Tonight at GDC 2010, I went out and stopped by the Capcom Fight Club party here in San Francisco, and while there, Capcom projected the actual App Store interface for sending their Street Fighter IV app to the App Store on various screens around the room. We actually got to see them press the button on the release live and in person, and sure enough, the game is in the App Store right now for $9.99.
Before you go press buy, though, I'll also tell you that I got a chance to play the game, and while it is about as faithful a Street Fighter IV game as you can get on the iPhone, playing a fighting game without actual buttons is not really an ideal experience. While I was able to pull off a Hadoken and almost all of the other old moves after a few tries, the highest levels of competition in a fighting game require precision and subtlety, and this control scheme has neither of those. If you just want to play Street Fighter on an iPhone, sure -- be an early adopter, pick up the game, and enjoy a few rounds of Guile vs. Ryu. But if you're looking for the kind of in-depth fighting experience that Street Fighter IV on consoles and in the arcades offered, you probably won't find it here -- the controls are a little too inconsistent to really dig into the deep counter and powerup systems on display.
Before you go press buy, though, I'll also tell you that I got a chance to play the game, and while it is about as faithful a Street Fighter IV game as you can get on the iPhone, playing a fighting game without actual buttons is not really an ideal experience. While I was able to pull off a Hadoken and almost all of the other old moves after a few tries, the highest levels of competition in a fighting game require precision and subtlety, and this control scheme has neither of those. If you just want to play Street Fighter on an iPhone, sure -- be an early adopter, pick up the game, and enjoy a few rounds of Guile vs. Ryu. But if you're looking for the kind of in-depth fighting experience that Street Fighter IV on consoles and in the arcades offered, you probably won't find it here -- the controls are a little too inconsistent to really dig into the deep counter and powerup systems on display.
The game does have a lot of extras and addons, including a dojo mode for training and Bluetooth multiplayer. And while the game's eight characters offers up a pretty slim selection compared to the current console titles, these are definitely classic Capcom characters, and all of the old moves you'll remember still work. Save for the controls, nothing about this game is half-done -- it's definitely a premium port of a premium game. But as a true fighting game experience, this one comes up short. Buy it if you want, to see the spectacle of Street Fighter squeezed into Apple's touchscreen, an achievement in and of itself. But don't buy it expecting an ideal Capcom-style showdown that you'll be able to pull up time and time again -- for that, save your quarters for the arcades.
Stay tuned -- we did get to talk with the Japanese producer of the game about what he thinks of the iPhone, the iPad, and the challenges he had to overcome by squeezing this one on to Apple's handheld. That interview is coming up later today right here on TUAW.
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Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
Zach Jones said 2:55AM on 3-10-2010
"But if you're looking for the kind of in-depth fighting experience that Street Fighter IV on consoles and in the arcades offered, you probably won't find it here"
uh yes, if am playing on my iPhone, I surely am /not/ going to find a console experience, and definitely not expecting to be.
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pika2000 said 5:07AM on 3-10-2010
When will Capcom release Phoenix Wright series for iPhone? I thought they're coming.
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Tom said 5:17AM on 3-10-2010
I bought it instantly, and I gotta say it plays pretty well! Even on my 1st gen iPhone it's very smooth.
Total novelty, of course (like all iPhone games in my opinion). Waiting for a friend to pay the hefty price so we can do some multiplayer...
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Yves said 7:53AM on 3-10-2010
Hi,
I got an idea few weeks ago, about how to "improve" games like that without a physical joystiq. I thought of trying to cut a circle on a sticky paper (the kind of paper made for decoration on windows) and stick it on my iphone screen. The problem with these games is that I always have to look at the bottom of the screen to replace my thumb. If all developpers can agree with a position/size of the joystick, maybe that solution can become a standard.
As the size of the circle, maybe we can make it the size of the button of the iphone, this way when you dont need it on the screen, you can store it there (around the button)
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BeyondtheTech said 9:09AM on 3-10-2010
Actually, I forgot which game it is, but there's a virtual joystick that works wherever you put your finger down on the screen first. It's smart, so in case you lift your finger and put it back down slightly off the same spot, the virtual joystick would have moved to that location for that instance.
ack154 said 8:36AM on 3-10-2010
I think I'll wait for a sale.
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D.J. said 9:37AM on 3-10-2010
I actually felt pretty much the opposite of you, Mike. Well... almost. I think I was more forgiving with the controls merely because the lack of control is more because of the touchscreen and not the game itself. For what it had to work with, it did a pretty AMAZING job. Heck, in the options, you even are given the ability to reposition the buttons to where ever on the screen you prefer. What more can you ask for besides some mystical way to fit three tiers of punch and kick options at your disposal (which is probably unrealistic)?
It's in the details I had a problem. If you play through a round of tournament mode to the end, you're greeted with a trailer for Super Street Fighter 4... really!? And it's a trailer that features three characters, only one of which is in the game you just won. Would it have been that hard to include an individual FMV ending for each character (ripped from the console no less)? How about text or speech for banter at the beginning of Rival Matches to flesh out why these guys are rivals (again, ripped from the consoles)? Are video and sound bytes so difficult to implement?
So yea... the controls and the actual gameplay I thought they nailed as well as possible, it's the rest that I felt they skimped a little on.
Just one man's opinion, but because they nailed the gameplay itself, I'm very happy to have Street Fighter in my pocket and am hopeful that future upgrades may bring some of the tinier details of the experience back into the fold. It's, overall, a remarkable achievement I think.
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BRAD said 12:01PM on 3-10-2010
NO LONGER AVAILABLE!! I tried to buy it but keeps telling me it is no longer available!! Even from my mac!
LAME!
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Samuel said 11:39PM on 3-10-2010
A lot less abrasion on the fingers I bet, especially with a bit of natural oil on the screen. Remember how your fingers suffered with some challenges like trying to break a slab of Ruby in Mortal combat "Test your might"...
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Martin said 4:44PM on 3-11-2010
What they should have done is just made buttons for special moves and a couple of regular moves. Then the strategy becomes who uses the moves better rather than who can (never) executive a dragon punch on a piece of glass.
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DDuck said 3:36PM on 3-12-2010
They should really use the Capcom vs. SNK 2: EO system that was on the Gamecube. Basically, they'll just make special moves a 1-touch affair with separate buttons (i.e. special buttons that trigger special moves). Yes, purists will argue that it takes away the challenge and skill that players develop in executing those moves. But at this point in time, at the arcade or on the console, everybody who wanted to master it has already mastered it, so does it really matter?
I'd rather give newbies an easier chance than me smashing the controller out of frustration from it not responding to what I want to do (again). Look at Soul Calibur: Accessible but still fun.
On that note, how about Soul Calibur for the iPhone?
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abhishek said 2:37PM on 4-09-2010
My favourite character is Chun Li
but i cant make a ultra combo
Avi
http://www.wtifelt.com
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