Thanks!

I probably have some old mics lying around somewhere, so I'll start diggin' them up

Thanks for the review of the FightPad, Angela.  It looks like the joysticks are the way to go.

Well, it looks like my 360 Tournament Edition FightStick from Capcom's been placed on backorder until at least April..... but the good news is, my PS3 preorder from Gamestop came in today.  Obligatory geeky pics of spiffy new tech product in three......two.....one....

http://img19.imageshack.us/img19/1239/s … s31gi0.jpg
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In a word, the stick ROCKS.  There have been some reports of people having cosmetic defects like scratches, smudges, loose panels and screws on theirs - another telltale sign of MadCatz' handiwork, perhaps?  But luckily, mine appears to have gone unscathed.  There's but a hairline scratch on the right side of the turbo panel on the acrylic-coated paneling (which in itself does look like it can be prone to easy scratching, unfortunately), but completely unnoticeable unless you're scrutinizing it under a bright light. 

Performance wise, it's definitely up to snuff.  I'm still getting used to the feather-touch sensitivity and loud clickety-clicks of the Sanwa parts, but I've been able to pull off moves on HD Remix just fine.  The turbo function, surprisingly, works for all PS3 games I've tried EXCEPT for HD Remix.  Others have reported the same thing; could this be a deliberate measure to discourage rapid fire cheating?  The joystick also works flawlessly on both my laptop and PC running MAME on XP.  They immediately detected it as a wired plug and play device and it works for all of the ROMs that I've tested so far.  The turbo functionality works here as well.

All in all, the Tournament Edition is making a great first impression on me.   It looks sexy, it feels solid, and most importantly...... it works.  In light of the abysmal FightPad, I'm still waiting for the other shoe to drop.  I'm just praying that'll never happen.

Hori recently released Real Arcade Pro for PS and Xbox 360 for about $25 less.  If I can't get my hands on the MadCatz stick, this is going to be the next best option.

It is a truly wonderful day to be a fighting game fan.  Ora!

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I chickened out of the Collector's Edition at the last minute, put the money toward the guide instead.  Word is the included soundtrack only includes the character themes -- none of the actual SFIV stage themes, menus or vocal tracks.

I've only played the PS3 version so far, but here's a pro-tip: Do the optional 2GB install - it cuts the in-between battle load times down to practically zero.

Mine hasn't come to the shop yet (exorbitant shipping costs impelled me to do in-store pickup), but it should be in tomorrow, and it'll have the extra goodies because I was spurred by Angela's enthusiasm....and then she chickens out on getting it herself. Harumph, harumph.
I spent a little time getting SF back in my blood by playing with Alpha 3 a bit. That game is still incredibly fun and I want SF4 to succeed if for no other reason than to get a new Alpha. Hell yes R. Mika and Sodom.

I been waiting on my collector's edition to arrive since monday.Hope it comes tomorrow so I can play more than what I managed in the arcade version.

why did chicken out of the CE, but bought the regular game twice?

still waiting for both my CE and two TE-sticks.....

its getting painful.

Two is better than one, right? 

The sole reason is because I've developed quite the list of Friends on both sides of the console fence who are Street Fighter nuts.  How could I deprive any of them of a virtual beat-down? :)

Having spent equal time playing both versions, I can say that they are comparatively very similar to one another.  On a technical level, they both perform admirably.  The 360 appears to utilize the ink bleed shading engine a tad better; this is readily noticeable on the face models of the characters.  On the flip side, the gorgeous opening sequence and anime cutscenes look sharper on the PS3 version.  The framerate is rock solid on both. 

As far as load times, the 360 is faster than the PS3 when running directly off the disc.  However, with both of them installed on their respective consoles, the load times are exactly the same.  Which is say, there's barely none at all.  And that pleases the hell out of me.

I've only played a handful of matches on both networks, but most fights ran with minimum latency.  Three-bar people saw the occasional hitch here and there, but nothing game breaking.  I've fought with XLord last night, and things ran pretty smoothly on my end. 

A note about the install.  If one player does the install, and one does not, both of you will need to sit through the added load time.  So, for the sake of everyone: if you can afford the space, by all means, do the install.

So, am I the only one who isn't affected at all by the surrounding hype?  It seems like alot of people have been willing to plunk down $200+ for the game plus arcade stick (plus extras).  Is it mostly just a revival of the classic arcade experience that everyone is looking for?

Well, I definitely intend to get it somewhere down the line, but I'll be damned if I'm going to spend that much money on a fighting game.

While I hope the game does well and it seems like an assload of fun, the hype isn't going to make me run out and purchase one of the consoles necessary to play it, much less a pricey stick too.

I'm likely one of the few exceptions here who actually sees the home release as a bargain.  For me, Street Fighter is the messiah of the fighting game genre, and if SFIV ends up having the same lasting appeal of the original SFII (eighteen years and still going strong), the $200+ price tag for perfect replications of the game and stick is almost like a drop in the bucket compared to the $20,000+ cost of the arcade.

On a related note, I entered myself in the upcoming Gamestop Tournament.  I probably don't stand a chance in hell in winning, but the experience should be awesome. :)

I certainly want to play it. But won't pay for it to try out. My feelings on what I've seen are well documented and those worsened with newer footage - particularly with the home characters. The animation is piss poor and it just all looks a little half-assed to me.

That said, pretty much everyone who has played it seems to like it and that can't be dismissed too easily so I'm eager to play it. But I need to try before I consider buying.

So I'm kind of missing the Lobby system that was featured in HD Remix, where you can invite a group of friends and participate in online Spectator mode.  In SFIV, all fights are handled one-on-one, one at a time. 

I am, however, digging the ranked Battle Point system, where you can earn and lose your points depending on your wins and losses.  It seems the higher up you are in the ranks, the more points you stand to lose for each defeat.  Conversely, if you're on the lower ranks, and you happen to take down one of those skilled players, you'll be able to rob a greater amount of points off them per battle, and add it to your own tally.  It definitely adds another layer of competitiveness to the online mode.

I cant believe what I am about to say but European collector's edition is so tiny! To put it in perspective it manages to be just about the size of the DS Lite box.

I really want to like it but even the figures look like they have been spray painted in a rush. In fact might just send it back and buy the game now which is a shame as the pictures made it look worthy of keeping.

I'll probably post my (toned-down) thoughts later tonight, but I thought I should pass on a quick tidbit of info for those trying to unlock characters.

Single-round on Easiest is the fastest way to go, of course, but if you lose and continue the internal difficulty resets to Normal, making Seth an utterly miserable ordeal. The easiest trick to this is to have another controller handy and interrupt any round going poorly with a New Challenger. Once the round is done the fight you were on previously will reset without re-adjusting the difficulty, and Seth is a much, MUCH easier affair. As an added bonus, extra round done against your dummy opponent in Arcade Mode count toward Trophy/Achievement benchmarks - 10 Perfect Victories, for instance.
There's the special conditions necessary to get Akuma and Gouken, still, but as long as you've cleared Arcade at least once with all available characters at the time, it can be achieved with any character on any difficulty (but leave the timer on 99). So if you want to spam Hadokens on Easiest to get the necessary Perfects, go for it.

Hope this helps.

Though I've already got nearly all the characters unlocked now (for both consoles), save for Seth, I've heard that Dhalsim is also a good choice to go with for the above method.  On the Easiest setting, you can spam his standing Fierce, and your opponent will nary be able to get a hit in.

Just to clarify, unlocking Akuma and Gouken doesn't require having to beat the game with every character.  You do need to unlock the first six (Cammy, Gen, Dan, Fei Long, Rose, and Sakura), but then you can use any character you've beaten the game with once to earn Akuma and Gouken.  EventHubs.com details the most accurate way to go about it.

Using a second controller to interrupt using a Continue is a neat get-around that I didn't know about.  Would've been helpful when I was doing the PS3 unlocks, but useless on the 360 -- I don't even own a second controller. (That dumb ol' FightPad went right back to the store.)

I checked out SFIV at a friend's house last night and have a few impressions, all positive:

- Music is really enjoyable in-game. Nice mix of familiar melodies and electronic elements without being generic.
- The control is really responsive, and I had no issues rockin' out and handing out asses.
- The new chick character (I'm too lazy to search her name) is seriously dope in more ways than one.
- Did I mention the sweet music?

Crimson Viper.  I swear, she always reminds me of a female version of Travis Touchdown.

I just made them a couple, they're a nice match eh?
http://f.imagehost.org/0660/Travis_and_Crimson.jpg

Lolz, I'm gonna be immature and start an internet rumor!!
http://www.capcom-unity.com/carl/blog/2 … _touchdown

And my No More Heroes man-crush escalates to a new level.

My buddy and I traded (temporarily) some CDs a few days ago, and I lent him my Katamari OST for his SFIV bonus disc. I just checked VGMdb for the tracklist and it turns out that one of my favorite themes, track 5, is C. Viper's theme. Coincidence? I think not.

And the Post of the Day goes to: Carl!  A blueberry cheese brownie is your award.

Viper's an intriguing character to play as -- definitely a steep learning curve, since she's all about button-sensitive techniques and canceling-everything.  I applaud anyone who can play her with any semblance of competence.

Oh, and I participated in the Gamestop Tournament yesterday.  I didn't make it far, two rounds before somebody's Abel stepped up and took me down hard.  Still, I managed to pull off two Ultra Combo finishes with Ken, and let me tell you, there's few video gaming experiences as exhilarating as showboating an Ultra connect to a hyped up crowd.  :D

Just had the pleasure of fighting with Don and Angie on PS3.  Wow, good stuff.  Don and I definitely need some practice.  Angie, you're pretty good, you had me sweating for that second time I beat you there.  Just for the record, I won against her twice.. she beat me maybe.. 15 times?

Anyway I'm very surprised at how good SF4 turned out.  Gameplay is tight and quick, just like you'd expect.  Graphics have a very unique look to them and I'm definitely all for that.  MUSIC!  Wow, Hideyuki Fukasawa did a fiiiine job on this, from the new tunes to all the arrangements from SF2.  Not to mention that highly addicting theme song that plays during the opening movie and the menus (*sings* IN-DE-STRUCT-ABLE!).  I'm definitely ordering this soundtrack and playing the game a whole lot more!

-Mike

Haven't had much time to play, but so far I'm very happy with SF4.  The biggest win goes to Capcom for actually making it possible to perform the special moves with a d-pad in this one.  I find that it's much easier to pull stuff off, and that allows me to focus more on strategy and not have to worry about whether or not the move I want to perform will actually come out or not.  I'm still working on unlocking all the characters, and I'm pretty fed up with how cheap Seth is, but I like how character win quotes are now customized to the opponent.  The anime intro/outros make little to no sense, but they're such a small part of the experience that I'm not too worried about them.  And the vocal song rocks, as does most of the music.

Now, for some nitpicking: I dislike any and all elements that remind me of SF3.  EX moves, having to push two buttons to throw, and the SF3 version of Chun Li that's included here are all annoying.  I want my SF Alpha Chun Li back.  Also, some characters have really been slowed down, namely Blanka and Vega (claw).

Online, I've only played Angela so far, but it was relatively lag free and I didn't see any of the weird life bar errors that plague SSF2THDR.

So, as of right now, I'm very happy with what Capcom's delivered here, and I look forward to getting to spend more time with it.

It's always a blast sparring with you guys. :)  I'm usually available whenever I'm playing the game online, so feel free to 'hit' me up anytime.

I think the most difficult part with SFIV is trying to disassociate myself from some of the finer SFII gameplay intricacies.  Numerous tweaks have been made from, say, Super Turbo that radically changes the way you play the game.  Certain techniques just won't work here, so you do need to rethink your strategy in a lot of instances.  Also, it's true: they've really made the special moves quite a bit easier to pull off this time around.  Maybe a bit TOO easy; the inputs are almost forgiving to a fault, since I've found things like Super moves accidentally eeking out at the most inopportune times.  If you're not careful, you can screw up many a well-timed combo.

Those aside, I think the game plays wonderfully.  Unlike XLord, I really dig the EX moves, and having throws designated to two buttons instead of one assures fewer cheap accidents.  The potential flexibility of the Focus System is huge, and the quick-rise technique provides a new mind-game element.  (Do you throw a well-timed EX projectile as they're getting up?  Attempt a cross-over combo?  Anticipate a reversal?)

Totally. I think they changed Zangief's spinning piledriver to a HCF instead of a 360. I did it four times in one match against a friend and was like, alright, something is going on here because there's no way in hell that I pulled off four perfect 360s on an XBox controller.

Picked this up recently. Special Edition with the soundtrack and the book, the movie and the f---ing gashapon-looking figure of the girl with the ridiculous ponytail. I love red hair on the ladies, so long as it isn't in a pompadour ponytail thing. Kinda overpriced for what it offers, but honestly, I know it'll sell for huge amounts later, so why not spare myself and pick it up now, huh?

Watching the Chun-Li fight with Vega from the anime movie. f---ing epic as all hell. I remain convinced that fighting games will never make good anim/film adaptions, but this particular one makes a really strong case for it.

been playing this for almost four days straight and im barely able to stop and write a msg its a miracle those guys at capcom managed to give us an mostly smooth online experience. even the soundtrack is pretty addicting, but not as catchy as the original compositions....yet.

thats all, i need to go back for another round now.

I waited too long and now there aren't even any Hori Real Arcade Pro (Xbox 360) joysticks in stock.

I don't have a 360 let alone the game itself, but my cousin just got it in this weekend, so I visited and we played against each other.

Ryu and Ken are same as always, which is good; Shoryuken and Hadoken are easy to execute, and distant weapons are always killer in a melee fight.

I was actually pretty good with Zangief, they gave him more moves, and many are easy to execute, especially his Pile Driver.

I was able to execute Dhalsim's and Abel's moves rather easily, but I always got pwned when I played them; take that how you will.

I actually pwned as Blanka; traditionally, he's been a lousy character for me.

All the other characters, I've found all their moves, even their traditional moves (aside from Honda's Handslap and Chun-Li's Lightning Kick) difficult to execute.

I don't know about you, but I like using the directional buttons to try and execute the moves, the joystick doesn't sit well with me for fighters; doesn't seem as precise.

Otherwise, I'm definitely going to get this when I get a 360...which will probably be when a lot of games have gone down in price.

Still hugging my PS2! ^_^v

Well I've finally, after all this time, played this for myself and had a pretty good play session.

The music is great - I absolutely love just about every track in it, even the supposedly-awful boyband track at the start. Cammy's voice is perfect. About time they actually used the character's origins when defining the voices.

And I hate Seth. We're not on speaking terms. He's more frustrating than Gil.

That's about right.  According to EventHubs, a 270 degree motion is sufficient for the Spinning Piledriver.  But even more damning is the shortcut they've applied to the usual Shoryuken-based motion - you can actually pull it off by simply tapping forward diagonal-down twice and the respective attack button.  I think that's part of what's throwing off a lot of my combos.  A pity it isn't an optional shortcut that you can turn on and off at will.   

Whoa....... so do we finally have a convert? ;D

Seth's one cheap bastard, but oh-so-much fun to play once you've unlocked him.  They've nerfed his strength for competitive reasons, of course, but his move set is as much fun to play as it is to despise when the AI is pummeling you with it.

Not a complete convert. Not yet anyway. All of my visual issues still stand and some are worse first hand, the animation being a particular weakness. It does the job but could be so much better and lags behind 2D games like SF3 and 3D games like Tekken 5. Even basic animation like Zangief's walk is awkwardly spongy. Generally, the main game animation lacks strength. Some character models are awful.

And yet it's inconsistent. The animation for the ultra moves is great and some models, Sagat in particular are excellent.

I'm holding the game to high standards but it's SF so I don't see why I shouldn't.

The game is fun though. It's definitely growing on me. It doesn't yet totally justify it's existence for me though. It's like a 3D SF2 with four new characters and a couple of variations. Does it offer something different in the way the Alpha series did or the SF3 series did? I don't know. It is growing on me though. You could well have a convert if I spent more time with it.

I also suspect it, like the Alpha series, will become something much greater in it's next iteration depending on their character choices.

There's much to like. Some of the BGs are great, though I would have hoped for more variety and the one I spent most time on was easily the worst - Seth's Space Channel 5 background. I love the Overpass BG. Those kids in the background feel alive, like something out of Shenmue. And the music and voices I love. And Rufus, as bad as he looks (they clearly got a Dead Or Alive breast programmer to do his abdomen), is a lot of fun to play.

Do not a total convert, but give me more play time and I suspect my criticisms will become smaller as I just enjoy the game for what it is.

Just got this on the PS3 and I'm enjoying it. It surprised me how much like SFII (the last version of the game I've played) it was, right down to the moves I memorized over a decade ago. Of course, there's just enough different to slow me down, especially against the CPU. Which cheats. But what else is new?

Haven't tried it online yet (with friends. I'm not interested in playing against random people). I still need to pick up a headset.