And so, the celebrations end. But let's close off not with a whimper, but with a bang.
12. Street Fighter IV (Capcom/Dimps - Arcade)
The idea of this list was for two reasons. One was to do a "GOTY" blog, and since it's close to Christmas, have it be useful as a sort of purchasing guide. Street Fighter IV is not I'd expect to be purchased by anyone reading this, I mean, we're talking about an arcade game here. However, it fits the other criteria to a T. It's a fantastic game – and shows why Capcom are still the kings of 2D fighters.
The first thing that strikes you about Street Fighter IV is the visuals. In still images, it leaves a lot to be desired, and the actual visuals on the characters even more so. All those goes out the window when the game is in motion. The game looks absolutely stunning, jaw-dropping...however you want to describe what good graphics look like. The action is fluid and doesn't miss a beat.
Gameplay wise – it plays a hell of a lot like traditional Street Fighter. There's no stupidly over the top moves or air guarding/throwing here. It's straight up SF. The game just feels right also. It's hard to really describe, but when you play...everything feels like it should. Ryu or Sagat don't control like schizophrenic, coke-addicted versions of the Flash, nor does Blanka or Chun-Li feel like bloated overweight blobs (no, E.Honda doesn't count).
The one thing that's really disappointing about the game is that it feels like a gigantic throwback to Street Fighter 2 – this is including setting the game prior to Street Fighter 3 (and after 2), having all twelve World Warriors as playable, and all the returning characters for the home release? Either SF2 New Challengers or characters from Street Fighter Alpha. Not that this is a bad thing. Street Fighter II is a good game. However, is there really a need to be reminded that SF2 was so good, and that it's Capcom's most profitable and popular game ever? I'm half expecting in the home release that remixes of characters SF2 themes as unlockables, or more throwbacks. It's even more disappointing that Capcom isn't acknowledging the fact that they created the greatest fighting game ever made (3rd Strike), yet refuse to believe it exists.
Overall, SF4 is a fitting return to a series long dormant. It's definitely one of the best games of the year, and when it gets released to home consoles next February, expect to see more and more people digging it. Granted, I'd have loved it for some more 3S love - but when it's a brand new SF game, and it's this good...then you can't really argue.