Ultra Street Fighter IV

For the first time in years, I was left wondering if my video game's disc was scratched, only to remember that I was playing a digitally downloaded game. While this is meant to be a proper sendoff to Street Fighter IV, intending to hold us over until the release of Street Fighter V, Capcom has given us the worst-playing version the game to date.

While the lack of any substantial single-player content is disappointing, it’s not too surprising given the similar lack in all other iterations of Street Fighter IV. The core competitive game still remains the standard by which all other modern 2D fighters are judged. Less serious players who’ve enjoyed SF4 in the past may not find a huge amount of new content here, but the digital upgrade for owners of the previous version has a fairly low cost of entry to balance that out.

The good news is that any relatively up-to-date system should be able to handle max graphics settings and maintain the smooth framerate fighting games demand, and USFIV still looks great for an update of a six-year-old arcade game. If it weren't for the online lag, crashes, and controller support annoyances—things I hope are patched—the PC version would be the best.

While undeniably punishing for more casual players, there’s absolutely no doubt that Ultra Street Fighter IV is one of the very best fighting titles for enthusiasts. The subtle refinements and content additions over the last five years have enabled Capcom to transform a bonafide classic into a distinguished masterpiece. It will make your blood boil at times, but even if you’ve never played a version of Street Fighter IV before, you owe it to yourself to give this definitive edition a go.

All in all, Ultra Street Fighter IV looks and feels fantastic, and despite the fact that many of its "new" pieces of content have been seen and used before, it's still very much an exciting riff on an already-solid fighting game. I'd go so far as to say this marks a new jumping-off point for those looking to get into the genre, but haven't touched a Street Fighter in years, let alone the original iteration of Street Fighter IV.

Bottom line is if you’re at Street Fighter IV fan you need to upgrade to Ultra Street Fighter IV to get all of the stuff I mentioned above to remain competitive and unlock all the new goodies. However, if you’re a novice player like myself you may want to think about how much time you want to sink into the title. This DLC is definitely a must buy for diehards but is something casual players really need to think about before making the plunge.