Super Street Fighter 4 is a game I love and hate. Love to hate. Hate to love. Certainly, at least one of those.
 
Before 2009 I could never have been branded a fighting-game fan. Despite being exposed to Soul Calibur, SFA3, Super Smash Bros. Melee, I never properly understood them, and understanding is an essential factor in brawlers.  
 
Understanding not only in the sense of what the hell is going on, but also of the fundamental requirements necessary for a better appreciation of the genre. Mind-games, single-frame timing, perfect spacing: this is the life-blood of the series.  
 
Street Fighter 4 refined and revived not only the SF franchise, but the genre. By allowing it to be accessible to those without an already firm grasp of the technicalities involved (SF3, despite its splendour, was highly inaccessible and an abject failure on that front), it attracted a whole new generation of players; the actual game-mechanics were simple yet hid depth only obvious to those willing to put in their time and patience. 
 
Giantbomb wasn't free from its seductive charms, either. Never before have I been part of a gaming community, and now I can gladly say I have been. The SSF4 forums on GB are some of the friendliest around, and it is a reflection of the game's qualities that it can bring people together in such a positive way. The players are multi-national, of varying skill and, without fail, lovely. Even Pessh.
 
Then, in late-April of this year, its follow-up, SSF4, was released. This update added a further 10 characters to the roster and tweaked the game to near perfection. Needless to say, the switch-over was painless.
 
There comes a time, though, when enough is enough. Anything can become tiresome in large doses, and there is a point at which 99-second rounds can begin to feel a little familiar. Despite taking breaks of months at a time, I always return. Eventually. A fresh perspective provides surprisingly positive results: any agitation I had, of which there was plenty, dissipates rapidly, and I find myself looking at each match with a new sense of clarity.
 
Almost 2 years later, and with 900 hours played (I have literally played 900 hours. This is unfathomable.), I'd say I have a reasonable grasp of the game at this point; if not, I at least have a respect for it. No other game has ever grabbed me the way (Super) Street Fighter 4 has, and I doubt another ever will. 
 
Game of the year. Game of the decade. Game of my life. 
 
Love.