Overview
Ultra Street Fighter IV is a 2.5D fighting game developed by Capcom (in conjunction with Dimps) and published by Capcom for the Xbox 360, PlayStation 3, and PC (via Steam) as both a downloadable upgrade to Super Street Fighter IV (on June 3, 2014 for 360/PS3 and on August 7, 2014 for PC) and a standalone retail copy (on August 5, 2014 for 360/PS3).
Originally released onto Japanese arcades on April 18, 2014 (upgrading to the Taito Type X3 board), Ultra Street Fighter IV is the third major iteration of the Street Fighter IV series (itself the fourth titled installment of the Street Fighter franchise), adding four playable fighters from Street Fighter X Tekken (Elena, Hugo, Poison, and Rolento), six stages from Street Fighter X Tekken, one new playable fighter (elite Shadaloo bodyguard Decapre), a large variety of balance tweaks and adjustments, new gameplay mechanics (including powerful "Red Focus Attacks", the "Delayed Wakeup" technique, and the ability to bring both Ultra Combos into the fight), and an optional ability to choose which edition of the character to play (in similar vein to Hyper Street Fighter II: The Anniversary Edition).
The console version of the game also includes new online Team Battle modes ("Elimination", which is similar to the King of Fighters series with one round each and limited health recovery, and "Continuous", in which all players fight once), bonus Training Mode features (including an Online Training mode, fight request support, saving and reloading game states, and lag simulation), the option to upload replays directly to YouTube, quick button configuration options in the character select screen, and new paid costume DLC packs (including support for older DLC packs and a bonus pre-order pack).
Later in the year, Capcom added a new patch that adds special "OMEGA Mode" versions for all characters, removing some of the new gameplay mechanics but adding completely new techniques, sometimes including attacks resembling their earlier game counterparts (such as Ryu having a parry technique similar to the Street Fighter III series).
The game was later released digitally, with all DLC included, for the PlayStation 4 on May 26, 2015.
Gameplay
Prior to the release of USFIV, Capcom hired fighting game community member and high ranking tournament player Peter 'Combofiend' Rosas, who's primary role for the game was the rebalancing of characters as seen in a video series on YouTube.
New Mechanics
- Ultra Combo Double (or Ultra W) is a new Ultra choice that allows characters access to both Ultra Combos during the fight, adding new situational usage (such as Zangief having both "Ultimate Atomic Buster" for anti-ground and "Siberian Blizzard" for anti-air, and Elena having both "Brave Dance" for attacking and "Healing" for recovery). However, both Ultra Combos are less efficient in this mode.
- Red Focus Attacks are more powerful versions of Focus Attacks, allowing them to absorb additional attacks (including EX fireball projectiles and various Ultra Combos). However, these attacks are still weak to throws and attacks that break armor, and cost two whole bars of the player's Super Meter to perform (three whole bars if it is used to cancel out of a special move, called an EX Red Focus). This attack is performed by holding LP+MP+MK.
- Delayed Wakeup (similar to the "Tactical Recovery" technique in Capcom Vs. SNK 2) allows players to delay when their character gets up from the ground after being knocked down by certain attacks. This technique can be used against the "wake-up game" tactics of the opponent (and disrupt certain combos that rely on when the character rises). This technique is performed by pressing any two buttons as the fighter is being knocked down (in similar vein to the Quick Stand technique, which is pressed when the fighter hits the ground).
Edition Select
In local multiplayer matches (and optionally in online Endless Battle and Team Battle matches), players now have the ability to choose a specific edition of the playable character from all versions of Street Fighter IV they are included in. This allows players to mix-and-match between different versions (such as one player picking the SFIV style Ryu and one player picking the USFIV style Ryu). For non-USFIV editions, the edition selected is shown under the player's lifebar.
- SFIV - Street Fighter IV
- SSFIV - Super Street Fighter IV
- SSFIV AE - Super Street Fighter IV: Arcade Edition
- SSFIV AE 2012 - Super Street Fighter IV: Arcade Edition - Version 2012
- USFIV - Ultra Street Fighter IV (default selection)
- OMEGA - OMEGA Mode
OMEGA Mode
OMEGA Mode is a special alternate version of all characters using Edition Select, changing each character's movelist to either match their theme (such as Ken getting new kick-based attacks), change their overall playstyle, or gain abilities based on previous games.
Characters
The original arcade release added four additional characters (all based on their Street Fighter X Tekken appearances), with one brand new character added post-release (with the console release), bringing the total up to 44 playable characters.
New Additions
All five additions are only compatible with the USFIV and OMEGA modes in Edition Select.
- Elena - Previously playable in the Street Fighter III series, Elena is the princess of a Kenyan tribe who desires to travel around the world. Fighting in the art of capoeira, she is entered into the S.I.N. tournament by her father to find the source of a natural disturbance.
- Poison - Originally from the Final Fight series and previously appearing as a NPC in the Street Fighter III series, Poison is a former Mad Gear goon and an acrobatic American fighter who enters the S.I.N. tournament to scout wrestling talent.
- Rolento - Originally from the Final Fight series and previously playable in the Street Fighter Alpha series, Rolento is a former Mad Gear lieutenant who then forms an army for his goal of a militaristic utopia. Fighting with military-style martial arts, he enters the S.I.N. tournament after hearing a report that the organization is testing a new soldier enhancement system.
Returning Characters
All 39 previous characters return, each compatible in Edition Select with all modes starting with their initial release.
Street Fighter IV
(SFIV, SSFIV, SSFIV AE, SSFIV AE 2012, USFIV, OMEGA)
Super Street Fighter IV
(SSFIV, SSFIV AE, SSFIV AE 2012, USFIV, OMEGA)
Super Street Fighter IV: Arcade Edition
(SSFIV AE, SSFIV AE 2012, USFIV, OMEGA)
New Stages
All six new stages are from Street Fighter X Tekken. However, they are reworked and do not feature mid-match dynamic stage changes.
- Blast Furnace (Europe)
- Cosmic Elevator (South America)
- Half Pipe (North America)
- Jurassic Era Research Facility (Unknown)
- Mad Gear Hideout (North America)
- Pitstop 109 (East Asia)
System Requirements
Minimum
- OS: Windows Vista
- Processor: Intel Core 2 Duo 2.0 GHz or better
- Memory: 1 GB RAM
- Hard Disk Space: 12 GB free hard drive space
- Video Card: NVIDIA GeForce 6600 or better (except NVIDIA GeForce 7300)
- DirectX®: 9.0c or greater
- Sound: DirectSound, DirectX9.0c Compatible Audio
Recommended
- OS: Windows Vista, Windows 7, Windows 8
- Processor: Intel Core 2 Quad 2.66 GHz or better
- Memory: 2 GB RAM
- Hard Disk Space: 12 GB free hard drive space
- Video Card: NVIDIA GeForce 8600 or better
- DirectX®: 9.0c or greater
- Sound: DirectSound, DirectX9.0c Compatible Audio
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