LogFAQs > #932207751

42.


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sAMq3RaUNrg

2009
PS3, 360, PC, PS4

Street Fighter 4 was a damn revelation when it came out. 4 isnt *that* fundamentally different from SF2, and that familiarity is what made 4 such a huge hit. However, they came out in totally different gaming environments. SF2 hit and caused a full-on arcade boom whereas SF4 hit right when online multiplayer was cresting.
I can remember watching high level SF4 arcade videos in 2008 and it blew my mind. Livestreaming was just starting to hit in 2009, the days of ustream and justin.tv. The convergence of online multiplayer, youtube and live streaming made SF4 an absolute juggernaut.

I bring all of this up because SF4 just isnt what it used to be because the game is old news. SF4 died the day SF5 hit and that sucks because SF5 kinda sucks.

I really loved SF4 from 2009-2015 or so and a lot of that was its online presence, following the scene and trying (and failing) to live up to what pros could do. Playing this game online with friends was a real joy because so many people came up with SF2 and this felt like a great way to socialize and try to measure up. The game got consistent updates that largely worked. It felt like the glory days of Street Fighter, and honestly fighting games in general.

I went along with that big-time - this is one of only five games that have topped my games lists over the last 15 years. I would happily play this game with friends if people still played it, though theres a skill barrier that you have to push through and I simply dont have the dedication or time to grind like Id need to in order to get the right amount of satisfaction out of SF4. Id much rather play lots of different games than be monogamous with one ultra-competitive game. But when all that competitive and social capital built up by SF4 up and disappears as people move on to the next big fighting game (or, more accurately, just away from fighting games completely), whats actually left to enjoy?

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xyzzy