Super Street Fighter IV: Why Does it Matter?

Options. A large reason people are interested in an update to Street Fighter IV, or any new fighting game (aside from needing nerdy things to complain about), is finding and understanding the tools that create options for winning. 

The best example of this is Ken (I play Ken, so it's the best example for me). Ken is a character who is supposed to be in your opponent's face (also known as rushdown). This is in contrast to Ryu who is more about spacing and zoning because of his faster fireball and ultra that keep him from having to get too close to his opponent. In SFIV, Ken has some great options for creating rushdown situations, like his step kick, kara-throw, or EX hurricane kick. However, Ken is a little too slow to be an effective rushdown charater. He walks too slow, his ultra is difficult to setup, and, despite the reputation online, his fierce dragon punch (the one with the flames) is really only amazing at blasting people who don't know how to block. 

 The hope is that with SSFIV, Ken will gain some of the options that allow him to be a quick and effective rushdown character. His new ultra alone seems to be a step in the right direction. Just the fact that it has forward range, as opposed to requiring that you are on top of your opponent, and delivers chip damage make the move 100 times more useful in a rushdown situation. Want to chip your opponent to death when she only has a little life left? Go for it. Want something that pushes your opponent to the other end of the screen if it connects? Sounds like a good idea. Want to focus attack dash cancel for increased offensive safety and damage? It's supposed to work now. These are the options one new move for one character creates. 

Think about this, no one outside of Capcom has even seen all of the other small tweaks that will go into changing how the characters operate and all the options that will be created. Something as small as decreasing the frames of animation on Ken's dragon punch (making it faster) could make him the strongest character in the game. Even speeding up his roundhouse or walk could take him to the top tier. And that is really tiny stuff. Not to mention, the options that having two sets of ultras will make for match-ups. Maybe Ken's Ultra II will make him extra effective against Sagat, but terrible against Adon. What strategies will you need to use to win, or not embarrass yourself when playing? Fortunately, everyone who plays will have to learn an extra set of options for each match up and new combos to be effective against other players, recreating a level playing field for newcomers. This will add a lot to the enjoyment of the game because it keeps people engaged instead of playing on auto-pilot and complaining about noobs. Having a ton of new offensive and defensive options will keep the game fresh.

In Street Fighter, it's not always the person with the best execution or the most combos (although those help a ton) who wins; it's the person who knows his options, his opponent's options, and uses that knowledge to create traps and mind games. I have heard plenty of tournament players say that most people are not even playing real Street Fighter because they haven't gotten into the meta-game. Learn to out-think and out-know your opponent and you will come out on top. Or you could just mash fierce dragon punch non-stop (it has flames).