The wants and needs of competitive fighting game players have warrented increasingly meaningful consideration from developers in the past few years, but Ultra Street Fighter 4 is a clear example of how a fighting game can address those needs without alienating more casual players. A substantial cast-wide rebalance, combined with features like the long-requested offline match recording and the insanely fun edition-select make Ultra the most complete, refined version of Street Fighter 4 yet. It’s an experience that feels custom-made for everyone from the weekend warrior to the intermediate or advanced-level tournament hound.
Considering that Street Fighter 4 is now nearly five years old, the additions in Ultra are actually quite daring. W-Ultra is the big standout here, giving you access to both of your character's ultra combos instead of one or the other. Neither will do as much damage, but the utility it provides is almost irresistible for characters like Dudley for instance, whose Ultra 1 is threatening in specific matchups, but his Ultra 2 is too generally useful to pass on. It's a great additional layer of tactical consideration that adds dimension to many formerly stale matchup considerations.
Delayed wakeup and red-focus on the other hand, are a little more situational in application, and thus, they aren't as immediately impactful as W-Ultra. They do, however, give every character some new options for dealing with the knockdown/vortex aggression that defined tournament play in Arcade Edition 2012, and for that reason alone, these are welcome additions. It's nice to feel less helpless after getting knocked down by Cammy or Akuma.
That goes double for newcomer Decapre, whose disappointingly familiar “Cammy with a mask” look hides one of the most dynamic skill-sets in the entire cast. Two useful Ultras, good pokes, and a stacked toolbox of mixups make her a blast to play.
The Verdict
Ultra Street Fighter 4 takes an already incredible, content-rich fighting game, and builds upon it in ways that fighting enthusiasts can get lost in and casual fans can enjoy. Every addition and refinement, both big and small, works. The new characters feel like they've been here all along, and the rebalancing gives old characters a fresh lease on life, making Ultra a must-have for anyone who's enjoyed any version of Street Fighter 4.
