Versus match: SFII HD Remix designer harshes on Street Fighter IV

Well this is new. David Sirlin, one of the chief designers of Street Fighter II HD, attacked Street Fighter IV in a very harsh review that could put Simon Cowell to shame. After a blow-by-blow account of what’s wrong with the game, then concludes that despite popular opinion, SFIV is a difficult game, not a simple, casual one.

 

You wouldn’t like me when I’m angry.

Well this is new. David Sirlin, one of the chief designers of Street Fighter II HD, attacked Street Fighter IV (PS3, 360) in a very harsh review that could put Simon Cowell to shame.

He gives a blow-by-blow account of what’s wrong with the game, starting with ranked matches, how the game deals with lag, the button config screen… the list goes on. You’ll have to follow the source link for the full thing, but here’s an excerpt:

When I read about the 100/100 scores, I see again and again how “simple and elegant” the game is. Two super meters, a 3-tier focus attack system, and all the complications above seem to fly in the face of that.

Even more though, I hear how “casual friendly” it is. This is deeply mysterious and I’m not sure why this so often claimed. Not every game has to be casual friendly, so it would seem more honest to just explain how casual unfriendly all these things are.

Qcf x 2 +PPP all the time, extra button presses to throw, extra button presses to roman cancel, and many, many extremely difficult link combos work in concert to create that impenetrable wall of execution between you and the actual game (the interaction between you and your opponent). I wish we could get rid of all this stuff and focus more on the gameplay itself.

Not to be butthead, Sirlin, but the thing your describing that you want to happen is supposed to be Street Fighter II HD. SFIV is supposed to be the next generation of the franchise. But yeah, SFIV is more difficult to get into than previous Street Fighter games, especially if you’re a casual gamer. What do you guys think?

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Via Sirlin