Street Fighter 4 iPhone Hands-on Impressions

Released tonight at GDC 2010, the iPhone version of Street Fighter IV is extremely impressive.

The game features 8 fighters: Ryu, Ken, Chun-Li, Guile, Blanka, Dhalsim, Abel, and M. Bison. The fighters can be used for head-to-head multiplayer over Bluetooth or for solo play modes including Dojo mode, which challenges the player to complete increasingly difficult trials while teaching the basics of the port.

I was as skeptic as anyone else, but I'm happy to report that this is faithful port of the full-sized game, minus the characters and modes. Yes, complex combos and moves can be pulled off after a bit of practice. After about 15 minutes, I was able to execute Ryu's signature combo from Street Fighter IV: the shoryuken focus attack dash cancel into his ultra combo.

The game utilizes some shortcuts to assist with special moves. A dedicated on-screen button for specials helps you crank out quick hadoukens or Blanka balls. This is optional, however, if you really want to show your skills off by doing all of the inputs manually. Ultra and Super combos can be executed simply by tapping on the meter icon on screen.

Dojo mode is surprisingly fun and you'll receive letter grades for each challenge for each character offering some great pick up and play options. If you didn't like Street Fighter IV, you probably won't like this version. If you did, however, this port is definitely worth the $9.99 while you wait for Super Street Fighter IV.