After deleting Ultra Street Fighter IV from my Steam library, I had an honest decision to make. It has been almost a year since I played the game only dabbling in it for a short period of time to create a review for the latest version.
It seems obvious that maybe letting go for the near future is best. I mean..Street Fighter V is on its' way. The PC online beta should be coming just around the corner and it's safe to say that SFIV's day in the sun is officially coming to a close.
It's funny how a game that brought so many of us back to fighting games, may fade into deliberate obscurity despite the strong resurgence it encapsulated. SFIV has received a great deal of harsh criticisms...a great deal.
The online game play was far from ideal, the game's mechanics often let people get away with mistakes, and the comebacks often times felt like an atrocity. When I first got my hands on Street Fighter IV, none of these things mattered..and to be honest, to me, they still do not.
At one point, I was willing to spend as much time needed to master the art of the focus dash cancel but some where along the line my attention shifted else where and never managed to make its' way back.
Whether it was going to be the time commitment needed to get into the more advanced nuances of the game, or just my pure lack of enthusiasm, me and SFIV were going to reach this point eventually...the point of no return.
Even though my personal relationship with playing SFIV deteriorated, watching the game being played is a whole other story. It goes without saying that the competitive nature of the game still garners a great deal of excitement and will be doing so at least until the end of this year when we finally reach Capcom Cup 2015.
We all knew this day was coming. While past Street Fighter titles still have a fairly decent following, I really don't know what will become of SFIV...I'll tell you this much, it doesn't look good. When it comes to the long line of Street Fighters titles I would like to return to, SFIV stands at the bottom of the list I'm afraid.
So many have predicted that upon Street Fighter V's release, SFIV will be dead in the water. I've already convinced myself by not hitting that reinstall button ; there isn't anything left for me and SFIV.
I'll never forget the first days of SFIV's release, the amazing ultra combos that were often times comedic in their approach. I'll remember those days where I spent hours online fighting against a countless number of fight requests that would never allow me to finish an arcade session...not once.
It's time for me to say goodbye to SFIV. It was fun while it lasted but I'm afraid I'll never return.
