Super Street Fighter 4 Arcade Edition is probably the most important DLC that has ever been created. No, not because it’s the best piece of DLC ever, because frankly, it’s not. However, it’s the “Arcade Edition” that gives this DLC such an impact that some people don’t know about.

When Capcom decided to go with a console only release of Super Street Fighter 4, arcade owners from around the world were up in arms as this single-handedly gave the arcade business a huge punch to the gut. These arcade owners, who had spent several thousand dollars on Street Fighter 4 cabinets making a significant amount of money to keep their struggling businesses open, now had their cabinets made obsolete, and many begged Capcom for a solution. That solution was Super Street Fighter 4 Arcade Edition (AE).

Capcom had a dilemma on their hands. The loyal fanbase of Street Fighter fans had grown in an unprecedented scale revitalizing the fighting game genre to its previous glory and beyond, would now be found left in the cold. Many gamers don’t have an arcade nearby, let alone one that had Super Street Fighter 4 AE. Without causing a rift with arcade owners, Capcom decided that more than 6 months after the release of Super Street Fighter 4 AE in the arcades, a DLC version would be available for gamers for only $14.99. With the DLC in hand, well kind of, we can finally take a close look at Super Street Fighter 4 AE that won’t cost a dollar a fight.

THESE STREETS ARE MADE FOR FIGHTING

Everyone’s Invited To The Fight – Capcom made a great move by having AE working with the original Super Street Fighter 4 version of the game. Players that own AE can switch back and forth from AE and regular SSF4 depending on what other players have. If you want to get some practice in AE, put it on AE mode, and have at it. On the other hand, if there’s a buddy that wants to play you, but doesn’t have AE yet, then you can switch back to regular SSF4 and play him there. Instead of isolating the haves and have-nots, Capcom instead brought them together to let the players decide what version to play.

More Fighter To Rumble With – SSF4 AE adds an additional 4 characters to the roster making a total of 39 fighters. Evil Ryu and Oni Akuma are variations of Ryu and Akuma. These altered versions have a variety of changes: differences in health, damage output, additional moves, new ultras, and different combos. Yun and Yang from the Street Fighter 3 series were also added to the series making many Third Strike players happy. No word on if more characters are coming, but one should never doubt Capcom, especially as of late they way they have been holding their cards close to their chest.

In Order To Fight, One Must Find Balance – Fighting game developers always seek a balance in their game. Sometimes, when they try to balance a game by making weak fighter strong and stronger fighters weaker, they may go a bit over with their “balancing”. In Super Street Fighter 4, Capcom balanced the fighters. Some fighters that were considered “bad” in the first game, like E. Honda, were buffed up to be the best in the game then vice versa with Sagat who was a god in Street Fighter 4 yet made into a wimp in Super Street Fighter 4. Sagat and E. Honda are examples of how the balance changes again in AE with Sagat getting buffed while E. Honda getting nerfed. Yes, players of these nerfed characters may complain, but they may find solace with another character that was improved upon. Hell, even Dan, long the joke of the Street Fighter series, has become a more worthy adversary in this game. Fact is, the characters are pretty balanced except for…
 

A RIGGED FIGHT

OH MY GOD WHO LET THE GODS INTO THIS FIGHT?! – Yun and Yang seem have skipped the whole “character balancing” as they are such formidable opponents. Many of the best players have left their tried and true characters in exchange for Yun and Yang. With a dive kick that is hard to punish, moves that can not only evade projectiles but also punish them, and their overall speed and power combination, many of the best players are having trouble with these two characters. Yun in particular has so many positives as a fighter that many believe that this year Evo will have more than its share of Yun players in the top spots of the tournament. Considering all the changes made to make a balanced roster of fighters, these two characters alone completely throw off that balance.


 

The fans have already spoken, and the consensus is that Yun and Yang put a hurt on Super Street Fighter 4 Arcade Edition. Many have found themselves quitting the game because of these two characters alone although the addition of these fighters have brought back fans of Street Fighter 3: Third Strike. Capcom did almost everything right on this DLC with making it more than worthwhile to get. That little twinge that comes from having the overpowered Yun and Yang on the roster has begun taking a toll on the Street Fighter community.