It's obvious that each iteration of the long-running Street Fighter series has been carefully tuned and tweaked to the finest degree, and nowhere is this more apparent than in Street Fighter IV. The lessons learned in the franchise's 20-plus years have been used to prune back the core fighting experience to create something truly special. Street Fighter IV isn't a success simply because it's one of the most technically complex 2D fighters ever made, it's a success because it's also wrapped inside a layer of absolute accessibility. Never has the old "A minute to learn, a lifetime to master" adage been truer than it is here.
THE GOOD
Gorgeous character models, animations, and background art
Comprehensive multiplayer modes
Accessible but nuanced gameplay
Plenty of replay value for completionists.
THE BAD
No tournament mode
Online play suffers if either fighter's connection is slow