Prima Games Author Blog » SF4

Street Fighter IV Strategy Videos Now Available!

sorako18 — Wed, 18 Feb 2009 18:28:07 +0000

Now available at the Street Fighter IV feature page, a 7 character HD or SD video bundle including:

Abel
Akuma
Balrog
C. Viper
Ken
Ryu and
Sagat

You can also purchase the bundle + eGuide for a discounted price. So above, check out our sample of Ryu.

Fin

drdogg — Tue, 17 Feb 2009 00:50:30 +0000

The Street Fighter IV guide has hit stores, with the game officially releasing at midnight tonight. Most people who have spoken to me about the guide are very pleased with how it turned out. I’m also pleased with it, but as always, I wish I had more time with the game (the latest build of the game to be specific).

When it comes to fighting game guides, I can spend weeks on a single character and still not be satisfied, so it’s more of a personal issue than anything else. My time at Capcom was limited, but luckily I had plenty of time with the arcade version before I headed up to San Mateo.

I think anyone who is just getting into Street Fighter will get a lot out of the guide, and the tournament-level players have frame data in the back of the book that they’ll certainly appreciate.

I don’t know what my next guide will be, but hopefully I get something else soon. I’m already starting to get bored… ^_^

Street Fighter IV Guide vs. CE Hint Book

drdogg — Tue, 10 Feb 2009 06:32:41 +0000

I’ve been getting quite a few questions concerning the difference between the Hint Book that comes with the Street Fighter IV Collector’s Edition game and the Official Street Fighter IV Strategy Guide. Since I wrote both manuscripts, I figured this would be a good time to clarify the difference between the two.

The Hint Book is a very bare bones introduction to the four new characters introduced in Street Fighter IV. These include Crimson Viper, El Fuerte, Abel and Rufus. Within the pages of the Hint Book you’ll find one combo for each, as well as a few special moves, all wonderfully drawn by Udon (the people behind some of the SF comic books).

As a collectible, the Hint Book is a must have for SF fans. The artwork is very nice and it has a comic book feel that you won’t find in the Official Strategy Guide (although you will find plenty of artwork). However, it’s in no way a replacement for the Strategy Guide. You won’t find any frame data, character strategies, general strategies, or anything remotely similar to these assets.

Hopefully that helps to clarify the difference between the two for people on the fence about choosing between them. Collectors will probably want to pick up both, while people looking to take their game to the next level, or simply learn the basics should opt for the Strategy Guide.

Now that I’ve covered that, I’m off to do some Soul Calibur IV training. I just came off of a displeasing 5th place finish at a regional qualifier over the weekend, so I need to ensure I do better at the next regional qualifier in San Diego this coming weekend.

Don’t forget about the $2,000 DEVASTATION Street Fighter IV tournament in June, or Evolution in July.

Street Fighter IV Guide Update

drdogg — Tue, 03 Feb 2009 22:16:03 +0000

It’s been a couple months since I first started work on the Street Fighter IV strategy guide. I would’ve liked to have had more time, but when it comes to fighting game guides, there’s never enough time to include everything you want. I could spend weeks on a single character and still not be satisfied, but I am pleased with what I was able to include in the SF4 guide.

The layout is looking phenomenal; huge props to Jody for hooking up a stellar layout and using the high resolution Capcom artwork perfectly. I’m generally not a big fan of game artwork, but the SF4 art is really nice. In addition to the artwork scattered throughout the guide, there’s a small art section in the back with a few character montages.

I think this guide should appeal to the new players and the returning veterans. Coming from a Tekken and Soul Calibur background, I had to change the way I think about high level play. Playing a 2D fighter at high levels is very different from how a 3D fighter is played. But while I learned the differences (playing on a local SF4 arcade machine before heading to Capcom), it helped me develop the early chapters of the guide, informing newcomers about the intricacies of SF4.

For the advanced players, there’s a frame data index in the back of the guide. It only covers the 17 arcade characters, but it’s more than you’d find in most US-based strategy guides and the first time I’ve been able to include frame data in one of my fighting game guides. I ask for it every time because it’s something that high level players use regularly and something that I personally use religiously, but I always have to import a Japanese guide to obtain it. Now the SF players have it in the US SF4 guide.

The guide should be heading to the printer very soon to release alongside the game on Feb 17th. I’ll be gracing the Capcom Unity blog later this week with info on the new characters, along with another Prima blog next week.

For you tournament goers, keep in mind that there will be a $2,000 SF4 tournament at DEVASTATION 2009 in June. In addition, Evo 2009 was just announced to include SF4 when it takes place in July.

Shoryuken!

drdogg — Mon, 06 Oct 2008 19:29:23 +0000

With two NARUTO titles completed (Ultimate Ninja Storm and Clash of Ninja Revolution 2), I have moved on to the big daddy of fighting game releases for 2009. Street Fighter IV will reportedly release early next year alongside the upcoming movie, but I’ve already had some time with the arcade version, which is what I’ll be basing my initial guide work on. At some point I’ll be heading to Capcom USA to complete the guide, but for now I’m using my experience with the game to lay down the initial ground work. With any luck, the final product will be a guide that teaches newcomers how to become better players and gives the Street Fighter legends a few tips in the process.

I missed out on Mortal Kombat vs. DC Universe, but Street Fighter IV will be a welcome change from my last two NARUTO guides. The game seems to borrow from Super Street Fighter II Turbo and Street Fighter III: Third Strike, while still maintaining the feel of a new fighting game.

Hopefully the release of SF4 will kick off another great year for fighting games. Tekken 6 should hopefully be landing on US shores sometime in 2009 and King of Fighters XII, along with a new Samurai Shodown are hitting during the first half of 2009. Now if only Rare would announce a new Killer Instinct, I would have all the fighting games I need to last me until 2010.