PS3 Fanboy

Whether you are new to the franchise or you've been pumping quarters into the arcades since 1991, there's a great Street Fighter IV article over at Eventhubs everyone should check out. For beginners, there are some extremely helpful basic gameplay details. For more advanced players, they have a character tier ranking chart as well as a comprehensive guide for every single character in the game. Finally, for those of us who can't wait till February for the game to come out on the PS3, they even have an list of locations where an arcade machine could be found. Check all of that out here.

In other SFIV affairs, it was reported a while back that Mad Catz will be producing the official SFIV arcade sticks. They are finally here, albeit at quite a premium. The most expensive version, ostentatiously named the "official Street Fighter IV FightStick Tournament Edition controller," will run you $149.99. It features the "exact Sanwa joystick and 30mm buttons found in official Street Fighter IV arcade machines, along with realistic spacing and an eight-button layout." A more recession-friendly version that lacks the Sanwa joystick is priced at $69.99. Finally, those of you who are really strapped for cash can select the $39.99 wireless Fightpad that contains "a circular 8-way floating D-Pad and a classic six-button layout." It comes in 5 equally delicious flavors: Ryu, Ken, Chun-Li, Blanka and Akuma.

[Via Capcom-Unity and MaxConsole]

Street Fighter IV producer Yoshinori Ono sat down with Videogamer to talk about the console versions of the latest incarnation of the classic fighting game series. He had a ton of information to share, and here are some highlights:

• Ono recognizes lag as a series problem for online play. They are working on a solution which involves "trying to balance it up at user interface level and input timing by using joystick or something like that." We don't really know what that means either.
• Parrying is gone, in case you didn't know already. Ono wants "Street Fighter IV to be a tool for everyone to enjoy" and parrying is "quite hard for the vast majority to master."
• There will be a story/adventure mode on the console versions.
• There won't be any specific console-exclusive characters, meaning we won't have to buy multiple versions of the game just to play them all. (Editor's note: Yay!) However, there will be characters, such as Cammy, who will appear in the console versions but not the arcade versions.
  

Ono also answers questions regarding post-release patches to rebalance the game, the possibility of Street Fighter III on the PSN, and more. Check out the full interview here.

Bison is one tough guy. He cannot be stopped, can he? Like a cockroach (on steroids) that can't be stomped out he's survived numerous close calls. Think back, he's toughed out Ken and Ryu's dual hadoukens in the animated movie. Even more devastating, he went through the horror of Jean-Claude Van Damme's butchery of Guile. But now, the criminal overlord somehow miraculously survived Street Fighter II and will make a return to Street Fighter IV.

The pupil-less baddie isn't the only old school boss making a comeback. Balrog, Vega, and Sagat are all in the new game, completing the four horsemen of yesteryear's fighting glory. We're sure that the inclusion of all classic bosses and characters will bring back all those good memories; however, we're still in the dark about what system this gorgeous title is going to. When are you going to let us know Capcom? While we ask that question, you can check out some pics in our gallery below and many more over at Capcom's blog.

In addition to announcing a PS3 version of Lost Planet, Capcom has unveiled a brand new game: Street Fighter 4. Street Fighter 4, as you've guessed, is a brand new iteration to the classic Capcom fighting series - the first new Street Fighter in ten years. The game is over a year away, and no gameplay footage has been shown so far. Capcom's other fighter, Street Fighter II Turbo HD Remix, has been delayed to 2008 as the team has been trying to reduce lag time on the game's online offerings.

The trailer above doesn't mention which platform(s) it will eventually end up on, but we're going to remain hopeful that Capcom will bring it onto the PS3. We've already watched the trailer multiple times - extreme violence + inky aesthetic = guaranteed repeat watching.