If ever there was a genre of video games that has perfected the art of “re-releases”, the Fighting genre would take the gold medal, no contest. While the Guilty Gear series from Arc System Works features several physical updates, most of which apply to Guilty Gear XX #Reload, the franchise takes a back seat to Capcom’s Street Fighter saga. Street Fighter II alone has seven different iterations. Following with Capcom tradition, Ultra Street Fighter IV is the next, definitive chapter of Street Fighter IV, and will arrive as early as June.
As with previous updates in the Street Fighter IV saga, Ultra Street Fighter IV will be available as both a physical stand-along game, and a digital upgrade for pre-existing copies of Super Street Fighter IV: Arcade Edition [Ver. 2012]. Those who decide to purchase USFIV as a digital upgrade will have access to the fighting game update in June. If you plan on purchasing a physical copy, or are going with the PC version, your wait is a little longer, as physical versions of Ultra Street Fighter IV will not release until August. As an alternative, Capcom will offer a PS3-exclusive bundle, which contains a physical copy of Super Street Fighter IV: Arcade Edition along with a redeemable upgrade for USFIV. For PC owners, Steam will offer its own bundle, with the base game and digital upgrade together in one package.
The digital console upgrades for Ultra Street Fighter IV will cost $14.99 each. The PS3 version will launch on June 3, with the Xbox 360 edition coming the following day- June 4. The full retail physical editions will be available for both systems on August 5, for $39.99 each. Finally, the PC editions- both the digital upgrade and the Steam bundle- will activate on Aug. 8. Those who already have SSFIV: AE on PC can purchase the upgrade for $14.99; the bundle will run at $29.99.
Ultra Street Fighter IV is the fifth iteration of Street Fighter IV, and promises to be the true, definitive version of the game. The latest update adds several new features, some of which include new gameplay mechanics, the controversially viewed new character Decapre, YouTube replay integration, and an online Training Mode.