inglorious

My friend Kevin Mangan likes to compare to Street Fighter IV to chess. With strategy happening in seconds opposed to drawing out over the length of your average chess game. He’s right, and for those of you gifted to have the hyperactive twitch skills to play this form of super-chess, Street Fighter is probably a game you love.

It’s also beautiful. Kotaku posted a gallery featuring these screens of Capcom‘s upcoming Super Street Fighter IV, all prominently featuring the onscreen UI. (Hard to avoid with that style of fighting game.) There’s some beautiful stuff going on here. I know I am fairly vocal about constantly moving towards a HUD-less experience, but when it comes to a game like Street Fighter the UI really just enhances the gameplay. All that information is needed, this allows a player to risk an attack or choose to play more defensively as well as adapt their strategy to whatever the situation requires.

I really like how characters models, and effects move in front and behind the UI as a whole. To me that sort of  integration feels a lot like the lines a network will project onto a football field while watching a NFL game. The action revolves around what you’re seeing, and the HUD/UI doesn’t block the action or interfere with gameplay. It’s quality work. I look forward to seeing it in action in the game.