Akuma smacking evil back into Street Fighter IV
by Griffin McElroy 
{ Aug 17th 2008 at 11:30AM }
We're not exactly sure if it was supposed to be a secret, considering we've seen his ginger likeness in media for the game before, but Capcom recently revealed a few Street Fighter IV screenshots featuring the series' crimson-haired big bad, Akuma. Apparently, he only rears his nefarious head when an arcade player is doing a little too good, and hasn't fed the machine any precious quarters in a while. While he may seem like SFIV's official toll collector, the video posted after the jump proves that he can, in fact, be whooped up upon -- and that he's also a Hadoken-spamming jerk.
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Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
Batzarro @ Aug 17th 2008 11:35AM
I suspected as much...
juju187 @ Aug 17th 2008 11:42AM
best akuma intro eva...
so much for toll stopper he got his ass kicked
vgxtremist @ Aug 17th 2008 11:44AM
I thought his AI was glitched, all those Hadokens...
Jakka - The Heavy wants his sandwich back! @ Aug 17th 2008 11:45AM
Goddamn haddy-whore!
Jonah Falcon @ Aug 17th 2008 11:49AM
WHAT ABOUT DAN?!?!?!?!
Noshino @ Aug 17th 2008 9:01PM
If Im not wrong, it was already announced, also Fei Long
Tehman @ Aug 17th 2008 11:57AM
I never played Street Fighter, but I'm guessing he's the bad guy of the series?
Sheppy (of the Fidlious Clan of Wong) @ Aug 17th 2008 1:09PM
Oh one many....
You see, Ryu and Ken were both trained by Gouken (Shen Long in US) and although Dan was trained there too, he was deemed too pathetic and thrown out. Gouken had a brother which pursued the evil path of their martial art known as the Dark Hadou. Eventually, Gouka (Akuma in the US) returned to face his brother and killed him (possibly not permanently since a previoously released SFIV video clearly shows Gouken alive and well). Both Ryu and Ken are on a mission to avenge their master while Akuma only worries about the strongest fighters to challenge him.
Yaaaaaay! I'm a dork!
Tehman @ Aug 17th 2008 1:37PM
I think my brain just exploded from all that backstory. I didn't even know Street Fighter had one!
Deadpool @ Aug 17th 2008 3:54PM
Gouki, not Gouka...just a minor correction. I'm kinda of Street Fighter nerd to.
Hmm...I wonder if Shin Akuma is in this game???
Jimiisama @ Aug 17th 2008 6:54PM
Hadou is the energy they use; the martial art is called Anasatsuken. And Dan was kicked out because Gouken sensed too much anger in his heart; Dan only wanted to learn Ansatsuken to kill Sagat. Gouken modified Ansatsuken to be used for martial arts competition, but the original use of the art was for killing efficiently. Gouki is the only one who still practices the original form of Ansatsuken (Evil Ryu is only a what-if character).
meist3r @ Aug 17th 2008 12:02PM
And again, as a Wii owner and long term Nintendo - Street Fighter player ... I am not impressed by the graphics in a way that I could accept it not being done on my system. In other words, god damnit I want this game but I am not going to buy a different system just for that.
Sora @ Aug 17th 2008 12:28PM
It also comes out on PC IIRC...
meist3r @ Aug 17th 2008 12:42PM
Since that won't probably run on my Linux OS I still only have hope for a console version. Let's wait and see.
Mr Khan @ Aug 17th 2008 1:01PM
I agree with you. The lighting looks like it might be outside the Wii's capabilities (but then again, we've been surprised by those capabilities before), but those character models have definitely been surpassed by Wii games
Sheppy (of the Fidlious Clan of Wong) @ Aug 17th 2008 1:12PM
The texture resolution, normal mapping, particles, poly count (seriously.. the wireframes show a huge amount of detail), and speed which the hardware handles it all say "No, this CAN'T be done on the Wii in it's current form. It would have to be significantly scaled back."
Not to mention just to make this title playable, they would have to REQUIRE the classic controller and I don't think Nintendo would allow anybody to do something like that.
meist3r @ Aug 17th 2008 1:21PM
@Mr. Khan: I don't really need dynamic lights when the rest of the shading is good. And especially those 2D overlay effects should be fairly low-power to do.
@Sheppy: Reducing the resolution from >720p to 480p would definitely give this a significant boost. Take out some of the background detail and some of the less noticeable effects and I see no reason why this can't be done. I agree the controller is an issue for this type of game but I'm sure you could find a solution. No Wii developer so far has tried to really push the control scheme like for example if you hold the down arrow on the D-Pad, all the buttons get temporarily remapped to different attacks or something like that. This way you would have to do D-Down+A for a strong punch or something but it would at least work. Sure it would be gimmicky but that's what classic controllers (or GC pads for that matter) are for.
Anyhow, I still refuse to believe that Nintendo doesn't get a piece of the pie this time especially after that long lasting relationship. If it wasn't for Nintendo most people outside of Japan still wouldn't know what Street Fighter is.
Sora @ Aug 17th 2008 1:30PM
Couldn't you just run SFIV on your Linux using Wine? http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wine_(software)
meist3r @ Aug 17th 2008 1:49PM
I use Wine all the time but unfortunately the 3D performance usually isn't quite as good. There are some games like WoW that work really well but most of the others are lacking. I tried playing CoD2 and it was choppy as fuck in 640x480 lowest details. Then I put my old XP drive back in and finished the game in 1280 with everything maxed out. Quite some difference. I'm just not a big fan of HD swapping every time I play a game so that's why I prefer Linux native games. Also, as of now, I still only have an ATi card and their Linux drivers still suck badly. I will build a new computer in a couple of weeks and then get me a new shiny nvidia card and I think I'll even install XP on some harddrive again just to be ready for SFIV (true reason being Diablo3).
Sheppy (of the Fidlious Clan of Wong) @ Aug 17th 2008 1:50PM
meister... That's STILL not a strong enough solution simply downsizing the textures and removing elements. As for the control scheme, will, let's put it this way... look up Street Fighter II on Sega Genesis with the three button controller and see what happened.
DEEZNUTZ @ Aug 17th 2008 1:56PM
Wow, you cant be serious. This game would be a joke on the wii.
juju187 @ Aug 17th 2008 2:06PM
@ sheppy
i remember 3 button SF you had to press the start button to change between kicks and punches bleh...
meist3r @ Aug 17th 2008 2:12PM
@DEEZNUTZ: Nope, just can't accept that point of view. First of all because you didn't elaborate WHY you think it would be a joke (except for the control scheme) and second we have seen nothing yet. No developer really even tried to squeeze anything out of the Wii. I still take RE4 as my reference, if a Gamecube port that is supposed to run on a machine half as fast looks like that on the Wii nobody can tell me there's not enough potential. There is a version of the Unreal Engine 3 for the Wii and RE5 will be on the system too ... whaddya say to that? RE5 will be a joke? I don't think so. I'm just saying, nobody even tried and douchebags like you then say "You can't do it" before anyone ever tried. That's what a joke is to me, buddy.
Sheppy: Agreed, the control scheme is a little overburdened with a game like that. It's a shame though. And like I wrote above, no one even tried so far so I won't accept any more hardware power excuses.
Obie @ Aug 17th 2008 2:31PM
Not to mention the Wii is the only console with a D-pad that is worth a damn.
Rollins @ Aug 17th 2008 4:23PM
But RE5 isn't coming to the Wii, supposedly: http://kotaku.com/5028022/segas-president-casually-mentions-resident-evil-5s-wii-release
Basically, Capcom has suggested that such a port would be a joke.
meist3r @ Aug 17th 2008 5:14PM
@Rollins: It would not be the first time that a company denies rumors about upcoming projects until the last minute because they don't want to embarrass their "exclusive" partners or they have plans to give those a head start. They did part 4 on the Wii and even for a GC port with little extra features that sold well. I'm familiar with the article you mentioned but where did you get the information that Capcom suggested it's a joke? I mean they're even porting Dead Rising to the Wii. Why should a sequel to a game they've already featured on the same platform be less likely?
All I'm saying is I don't see any implications for it NOT coming in that interview text. All I see is someone who spoke about something he shouldn't have spoken about when he was embarrassed in front of the press and thus the web and wanted to shut them up for good. Look at the news over at WiiFanboy, remember the "only Otakus need a hard drive" or the "Wii is two Gamecubes with duct tape" headlines? These people know well who's listening to them and that's why they tried so hard to make you "un-hear" it. When you spill the beans on something naturally the first thing you do is to play it down and say "Oh yeah, I read about that yesterday ... Slip of the tongue" ... Right. Can't imagine how pissed PS360 fanboys would be if there was an evolved RE5 on the Wii at the same launch date, they can't take that heat. So you simply keep cooking on the Wii version for a few months undercover and after they've given the other consoles about half a year head start all of a sudden "ooops, there was quite a lot of demand and we happened to have a Wii version up our sleeve".
At least that's what I have come to expect from that farce the Wii as a platform has become with the big publishers.
Rollins @ Aug 17th 2008 5:25PM
This is where I got the joke part from-
"As far as a Wii port of the PlayStation 3/Xbox 360 title, Kramer asked of us 'Have you seen Resident Evil 5?' implying that such a port would be almost impossible, adding that he'd not heard any such product was in the works for Nintendo's platform."
Not saying they couldn't do it, as RE5 looks a LOT like RE4 to me, but so far it doesn't look to be in the cards. We'll see.
Jimiisama @ Aug 17th 2008 7:08PM
The thing is: these games are built around competition. Having a console version is nice for playing without paying, but if you're into this game, shouldn't you have friends that own it? The only reason to really own this for console is the online play, and Brawl has pretty much turned me off to any online game for the Wii that requires more than 100ms of precision. If you're buying it to play with friends, then get someone else to buy it. Honestly, I doubt this game is worth getting just to play the computer.
DEEZNUTZ @ Aug 18th 2008 10:28AM
@ Meister,
What are you like 12? Try to be civil you asswipe fanboi. Can't take anyone saying anything negative about your lame console of choice?
Let's correct your idiotic assumptions about what I wrote. I never said it couldn't be done. I specifically said it would be a JOKE if it was attempted.
Quote:
"No developer really even tried to squeeze anything out of the Wii."
And that is exactly the reason why. Developers would have to "squeeze", hack, downrez, halve framerates, etc. just to get it to a somewhat presentable form on the Wii. Wii owners are not this games target market so why bother with the cost of a lame port?
Instead, developers should concentrate on creating games exclusively for the Wii that maximizes the waggle control scheme. This game simply wouldn't work on the Wii, and again, would be laughable at best. Buy a 360 or a PS3 and just STFU.
Dan @ Aug 17th 2008 12:06PM
haha you're serious? track down some serious HD footage of the game then we'll talk...
colin @ Aug 17th 2008 12:06PM
i like akuma.
colin @ Aug 17th 2008 12:09PM
do you have a computer?
Wiinterfang @ Aug 17th 2008 12:31PM
That generic blown guy sure show him. that player is pretty good.
Wiinterfang @ Aug 17th 2008 12:33PM
Blonde*
colin @ Aug 17th 2008 5:16PM
paging dr. freud.
xGeneral DEATHx @ Aug 18th 2008 8:30AM
LMAO!
Von Dozier @ Aug 17th 2008 12:58PM
XFD Akuma is a n00b
Mr. Pibb @ Aug 17th 2008 1:00PM
Sweet mamma jamma I must has this.
NukeAssault @ Aug 17th 2008 1:01PM
Meh, i WAS excited for IV. Now? Now so much since my best characters aren't in it...
DangerMouse @ Aug 17th 2008 1:15PM
I wish they would keep that ink style filter throughout the entire game. i was watching a trailer on the PS3 where they had it on most of the movie and it looked pretty damn awesome. It counters the 3D art well to give it that 2D feel.
KVN @ Aug 17th 2008 1:24PM
I don't know if this was a test system in japan or something.But this akuma seems way more beatable than the SF3 third strike akuma.This is akuma is a push over.
Jimiisama @ Aug 17th 2008 6:57PM
I don't know what you're talking about. Third Strike Akuma is mid-tier at best; it's ST Akuma that was broken.
KVN @ Aug 17th 2008 9:14PM
@ Jimisama.Sorry i was a little tired.What i was trying to say was compared to the third strike akuma this one looks like a push over.And that's sad.
EMaster @ Aug 17th 2008 2:11PM
It appears that Gouken is NOT in this game.... ont he consoles perhaps?
Tuefl @ Aug 17th 2008 4:34PM
Is gameplay somehow better and diferent or still the same as 10 years ago?
Jimiisama @ Aug 17th 2008 7:01PM
Well, all the SF's are different. It still uses the standard 2D view, 6 buttons attack system, qcf motions, etc; if it didn't, it wouldn't quite be SF. I haven't played it yet, so I can't vouch for whether it's better or not.
Jimiisama @ Aug 17th 2008 6:58PM
The gameplay looks very rigid; like the way the characters move doesn't seem very fluid. I'd love to get my hands on this game to check it out, but I doubt any of my local arcades would import it. I kinda wished I lived in California or something just for the fighting game scene.
emirabal @ Aug 17th 2008 10:08PM
To Sheppy, thanks for tha tidbit
engine @ Aug 18th 2008 6:05AM
SF4 is basically a dumbed down SF2:Turbo from everything I've heard coming from the japanese scene. Very slow, very simple, very boring.
If you're a Guilty Gear, MVC2, or Third Strike fan you're probably going to be disappointed, but if you like SF2:Turbo and wish it had fewer gameplay mechanics then this is probably right up your alley.
tru @ Nov 13th 2008 3:30AM
I dont understand how this game would be a joke on the wii. The only thing stopping it from being on the wii are the controls. I dont see graphics as a problem, the producer said this game can be on anything, even the ipod. The fighting engine is there and able to be ported wherever.
As for graphics...throw some Tatsunoko vs capcom graphics with some tweaks and thats more than good enough for me.
The only thing left now are the controls. Easy. For the wiimote and nunchuck "A" will be for punches and "B" will be for kicks. Force the punches or kicks to string together like in Marvel vs capcom 2...hitting punch twice results in light punch followed by medium punch. Holding the "Z" button accesses strong punches and kicks for "A" and "B".."C" and one of the buttons does a super...if a character has 3 supers...then "C" and both "A"&"B" at the same time...sure..normal combos might not come out perfect. But considering the hardcore gamers would be at least using the classic controller and casual gamers playing it casualy it shouldnt really matter. And that could be just one of a couple ways to do it. Once you start thinking creatively, there are ways around it.