214
rate

Akuma spotted in Street Fighter IV!

August 18, 2008 in News comments 17

Akuma has been unveiled as a character in Street Fighter IV -- but only as an opponent (far as we know). Players doing well in the single player mode will see the "strong demon" showing up to kick their arse.

Included is some artwork and in-game shots of ol' Gouki himself. Also, here's a video of him in action, straight out of Japan's arcades:

As of today, if you're playing Street Fighter IV in Japan in the single player mode, you may get to face off against a blast from the past: Akuma.

Leave it to Capcom to introduce a new character a month after the cabinets has been out in game centers. First introduced in Street Fighter II Turbo as a secret character as well, Akuma -- or Gouki, as he's known in Japan -- joins the lineup as a boss.

In order to get a chance at battling against the secret character, you need to be doing well in the single player mode before he'll suddenly appear and challenge you to a fight.

Promotional images for SFIV had teased the presence of the character earlier this year, but so far there had been no real confirmation of his inclusion in the game.
chautemoc via blog.wired.com »
Favourite this article Add source
| More
Report!
News story attached to:
Additional sources:
Images about this story:

Comments

Register as a member to subscribe comments.
  • 1
    iLLmatic Aug 18, 08
    He didn't kick anybody's ass in that video. I'm praying that the difficulty was set below 0 because it was depressing watching Gouki get whooped like that, let alone by a rookie character.

    And of course he will be selectable, even if he is a secret character. No way they can't include him.
    • 0
      Storm Aug 18, 08
      Reminds me of Mortal Kombat, with characters like Noob and Reptile jumping in...although they sure as hell did better than Akuma did in that video.

      He better be selectable somehow.
  • 0
    Zeon I Aug 18, 08
    He'll most likely be off screen above Ryu like he was in most games.
  • 0
    Subzer0 Aug 18, 08
    They really need to add much more characters tbh. They lack many classic characters (Cammy, Fei Long, Dee Jay...)

    Akuma looks alright btw. Could have been better.
    • 0
      Storm Aug 18, 08
      I'm in-between with Cammy's appearance in this game. On one hand, I'm disappointed because not only is she one of the quickest and deadliest, but she's my favorite only second to Ken. On the other hand, I'm happy that she doesn't have to be embarrased with this new graphics style that they are going for.
    • 0
      iLLmatic Aug 18, 08
      They lack many classic characters? All the 12 classic characters are in it. Just the 4 characters from Super are not. The original 12 were in many more SF games than Fei Long, DeeJay, Cammy, and T.Hawk, who were only in 3 games if I remember right: Super, Super Turbo, Alpha 3
      • 0
        Storm Aug 18, 08
        Technicality. Maybe 'classic' wasn't the best word to use then, heh.

        But I assumed that Cammy was one of the more popular characters...they could have at least included her. Or was it too much and they didn't have a 'rivalry' to fit her in?
        • 2
          iLLmatic Aug 18, 08
          You just want to see that latex leotard up her polygonal booty cheeks
        • 0
          Storm Aug 18, 08


          I don't like the character designs for this game at all, at least not the 3D models. Cammy owns, regardless of what she wears. xD
        • 0
          Subzer0 Aug 19, 08
          Yeah, I guess 'Classic' wasn't the best word but I meant classic AND alpha characters. (Although I could have sworn Alpha was set before SFII.) I'd love to see Charlie, Adon, R.Mika, and etc...
        • 0
          Storm Aug 19, 08
          Well, Dan and Fei Long will be in the console versions. :S

          They definitely have more room for more characters, though.
  • 0
    iLLmatic Aug 18, 08
    I love the art style. It's very Japanese and the characters have a manga, exaggerated look to them. I don't think there's any other way they could have done it. If they went for a realistic look, I think it would have pulled it too much away from itself, if that makes sense. The colors are very vibrant and the animation is very fluid. Being a long time Street Fighter fan, I was very reluctantly excited about this new one, especially after hearing about it being made more accessible for rookies, but everything looks like it has come together. Arcades are about non-existent around here now, so I hope it comes home soon.
    • 0
      Storm Aug 18, 08
      I understand, I just still think it's a bit...too, I don't know, cartoon-ish or something. I don't like the 'blocky' look of the characters, the 3D models, but I agree that the colors are quite vibrant and the gameplay looks damn good. The paper character designs are well done as well. I don't know, I just have something against their overall look. Long-time fan of SF myself, even though I sucked and hated SFII. xD
  • 0
    Final Blade Aug 19, 08
    They need every character in the game tbh, Im appalled at the a few of the new characters here. Its a joke to have them in this game.
  • 0
    McClubbin Aug 19, 08
    I'm glad Akuma's finally been confirmed. And I'm certain that he'll be playable on the consoles.

    This was my first time seeing the game in motion, and so far I'm pretty impressed. The gameplay seemed extremely fluid and the pre- and post-fight presentation is pretty good. The 2.5 character models seem decent in-game. And Abel looks like a good character for comboing, which gives me some hope about the rest of the new characters.
    • 0
      iLLmatic Aug 19, 08
      C.Viper is the only new character I'm interested in even trying out. I don't know if XBL has videos up and I don't know if you have a PS3, but there is a very cool trailer on the PS Store showing off some of the new gameplay features, and it's not in crappy youtube quality.
  • 0
    Zeon I Aug 19, 08
    Crimson Viper is like Manly big.

    This new art style is weird to me. After playing the Alpha series and All the Marvel Vs. Capcom games, Akiman's art style spoiled me.

    This is gonna take a ton of getting used to.

This news story is archived and is closed to comments now.