Super Street Fighter 4: Arcade Edition Version 2012

Now players are combing their way through Super Street Fighter 4: Arcade Edition Version 2012, a free patch that came out in both arcades and consoles. Previous SF4 games have been criticized for rewarding safe defenses over aggressive play, while Arcade Edition tilted the balance too much towards offense. Version 2012 will hopefully create a better harmony between the two approaches.

Yang

The nails that stick out are the first for Capcom to hammer down. Yang received a laundry list of damage reductions, smaller hitboxes on certain moves, and the removal of a post-knockdown invincibility glitch. His brother received a similar treatment, though they will likely remain threats.

Evil Ryu

On the other hand, Evil Ryu and Oni benefit from additional tweaks. More than just Ryu with some of Akuma’s moves, Evil Ryu had damaging combos and a useful Wheel Kick special but wasn’t scary enough to warrant having very low vitality. The fallen hero gets a slight health boost and attack buffs like the ability to cancel his hop kick into a Hurricane Kick.

Rose

Some buffs amount to giving World Warriors like Ryu, Rose, Balrog, and Guile back things they shouldn’t have lost in the first place. Most agreed that in SSF4 Rose’s Soul Satellite Ultra worked too well as a risk-free escape move. Arcade Edition nerfed it, but also weakened other moves and added horrible fights against the twins on top of it. Version 2012 made Soul Satellite a bit better and undid nerfs dating back to the original Street Fighter 4 - not that I’m complaining.
 

Blanka

This may also be the end of a journey for characters like Blanka and Gouken, who Capcom has spent years tinkering with. The beast man received a number of good and bad tweaks over the years, and now he can combo his Lightning Cannonball Ultra off his overhead attack. Overheads will hit people who block while crouching, which otherwise guards against any ground attack, and connecting with one of the strongest moves in the game afterwards will make people wary of being too defensive.

Hakan

Another is Hakan. The Turkish wrestler is great when his attacks are powered up with Oil Shower, but had trouble getting and staying oiled up. Arcade Edition made the oil effect longer and easier to maintain, and now in Version 2012, he’ll start the match greased up.

Sakura

While everyone is happy to see their favorites get improved, inevitably people will argue who will be the best in this version. Sakura was bad in Street Fighter 4, but over the years she got boost after boost so that she has something to back up her safe, stun-happy offense. The schoolgirl started to turn heads in Arcade Edition, and now may be her time.

Cammy

Before Arcade Edition, Cammy revolved around using her Cannon Strike dive kick low to the ground to counter mashing and throw attempts. Capcom increased the height she had to jump before she could use regular Cannon Strikes, forcing her to use the EX version to sting her foes. The developers improved her normal attacks, however, to compensate her for the loss. With the twins influencing the balance less, players now see that the British agent is as strong as ever.
 

Cody

Cody was popular in his SSF4 debut and hit like someone stole his girlfriend, but he had plenty of room for improvement. He gained more traction as he got better normal attacks to catch people who try to mash their way out of his offense, and Version 2012 grants him improvements to underused attacks like his knife weapon and Bad Spray.

Dan

Could it be Dan? Don’t sleep on him: Even in the first SF4 Dan was still better than he had ever been before. Don't underestimate anyone!

In the end, people don’t want their character to dominate the competition. They just want to have an honest shot at winning with someone they like. Hopefully Version 2012 will give them that chance.