The Backstory
It’s tough to really pin down the goings-on in fighting games. Story isn’t a particularly big focus most of the time and can lead to all kinds of weird stuff. An evil dictator bent on world domination creating a female clone of himself is just one example. Suffice it to say, so long as there’s a reason for wacky folks to fight the hows and whys don’t matter so much. As is the case with Street Fighter. Ignoring the nitty gritty the important thing to understand here is that Ryu, Ken, Chun Li, and the rest have gathered once again to beat the snot out of each other for their own personal reasons. And our amusement, of course.

The Gameplay
Street Fighter IV Volt (and by extension the original iOS release) had one major hurdle to overcome: controls. Virtual sticks and buttons just don’t compare to physical ones no matter how much someone might love their touch screen. Thankfully Capcom pulled them off quite well. While the overall action is a tad slower than most console offerings the fights are still frantic and movement is pretty tight. Whether it’s learning the ropes in Training, tackling the campaign, or taking on other players from across the globe in online matches there’s something for every kind of fighting aficionado. Having a roster of 22 playable characters is nice, too.

How does it Compare?
With practically an equivalent amount of content to its console counterpart and controls that aren’t a hindrance, Street Fighter IV Volt is as good as it gets on iOS. Aside from the concessions for controls and visuals (characters are no longer 3D, which affects the presentation and story segments) it’s pretty much the same game. It’s even got online multiplayer, which is something not even earlier Street Fighter console releases have sported until recently.

It’s not exactly 1:1, but Street Fighter IV Volt does a downright admirable job of giving iOS users a comparable experience to their console bretheren. It’s got the roster, the moves, the modes, and the multiplayer. What more could a fighting game lover on-the-go wish for?

*NOTE: “Console-quality” refers to the quality of the experience, not just the graphics. This is about the depth of gameplay, content, and in some cases how accurately it portrays the ideals of its console counterpart.*

$4.99

STREET FIGHTER IV VOLT

iPhone App - Designed for the iPhone, compatible with the iPad
Released: 2011-06-30 :: Category: Games

$4.99

STREET FIGHTER IV

iPhone App - Designed for the iPhone, compatible with the iPad
Released: 2010-03-09 :: Category: Games

One of the great things about iOS and the App Store has been that it’s allowed plenty of unique new ideas from small developers no one had ever heard of, which has brought about plenty of fun titles that might not have ever existed. However, fun games are fun games, even if they’re from franchises that have been kicking around before some of us were even born. With that in mind, here are 4 of the finest examples of established gaming franchises making appearances on iOS.

Street Fighter IV: Playing a fighting game on a touch screen seems like a bad idea – until you actually play this version of the most recent major Street Fighter game on your device. The on-screen joystick is nothing short of a miracle – all the special moves are easily executed in an accurate way using just a virtual joystick, which is just another knock against the Xbox 360 controller’s terrible d-pad. While the character roster is smaller than the console versions, Capcom has added characters since its release, almost doubling the original roster, along with Game Center achievement support. And of course, there’s Bluetooth multiplayer for beating up your friends in ways that are less likely to damage your relationship or get you arrested.

$4.99

STREET FIGHTER IV

iPhone App - Designed for the iPhone, compatible with the iPad
Released: 2010-03-09 :: Category: Games

Space Invaders Infinity Gene: This starts out looking and playing like the original Space Invaders game. Within minutes, the game is something else entirely, a shoot ‘em up that is intense and visually dynamic. The game is just familiar enough to make you feel comfortable, but this game takes Space Invaders in a direction you may have never imagined it going, and it makes for a great shoot ‘em up experience. The game has also gotten Game Center and Universal app support since its release, so if you haven’t checked it out lately, it’s worth picking up again.

$4.99

Space Invaders Infinity Gene

+ Universal App - Designed for iPhone and iPad
Released: 2009-07-28 :: Category: Games

NBA Jam: The classic arcade basketball game has been revived on iOS by EA. Everything that made the game so great back when it came out in the early ’90s, from the flashy dunks, enthusiastic commentary from Tim Kitzrow, the thrill of hitting a three-point shot from the other side of the court to win a game, and the ability to play as a variety of characters who would otherwise be odd fits in realistic basketball games are all here. The controls are part of what make this game play so well on iOS – either the virtual buttons or gesture-based system both work well to play the game. The whole game still feels as fun as it did back when it first came out, and it feels remarkably fresh just because there’s been little else like it in recent years.

$0.99

NBA JAM by EA SPORTS™

iPhone App - Designed for the iPhone, compatible with the iPad
Released: 2011-02-10 :: Category: Games

Pac-Man Championship Edition: Pac-Man might be the first game many people remember ever playing – the formula of ghosts, dots and power pellets is ingrained into people’s skulls by this point. What can you change to make the formula fresh? Well, how about the levels? By introducing dynamic levels that change as you clear out the board, the experience becomes something completely different, and with the ability to rack up even bigger point bonuses by continuously eating ghosts when you have the power pellet (since they are more plentiful due to them replenishing every time you eat a fruit to refresh one half of the board), you get a game that feels familiar but fresh, just as great entry in a licensed series should feel.

$2.99

PAC-MAN Championship Edition

iPhone App - Designed for the iPhone, compatible with the iPad
Released: 2009-12-10 :: Category: Games

Unlike buying tickets to SDCC, this podcast works!

On This Episode:

Who We Are:

Contact The Show: Email | Twitter

Music:

“Beatnes7 (Theme to The Portable Podcast)” by The Eternal – Download on iTunes here:

How to Listen:

Apps Mentioned in this Episode:

$0.99

NBA JAM by EA SPORTS™

iPhone App - Designed for the iPhone, compatible with the iPad
Released: 2011-02-10 :: Category: Games

$4.99

STREET FIGHTER IV

iPhone App - Designed for the iPhone, compatible with the iPad
Released: 2010-03-09 :: Category: Games

$0.99

Angry Birds

iPhone App - Designed for the iPhone, compatible with the iPad
Released: 2009-12-11 :: Category: Games

$0.99

Angry Birds Seasons

iPhone App - Designed for the iPhone, compatible with the iPad
Released: 2010-10-21 :: Category: Games

Owners of the iOS edition of Street Fighter IV are in for a treat, as an upcoming update of the game will add Sagat to the ever-growing list of fighters on the roster. This comes after Capcom already added Zangief, Cammy, E. Honda and C. Viper, so the app version of the title is slowly adding nearly all the characters from the console editions of the game. At any rate, fear the Tiger Uppercut!

Also being included in the update is a new take on local matchmaking. Now, anytime two players who are running the game and have Bluetooth enabled get within broadcast proximity of one another the games will auto-connect in the name of some crazy multiplayer fighting. This automatic connection will make it easier for competitors to quickly jump into a match and get right down to the important stuff: beating the ever-loving snot out of one another until an iPhone is hurled in frustration.

We continue to be impressed by just how substantially Capcom has supported the iOS version of Street Figher IV in the months since its release. The parade of new characters has kept our interest level in the game quite high, and the constant addition of extra content and tweaking of modes makes the game hard to put down even after you think you’ve done it all. The strategy employed by Capcom shows us that they’re really taking mobile gaming seriously, and could easily emerge as one of the top studios in the mobile games space. We’re already extremely excited to see what they have in mind for other major franchises on iOS, because if past performance is any indication we’re in for a real treat. In the meantime, begin familiarizing yourself with Sagat’s moveset so that when the update launches you can pit him in a match against Ryu and get some sweet revenge for that scar across Sagat’s chest.

$4.99

STREET FIGHTER IV

iPhone App - Designed for the iPhone, compatible with the iPad
Released: 2010-03-09 :: Category: Games

[via TouchArcade]