This final part of the character guide for Street Fighter IV takes a closer look at the new characters Capcom have introduced to the action. There's the French amnesiac Abel, the evil Battlesuit clad Crimson Viper, the obese American martial artist Rufus and the awesome Mexican wrestler El Fuerte.
New Street Fighter Characters
This is the final part in our Street Fighter IV character guide and it is time to have a look at the new player characters that have been included in the game. There are four completely new characters and they each offer something unique so let’s meet them.
Abel
Abel is a French mixed martial artist with memory problems. He is working with Chun-Li to try and uncover information about M. Bison’s shadowy evil organisation. Apparently his adoptive father let go of some secrets on his deathbed and Abel is now a man on a mission.
Abel is a character without any projectile attacks and so he has to get close to his opponent in order to emerge victorious. He may be lacking the flair of some of the other characters but he has a good solid range of kicks, punches and throws. He has a move called the Marseilles Roll which is really useful for avoiding enemy attacks and getting in behind them. He also has a fast Forward Kick and his Change of Direction punch sees him step forward and smash his fist down. His Wheel Kick can be used on aerial attacks and he has a Falling Sky Throw which allows him to grab opponents out of the air. His Tornado Throw is also surprisingly damaging and easy to master. His Super and Ultra moves unleash a flurry of punches and they aren’t too tricky to pull off either. He is quite a tough new character and the fact his Marseille roll renders him invincible as he moves makes him a match for anyone. He is often left open to counter attack though and a cautious approach suckering your opponent in is advised.
Crimson Viper
Stylish, emotionally cold and obsessed with technology Crimson Viper is an evil bitch. She works for S.I.N. and has constructed a Battlesuit which she is testing in the tournament. Electric gloves and flaming boots with long red hair, sunglasses and a curvy body makes for a deadly combination.
She has a Super Jump move and a number of effective air attacks but she doesn’t pack a weighty punch and her attacks do little damage. The Thunder Knuckle targets different points on the enemy depending on what type of punch you use and it electrifies her fist. She can also pull off a Burning Kick and an Aerial Burning Kick which can prove nasty. Her Seismic Hammer is an interesting one which causes a shockwave in a small radius and can be used to great effect. Her Super and Ultra Combos are electric fist and a series of fiery kicks but they are quite tough to pull off. She is a bit of a strange mixture with some great moves and some not so great. A lot of her moves stun the opponent setting them up for further combos but she can’t take much damage and if you miss with an attack you can find yourself out of it very quickly.