'Super Street Fighter IV' reflects lower development cost with retail price cut

(All rights reserved - Capcom)

The Japanese giant of video gaming, Capcom, is continuing the revival of its one-on-one Street Fighter franchise with a souped-up version of Street Fighter IV which first burst back onto the scene in February 2008 and is marking its price down to a figure that approaches budget territory.

Super Street Fighter IV, whose prefix is a reference to 1993's celebrated Super Street Fighter II, is due out during the week beginning April 26: Tuesday 27 in North America, Wednesday 28 in Japan, while European shoppers will have to content themselves with YouTube videos and the like until Friday 30.

The main bonus this time around is the cut in price. Video games often retail for as much as €59.99 or $59.99 on release, even series with regular releases despite the developers having an established framework to build on (such as FIFA soccer, Madden, and other sports games; Guitar Hero and Rock Band; to a lesser extent the Call of Duty franchise).

Now, just as Super Street Fighter II did in regard to Street Fighter II, Super Street Fighter IV adds extra fighters into the mix, recruiting two new faces and eight from the series' history, throws in extra moves and costumes, and, in a more modern concession, improves the online experience. But that alone does not necessarily add up to the best part of 100 notes.

So Capcom is sweetening the deal by marking Super Street Fighter IV down to €39.99 / $39.99 on both Xbox 360 and PS3, in part a nod to players who already have its 2008 predecessor, in part a recognition of the lower development costs involved in creating the update - and that's something of a welcome trend.