No, we’re not talking about the upcoming Chun-Li movie. The English version of the Street Fighter IV Story Trailer has popped up on the ‘net, giving a little preview of what all the characters will sound like with their dub voices – and it’s not nearly as cringe-inducing as you might have feared.
As a wee lad, I loved the hell out of Street Fighter II. Slightly older and … okay, not exactly all that much wiser, I loved the hell out of Street Fighter III. If past trends are any indication, I’ll probably love the hell out of Street Fighter IV when it comes out next month to quench my thirst for an awesome 2D fighter (how long has it been since Guilty Gear X2 #Reload, anyway?)
This particular trailer has been floating around the Internet for a little while now with the original Japanese audio, and as far as the content is concerned, it’s no less awesome than it was when we first saw it. No one should be expecting a story worthy of Shakespeare here, but I have to admit that I’m really loving the anime-style cutscenes – they’re reminiscent of the old Street Fighter II animated movie, which is certainly a good thing as far as I’m concerned.
As far as the voices… well, they’re a mixed bunch, but on the whole the quality is surprisingly decent. I’m not a big fan of the voices for Akuma or Blanka, and Chun-Li sounds a bit too valley girl for my tastes (hey, maybe tying in to the movie?), but some of them actually work pretty well. I might just have to give masked lucha libre wrestler El Fuerte a try based on sound alone.
All in all, I’m pumped for SF4, and hey: a Sonic Boom is a Sonic Boom – no matter the language.
