Ultra Street Fighter IV's free Omega mode focuses on fun over balance

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The PC version of Ultra Street Fighter IV should really be the one to get, but persistent connection issues related to the switchover from Games for Windows Live to Steamworks have put a rather large spanner in the works. Thankfully, the game appears to be on the mend. Capcom have announced a new patch aiming to fix these issues, but that will also add a brand new mode to the game. Omega mode focuses on fun over finely tuned balance, returning moves that might previously have been nixed in the name of balance, and giving the game's 44 characters "new normal and special attacks".

"And lastly, for our PC players, we've heard the concerns you have voiced and have some fixes coming your way that should definitely improve your online experiences. For example, we noticed that when players were in the middle of matches, they were still getting pinged by those outside of the match, thereby creating slowdown. We've fixed it so that this will be no longer the case. Additionally, a few other connection fixes are going in as well, all of which should reduce the connectivity issues experienced by players.

"We're not stopping there however! In our ongoing effort to make sure that Ultra SFIV is the greatest version of SFIV yet, we plan to bring you a completely new, completely free and most importantly completely fun version of your favorite 44 characters in Omega Mode later this year!

"For those wondering, Omega mode is a completely new mode in which every character has been modified and outfitted with new normal and special attacks, resulting in a refreshing take on the characters you've come to know and love over the last six years. As the primary goal for this mode was fun, we placed more emphasis on making the characters feel new, than on their balance. This means that strong, fan favorite attacks such as Ken's Shinppu Jinrai Kyaku and Sagat's Tiger Raid make their return while other characters such as Zangief gain new abilities, like being able to combo into his command throws."

Patch 1.04 is arriving sometime in October. Here's a video detailing Omega mode. (Thanks, Blue's .)

Tom Sykes
Tom Sykes

Tom loves exploring in games, whether it’s going the wrong way in a platformer or burgling an apartment in Deus Ex. His favourite game worlds—Stalker, Dark Souls, Thief—have an atmosphere you could wallop with a blackjack. He enjoys horror, adventure, puzzle games and RPGs, and played the Japanese version of Final Fantasy VIII with a translated script he printed off from the internet. Tom has been writing about free games for PC Gamer since 2012. If he were packing for a desert island, he’d take his giant Columbo boxset and a laptop stuffed with PuzzleScript games.