The invitation was intriguing - a chance to preview Street Fighter IV, the promise of free swag, and the one element that was sure to evoke the feeling of an old-school arcade more than anything... tons of free pizza and Mountain Dew. It was a no-brainer for any fighting game fan.

Getting to the event was an adventure in itself - Capcom chose the location to evoke the feeling of an underground, invite-only, down and dirty fight club. Located in a back alley next door to a scrapyard, it would be impossible to distinguish the entrance to the event if it weren't for the line already forming down the alley. After a short delay, the warehouse door was opened and the fighters piled in.

Inside, Capcom representatives provided attendants with a nametag and a playing card (used later on in the evening to cash in on a bag of Street Fighter swag). A DJ was on hand all night, along with a video montage of classic Street Fighter II matches on a bay of TVs. But the main attraction wasn't the music - it was the four sets of Street Fighter IV machines (including one surrounded by an epic cage-match setup), in all their Japanese style linked VS mode glory, free play enabled and ready to go.

So enough about the surroundings - let's talk Street Fighter. The first thing you're likely to notice when sitting down at a Street Fighter IV cabinet is the updated visuals. Forget every screenshot you've seen floating around the internet - this game needs to be seen to be believed. The framerate is lightning fast, the backgrounds are surprisingly detailed, the camera dynamically shifts, zooms, and pans to frame the action, and the character animations are smooth, with the facial expressions of the fighters changing appropriately depending on the attacks used. It's a great step forward for the series, and still unmistakeably Street Fighter.

The game play will be second nature to anyone who has ever played Street Fighter before, with the addition of a couple of new features to mix things up a little. The most interesting new feature is the Focus Attack - pressing the middle punch and middle kick buttons simultaneously triggers an attack that can absorb one hit. If it connects, it staggers the oppenent, setting them up for a new combo. It took a while to catch on, but once everyone got used to the move it was a staple in everyone's strategy (Zangief in particular is frightening when this move is used correctly). The general consensus? The game plays like a mixture of the best aspects of Street Fighter II and III, and the tournament regulars in attendance couldn't wait to dissect it. The full arcade character roster was in play, including newcomers C. Viper, Rufus, El Fuerte, and Abel. However, the conditions were less than ideal to try out a new character - more players concentrated on seeing the changes in their favorite characters rather than diving into a new move set and strategy, which will undoubtedly change as new character strategies emerge.

The biggest disappointment of the evening, however, turned out to be the absence of a playable version of Super Street Fighter II HD Remix, promised in the invitation, but a no-show at the event. Capcom officials promised the game was progressing, but kept quiet about any details. Also kept hush-hush was the possibility of an American arcade release of SF IV, an obvious letdown to the diehard arcade regulars who were in attendance.

They have good reason to be let down, too. The night was a reminder of arcade nights gone by - good natured community gaming at its finest, a group of gamers brought together by their love of top notch competition. It's something that could never be matched online, and hopefully will see a resurgence if SF IV ever gets a US arcade release.

And so, after four hours of Street Fighting, it was time to head back out into the streets, bags of Street Fighter related swag in hand (in keeping with the Fight Club theme, the coolest piece would have to be the bar of soap with the Street Fighter logo). Capcom made some hints that this isn't the last of these events - with PAX coming up, will the Street Fighter club's next location be the seedy back alleys of the International District? We can only hope. Keep your eyes on the PG home page for any news, and ake a look at some more pictures from the event at this flickr set.