Filling in for ComboFiend here, I’ve got the latest blog from Ayano-san. Check it.

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Hello everyone, Tomoaki Ayano here!

This year’s E3 was off the hook! It’s always going to be an exciting year when new consoles are announced. I’m looking forward to getting them, but the TV stand at my place is already full of game systems. There’s no space left! This is a good chance to do some cleaning, but I’m not looking forward to dealing with the mess of wires…

Anyway, two weeks ago I asked about your favorite SSFIV AE background music. I was really happy to see the overwhelming and enthusiastic responses from everyone! Some of these songs have a 25 year history behind them, so they can invoke a lot of feelings and memories in various players. This is a good chance to share with you all some of the responses we got from the Japanese fans.

Commenter: heresguile
I love the Guile theme, but the SSF4 version is missing its iconic opening fanfare. If it’s possible to remix the music again can we get it back? That’s the part that really gets me in a fighting spirit.

Ayano: Dun da dun da dun! …It really does go with everything. I remember the first time I heard it I thought it was really cool. After reading your comment I listened to it again and was reminded of a time when I spent a class period making a flip book of a Hadoken and a Sonic Boom crashing into each other!

Commenter: Anonymous
I really like the Theme of Gouken. Two years ago it inspired me to start playing the character, and now I’ve worked my way up to 5000PP with him. So I’m glad I’ve become skilled with him, but it’s a shame I don’t get to hear his theme anymore while fighting. When I want to hear his theme I have to go into one of the single player modes and have the teacher serve as my training dummy. 😛

Ayano: Gouken’s theme is a good one. It starts off with an elegant presence and then gets really lively in the middle. It’s like seeing a different side of the master.

Commenter: Mirucho
I love the Overpass – not just the music but the stage as well.

Ayano: The Overpass stage is really popular among players all over the world. The song is cool, the stage has a nice feel to it, and I love the reactions of the kids watching. This might be kinda off-topic but a few years ago I lived in a place that looks very similar to the Overpass stage. Although I guess there’s a lot of places in Japan that look like that… 😛

Commenter: EgaHokiHS
For stage themes I like the Volcano stage and the Russia stage. For character themes I like Balrog’s and Fei Long’s.

Ayano: On the Volcano stage you really get the feeling of a fight to the death. It’s pretty cool, eh? I also like the music and the overall feel of the Russia stage – I pick it often. The guys watching the fight in the background give it a nice touch.

When I first heard Balrog’s theme I thought it was a very elegant piece that didn’t quite fit the character. 😛 But now I’ve gotten used to it, so whenever I hear it I always think of Rog.

Fei Long’s theme is a good one, and I think the SSF4 AE remix version is the best one yet. The intro in particular is really cool.

When in the heat of battle you might not be able to notice and appreciate the BGM, but one of the nice things about the home version is that you can listen to the music anytime you want. It makes for a nice breather in-between fights.

And if you’d like to jam to those sweet SF tunes on the go or just away from your game machine, the e-Capcom store is currently taking pre-orders for the Street Fighter 25 ^th Anniversary Sound Box. Have you put in your order yet?

Well, that’s all for this week. See you again next week!