User Interface Detail #2: Character Select
The screen above right is used in most of the team modes. As you can see there are a number of question marks for possible characters that can be unlocked. The grayed out badges above the characters represent each of the teams. At the start of any mode only the “SF+EX” icon is available. If the player scrolls over to the other icons then any SF members from that group are illuminated and the others remain question marks. For example Chun-Li appears under both the SF and Interpol icons. Guy appears under both the SF and Metro City icons, etc. However the teammates under either of those icons are not yet available for play.
When starting Story Mode the player will now be allowed to select three teammates from which to begin his or her adventure. All of the above combinations of characters work well. However when more characters become available during the course of the game or in Game + mode any combinations and teams that do not work will be identified with a red X.
After assembling a team, if in Story Mode, Day 1 of the War will load and the news reporter / narrator will welcome the player to the World Fighting Tournament IV. There will be no narrator or other icons on the world map in any other game mode.

The Evolving Level
Levels in the SF universe have always been some of the best-looking levels in any videogame. Unfortunately almost every SF level has existed with little purpose. For example take the streets of Hong Kong (in color) above. These levels in SF III all had a story but that story was never explained to the Western audience, characters simply showed up and fought. Levels will have evolved and now serve a purpose in the War.
The majority of the levels in the War will appear like Hong Kong; stylized and in a distorted perspective. Opponents will either walk in or appear at strategically placed intervals and challenge the player. However unlike other SF games the levels will have at least two “rooms” for the fight to take place in. Instead of one round being outdoors and the next suddenly being indoors we will actually see the player throw an opponent through a window or wall in order to get to that room. Certain team combinations also yield new ways for opponents to enter and exit a level. For example if an evil boss character is defeated by a lawful team then that boss will either run away or throw him or herself out of a window to avoid capture. Even if the boss is not captured, the level itself is a victory for a lawful team. Moreover in Game + mode that boss will be selectable for certain teams.
Several of the levels will have more than two rooms for the player to advance through. Some levels will even have seven rooms to advance through. These levels will be the “hidden” 7th day levels. For example if a player ends up on Thailand on Day 7 after winning every level and the majority of Mad Gear and Shadowlaw-controlled levels then Shadowlaw Headquarters will appear. If a player starts in Thailand or goes to Thailand on any other day then Shadowlaw HQ will simply not be available. Every time a player beats an opponent in Shadowlaw HQ they will be taken to another room, or break into another room. Many of the locations from the SF animé, movies (like the Shadowlaw HQ sketches from the animated SF II movie above) and manga will appear including the chamber where Shadowlaw brainwashes fighters and the underground tournament arena.
The only way to find and beat the hardest bosses in the War is by meeting certain criteria and ending up on the appropriate level on Day 7. For example Shadow Geist is hidden in Thailand, Gouki in Japan etc... The player will never simply run across hidden bosses any other way.