Review

Street Fighter V

It’s been said that “absence makes the heart grow fonder”. While that may be true in some cases, that idiom doesn’t always apply to the gaming industry.  Most of the classic titles don’t release annually, which usually allows for expectations to be raised to astronomical levels. When Capcom announced Street Fighter V, the gaming world – and by world, I mean those that love fighting games – lost its collective minds in excitement. It was to the point where we’d dismiss the red flags indicated by announcements that certain features would be available post launch. Once we got the game out of its box though, it was hard not to feel a little nickeled and dimed…

As a caveat, I must point out that I personally purchased this Street Fighter V (SFV). We weren’t able to get a review copy in time from Capcom and well…I wanted to play their latest fighter. Now I’m not saying that I would hold any developer to a different standard because they sent us a copy of their game for review; I’d like to believe I’d always provide a fair critique. That said, after spending money on SFV, I absolutely going to be harder on it. Why? Because as a longtime fan I’m torn on how I ultimately feel about my experience. I want to hate this game so bad but at the same time I absolutely cannot get enough of it. Why must you play with my emotions Capcom?

Let’s get the good stuff out of the way now. As it stands, Street fighter V maybe one of the most beautiful updates to a fighting game that I have seen in my life. With this being the first installment made for the current generation of consoles, I wondered if Capcom could up the ante visually. Thanks to Unreal Engine 4, SFV is downright stunning. Particle effects alone are exciting, but when you see how fluid a left jab goes into a right hook, its violent poetry. This isn’t something you’d notice while playing…at least not at first. However, observing a fight from the sidelines will shine a light on the more intricate details that when into each character, stage and special effect. One of my favorite things to see are how the characters react to different moves uniquely as a fight goes on. For instance, say you are battling an opponent who’s rushing you with high punches. All of sudden they begin to attack low, going for the legs. In return you tap back to avoid the blow, at which point your character will move backwards and lift their foot just as the sweep passes underneath. It’s almost like a choreographed fight, until the random fireballs and whatnot start flying about.

If you’ve have ever read any of my reviews, you know I am big on the small nuances that may go unnoticed but adds more depth to the game’s core. What’s great about SFV is that even if you miss the small stuff, you’ll be pleased with how much care went into the gameplay. This is seen in how the visuals don’t negatively affect the moment to moment fighting. In the past we’ve seen how a new look would require altered physics and/or a change in frames; the timing of certain attack chains in Street Fighter III: 3rd Strike may be different in say Street Fighter EX3. That’s not the case here. I was excitingly relieved to see that no gameplay elements were lost. In fact, SFV harkens back to older (more balanced) titles in the series.

Layered on top of the normal moves – regular attacks, specials, EX specials, supers, etc. – is the new V-Gauge. This new gauge allows for more strategic gameplay through a multilayered system: V-Triggers are unique abilities that can inflict major damage while using the entire gauge, V-Skills are skills that can be used at any time, V-Reversals are unique counterattacks that use one stock of the gauge, and Critical Arts are ultimate attacks similar to what was seen in SFIV.  Deciding when to use each one doesn’t just depend on the situation but also on what character you’re using. While the V-Reversals are somewhat similar (they open up an attacking foe after a few of their attacks are blocked) the others can vary wildly. Nash can perform a quick swipe that absorbs projectiles and builds up his V-Gauge. Ryu on the other hand, is the only person that can parry attacks via his V-Skill. Ryu’s V-Trigger is the Denjin Renki fireball which can be charged and eats through blocks. Nash’s Trigger allows him to teleport to three different locations in relation to his opponent, confusing them in the process. Teleport right before a sonic boom connects and they won’t know where to block.

A lot of work has gone into refining the core fighting mechanics and the game’s visuals. That said, I have to lay my grievances about the game’s release and how I felt a bit robbed by it. In the early years, when a game released, it came with everything available out of the box. You didn’t buy DLC, you just unlocked costumes and colors by playing the game in different ways. Now there is nothing wrong with good “well-meaning” DLC. Companies like Capcom have been infamous for taking advantage our trust though. And like gullible fans, we keep trusting them to do the right thing after they’ve heard our concerns. Whether it’s multiple releases of the same game in a sort time span or DLC characters already on the disk at launch, we were right to be weary.

Street fighter V has shown that Capcom’s business model is to clearly take money from their consumer without offering a complete product. There are things I can excuse at launch, like server trouble here and there. Especially for an international release with PC/PS4 cross-play, there was bound to be issues. But what’s insulting is how there are little to no game modes for those looking to play offline. You know…when the servers aren’t up. Simple stuff like a standard Arcade mode is missing. Think about how that for a second? That mode of play has been a part of fighting games since the beginning of the genre. And no, I’m not counting the sorry story mode that offers up two or three (one round) matches per character before the credits roll. There is a training mode, which I’ll admit, is a one of the newer additions to this genre. That said, it doesn’t prepare you for the V-Gauge system – a major part of the game – as well as it should.

There is a survival mode but it isn’t much fun given how bad the AI is. If you were looking to suffer through it to unlock some new skins (using the in-game currency) you’re out of luck because we don’t have access to the store; it’s grayed out on the menu screen. When you do get to jump online, you’ll find that there are no lobbies beyond two people. Meaning you can’t spectate fights or compete against other people without having to move to another lobby. What’s crazy is that isn’t even the worst part. It isn’t like Capcom said that they were taking this stuff out because we don’t believe fans want it. No, all of this content is coming later. And while Capcom did announced a month or so before launch that some content would be coming later, most gamers weren’t aware that the game wouldn’t have these basic functions; they were clearly meant to be in the game from the start. Mind you this is a full priced release. Why should we pay full price for parts of a game?

I honestly don’t know how to feel about this game. Even after talking with our editor in chief about it, mulling over everything, I’m still conflicted. When the game is in action, it seems to be the best Street Fighter ever. Cross-play, when it works, is awesome. On the other hand, not having a enough offline content and faulty severs prevent you from enjoying online play, what’s left to do? Thankfully, playing someone via the couch is always an option. With so many forward steps, Street Fighter V takes five large steps back!