PLATFORM: PC, PS4/5, XBOX SERIES (REVIEWED) | RELEASE DATE: OUT NOW
By Sean Only
It may only seem like five minutes ago since Capcom unveiled the last instalment of the world’s most famous and successful 2D fighting game franchise, but it’s actually been over seven years since Street Fighter 5 hit store shelves. Blighted with a terribly bare bones release and met with a surprising amount of consumer apathy, have Capcom righted the wrongs and learnt from the mistakes they made with SF5? Or will this be another case of history repeating?
One of the first things you will notice when booting up the latest Street Fighter game is that it is the absolute antithesis of SF5 in terms of content. While hardened fans of the franchise had to wait months and years for an arcade mode, more characters and more robust game modes in the previous game, almost everything is here in Street Fighter 6 right off the bat. We are, of course, expecting a further influx of downloadable characters at some point, but in terms of game modes, customisation and options, there’s an incredible amount to choose from. However, as any aficionado of the genre will be aware, by far the most important aspect of any fighting game is the game engine itself, and we are very pleased to report that Capcom have absolutely knocked it out of the park in that area.
With tight, fluid controls, silky smooth frame rates, a far wider array of special moves per character than ever before and typically fantastic balancing, Street Fighter 6 is an absolute joy to play both on and offline. We can honestly say this holds up against any of the finest 2D fighters you could possibly think of, and even manages to progress and evolve the genre in numerous impressive ways. Probably the biggest and most obvious innovation is the Drive Gauge – an all new system in which players start each round with a completely maxed-out bar, split into six segments. Various offensive and defensive tricks can be deployed, sacrificing one or multiple segments of the bar per use, with many of these being exclusive to each individual character. Not only does this do away with the concept of having to tactically fill your meter up, it also encourages player creativity and gives a hitherto unseen amount of options for how to approach each battle. Fighting game purists needn’t worry too much, however, as there is still a traditional special meter that fills up in the usual way and handles all the super combo and ultra type fancy manoeuvres. Phew!
The roster of eighteen selectable fighters, while not the biggest we’ve ever seen, is an easily-digestible mix of classic characters and newer or brand new additions to the franchise’s ever-expanding group of World Warriors. The focus is on cover star Luke, who was introduced in DLC for Street Fighter 5 and is being positioned as a central protagonist type figure. All eight of the selectable OG Street Fighter II cast are here in the base game, which is a nice touch, along with old stalwarts Juri, Dee Jay and, of course, everyone’s favourite British assassin turned military operative/diminutive Australian pop starlet, Cammy Minogue. The six new characters all seem to be interesting and unique in their own ways, with Marisa, JP and Manon standing out and already receiving high praise in the fighting game community.
It’s almost immediately apparent that SF6 holds up on its own, purely as a traditional arcade style fighter, with great, up-to-date graphics, tremendous character design, near perfect 2D gameplay, and a banging soundtrack. Anything on top of all that is really just a bonus, and that is the best way of looking at the new Battle Hub and World Tour modes. Battle Hub is a community feature where players can interact, have online matches and participate in special events and things like that. It’s a curious novelty and a fun addition, but it doesn’t have a huge amount of substance (yet). The same could be said for the World Tour mode, which is a third person, single player action adventure, light RPG-style game where the main focus is levelling up, gaining experience and learning new fighting moves. Players select a customisable avatar and explore 3D environments based on various locations from Street Fighter lore, meeting familiar faces and getting into various skirmishes along the way. Again, it’s certainly an enjoyable distraction and, despite being a touch clunky and basic at times, it’s a perfectly serviceable game in its own right, like icing on an incredibly delicious, fighting game cake.
In summary, Street Fighter 6 is one of the finest 2D fighting games in recent memory, and could well serve as the new standard by which all future side-scrolling fighters have to live up to. We literally can’t recommend this game enough!
