The Street Fighter franchise holds a special place in my heart, as the first arcade game I played. As the series progresses and evolves, it’s a must for me to learn the ins and outs of how it grows, which is why playing Street Fighter V on the E3 show floor was a must. After playing IV and its multiple versions for so long, I thought jumping into Capcom’s newest fighter would be easy. As I would soon learn though, everything unique to the last game is thrown out the window.
Featuring every character announced so far, including Ryu, Chun Li, Cammy, M. Bison, and Street Fighter Alpha veterans, Charlie and Birdie, the first change that I noticed was the pacing of the game. Using my familiar attacks with Chun Li were just a step off, or would miss by a fraction of a second, which can make all the difference in a match. It was soon clear that despite IV being considered a slow paced fighter, V is slightly slower, which forces different timing on attacks. Aside from this, most of the returning characters played similarly to how they have in the past, with some moves being changed, (Chun’s Lightning Kick is a quarter circle motion with a set amount of kicks as opposed to rapidly tapping,) removed, (her Hazanshuu split-legged overhead,) or added, like most of Charlie’s move set.
But while the foundation may be the same, V adds some features that make it stand out from its predecessors. Removing the Ultra Meter and Focus Attack that became vital parts of the last game, this new version replaces them with the V-Gauge. The V-Gauge builds as each character lands hits or gets damaged, with three different functions. For instance, the V-Skill gives each character a unique move, like parrying for Ryu or teleporting for Charlie, the V-Reversal, which activates a counter attack when being hit by an opponent, or the V-Trigger, which costs both segments of the two tiered meter. Similar to an Ultra, V-Triggers are meant to turn the tides of battle, with each fighter having unique boosts. For example, Ryu hits harder while Chun-Li gets an extra hit added to each attack. These attacks change the dynamic quite a bit, but I would imagine that it would be even harder to balance the game with such drastic differences between the cast. The people at Capcom have been the leaders when it comes to fighting games for so long however, that if anyone can pull it off, it’s them.
On the subject of changes however, if you’re expecting to jump in as Charlie or Birdie, both have gone through huge changes since their last appearances, with Charlie especially playing completely differently. For Birdie fans, (all five of you,) you’ll be happy to know that his massive weight gain has come with more long range options. Finally putting that chain to good use, he’ll be able to command throw with it as both an anti air and a long range option. Charlie on the other hand, has discarded all of his charge attacks with the good old quarter circle. Using variations of the Sonic Boom and Flash Kick that he taught to Guile, the new Charlie plays much more aggressively, being able to control space with his projectile, while teleporting in close and overwhelming them with his scythe kicks. Assuming Guile will be in the game, it makes sense that Charlie gets an overhaul, and while we joke about how fighting game stories don’t matter, I’m excited to see where his new attitude takes him.
Want to play Street Fighter V for yourself? Make sure to pre-order in time to experience the open beta, which will launch for PS4 on July 23rd! Until then, keep an eye out for our future impressions, and share your PSN ID’s below so we can get some games in! Just don’t beat me up too bad.
Street Fighter V will launch exclusively for PS4 and PC in early 2016.