Street Fighter V manages to balance old school fighting options with new moves and characters, but does it really take the game to the next level?
Ever since the days of arcade gaming, the Street Fighter franchise has been one of the most successful titles in the gaming world. They have faced some stiff competition from games like Gods Among Us, Mortal Kombat and Tekken, but game maker Capcom has been steadily improving its fighting spectrum. After Mortal Kombat upping the ante, the Street Fighter series has been criticised for being a bit too conservative, in terms of graphics and gameplay. But that changed when Capcom launched Street Fighter IV in 2008 and the latest instalment, Street Fighter V, is expected to push the envelop even further.
There are in total 16 fighters, out of which four are new to the Street Fighter world. For all Guile fans, Capcom has promised to add him soon in one of the following game updates. What is interesting to see is that Street Fighter V has given the boot to the previous edition’s Focus Attack system, which was a combination of defensive and counter-attack moves. No doubt it was a very effective tool, but it was complicated. Therefore, the new title uses a simpler system called V-Skill, which can be operated with just two-buttons. What is even more impressive is that this V-Skill differs between fighters. Now powerful attacking moves just don’t stop there as the V-Skill charges the fighter to use V-Trigger, which is a unique move that can destroy your opponent. These game changing moves make the game quite spectacular like M Bison grabs fireballs in the air and throws them back or Karin’s charging-punches and defensive back-dashes.
What was disappointing to find out was that single player mode does not come with the much loved classic arcade mode. So, this basically means no best-of-three rounds bouts against the computer. At the moment, there are only single-round fights against AI. When it comes to Story Mode, it is limited to two fights per character and the training mode is very basic and doesn’t explain any signature moves.
Street Fighter V is a game in progress as it will receive a lot updates this year, but the first impression of the game is quite impressive. Even though the game has become more complex, the fighter’s moves have become simpler. The V-Skill is a great addition to the game. The game is worth buying, but one has to patiently wait for updates from Capcom as it is more of a prologue than a game.
