Street Fighter V Review

  Back in college, there was a small arcade in one of the common building that had a few cabnets.  One of those was Street Fighter and many hours of study went into it.  I had casually played it before but little did I know the skill I would find in college.  Those players live on and the Street Fighter franchise continues.  2 years ago they release five and there was so much back lash I stuck with four and eventually just stopped playing.  This last weekend Street Fighter V by Capcom and Dimps was on sale so I thought I would give it a try.

Fighting Games Can Be Rough

  One thing you will learn when you play fighting games is muscle memory is vital.  You will also learn you must be patient because you are going to start as fodder unless you have been playing for a while.  Fighting games are renown for having a high floor of entry and even though Street Fighter V has made it more accessible it's still not that easy.

  Fighters still have there 3 basic punches and kicks mixed with special moves created from different patterns of the joystick and buttons.  They have brought back the EX meter which is charged from fighting and now have an IV meter that charged through damage.  Popping the IV will give the character a special move for a short period or make them stronger.  EX is for high power moves and ultimates.  The name of game is still pulling off combos and being able to stop opponents from starting theirs.

  But before I get too much into the mechanics I want to talk about the basics offered by the game.  There is an arcade mode that has several versions depending on how many enemies you want to face and each one comes with a character set.  There is also a story mode but this just feels like a half-asses after thought.  Each one contains only a few fights that last nothing more then a round.  The enemies are insanely easy to kill and it's now rewarding.  The animation and voice acting aren't great either.

  There is the familiar challenge mode where you will be taught some of the more advanced combos and a training mode where you can try all of these moves out.  There is a lot of customization allowed in training mode and is really a great place to get some practice in.

  The bread and butter of the game is the online play.  You will be able to play random people in a casual or ranked mode.  For those with friends, you can create lobbies for casual play.  While you are able to filter what connections you will allow other players to have I have still been in countless fights where the game felt very laggy.  There is already a pretty steep input lag, which is exasberated with someone is porting all over your screen because they have a potato router.  It sucks to lose fights to people using overhead attacks when you don't even see them start the move.  This isn't every fight but it does happen.

There are Some Draw Backs

  There is a core game that is low in price now but the drawback is that several characters will be locked behind a currency you can earn by doing the story quests, leveling your character through fighting, or winning online matches.  The characters are pretty expensive and require a lot of time to unlock, or you can buy them in a season pass. There are also exclusive skins that you have to pay real money for and there isn't a way around it.  A model I am not too thrilled about but that is how Capcom makes games now.  This was the main reason I held back so long on this title and I don't blame people if this stops them from buying it.

    Besides the lag in some of the matches, they have made some of the harder hitting combos a bit easier to pull off.  This is great news for new players who want to have a fighting chance in hell and frustrating for those who have been playing a while because a carefully fought fight can be blown in one slip with a Ryu Ultra combo that the player has been spamming for half the fight.  Then again I guess there is skill in predicting it and because there can be some bad input lag that is precisely what you will have to do.  Since they took out most of the defensive options, such as the counters from 4,  you really need to be on with your basic block.  Its frustrating at times but hasn't scared me away from the game.

  Personally, I am cool with the drawbacks because I am a huge Street Fighter fan and every now and again I need a fix.  It was on sale so I finally bought the newest iteration but I am not sure this is the one I would be using it to introduce others to it.  It is offense-friendly, which is great for new players, but after they are new, it could be frustrating.  They are also being robbed here of getting better at the game through an in-depth story mode.  The input lag is just something that I think is part of the game so isn't a complete break for me.  If you like Street Fighter, you most likely already own it, and if you are on the fence, I can assure you its a Street Fighter game.  I am just not going to sing praises for this particular title. 

TL;DR:

  Street Fighter V is a true street fighter at its core.  The lack of a real story, microtransactions, and other technical issues hold this title back but, if you can get it on discount, it's worth picking up. Just don't expect a greatiterationn.