STREET FIGHTER V REVIEW
Finding the right mix of old-guard fighting game fundamentals and newer, more modern takes on the genre is no small task, but Street Fighter 5 handles that balancing act with grace and style. Having an air-tight, old-fashioned ground game is every bit as important here as leveraging the dirty tricks made possible by the new V-System, leaving room for both mechanical and tactical mastery. But I expected developer Capcom to knock it out of the park when punch came to kick; what I didn’t expect was that so many key and standard features would be absent on launch day. When compared to the features that other modern-day fighting games offer, Street Fighter 5 leaves a lot of strange holes in its defense.
Street Fighter 5 takes the tried-and-true fundamentals the franchise has cultivated over two decades and bakes in a trio of excellent all-new features that alter the ebb and flow of matches considerably from Street Fighter 4. It starts with the V-Skill, a free-to-use action that differs from character to character. From Birdie nibbling on a snack and leaving the rest for his opponent to deal with, to Necalli’s relentless ground pound, which can force opponents to rush in close where he wants them, every V-Skill provides an interesting tactical advantage for me to leverage.
And leverage it you must, because aside from taking damage, properly using your V-Skill is the only way to charge up your V-Trigger; another powerful new tool that again, is unique to each character. They can be as simple as a single, powerful move like Vega’s (which makes a great whiff punish, by the way), a combo extender like Ken’s, or even a temporary power-up like Chun Li’s, which adds multiple hits to most of her normal attacks. As a whole, the V-System is a brilliant replacement for Street Fighter 4’s Ultra meter. It rewards your understanding of one unique ability by granting you access to another, which itself requires thought to use effectively with each character in the cast.
The best thing I can say about the cast is that I kind of want to play everyone, even characters I’ve never given a second glance to in 20 years of playing Street Fighter.
And what a cast it is. Eight iconic franchise mainstays, four long-absent fan favorites, and four newcomers make for a great mix. Some of the perennials feel familiar but with sweet new twists, courtesy of the V-System. Dhalsim embodies this ideal. His V-Skill allows him to halt his jump mid-arc and hover in place, readjusting left or right and cancelling out with any aerial move at a whim. Where an airborne Dhalsim was once a target, this opens him up to threaten from angles he previously couldn’t, or to escape situations in which he might normally have been trapped. It makes him a much trickier, more interesting character to play as and against.
Others, like Vega, have been dramatically overhauled with new moves and mechanics that make them feel exciting to play and learn again. The Spanish matador can now switch between fighting with or without his signature claw. With it, his pokes are slower, but gain range and damage. Once he takes it off his normal attacks come out much faster, new combo routes open up, and he gains a command grab to boot, making him much better at brawling up close and maximizing damage on every opening. Understanding which stance to lean on in different match ups is essential, and since all his inputs have gone from charges to motions, he can be played more actively than reactively. The new kids on the block are all a joy to use as well. Shadaloo lieutenant F.A.N.G is all about flamboyance and a flustering keepaway game. He just fills the screen with stuff, controlling huge swathes of space with both his normal and special moves. Necalli is just a savage, bullying opponents with heavy block-stun inducing punches and foot-stomps. With the ability to close gaps rapidly, and augment his myriad mobility options with the power of wind, Rashid can play balls-out like a nut, but he has some great pokes and a rounded toolset that allow him to play safe and solid if his gimmicks stop working out. Still, the best thing I can say about the cast is that I kind of want to play everyone, even characters like Ken, Chun, and Sim – characters I’ve never given a second glance to in 20 years of playing Street Fighter. Not only is the cast strong from top to bottom, but they’re operating on a far more level playing field than before. Capcom has done a ton of fine tuning in Street Fighter 5 to eliminate the “vortex” style offenses that dominated Street Fighter 4, and to ensure that the ground game couldn’t just be opted out of with easy-to-use defensive options. With the focus mechanic gone, and back-dashes no longer granting invulnerability, it’s entirely possible to dominate opponents with nothing but superior timing and spacing. This is a windfall for characters like Chun Li, Karin, and Cammy, whose nimble walk speeds and strong normals allow them to poke, prod, and oppress their foes if played properly. In this way, Street Fighter 5 is a welcome return to an older time, where having a strong ground game was rightfully rewarded.
