Real Talk By: Ms. Throwback

Since 1987 the Street Fighter series has been a staple fighting franchise in the gaming world.  Spanning over nearly every platform at this point there aren’t too many people left that haven’t played the game and hardcore fans have tensely awaited this latest installment.  Street Fighter V was released on PlayStation 4 and PC, a disappointing prospect for Xbox One players.  Regardless let’s talk about how this title stacks up against our expectations.

Developed using Unreal Engine 4 technology, visually it is similar to past titles which isn’t a bad thing.  Classically the title plays two dimensionally and during certain sequences will slow down and switch camera angles to get a closer look at the action.  Small details can be seen when this happens and it’s nice to see some of our favorite characters in up close detail.  Lighting, shadows, vibrant colors, powerful animations, and cell shading make up the in-depth art style of the title and keep with the Street fighter feel.  The backgrounds are extremely animated as well, a circus bear stands on his hind legs while his trainer is ringside, a young city stricken audience watches the fight from the sidelines and keeps the backdrop interesting.

The game plays more precisely than past titles as well, which is good news for a fighting game especially.  Combos are easier to execute and response times of the character to the controls can be preformed on a dime.  Even if this isn’t a title that you’ve played in the past, it’s extremely easy for a novice player to pick up and play with Street Fighter V, thanks to the no-nonsense control scheme.  I found myself performing feats of attack accidentally at first and then developing those skills into the style I preferred for future fights.  Personally I think this is a great feature, you don’t need to figure out in a manual how you did something, you just figure it out as you go and continue to perfect it.  While the game is ready to play, adapted players will find depth and intrigue as they continue to play.

Characters seem more unique in this installment as well.  Each one is fitted with his or her own attack or ability.  There are 22 characters in total, of course some of them have to be unlocked, with four new characters included.  Each one has moves that none of the others have which keeps the game fresh.  Each play session is completely different from the last depending on which characters you are using at the time.

The biggest downfall of the title for some people might be the story mode.  Not that story mode has ever been something most people look for in a fighting title, but if you’re going to put it in your game, you could do a bit better than throwing together various half attempts at nothing.  I, quite truthfully, didn’t even make it all the way through the story mode because it’s pretty bad and why waste your time with it when the online multiplayer is so good.  Supposedly there is a cut scene driven story mode coming in June, nothing makes me more annoyed than releasing a game that you “fix” later, just don’t do it.  At this point it’s a waste of time anyway, is anyone going to be waiting on the edge of their seat for this story mode, let’s be real, the answer is no.

Here’s a paragraph about what else isn’t in the game.  Challenge mode, dropping in March, we have no idea what it is because it’s not part of the game yet.  Thanks for that. Arcade mode is absent as well.

Generally I feel like this may have been the best Street Fighter there has ever been.  The game is accessible to almost every player over the range of various skill levels.  They pitched some aspects of the fourth installment that didn’t work and the controls are the best I’ve played in a fighting game since I can remember.  I’m disappointed that the developers have chosen to cave under the pressure of release instead of finishing the title completely. Like most people I don’t mind downloading extra content in an awesome title but I’m not going to accept vast portions of the game missing.  I’m impressed with the titles classic feel, impressive fighting styles, beautiful visuals, online play. On gameplay alone, SFV is still a game I’d recommend.

Street Fighter V Gets

4 Out of 5

What’s Legit?

+Online Multiplayer

+Character selections and special moves

+Sound effects and music

+Intense visuals

+Easy but in-depth control scheme

What’s Perpetrating?

-Where’s the rest of the game?

#StreetFighterV @PlayLegit