PlayStation 4 console exclusive Street Fighter V is upon us. Aimed at expanding the fighting franchise's fanbase, much has been made of its approach to accessibility. Some welcome the push, while others are warier, afraid that accessibility precludes depth. Are these fears confirmed, or is the release a worthy successor to the series' legacy?
Let's get this done with: Street Fighter V appears easier to learn than ever, as in addition to assisting with trickier executional demands, Capcom has pushed the game's various systems to the front, more so than ever before. Newcomers should find themselves wondering "what just happened?" far less frequently, as the game is clearer and more transparent across the board. Opportunities to deliver extra damage, stun, and why blocking that flying kick over your head maybe didn't work – all's explained through clear audio cues and visual prompts.
Another nod to this approachability is the new service model: we're told that this is the only version of Street Fighter V that we'll ever have to buy. All being well, you'll be able to jump back into the game years down the line without additional outlay – a timely break from tradition. Characters and content will be released periodically, and you'll be able to purchase only the fighters that you intend to play, using cold hard cash or Fight Money – the title's in-game currency. The game's store is set to launch in March, however, meaning confirmed prices for extras are presently unavailable at the time of writing.
While the cast isn't nearly as large as Street Fighter IV's, each of the 16 combatants feel distinct, largely down to careful archetype selection, and, new to Street Fighter, the V-System – a series of easy-to-use tools that grant you access to V-Skills and V-Triggers.
V-Skills are unique abilities, executed by hitting medium punch and kick together. While the execution is the same, the results vary across the roster: Ryu gains a parry, Laura can cancel her moves into a dash or attack as appropriate, while F.A.N.G. launches a poisonous projectile to hassle the opponent into making mistakes. Successful completion of these V-Skills, as well as taking damage, adds a small boost to the player's V-Gauge.
And with a full V-Gauge comes a V-Trigger. Again activated by hitting two buttons together, these remarkably powerful and varied techniques significantly shift the flow of battle: Nash can teleport to escape a bad situation, or maximise his combo damage significantly. Vega flings a rose at his opponent with deadly intent, while Ken's V-Trigger soups up his special moves enormously. The V-System provides variety to the cast as a whole, depth to individual characters, and a comeback mechanic that's useful, but seems fairer than Street Fighter IV's Ultra Combo system.
Separate from the V-System, fights feature a Super Meter gauge, used to land devastating super combos – now titled Critical Arts – and to power ex-special moves. Largely unchanged from the various betas, Critical Arts often have a big impact on proceedings; Laura can grapple, electrocute, and slam her unfortunate victim around the screen, while, given the chance, Zangief will thrust his enemies head-first into the ground. And Ken... Well, Ken isn't shy when it comes to kicking people in the face and setting them ablaze. What's more, it's relatively easy to weave such attacks into combos, even for newcomers, and it's deeply satisfying.
Tweaks have been made elsewhere, too. Back-dashes are far less safe, and there's no way to ensure a misplaced dragon punch or cannon spike isn't punished. Crush counters, a new technique performed by hitting an opponent with a specific attack as they attempt to strike, are enormously powerful, and further emphasise frame-traps – tricky setups specifically designed to make an opponent attack at a certain, predictable time – to an unparalleled degree. Especially after knocking down an opponent, Street Fighter V seems to balance risk and reward exceptionally well.
There's plenty of opportunity to test this all out online, too, and it's more engaging than ever thanks to exemplary netplay and the new Capcom Fighters Network. Essentially a miniature social network for fighting, the CFN lets you look up players and characters, filter by rankings, and view potential opponents' statistics. Even better is the ability to watch their play history, as every match played online is stored for posterity – be they ranked, casual, or battle lounge matches. Sadly, the latter is only a two-player lobby. It's a disappointing blemish, though Capcom has indicated that this situation will be improved in March.
This network and focus on netplay permeates the game's structure. According to how permissions are configured, at more or less any moment, you're liable to receive fight requests from anybody – but if you're at a crucial moment in another mode, it's entirely possible to ignore these and press on. It's an engaging way to play the game, but it did take us a while to get used to it. At practically any time – whether you're in the menus, training, story, survival, or exploring the Capcom Fighters Network – you're likely to be challenged by new opponents, and we soon came to value the variety of things to do rather than just wait for opposition in specific modes or lobbies.
So, the online component's pushed to the fore here, but somewhat to the detriment of the single player modes. Survival mode is similar to BlazBlue's enjoyable Abyss mode – a series of fights with but one health bar, though between rounds you're encouraged to use your score to purchase buffs, or gamble points on making the next round more difficult for increased rewards. Given that the four difficulties of survival mode are the game's route to unlocking new costume colours, things can get pretty stressful when approaching a target with low health.
The game's story mode is both illustrated and played out in-game, featuring perhaps a touch more exposition than previous entries – but proceedings are very short indeed. While the game's fully fleshed out story is due to land in June, what we have here feels inconsequential except as a primer. A well implemented training mode rounds off the title's single player content at launch, with trials and challenges disappointingly pushed back to March.
Yet, in ways similar to Splatoon and Rocket League, the sheer strength of Street Fighter V's gameplay outshines these omissions. Once mastered, the precision, impact, and responsiveness of Street Fighter's combat is addictive beyond words, and with this iteration, feels distilled to its purest essence. Fans purchase such games to pour hundreds or even thousands of hours into the competitive scene, climbing leaderboards to master their chosen character, or fighting friends in a never-ending cycle of one-upmanship, hilarity, and bragging rights. And, as alluded, the network provisions here are first class.
Moreover, barring the cruel and unusual punishment of no Guile at launch, the soundtrack is stunning. Recreations of the cast's themes do a superb job of representing each character. Fallen hero Nash's theme is at once tragic, desperate, and triumphant, while M. Bison – given the timeline, here for perhaps his last hurrah – has an urgent score that harks back to his Street Fighter 2 arrangement magnificently. Similarly refined is the fighter's audio feedback; crunchier and clearer than ever, while the title retains Street Fighter IV's flexible dual-language configuration.
Continuing this trend of superb presentation, the visuals are fantastic. Combatants move with a smoothness like never before, and are animated with immense character: Zangief manages to appear good-natured and terrifying at the same time, while F.A.N.G.'s goofy silent mutterings and glances to the camera are a foreshadowing of a character whose unorthodox keep-away game plan will undoubtedly infuriate many.
Likewise, the 11 included stages are well realised and entertaining. Superhero-style battles in the background of Shadaloo's inner sanctum and the hot dog vendor in Metro City serve as humorous reminders that, despite its hardcore, competitive streak, Street Fighter has never taken itself too seriously.
Conclusion
Street Fighter V's gameplay sits with the best that gaming has to offer. The characters are truly distinct, the presentation first rate, and the netcode is utterly sublime. A lack of single player modes at launch dulls the sheen somewhat, and is the only element preventing the title from achieving true greatness. However, with the engrossing Capcom Fighters Network, the game's set up as a fantastic online playground in which to research techniques, stalk idols, view friends' failures, or simply sit back and watch – all the while waiting for your next challenger in this deep, enthralling fighter.
Comments 155
Hello - I'll be periodically checking the comments here for any questions you might have. I'm also sat by my PS4 so if there's anything you want me to check out or test, please let me know!
There are few fighting games that tempt me to buy them. They are Street Fighter and Tekken and they are both out this year. Both hold a lot of fond memories of sitting on the counch and and beating down my friends. So its going to be a tough fight to choose between the titles. Glad Capcom have done a good job on the game
Good that this turned out so well, never been much of a Street Fighter fan but I may pick this up!
Amazing! I'm hoping it is at my house when i'm back and I will be finally be able to try out F.A.N.G and start maining R.Mika!! I used to be a Tekken person back in the day, but after SFIV I am in love with the franchise now! Good Job Capcom!
Not long to go:
Great review, @Shillll!
I will have the game by Friday along with FE Fates. Gotta wait a little longer but I'm sure it's gonna be worth it. I'll be playing Killer Instinct and Dead or Alive 5 LR for my fighting game fix until then.
This is great for Capcom and for Sony, that it is a very successful game.
@Shillll One thing I would like to know if you (or anyone else) can confirm? I read the other day that other USB devices are supported. I have the Xbox 360 SFIV control pad from a few years back. it works great as a generic USB controller on my PC, would this have the same affect on SFV on PS4 or are the insides too much like a 360 pad and won't work at all?
@JoeBlogs Because they want the game out in time for the Capcom Cup tour in March, hence the heavy focus on the online modes. Give it a few months and I'm sure there will be enough there for you.
As for the review, it sounds like everything I was hoping and expecting.
@Shillll
Does the game have a traditional arcade mode? IE, select a fighter, win 7 or 8 matches, boss battle, and a small character related cut scene? (not to be confused with a MKX type story mode).
The lack of single player modes is a deal breaker for me for now.
@Worlock_ed It's legacy PS3 devices that are supported, I'm afraid. Just to be sure, while I don't have a 360 pad to hand, I just tested my Qanba Q4 which has an xbox mode - that doesn't work.
@sub12 - no, sadly not. If you want to pay a series of CPU opponents, then survival mode is the best bet.
@KingofSaiyans I don't have any friends on PC with the game yet, sorry! I've been matched up against PC opponents though, and when setting up a battle lounge you're able to restrict by platform - I suppose this indicates so. You create a Fighter ID when you first play, and you invite people by Fighter ID rather than PSN name.
@Shillll
Man, that REALLY sucks......I might hold out on downloading this for awhile. Do we know when Capcom will implement this? I thought the game had some kind of hand drawn cut scenes? (based on earlier previews).
I'm happy the game is pretty good. It's easily one of my most anticipated games this year. Hoping a PS4 can happen soon so I can get it!
Is anyone going to start the round robin that was contemplated but never enacted with sf4 on the ps4? I think it would be a good laugh. I'm looking to buy this at the end if the month. Fallout 4 is being traded in with some DVDs.
@sub12 The cut scenes are the game's story mode, they're ok, but only a few fights long, and pre-determined fights. There's the "story mode" (edit: I meant cinematic expansion. Oops.) that's coming in the Summer, but I don't know what that entails - if it's interspersed with fights or just a huge animation.
I'm sure that the lack of content is lowering this game's score:
http://www.metacritic.com/game/playstation-4/street-fighter-v
Why Capcom did not think about this? This game deserves a better reputation.
@Shillll Were you able to test crossplatform play out? If so did it work properly as I have a mix of mates buying on PC and PS4.
Sounds like a brilliant entry in the series, looking forward to picking it up once the singleplayer/story modes are fully in place! A little bit wary of the unlocking/buying balance on DLC too so will probably see how that works before jumping in, but all looking good so far.
@adf86
That's a bit of a lame excuse, they could have done another spring with Ultra SF4, it certainly seems like a better barging than releasing a bare bones paclage,.....and in total accumulated sales, it would mean little, 99% of us aren't professional competitive players.
Oh well, least it looks like they nailed the gameplay.
As casual player, I'm quite disappointed about the single player arcade/story mode. The game seems unfinished in terms of content at this moment in time.
Wow!! Some website (don't click on them) cut the score in half just because of this:
"Street Fighter V is easily the fighting title I’ve had the most fun playing in my 20 years of gaming. That’s also why the overall package is such a disappointment. Instead of getting a feature complete, content filled package, we’re instead left with a bare bones offering that doesn’t even have the basics of the genre. The gameplay is phenomenal, with the enhancements being a natural progression of the series, but you have so few ways to experience it."
EDIT: I don't mean that's not important but that's going to be fixed, and the reviewers know it.
@Shillll Thanks for the reply. I may have to invest in a stick then...
@Jazzer94 Same here, will be mostly playing cross platform. And yeah, played plenty of PC players, it worked perfectly. I never even realised until I was looking through replays.
@VanillaLake That doesn't read like a 5/10 to me, but it's important reviewers mention the slate of content at launch. I personally think @Shillll's done a great job explaining what's included, what's coming, and why the game, in its current state, is still superb.
I think what's really impressed me about SFV is how good it looks and feels. As @SJHillll knows all too well, I bought SFIV Ultra on PS4 and I found it difficult to get into (as someone who's relatively new to Street Fighter in general) but I've found SFV much easier to get to grips with.
It just looks so crisp, too. Really impressive game in terms of its technical prowess.
This sounds great for someone like me who has been away from the series since SF II.
@get2sammyb Yep, those guys gave the game an unfair 5/10.
@Shillll 's review is very good, I'm a long time Street Fighter player, I did not enjoy SF IV much because it's too challenging for me. This review explains perfectly what has changed in SF V and what can players expect. Add to the well designed mechanics the new modes and fighters that are coming soon and you get one of PS4 highlights and a paradise for fighting games fans. Also, it's great that the game becomes "Super" and "Ultra" with the updates and optional purchases.
@JoeBlogs Good point.
@VanillaLake
Just because it's going to be fixed doesn't mean it's excused. You review what you have, not what you have been promised by some company one month or a year down the road.
@ShogunRok That's exactly the kind of thing I wanted to hear from this game. I've never been amazing at Street Fighter, but this game could help me get the hang of it more.
Also. holy crap the comments on this review are coming by the truckload!
I heard online multiplayer won't penalize players who rage quit? Is that so? If so, will it be patched?
Sorry about spamming, my computer was being slow.
@Shillll Your review is brilliant because it's well written, you know the game very well, you have detailed all the relevant information, that's what I love to read about a game!
@Sonicfan11589 Haha, fixed!
@sonicfan11589 Hmm. I've not heard anything at all about punishing ragequitters. If I find anything out, I'll get back to you!
I didn't have any ragequits (or do so myself, of course!) while reviewing.
@VanillaLake - thanks, that's nice to hear!
Something a bit important. I got the game today and it is great, but it also have a 5gb patch. Without it I got zero in game currency rewards. So if you may want to wait before palying even offline.
@sub12 But they also had to ensure an install base was there to begin with, casual players always move onto the next game anyway but the pro's have wanted to move on from SFIV for awhile. The problem is day one reviews are almost pointless at this point because so many games grow over time. I just hope not too many people get put off by it.
@Shillll Great to hear, like others I enjoyed the review and can't wait to play it.
@sub12 Yeah but 5/10 even when he said the game's amazing smacks of someone who's either clickbaiting or is trying to make a statement.
@adf86
How many professionals are there really? Not many at all, a blip on the radar when you consider total sales......and yes, they keep a game alive after its been out for years, but for the initial launch, they do not matter much.
I did a little research and considering what Capcom has lined up for March, they absolutely should have delayed it a month or two.
@VanillaLake Just had a look on Metacritic, can't say I've never heard of the site your referring to, so I was probably right that they are just click baiting. It was like that time a site gave Uncharted 3 a 4 out of 10!!!
@sub12 I agree that the number will be small and they could have delayed it but sadly it isn't up to us. All we can do as consumers is decide what's value to us, for me I've been chomping at the bit to play a street fighter waiting for this. While resisting the temptation to buy USFIV because of it might have put me off V.
@Jazzer94 Thanks! Are your PC friends aware that it's now a midnight (UK time) launch? From what I gather, it's pretty recent news!
@Shillll id like to know what fightsticks work I have a PS3 streetfighter round 2 te stick and would love to use it you can with streetfighter 4,mk and skullgirls
@Underpaid14 My PS3 stick works perfectly with the game, and SFV is using the same software as Skullgirls (the Lab Zero drivers) so it's a pretty safe bet, I'd say
Ken looks like a dork. And ewwwww, what's up with that guy's leg in screenshot 4? (-. - )
But this looks like a fun game. I'll probably pick this up, despite my being terrible at fighting games. Maybe I'll get better? Or at the least, it will give my gaming collection some more "Gamer" cred. (^_^ )
@Shillll awesome I'm going to go and buy it
What people have to remember is Street Fighter V release's 12am tonight for the pro's & hardcore players, but for the casual player it release's in March/June.
I cannot wait to play SFV tonight 12am, hopefully my new Madcaz fightstick arrives tomorrow.
@banacheck
Umm, no, it's "release" is tomorrow.
Or you know what, how about us casuals (and that includes 90% of you who are buying fightsticks, especially if it's madcatz)......we will all just not buy it until June. I bet Capcom won't mind when that 5%, if that, buys it at launch.
I bought into the SF4 hype back on the PS3, was an okay game but I just realised I'm not into fighting games any more. I'd pick this up one day on the super (street fighter) cheap, though.
A 9/10 ???
-3 match long single player mode with still shots (and ugly rushed ones at that)
-No Arcade mode
-No vs. CPU mode
You can't even challenge the CPU to a single match. And this game gets a 9?
As soon as my copy arrives today I'm shipping that crap back to BestBuy for a refund. I've never heard of a fighting game (Street Fighter game, no less) where there's not even a vs. CPU mode
Ya, sounds like an incomplete game, and it gets nearly a perfect score.
@JaxonH Imagine what it'll be like when it's complete, then
I agree with the little penguin man from Tropical Freeze above.
Sorry but that falls under the category of unacceptable content here. -Tasuki-
@kyleforrester87
I imagine it might actually be worth buying then.
But as of right now, it's not. I feel conned.
I'll wait for the single player story update.
@kyleforrester87 @JaxonH Exactly. If you need all of that stuff, then you're right to return your copy. At the end of the day, though, the fighting is spectacular - and that's the most important part.
It'll be waiting for you when the modes you want are patched in.
@get2sammyb
It's hard not to agree that Capcom partly missed the mark here, no matter what the quality of gameplay.
For gods sake, no arcade or cpu vs?
@get2sammyb
Don't get me wrong, I was already sold on the gameplay being great. I grew up on Street Fighter II Turbo on SNES and Championship Edition on Genesis. Loved the franchise ever since. I'm no hardcore player, but I definitely love the game.
But this seems just, wrong. They've got the AI programmed already. How hard would it have been to include an option to fight a random CPU player (there's only 16 of them after all). Or to include an arcade mode.
When I got my 3DS at launch, I picked up Street Fighter IV 3D Edition and ran through the single player arcade mode with almost every character in the game. That's like the de facto mode I turn to for SF games. This omission is... perplexing. And I've heard no confirmation of any arcade or regular vs. CPU modes being added in the future.
@JaxonH
wait, is this true? No arcade mode? There isn't even a vs. cpu mode? How is this game 60 dollars?
@Utena-mobile
It's not made very clear, is it. That 9/10 score kind of implies "fully finished and fleshed out masterpiece" and the details of the missing content are relegated to a few lines buried in the gut of the article.
Ya it's true.
@Bliquid
Beat em up = Streets of Rage, Final Fight, Golden Axe
Fighting game = Street Fighter, Mortal Kombat, King of Fighters
@JaxonH The 9/10 score implies what the review says - it certainly isn't "buried in the gut" of the article.
Clearly, the game doesn't feature some of the modes that you want in it and that's fine. But the review clearly states that, in the reviewer's opinion, the lack of single player content isn't enough to stop the game from being brilliant.
@Utena-mobile There are two versus CPU modes. There's story and survival. Both are relatively small, but they are there. Needless to say, this game, in its launch state, is for those who fight online first and foremost.
Killer Instinct was like this when it was released some years ago. Not a lot of characters, no game modes. But overtime it grew to be a great game with more characters and modes. I'm sure they will do more with the upcoming Season 3. I think Capcom is going in the same direction with Street Fighter V and more modes will put in eventually. Capcom could have at least included a Vs CPU mode from the start though. :/
@ShogunRok
I don't disagree with it being brilliant. I'm quite sure it is. But with limited means of experiencing that brilliance, I can't say I endorse a near perfect score.
If we had confirmation that a normal vs CPU mode was coming (that March update is for some weird vs CPU, with "boss challenges" or something so I'm assuming you won't even be able to choose who you're fighting) or if we had confirmation that the June update was actually going to expand the story mode and not just add cinematics (like fight all characters), or if we had confirmation that a World Tour mode or arcade mode was actually coming...
Then I'd have no gripes- I'm a rather patient person. But the lack of confirmation can only mean it's not in the cards, and that's unsettling.
Very happy, I still need to smash MK X to pieces so this'll be a summer treat. Just in time for the story and my birthday.
@JaxonH Nothing you're saying is wrong at all; your criticisms are spot on. For me, they should have waited until March - screw the Capcom Cup.
However, with the review, we're really trying to say that this is the best fighting game on the PS4. And that's true, irrespective of the lack of modes. If Capcom fails to update the game the way it's promised to, then we'll be sure to write an editorial explaining where we feel it's failed.
Otherwise, we'll be posting when the updates do drop, so you know what's been added and whether it's any good. It sounds like the best option for you right now is to wait, which I think is more than reasonable if it's not offering the content you want right now.
@JaxonH To be fair, you can't really endorse any score if you yourself haven't played the game, but yeah, I know what you mean. It's like what @get2sammyb says - I would have also preferred more single player modes to sink my teeth into before I have the confidence to go online. It's a shame they're not in there at launch - otherwise it might have gotten a 10 from us and higher scores elsewhere.
But yeah, give it a couple of months and see what Capcom does with the game. If it ends up getting the modes you want, you'll be safe in the knowledge that the core game is superb.
@get2sammyb
Unfortunately I realized I already preordered the season pass from PSN, so as much as I'd like to vote with my wallet, it looks like I'll be keeping the game after all (might as well, otherwise I bought that pass for nothing).
@ShogunRok
Yes and no. I haven't played the game, but at the same time, I know what modes should be included and what modes I (and many others) prefer to play. I don't need firsthand experience to know that missing staple modes is a serious problem.
But I'll find out soon enough. Looks like my copy is being delivered this afternoon and it seems I'll be keeping it.
@JaxonH Why are you keeping it if you don't mind me asking.
@Tasuki
As I mentioned above, in my anticipation for the game I pre ordered the season pass on PSN, which is non-refundable. And apparently I preordered the game like a year ago with a Reward Certificate from BestBuy, which has long since expired. May as well just keep it. With the season pass I'll need to buy the game eventually anyways, and seeing as I got it with reward certs it's not really a loss.
I'd hate to return it, have my certificate refunded and then be 1 year expired
@JaxonH - World Tour from Alpha 3? That was one of my favourite single player modes, too, I'd love to see something like that within SFV! The defensive and offensive buffs you get in survival mode shows they can toy with these variables like the world tour custom characters.
It's a shame that most of the modes you seem to enjoy most aren't here, though. I would say survival mode gets quite intense at higher difficulties, and while they're single round, survival is functionally arcade mode - a series of fights - just not bookended with cut scenes that, to be honest, I skip 99% of the time once I've seen them.
Anyhow, it boils down to this: it's the most fun I've had on my PS4, and this is before any of my fighting game buddies get the game - I'll be playing this game in 4 or 5 years, easily. I hope you end up enjoying it though, and the modes you want aren't overlooked in future
@adf86 Well, Metacritic is not to blame, they just compile all available website scores, including Push Square's. You can safely click on www.metacritic.com.The website that gave SF V 5/10 score is called "We got this cover" (don't click on them).
@Shillll
Wow, you really do love this game huh? Well that is comforting to hear.
I'm just not into the online aspect of the game. With friends for fun, definitely. But Idk, I've always spent the majority of my time in the single player modes. Usually whichever one allowed you to fight every character in the roster.
Can you confirm whether the June update will in fact expand the story mode to consist of more than what it does now (cinematics aside)? Like, will it be expanded to include fighting the full roster?
If so, that might just be enough for me to live with.
@ShogunRok
ok. still kind of a disappointing bit of information for what could have been an easily hyped game. I guess I'm ok with waiting for the extra content, maybe by that time we'll have seen a price drop or a sale.
But I hope they release a more complete version once the extra modes come out. I still buy my games physically when possible because we have so-so internet and there's always data caps, and downloading several gigs for content that should have already been there doesn't seem like a lot of fun.
btw, I'm thinking of maining Cammy (maybe Sakura if she gets announced, or Juri).
@JaxonH I completely get what you're saying about online play, I get incredibly nervous - I don't know why! - playing against strangers, but once the servers came online, I jumped straight in on ranked mode, almost in a conquer your fear mode, and was instantly, hugely hooked.
As for the June story update, I know nothing more than what the trailer's told us, I'm afraid.
@Utena-mobile - Cammy is fantastic. Definitely my second favourite character!
Agreeing with @JaxonH, Capcom is clearly rushing this one and Sony doesn't care. Gotta get the most of your Plus subs,eh?
I hope people complain loud enough for Capcom to fix this with more single player modes.
@Bliquid
I think it was more of a European (UK?) thing to call one on one fighting games "beat me ups", well, at least during the 90's. It seems that in the rest of the world, beat me ups were always your Double Dragon/Final Fight types, while fighting games were your Street Fighter 2 and all of its peers.
@sinalefa
The sad thing is, after all of the bad PR covering Street Fighter X Tekken, you would think that Capcom would be extra careful when it comes to any major launches of AAA titles.
@VanillaLake I know, I used Metacritic so I can find out how the game scored plus like you suggested I didn't want to give that site the clicks.
@Utena-mobile I doubt they will release an updated version for a good couple of years yet. My suggestion is wait a few months and get it then.
Thanks for the review @Shillll, I want to know, is there any character that's specially strong or specially bad, or even characters that are unfairly strong/weak against another specific character (ex: Is unfairly hard to beat FANG with Laura)?
@Frank90 It's really early days yet, so I can't offer any kind of balance/imbalance report - barring any broken discoveries it'll be months and months before a clearer matchup breakdown starts to surface.
I can offer anecdotal bits and pieces, though. I largely played online as Nash, and seemed to do well against Zangief, but while I've been playing the review copy, the level of competition hasn't really been ... consistent! From the betas, I always found Laura and R. Mika really frightening - they can hassle no end, and if you make a couple of bad decisions, they can really make you regret it! I also found a player on the CFN, who made Rashid look very tricky, he seems to have a tonne of ways to confuse opponents, with his dash, leap, and quite slow, weird projectile.
Again, these are just anecdotal impressions from a small subset, and will likely change as soon as the floodgates open!
I did an article about the day one offering and content road map for those who want to know more/discuss that here: https://www.pushsquare.com/news/2016/02/feature_what_modes_do_you_actually_get_in_street_fighter_v_on_ps4
I understand the modes/content and review are inherently entwined, but if we could try to move that kind of discussion to the above article where possible, I'd appreciate it.
I know some are annoyed by lack of content but sadly that's the way things are going now, it's all to convince people to keep playing the game with the promise of more content to come. Personally I prefer the way Capcom is doing this because releasing it early suits the hardcore fans and future updates and modes will RIGHTLY be free. I'd much prefer this then what MKX did when they put Goro behind a Preorder paywall, charged 19.99 for just 4 fighters and didn't properly test it's netcode. In an ideal world we all want full games at launch but AAA development is at a crossroads now, it's getting more expensive plus the public are becoming much more impatient these days, where any game past two years of initial reveal starts losing hype.
@Shillll It's more than enough as preliminary information, thanks a lot, I really want to play this game for myself!
As an XB1 and Wii U owner, this was my most coveted "PS4 console exclusive." Hearing that there is no "arcade mode", a staple of fighting games for years especially the Street Fighter series, I am more OK with missing out on this one.
I'm not a fan of the full price game ($60.00) so bare bones like this and Splatoon with a planned roll out of free DLC rolled out over months to complete the package.
@adf86
Nope, Street Fighter is stumbling just as much as MKX did at launch, if not more so, its just in different areas.
No excuses, if Capcom had delayed the game between one to three months, you wouldn't give us a reason to complain.
I'm sure it will be great, I'm sure it will have legs, but disappointing.
This should've been an easy 92/100 game like Bloodborne, it's SF the gameplay in SF is always as good as it gets for a fighter, unfortunately Capcom was incredibly lazy with the modes. I can't believe we are excusing the lack of content for a $60 but Netherrelam got crap for microtransactions despite making a game that was still packed with content. Going outside the genre, Respawn was destroyed for no single player campaign in Titanfall eventhough nobody plays the campaigns in FPS. We're going to excuse Capcom for not having even an arcade mode in there? Sorry, no. If it was free-to-play like Killer Instinct it's whatever but that's not the case. Street Fighter has always been at the top of the genre for it's awesome gameplay and content rich releases, this however is a bad look and if it was MS funding this lazy nonsense there's no doubt people defending it would be calling it what it is. Now if the game improves overtime, which it sounds like it, it'll be worth the purchase. As somebody who has played these games as much, maybe moreso for single player over the years though and compared to what SF has always been this is a lazy, disappointing release on day one and I don't blame the reviewers who have rightly knocked it down to 5/10 one bit, I'd do the same. We need to stop picking and choosing which games get a pass and which games don't. And there is absolutely no reason, especially with Sony funding this, that we shouldn't have gotten something as feature rich as SF IV. Very, very discouraging.
@Ryno
Splatoon is another game that got a free pass and sold extremely well. I'm not going to kid myself, I think SF is going to sell very well but games like these set a dangerous precedent. Like I said, if it's free-to-play or even early access where you only pay like $20, it's one thing, full price for a half, sometimes not even half, a game? F**k off. This is where the industry is headed though and it'll get worse if Sony and MS make the push to become more service based like some people, myself included, think is going to happen.
I've been playing sf4 and its various iterations for the past 7 years. Whilst the lack of single player content at launch is not ideal, what I am looking forward to is the online play and lobbies which accomodate more than two players. This to me is streetfighter. Going one v one as though we are on an arcade cabinet with a queue of people waiting for their turn for glory. That's what it's all about.
@Gamer83 'dangerous precedent', never do I hear this said more than on gaming forums lol. Meanwhile gamings better than it's ever been. Go figure...reminds me of "crime is down 20 per cent!" "But the fear of crime is up 50 per cent!"
@kyleforrester87
I would say it's most definitely not better than it's ever been.
If all people want to talk about in the comments is about what a game is missing because it doesn't fit with some people's perceived valuation then the actual quality of the content that is in the game then for this site it's bitterly disappointing. This is what Greg Miller meant in his speech last year when he was referring to developers work such long hours for not the greatest pay and barely see their families, all to make a game that no matter what you do someone on the Internet is going to s*** on it.
@Gamer83 for me, the best games of all time include a few from the PS era and then a ton of current gen gems. I see you're a bit older than me, but I still grew up with the C64 so I'm guessing we've each spent a fair chunk of our lives gaming. Stuffs pretty good these days all in all
So what's happening is that the game will release and people will play what's there a tremendous amount. Then get a bit bored and jaded.
Then more content will be released, and we'll all play that til we get bored. We'll enjoy it, and we'll moan that there's not enough content.
More content will get released. We'll play that til more comes along.
Rinse and repeat.
Is this just Destiny with punching?
@Johnnycide there's punching in Destiny. If you play Titan, anyway.
@kyleforrester87
I didn't say stuff these days were bad, just that it's not 'better than it's ever been.' Obviously we're not going to change each other's minds and I'd rather not hijack the comment section with that. Speaking strictly Street Fighter and nothing more, this game on day one is a disappointment compared to past SF's in terms of content. Simple as that. If you disagree and are still looking to get the game, great. I actually do hope you enjoy it.
@Gamer83 I'm not buying it myself, but for what it is (at present, a multiplayer focused fighter) it seems pretty great. You obviously see the focus of the game as a bad thing, but it'll be right up the street of many people.
@adf86
Dude, it's missing a cpu vs and arcade mode (the short story mode varies between 2! to 4 matches max, just looked it up).
16bit ports of SF2 did a better job of pleasing the single player side of things......stop trying to defend poor lil Capcom as if they were a 4 man indie team using their life savings to fund the development.
@kyleforrester87
Ok, and if it's up their alley good for them. That means I'm not allowed to state my opinion? As somebody who has always enjoyed the single player aspect of SF over the years I'm disappointed by what's not there on day one. Not going to apologize for that and not going to keep from saying it just because some disagree.
And I'm certainly not going to be shamed out of what I think by people bringing up Greg Miller's kiss-a$$ speech. Guess what? I work long and hard hours too to make the money to get by and have some saved up for my hobbies like gaming. On the road a lot, don't get to spend as much time with family and friends and I'd like, don't make a ton of money. I do enjoy what I do as a sports journalist because I love watching sports but isn't a glamorous lifestyle and there's always people who don't care sometimes for what you write just like there will be some people who don't care for what game developers make. I look at what SF has always been, I look at what SF V is providing and if you ask me, it's not $60 worth of content and it's discouraging, nothing more, nothing less. I'm not saying the developers should go to hell, I'm not calling Yoshinori Ono an evil person so people can calm down. Not everybody has to agree that the game is a 10/10.
@sub12
What you saying Madcatz TE2 FightStick with premium Sanwa Denshi parts is a rubbish stick? you do realize some of the top Street Fighter pros are sponsored by Madcatz & use these very arcade sticks.
@banacheck
That's great, I'm sure you'll be at EVO with your snazzy Madcatz stick.
@Gamer83 it's not about you not being able to state your opinion buddy. I was mostly poking fun at you saying it was a dangerous precedent, when really it's just 'stuff being a bit different'. No harm meant.
@banacheck not speaking on the quality of the sticks, but to be fair, those pros are being paid by Madcatz to use them. At least that's how I thought a sponsorship works.
On topic: great review. For what's in the actual game it sounds like top notch stuff and glad the writer is basing his opinion on the how content on hand plays. Am I a litte bit disappointed about the lack of single player or vs CPU? A little. But I stopped caring about that stuff a long time ago in fighters. Can't wait to get mine in the mail. I may just say "screw it" and buy it off PSN.
Most people buying this game already know what that are getting, & what's being added in March, June & over the coming months. Capcom released the game early for other people to play & there Cup Tour, don't like don't buy it it's simple.
@Sir_JBizzle
Other sponsors use them as well.
Solid review man! Nice!
I've been playing SF since the very first arcade with the BIG buttons, lol. So I was going to buy 5 anyway. I played the beta a lot. A huge improvement over 4 imo, especially that ridiculously LOUD AUDIO, invincible back dashes, and those focus attack links that made every character play the same. Street Fighter 5 is definitely better.
@kyleforrester87
Sorry, last comment I made I deleted by accident. Anyway, I have a lot of thoughts on my mind and not organizing them very well. I get where you're coming from. I still don't like the idea of full price for content light games but it is something of an early access deal and that's where gaming is headed. I didn't like what Splatoon did either but I didn't post about it because not much of a Nintendo gamer these days. Early access is fine, but I think $35 or so is more reasonable. Have to change with the times, I realize that and with cost of game creation a lot of things are going to change in the coming years. My hope is as we go more full digital, which is on the way, the price comes down a bit.$35 or $40 for less content upfront but a great rollout to follow is something I'm not totally opposed. Some will abuse it, others will absolutely nail it. Studios like Guerilla, Evolution (which to their credit have turned DriveClub around), Iron Galaxy, even Nintendo with Splatoon, who have all done well with supporting their games, I have no doubt will adapt very well to where the future of the industry is. I'm interested to see how Capcom and others do. SF V is kind of a test bed and it is an important game for Sony since it paid for exclusivity, so the support will probably be very good, and once the value for the $ is there, I'll be there.
@Gamer83
Bingo, as you said things are changing for many reasons (a lot of them valid, I'd say, but you could spend all day debating that) but the consumers will help shape the direction it's headed and I'm confident the majority will support those who nail it, while those who abuse it will fall by the wayside. Either way its all fun and games!
Wait, no arcade mode? Jesus, are you serious?
This went from "will get it this week" to "no, thanks". If they ever implement it, I'll rethink my stance.
10 years ago; my god how dare they charge 99p for a horse armour for this 100 hour game inside a fully fledged out world with millions of characters those robbing monsters. Lets boycott the game!
Now; woopee I can buy a horse armour for £60 and get a promise of a game next month. No telling of the quality of the finished product but I can save up horse points in the meantime and that adds to the excitement. Woo hoo.
@TheMightyPunram
He did a great review without doubt, but yes, it was more from his own personal viewpoint vice how does this game stand up as a full product (to a wider audience).
I've put in about 50 minutes so far, just in survival, great gameplay mechanics and the characters just burst with charisma (I heart Laura). Still, I reckon Capcom should have delayed it a for a month or so.......especially with the knowledge that consumers expect more from fighting games these days.
16 Chars only? lmao theres only one word for this: pathetic
even as a huge street fighter fan since my early childhood - no way, ill gonna pass until they throw that thing at 15 or 20 euros at me
While I can see the brilliance of execution in this game I also see the lack of content and fighting through any fighting game with every character is the "bread and butter for me" so considering this a game lacking content is still a game lacking content, no matter how polished it might look or how smooth it plays.
The lack of single player doesn't bother me at all. Ever since Street Fighter 2, I have been playing fighting games against other people. As long as the thing that matters most - which is the gameplay - is there, everything else can take a back seat. Give me practice mode, ranked, and player matches and I'll be fine. Trust me, once you start getting better at the game, you'll see where the true meat of these games lie.
There was an interview with the producer of Street fighter saying he wants SFV to be the "League of Legends" of fighting games; with continuous support. Free characters are coming every month, along with future updates. So as far as content goes, it's coming. 16 characters is actually a great start. It's a lot easier to balance these games. Having way too many at start just makes it a lot harder to keep the cheap stuff out.
Honestly, I get it. From a different point of view, I can see why some of you are upset with the lack of single player, but maybe you should dive in to the multiplayer. See first hand why Street Fighter is not only the most famous, but most influential fighting game of all time. I hear Capcom did a good job letting newcomers and casuals see how fun the competitive scene really is.
As for the Capcom Pro Tour, I can't wait to see all of the hype tournament moments. I'm really looking forward to it.
I want this but the price for what you get makes it a difficult decision. £30 would have been fairer I think.
I really like the Street Fighter franchise, but from what I've been hearing about the acquisition of battle points, the currency to unlock new fighters, I'm a bit put off the game. For completing the story mode you get 100000 points as a one off which is expected to be the price of a character, but for winning an online battle you get 50pts, so you would need to win 2000 games to unlock a fighter. If we assume from connecting to to finishing a match takes 3 minutes, then it would take 100 hours to unlock one character assuming you win every match and your opponent doesn't disconnect. I really dislike freemium game tactics in full priced games...
Hi!
I have a question! I really like fighting games, my favorite is and will always be Tekken, because it's fast paced and you can do crazy combos without being a pro or having to train the combos a lot. I like that fast pace ...and that's why I LOVED the new Mortal Kombat, cause it was clearly faster than past iterations! So I had SF4 for the PS3...I liked it but I really couldn't get into it because it seemed to technical and not so accessible!
So my question is: is this game more of the same Street Figther or is it faster paced, easier to pick up, easier to do combos etc...? I mean, is it more Tekken Mk like?
Thanks
@sub12 Glad to hear that you're somewhat enjoying the game, Laura is a scary character, I'm still not sure how to fight her, the ground doesn't feel safe, and jumping at her (or in general) is more or less always a mistake. I really hope that future updates provide more of what you enjoy.
Of course I reviewed it from my personal viewpoint, as Punram says, I'd feel disingenuous reviewing it any other way. As alluded to in the review, it took me some time to get my head around the new structure, but I reviewed the game I got, rather than the game I expected - and when it came online, I valued the CFN hugely, and the way the game's always matchmaking in the background is, to me, a superb way to play the core of street fighter - fighting others
@Dichotomy The ingame currency is Fight Money, and you do earn just 50 for winning a ranked match - but you also earn it when characters level up, which happens pretty often, at least at lower levels. If you start out new, playing through story mode with all characters at level 1, you'll have 160,000 FM by the end - but of course, we don't know the prices yet.. I won't mind paying (reasonable) prices for new characters, though
@AFCC Hmmm. Opinion's mixed on the speed of the game, personally speaking, I think comes in bursts - you have to be patient while looking for your time to attack, then there's a burst of action, which may end up in faster more frenetic stuff, or may return to the neutral game again - best to watch a few videos on YouTube to make your own mind up there, I'm afraid! While I'd say it's certainly easier to understand and get into than Street Fighter IV, it's still far, far closer to Street Fighter IV than MK or Tekken.
@Shillll
The game does feel somewhat slower than IV, but it's punctuated by pretty frenetic 5 or 10 second bouts. That's not a bad thing at all IMO. It may be a horrible comparison, but it reminds of Samurai Shodown in that reguard (well, the faster IV). Laura is very fun, I think her and Ken will be my initial go-to's.
Street Fighter V Server Edition
Is it worth £30?
@JoeBlogs single player, in SF? Come on mate, this is all about the competition, and bragging rights with friends. No story to be told here.
@Gamer83
The weird thing with Splatoon is that actually, only on this side of the pond the game was full price, and we never got a reasoning from Nintendo for doing that.
Im not sure so far. They all seem to be the same move set. Completely deviod of the blanka/ Honda move style. Which is how I play, so kinda bummed thus far.
No singleplayer, no buy.
@SonyInfinity
Yeah, without a doubt it "should" have the basics of a single player experience, just like any other fighter.......The basics, it doesn't need a 5 hour story like MKX, but it should have the rudimentary arcade and vs cpu modes.
So I have the game now. And...
I'm utterly bored with it already. There's virtually nothing to do except play online. Even the "Versus Mode" only works with a real Player 2. Despite there being a perfectly capable CPU AI from training mode with difficulty adjustment.
I'm bummed. But, Oni announced the June update story mode will be 1-2 hours long. So at least something good is in the pipeline.
Until then, I'm shelving it.
@Shillll Thanks a lot for the answer
I think I'll save my money! After playing Tekken TagTournament 2 and MKX and seeing that those games have lots to do (MK especially) and after reading some of the comments, I think I'll wait for a sale
@Gamer83: I take back when I compared this to the Splatoon model. Street Fighter V model is way worse! This should be a f2p game with this model.
"Premium Costumes" can only be bought with real money, and they are $4 each. "Story Mode Costumes" for 40,000 fight money. New characters for $6.00 each or 100,000 fight money. I don't think $6.00 is necessarily a bad price for an additional DLC character in a fighting game but when you only get 16 for a barebones fighting game package at $60.00. Yikes!
@JaxonH: After you have completed that 1-2 hour story mode you will probably be bored with it again because there are still no signs of a standard single player arcade mode.
But what a great guy Ono is! From IGN: Ono says in the video this "might take you one to two hours or even longer to play through... we can [sic] have sold this separately." Well how very nice of them to include a 1-2 hour story mode for free.
You have an XB1 too right, do you play K.I.? It has a lot more single player modes including a pretty good training mode.
@Ryno
Ya I have Killer Instinct- not a huge fan like I was when the game was on N64 though. Street Fighter and Smash are the only fighters I've ever really liked.
@Ryno
I just can't believe Capcom found a way, once again, to screw up what should've been an easy 9/10 on metacritic and defining fighting game of the generation. Maybe the later additions will save it, but I'm still not for this model at all. And this is why Sony had to step in and fund the game, because Capcom really doesn't seem to know what it's doing anymore. There's a reason that company, which when you look at its history is actually one of the legends of this industry, is now taking handouts from the Big 3 and is looked at as a complete joke.
@Gamer83
They mess up Street Fighter (clearly).
Their MegaMan collection for $30 has less games than the 6th gen collections.
Resident Evil, well, that's yet to be seen with their next entry. Remakes galore.
The only franchise that keeps them relevant, for me, is Monster Hunter. MH4U was a near-perfect game- one of my faves of all time in fact. How they can get that game so right and everything else so wrong is beyond me.
@JaxonH
My favorite recent Capcom game is Dead Rising 3 but it pales in comparison to Capcom's classics. I don't know what's going on there these days. It's simply stunning and beyond disappointing to me that they messed this game up though. I've said it and will keep saying it. The gameplay is easily 9/10, I might even say better than that, but the lack of single player content can't be overlooked. Not when the competition is providing tons of content and not when past SF games, including IV, were packed.
@Gamer83
Right.
Look at MetaCritic, and the game averages an 82/100 from critics. But look at the user score- 4/10 from like 300 users. Clearly there is something wrong. Both with the game and professional journalists eagerness to score a game on good faith all while ignoring missing staple features that have been around in Street Fighters games for 2 decades.
@Shillll Sounds a lot like a freemium game to me - give you an abundance of currency early on and then make it increasingly rare as you play more, making it a case of having to pay real money for the average person if you want to get new content. I know it is not in Capcom's best interest to give away too much content for a little effort, but SFIV released with over 50% more characters (as well as the game effectively being complete). I also seem to recall that SFIV released at a lower price point than the average game.
I'm sure the game is good fun, but I can't be alone in having some worry in watching these business models creep in to our games. I have a lot to play anyway so I can leave SFV for now and hope it blossoms into something other than a cash cow for Capcom. I should also say I enjoyed your review, so I am in no way directing any ire at you
Goodness me. This comments section is literally full of people complaining they bought a game without doing any research whatsoever - which, if they had done, would've explained them exactly what they could expect from it. And this information was available well before launch. Now I'm not the most clever person in the world, but I don't buy things with my eyes closed and then complain if it doesn't live up to my expectations. If anything, it could've been well worth it to wait it out, and see if the game does offer what you're looking for in a couple of months.
As for the servers having issues, yes, they certainly did have issues on day one. There was some time where I could find matches just fine, but after a while I kept getting kicked. Thankfully, it's being looked into - a lot of it is fixed, and the folks over at Capcom are still working on fixing other things such as the battle lounge.
Point in case, for me personally, I knew what to expect from the game before getting it, and it offers exactly what I'm looking for, being a good multiplayer experience - albeit with some issues that will hopefully be fixed soon - and a challenging survival mode which I can play while the game looks for new opponents. Plus there's more content on the way, completely free of charge. There's really no reason to complain about that. And again, if the game doesn't offer what you want right now, it would've been a far better idea to wait and see if it does in a few months from now. If it does, then great - if not, just ignore it and get something else. It's not hard.
@SanderEvers And again, had you done any research on it before purchase, you would've known exactly what you were getting yourself into. The lack of research shows even more because they have explicitly stated on multiple occasions that there will not be a "Super" Street Fighter 5. Not to mention that you should've waited to begin with.
"I wanted a new Street Fighter game" - define what a Street Fighter game is? To many, that in itself is very different. To people like me, it's playing online with friends or even strangers, trying to get fairly decent at the game. To others, that's playing for a living, going to tournaments, earning all that prize money etc. Then there's also people like yourself, who enjoy the single player aspect of it. Yes, currently it is very lacking in the singleplayer aspect, and I do not know if there's gonna be done much about that, but nor do I care very much because once again, to me, Street Fighter is all about that online experience.
I'm not saying any of your expectations are wrong, it's absolutely fine to be disappointed. All I'm saying is that it would've been wise to check what the game offers before purchasing it. Again, you're still completely entitled to be disappointed with what it turned out to be - each to their own 'n' all that.
I hope they update this game soon cause so far it is the worst street fighter I have ever played. Yes it has good Grafics BUT no arcade mode, a crappy selection of characters,( not to mention they screwed with some of the special moves with some such as Charlie/Nash, and a terrible story mode. 60 BUCKS FOR THIS!!!!!
The guy that gave this a 9 must have been drunk when he reviewed this. Is a 5 at most
@JaxonH stick to Smash cause this street fighter is crap
@SanderEvers That has not been the aim nor focus of Street Fighter for, oh I don't know, at least almost 10 years by now? Sure, that may have been the case back in the arcades, but as I'm sure you're well aware, we're not in the arcades as much nowadays. (Also, this game is excellent and has every right to be called Street Fighter. See how this works?)
You were forced to make a Fighters ID - not an entire account. You also could have skipped the tutorial if you wanted. Again, I agree, there are very few ways to stay entertained in singeplayer. And, again, the online, for the most part, has been fixed. So "no working online modes" is, as of now, untrue.
No, the game did not fail to be a Street Fighter game, it failed to cater to a certain audience. But again, And I'm starting to sound like a broken record here - if you (and the same applies for this other guy above me, @Knightsmetal - though he appears to be here for nothing but trolling purposes) had done any research at all, you would've known that.
I really cannot get behind your mindset. You complain about them allowing you to get new content (which they add periodically to keep the game fresh) by simply playing the game. Isn't that how you unlocked content in the "good old days"? By just playing the game? Capcom even offer it for a small sum of money for those who don't have the time to play the game, but still want the content. Making new content, new characters, new costumes just to keep a game fresh is not free, after all.
But this will be the final thing I'm gonna say to you, it seems rather pointless considering you really don't want to reason with anything. Your multiple mentions of trading it in and your "100% being sure of there being 5 new versions of the game in 5 years" proves that you're just here to comment on your disdain for this game. Which is OK, really. The game does indeed do a lot of things wrong for the singleplayer audience, It also does a lot of things right for the multiplayer audience.
@Arjan127 what multiplayer? The server is always down and losing connection
@SanderEvers I agree this is the worst street fighter I have ever played,( well that's not true street fighter 1 is the worst but it has an excuse, it came out in 1987)
@ricklongo I was in shock too but then the game arrived and I quickly realised survival mode on normal difficulty is basically arcade mode: you even get to fight Bison at the end and stuff...and getting there is not so difficult, you can use points to heal yourself, power ups and stuff. It's actually pretty entertaining as far as single player goes in this kind of games.
@Shillll very good review and I agree with you on basically everything!
@Feena I would like to see a new boss, not bison again. I don't want to play a remake of 2
@Knightsmetal let's hope Urien appears and kicks his ass - apparently this is what's boiling in the pot.
Rumor has it that an arcade mode is in the works
They took out all the best moves.
@kyleforrester87 sadly the game never got complete and is still broken
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