I originally got into the Street Fighter V beta during the first round, but life conspired and during the first and second phase I was travelling. I did get to play ONE match at PAX, however that is just not enough to give an informed opinion. However, fortune favored me and during the latest beta I was able to finally get some quality time with the game. Street Fighter V does not feel like the radical departures we’ve seen in the past like the jump to III or IV. Instead V feels like it builds on the foundation that IV laid to create something of an evolution in its gameplay. So what is the verdict? In general I did like what I saw, though there were some things that concerned me.
The Game Itself
While I love Street Fighter IV, I did feel that the rhythm of its gameplay was a bit too slow. Some characters, especially the ones that were slow to begin with, felt uncomfortably sluggish. Street Fighter V has corrected this, increasing the rhythm of the combat to just below the speed of Street Fighter III. Playing fast characters feels like balancing between your speed, accuracy, and reactions to your opponent. Slower characters are still harder to maneuver than most, but they no longer feel like controlling a semi without a wheel. The game still requires a tactical approach to fighting, but overall it feels better.
Fundamentals are therefore more important in the fifth iteration of the franchise than they were in the previous iteration. Regular attacks deal more damage than before and paired with the faster pace of fighting, it is very easy to take a lot of damage very quickly and lose momentum from just one mistake. Likewise, there is a smaller window to punish enemies for mistakes. Paradoxically, this increased tempo makes combos feel easier to link this time around. The number of frames that you have to link the combos has also become more generous.
EX moves are back, and they do take a third of the bar upon use and work very much the same way as the did in IV, serving as a tactical way to turn the tide, or press an advantage. The Ultra Combos are gone, which is a good thing. While their intention was to be used as a way to bring losing players back into the fight, in my experience it just served as an anti-climactic way to bring close matches to a close via a player landing a lucky ultra combo, usually while punishing an attacking move by their opponent. Ultimately Ultra Combos encouraged a defensive (and in my opinion a less interesting) approach in the tough matches.
In place of the Ultras are V-Skills and the V-Trigger. V-Skills are unique to each character and have different uses. Ryu, for example, can do a parry similar to the Alpha Counters in the Alpha series. V-Triggers are used once the meter fills and have more dramatic effects, such as improving damage, speed, etc… They are different for every character. What does Zangief’s V-Trigger do besides making him look more intimidating? No idea, but if I want to be able to compete at a decent level with him I better learn it. This is the thing I like the best about the V-Trigger system. It is not an immediate game changer like the old Ultra combos. Instead the V-Trigger system strikes a wonderful balance which complements the focus on fundamentals while also giving more complexity for more competitive players to master.
There were a few things that concerned me, which are ironically not related to the core game, and which I hope will be largely done away with when the beta is over. First, there is no way to change your character in the lobby. If you want to try a new character you need to leave whatever queue capcom put you in and navigate some menus to choose a new “favorite characters” which will automatically be used for all matches. Since there were several minutes of wait between matches this can be tedious. There were also unlocks that had to be bought from points earned from fights. It didn’t take too long to earn an unlock, but knowing that Capcom plans to also have a micro-transaction option in the game worries me. There have been far too many examples of excellent games hamstrung by questionable business decisions in the recent years, and Capcom does not have a good track record with their business practices.
Characters
I usually main Cammy and Ryu, so I used them for a large part of the Beta to see how it felt in comparison to Street Fighter IV. However I made a large effort to play as some of the new comers, and this was my experience.
Necalli
Necalli is meant to be some sort of soulless killing machine or something similar, and has all the trappings of edginess you’d expect from characters with that background. In spite of Capcom’s effort all I could think when I saw him is that he must spend a lot of time and money at the salon making sure he keeps those braided two color braided dreadlocks looking so rad. Snark aside, Necalli has a great balance of speed and strength and some great, offensive moves that make him easy to pick up and play effectively without much experience with him. There are some subtleties to his style that can make it worth to spend time with him and learning him. I fully expect to see a lot of him in Multiplayer.
Rashid
Rashid of the Turbulent Wind is a lighthearted, fun loving Arab man, with a look that reminds me of a cross between Aladdin, a DBZ character, and a Jinn. He is probably my favorite of the new pack, just because he feels like something completely new and doesn’t have the relentless darkness that characters like Necalli and Akuma bring to the roster. He is a fast, charging character with some interesting moves that seem to be based off of parkour and as such he works a lot with misdirection. Add to this his tornado powers, which can work as an offensive aid to force enemies into a defensive position while you set up your next move. It can also be used as defense against other players who like to rush and use face paced characters. Learning Rashid seems like it might take some time and practice, but I imagine he can be quite devastating when used correctly.
Laura
Laura Matsuda is a Brazilian practitioner of Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu (Or Matsuda Jiu-Jitsu). She also wields electricity powers, because apparently Capcom thinks that everyone from South America has electricity powers (we don’t, for the record). Laura is the most technical of the three new fighters. She combines deadly striking with grappling moves, similar to Abel, but a lot faster. Do not confuse her with a command throw character, however. Rather they are used more to end combos, and as counters for air and rush attacks. The ideal use of Laura would be to get close with some of her deadly kicks, and then set up a combo that ends with a grapple. But take my advice with a grain of salt. She was the hardest of the new characters for me to use.
