Street Fighter
6
REVIEW:
Capcom has
kick-started "a new era" of fighting games with a game that could potentially be their
biggest hit in decades. For starters, Street Fighter 6 boasts
absolutely
stunning visuals courtesy of the hyper-realistic engine that powered Capcom's Resident
Evil 7, Resident Evil Village and Devil May Cry 5. The explosive
visual overhaul is perfectly complimented with an unprecedented
level of polish in animation quality and eye-pleasing aesthetics in every corner of
the game. From the insanely fleshed out character personalities, to the
menu aesthetic and art style taking inspiration from graffiti and street
culture, to the diverse modes and features aiming to
please every kind of fighting game player... everything about
Street Fighter 6 is immaculate and oozing
with confidence.
A familiar but fresh-sounding bangin' soundtrack, with inspirations from
a variety of music styles, immediately
gives Street Fighter 6 its own distinct identity and place in the series.
But Street Fighter 6 is much more than just a "sequel"... and
that's clear from the moment you start playing the game and are greeted with THREE
main menus. This is more than a typical arcade fighting game. These 3 main modes will branch out into countless
sub-menus (which you will become familiar with and feel more comfortable over time),
all of which clearly explain literally every part of the game from learning
every character to navigating modes. I could honestly talk about the trippy
menu designs (and supremely good music that accompanies
them) for another three paragraphs straight, but there's so much more to talk
about...

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Street
Fighter 6 launch character selection screen.
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Inspired
by
Street Fighter Alpha 3's single-player mode of the same name, World Tour mode is a completely new experience that might
make you forget you're playing a fighting game. The mode's aesthetic and
gameplay exists somewhere between the
worlds of a modern JRPG like Persona 5, Grand Theft Auto, and Final
Fight (a timeless classic Capcom thankfully still takes inspiration
from, giving old school Capcom fans buckets full of fan-service).
In Capcom's words, "World Tour is a single-player
immersive story mode that pushes the boundaries of what a fighting game is and
allows you to leave your own legacy within SF6 with your player
avatar". While not "necessary" for a competition-level fighting game, this innovative mode
brings so much to the overall package and presentation.
The full-on Avatar Creation experience rivals that of modern WWE
wrestling games (or past SoulCalibur
installments), being a deep mode you can spend hours in (and very fulfilling when you can
achieve your desired look or character "cosplay"). While a bit goofy at times, your character will learn
from Street Fighter's own icons and adapt their moves while exploring Metro City's
streets in World Tour (which carry over to Battle Hub). It's clear from the beginning that
World Tour isn't to be taken too seriously. Why
we're beating up random people in the streets isn't always clear (if ever)... but hey, the game
is called Street Fighter. I GET IT NOW. It finally makes sense! 
In World Tour, there are many colorful characters to meet, back alleys to explore, items to
unlock, Mini Games to discover and play (many based on series classics), and
more secrets and throwbacks to discover. The "story" content
within the mode is a mixed bag and seems to lose track of itself at times, but
at the very least, World Tour
helps introduce the new main characters and even helps teach newcomers how to
play them, all while running through Street Fighter "basics" as
well. (*I'm still playing through World Tour, so please stay tuned as I will update this review).

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Blanka's
classic Street Fighter 2 stage reimagined.
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Battle Hub is Street Fighter 6's online lobby system... a bold
and compelling new way to experience fighting games. Your avatar can
express themselves in a variety of ways in the presence of other players, as
you'll roam the Battle Hub's arcade area in search of opponents and other things to do.
Player Avatars can even battle each other using the classic Street Fighter
techniques they learned in World Tour. In addition to matchmaking for normal matches and Extreme Battle, you can
even play classic games like Final Fight, Captain Commando, Magic Sword, and Street
Fighter II within Battle Hub. Seeing Capcom paying respects to their humble beginnings
nearly brings a tear to my eye. In so many ways and on so many different levels,
Street Fighter 6 remains closely in touch with
its roots.
Most importantly... the Rollback
Netcode and Crossplay implementation is as revolutionary as the
Battle Hub design and concept itself. Thankfully, the game feels and performs great online even
against players far away! For nearly a decade now, I was hoping a fighting
game would eventually adapt a "3D open world" as part of an online
lobby system to make things more interesting and appealing to a wider audience. Battle Hub and World Tour
certainly have imperfections, but they are unquestionably innovative and
impressive all on their own. If Battle Hub lobbies aren't your thing, you can
still select Ranked / Casual matches from the Fighting Ground main menu and wait
for matches while Training or in other modes. It's safe to say Street Fighter 6
has revolutionized fighting games online... and I have a feeling this is only the tip of the
iceberg.
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Paint
splashes and particle effects taken to another level.
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The classic Arcade
/ Story mode is still present in Street Fighter 6, with players
able to choose either 5-stage or 12-stage playthough and various
difficulty settings. There aren't any special cinematics, but unique voiceovers
for this mode are heard during story battles. Arcade also includes a badass
Semi-Truck Bonus stage reminiscent of SF2's iconic beat-up-a-car mini
game! It looks awesome and it's fun, nuff said. Every character playthough in
Arcade / Story has beautifully-drawn prologue artwork as well as a
(non-animated) ending. Playing through Arcade will also unlock a plethora of
high-quality character illustrations for viewing in Gallery mode.
DRIVE SYSTEM: The Drive Gauge
performs five different
techniques that can easily enhance your offense or defense. Here's a run-through
of each of the Drive techniques: A Drive Impact
is a powerful strike (similar to SF4's
Focus Attack) that can absorb an opponent's
incoming attack and leads to a "wall splat" in the corner. Drive Parry
can repel
your opponent's attack and refill your Drive Gauge. Cancel out of a Drive Parry
or normal attack into a Drive Rush to quickly close in on your
opponent. Drive Reversal is used to perform a counterattack to
get you out of tight situations.
Finally, Overdrive Arts are similar to EX Moves from prequels that power
up your Special Moves. In SF6, EX Moves are typically easy to connect with
specific Super Arts, so they are very useful for setting up damaging combos as
well as applying pressure. With one gauge, players have these five techniques to
utilize and balance. In addition to the Drive Gauge, players also have access to
the classic 3-tier Super Meter, which controls Super Arts. Every
character has a Level 1, Level 2, and Level 3 Super Art — appropriately
ranging in intensity, epic-ness, and damage respective of their level. Meter
management is HUGE in Street Fighter 6 and feels more and more natural
and intuitive the more you play.
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Street
Fighter 6 ushers in a new generation in 2023.
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CONTROLS:
The "Classic" standard 6-button
control type for the series remains intact. However, Capcom also
introduced a new setting called "Modern" which enables simple
button presses for special moves and basic auto-combos by holding down the
assigned "Assist" button. This is a helpful control setting for newcomers and those who don't
play fighting games often, but it also limits the overall number of moves that a
character can perform. Lastly, the "Dynamic" control scheme
offers an AI-assisted experience where players can simply mash buttons and the
AI will chose what moves are best at the moment. It's effective too... and will
perform advanced combos (with EX moves and into Super Arts) with repeated
presses of single buttons + directional inputs. Dynamic mode is only available
offline.
Speaking of controls... Street Fighter 6
feels absolutely great to play. Snappy movement, intuitive moveset and combo designs (with
nothing too frustratingly difficult), and simply one of the best modern
iterations of the tried-and-true traditional 2D
gameplay that has been going strong for decades. Capcom has refined their
engine brilliantly, smartly balancing meter management and strong fundamentals
for the ultimate Street Fighter experience. Street Fighter 6 is a game
that we'll be talking about for a very long time. Congratulations on your
masterpiece, Capcom... this is a wonderfully polished fighting game that all
types of gamers can enjoy for years to come.
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There's
a whole world and community to explore...
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Page Updated: |
August
31st, 2023
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Developer(s): |
Capcom |
Publisher(s): |
Capcom |
Designer(s): |
Shuhei
Matsumoto
Producer
Kazuhiro Tsuchiya
Producer
Takayuki
Nakayama
Director
Yusuke Hashimoto
Designer
Kaname Fujioka
Art Director
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Artwork
By: |
Bengus,
Tamio, Hiroaki
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Platform(s): |
PlayStation
5, PlayStation 4, Xbox Series X|S, Steam
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Release Date(s): |
June
2nd, 2023 |
Characters: |
Ryu,
Chun-Li,
Luke, Jamie,
Guile,
Juri Han, Kimberly, Ken
Masters,
Blanka, Dhalsim,
Edmond Honda, Cammy
White,
Dee Jay, Zangief,
Marisa, Manon,
JP, Lily,
Rashid, Ed,
Akuma, A.K.I. |
News
Links: |
Aug.
2023: Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles x SF6 Costumes, A.K.I. Teaser
Aug. 2023: New "Outfit 3" Costumes for Juri, Guile, Marisa & Dee
Jay
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Featured Video:
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Related Games: |
Street
Fighter V, SFV: Arcade Edition,
SFV: Champion Edition, Ultra
SF4, Super SF4: AE, Super
SF4, Street
Fighter 4, Street Fighter X Tekken, Street
Fighter, Street
Fighter 2, SF2: CE,
SF2 Turbo, Super SF2, SSF2
Turbo, SSF2T Revival,
SSF2T HD Remix,
SFIII: New Generation,
SFIII: 2nd Impact, SFIII: 3rd Strike,
Street
Fighter Alpha, SFA2, SFA3, SFA3 Upper,
SFA3 Max, SFA Anthology,
SF
Anniversary Collection, SFEX, SFEX2, SFEX3,
Street Fighter: The Movie,
Final Fight Revenge,
Samurai Shodown (2019), Guilty
Gear -STRIVE-, The King of Fighters XV, DNF
Duel, TEKKEN 8, Granblue Fantasy
Versus: Rising, Mortal Kombat 1 |
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Gameplay
Engine
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9.5 / 10
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Story
/ Theme
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9.5 / 10
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Overall
Graphics
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10 / 10
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Animation
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10 / 10
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Music
/ Sound Effects
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10 / 10
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Innovation
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10 / 10
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Art Direction
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9.5 / 10
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Customization
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10 / 10
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Options / Extras
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10 / 10
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Intro / Presentation
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10 / 10
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Replayability / Fun
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9.5 / 10
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"Ouch" Factor
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10 / 10
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Characters
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10 / 10
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BOTTOM LINE
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10 /
10
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Review based on PC version
(4K)
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Final
Words: |
Street Fighter 6 is
stellar... an absolute Masterpiece... a fighting game for the ages. A
fighting game for everyone! Capcom redefined, yet again, what we think a
"2D Fighting Game" can be. Capcom has been making quality sequels for
years now, but their absolute craftsmanship and planning has never been more
clearly visible. The "modern twist" in overall aesthetics, options, and
playability are simply revolutionary. Street Fighter 6 is on another
level.
The magic of Street Fighter 6 appreciated from the eyes of a veteran fighting game player is something special... but EVERYONE who sets their
eyes on this beautiful game will be amazed. (Additionally, the game's visual
fidelity must be experienced in 4K / 144hz to fully appreciate the
depth of the graphical fidelity! Capcom did a brilliant job
with the visuals.)
This game has everything... and it has much more than what most
fighting game players would need to be happy. Capcom knocked character movesets
out of the park, transforming tried-and-true play-styles to new heights with reimagined
levels of shine and well-rounded polish. It's difficult to summarize with words
all of the insane details (and fan service) Capcom packed into this shining gem
of a game. The "shake" of fleshy muscles, the crazily-smooth camera work, the
battle damage on skin and clothing, the new "TEKKEN-like" attention to realism,
mechanics, and animation, the defining and unique Burnout and Parry animations
for every
single character... and so on and so forth.
Clearly, Capcom has learned many things over the years making fighting games...
and I'm proud of them. In June 2023, Capcom delivered much more than just
another 2.5D fighter. Every attention to detail, every note of music, every facial
expression (100s of them), and everything that has ever made Street Fighter
great in the past has been brought back and "magnified". There's literally an element or two from every single Street
Fighter prequel that has returned in SF6 in some way, enriching the
final product from the roots up. Congrats, Capcom. And congrats to all of us in the FGC who've
been around long enough to experience and appreciate just how grounded and
polished Street Fighter 6 is.
The icing on the cake... is the fact that we extremely "well-fed"
fighting game fans, who eat so well, get to sit back and enjoy this game knowing
full well that every future returning Street Fighter (or Capcom) character who
joins the fun in Street Fighter 6 will be treated with the same love, respect,
and attention to detail. Holy shit... I've never been so excited for future DLC
characters.
The 18 beautiful and confident world warriors of Street Fighter 6's
launch roster deliver on so many levels. The pre-fight animations and throwbacks
on the Versus Screen alone is captivating enough to remain on the screen for way
longer than intended. In addition to how great characters look and animate on
the Versus Screen, the following character "walk out" animations are simply
stunning. Breathtaking! We've never felt so "close" to these iconic
martial artists and wrestlers. It's like they're walking right by us... shoulder
to shoulder. THIS GAME LOOKS PHENOMENAL.
As a returning player, I had healthy skepticism about the gameplay early on. After grasping
SF6's Drive System and new mechanics, it didn't take
long to intuitively feel the game's "flow". To put it as simple as
possible... the game feels great. The combo system feels great. Returning fan-favorites
perform the type of
combos you'd want and expect them to, and by adding in Drive Rush, you'll be able to
discover new combo routes and ways to inflict damage stylishly. Did I mention
combos are FUN in SF6? They are.
Parrying as a universal mechanic? So glad to have it back! 3rd Strike
is one of my TOP favorite games in the entire series, so this is obvious. Parrying feels
slower, more intentional, and is easier to use in SF6, allowing more players
to enjoy what the mechanic has to offer! (Not to mention, the
vast number of intricate martial arts-inspired Parry animations per character is
simply jaw-dropping!) Parrying in SF6 looks sick and is still very
functional in competitive gameplay, as Parrying will refill your all-important
Drive Gauge. The overall Drive system
mechanics are compelling and promote all levels of players to perform cool and powerful things with
your character.
Everything about SF6
feels "new" and shooting for the stars! It seems like Capcom really
wanted to hit it out of the park this time... and possibly even go for a Grand
Slam a few years from now. After the rocky launch of SFV,
who would've thought Capcom would answer fan criticisms with such a mic drop. However,
I'll be the first to say that SFV taking eSports as seriously as it did
at the
time was a prescient move and 100% set SF6 up for this success. The
customizability, character / online training options, and tutorials in SF6
are next-level impressive and super helpful at improving your game.
Capcom finally giving single players an entertaining and charming solo experience
with World Tour was a long time coming. Interestingly, the rewards you receive
in the World Tour 1-player experience will follow you to the Battle Hub social
environment. This is great game design. You get to play the game at your
own pace! On that note, all fighting games should be experienced at your
own pace... not someone else's. I'm loving SF6 so far, for way too many reasons. I'm not as
serious a competitor as I used to be and don't travel to tournaments anymore, but that's okay... and that's
the point! There are certain things about Street Fighter 6 that make me
feel like Capcom "made this game for me". And for many reasons, I
could see how other players might say the exact same thing! Capcom really tried to please EVERYONE.
What an effort... and what a delivery.
The competitive scene is only getting started. There's no doubt SF6 will fill arenas with passionate players for
years to come. I'll mostly be watching at home, competing online, and enjoying SF6
music through my headphones. And there's nothing wrong with that! Enjoy the game
how you want to. That's the great thing about SF6. Is this the greatest time ever to be a Street Fighter player?
Yes, my friends... yes it is. Capcom has ushered in a new "Golden
Era" of fighting games. Capcom's brilliant execution in nearly every aspect
has not only raised the bar of production value for fighting
games, but Street Fighter 6 on its own is likely to elevate the entire genre and
fighting game community.
~TFG Webmaster | @Fighters_Gen
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