Today dear readers I want to direct everyone's attention to one of the titles that is working to become something more than a simple chapter of the saga, but which wants at all costs to transform and reinterpret the classic model of fighting games: I will talk about Street Fighter V.
The new title from Capcom, already from the first news and from the first tests, seems to be well equipped and capable of going down in history for having understood and projected the world of fighting games into a new era. But how did it get to this point?
You must know that Yoshinori Ono, through a Tweet two years ago, confessed to the whole world that I have no funds or staff to work on a fifth chapter of the series. Which is contradictory to say the least if we think that at that time fighting games were riding the wave of success of competitive video games par excellence. In this nebulous context of the Street Fighter saga, Sony quickly entered, guaranteeing the producer the maximum commitment to the production of the new Street Fighter V, he will grab the almost exclusivity of the title. This was the first revolution that took place because Street Fighter V is the only fighting game to date to be developed directly for the new generation hardware, in addition to using a Third Party graphics engine such as Unreal Engine 4, first of all to allow cross-platform multiplayer (playing online between different platforms) and above all it will be the first to be dedicated to a specific console, the PlayStation 4. Another innovative aspect was the development of a single player mode that deserves to be played, and indeed without of it would remain dry of characters.
Street Fighter V has what it takes to become the pioneer of the fighting games of the future
The revolution process in my opinion had already begun with the wonderful Street Fighter IV, which began to open up to a new game system, leaving behind that of the three previous editions, and improving with the Super Street Fighter edition that introduced the Focus Attack and Dash Cancel. Same thing happens with the fifth chapter of the saga that points towards the future and tries to defrost the usual game systems, always maintaining the classic features of the series, such as the various super moves, but adding something more such as a new indicator, useful to give more depth to the title.
Will you rightly say, that's all? No dear friends, this is just the tip of the iceberg because if before the game system was based on keeping basic rules the same for all characters, everyone had the same basic rules, with the new Street Fighter V this will no longer be the case. In this new adventure the skills of the various fighters will no longer be equal but each character will have its own balance and its own characterization. In fact, the new V-Skills are unique abilities that can be activated by pressing the two medium attacks simultaneously, with which for example Ryu will be able to activate a special technique that will make him able to absorb the energy of his opponent and his bullets, a bit like what happened in Street Fighter III Third Strike.
The V-Triggers instead play another equally important role, because by pressing the buttons of the strong attacks, the character will enter a state of rage (like an instinct mode of Killer Instinct), with which everyone will have access to skills or upgrades that will be able, if used at the right time, to overturn the result of the match, as well as giving unique traits to the various Critical Art. For example, the Shinku Hadoken, also by Ryu, will have a different animation, with increased damage, turning into an electric Denjin Hadoken, thus differing from the previous chapters.
But not everything has been trashed: for example, the V-Reversal, beloved bar of the Alpha series, has been reinserted, with which in the new Street Fighter V we will be able to counterattack during the parade by spending a bar of the V-Gauge, activating once again unique effects for each character (some will push the opponent away, others will knock him down or stun him, still others will be able to move behind the opponent).
The new scene of the world fighting game competition!
Let's now move on to competitiveness, which for anyone who approaches a fighting game is normal to deal with. Capcom this time has decided not to leave anyone behind, and has worked to close the gap between pro players and beginners. The company wanted to break away from some design constraints, effectively eliminating the combo links, which required such precision as to reach the single frame, thus adding a few more frames. If it seems like a trifle, believe me it is not, because the tolerance of a few more frames makes some characters more accessible even to the less experienced because with a little practice they will be able to create and manage different strategies without necessarily having to be Pro-Players.
Another big difference is the choice taken in increasing the damage inflicted, which will give a much higher pace to the fighting game and will project the players in being always in constant risk of stuning or breaking the guard; the power of the sockets was also increased in the face of a reduced range. The jabs or, as a boxer would say, the quick and quick jab are back in great demand, useful for keeping the opponent at a distance, with the help, among other things, from the fact that, even if parried, these shots will inflict damage to the 'opponent. But this damage will recover over time if you don't take full damage further.
Finally, it should be emphasized that you will no longer be able to die from "Chip Damage", unless you are hit by a successful Critical Art.
A new online structure and more ...
Obviously speaking of competitiveness we could not fail to mention the online, structure that allows the competition to grow and be a very important tool for the longevity of the title. Although the servers had some problems during the Beta, Capcom seems to be betting strongly on the new netcode, with the code name Kagemusha, based on the work of the much appreciated GGPO.
Not a penny more!
A further positive news, as you know by now, is that the single player mode of the new Street Fighter V will be absolutely of the highest order and each character in the game cannot be purchased with real money, but only with the credits that you will unlock in-game. Furthermore, no DLC will be released, as all the material will already be in the game.
Mere Hope or Revolution proper.
At this point I really believe and strongly hope that this new Street Fighter V has what it takes to give, in addition to a good breath of fresh air to the fighting game sector, a refresh to some ways of seeing and thinking of the industry. videogame. Not only are the new generation consoles needed, but also new generation ideas are needed, capable as in this case of scrapping the usual ready-made baby food into something new, into something beautiful and coveted, which makes us finally return to wait with heart in hand the release of the title.
What do you think dear readers? Do you share ideas and hopes? Or do you think everything will be standardized again anyway? Curiously waiting for your impressions!
