Summer Game Bang! - Street Fighter 6 New Features & Exciting Details
Hello Mega Dads! I hope all is well! I would love to talk about the recently revealed Street Fighter 6 and all the new features and exciting details. Street fighter of course is a true-classic, and if you can believe it, this long running fighting franchise has been around for 35 years and counting (for many of us that’s pretty much our entire life!)
Did you know?
The Street Fighter arcade game released in 1987. It was the first installment in the series and the very first competitive fighting game produced by Capcom.
Street Fighter franchise introduced many things that would later become commonplace in the fighting genre, including: command-based hidden moves, the blocking technique, and a six-button control scheme (offering light, medium, and hard punches & kicks.)
By 1993, two years after its release, Street Fighter II had generated over $1.5 billion in sales. Two years later, the sales of Street Fighter II and Street Fighter II: Champion Edition had massed over $2.3 billion in gross revenue.
The Street Fighter franchise holds the Guinness World Record for “Most Prolific Fighting Game Series” for its 133 versions of the game as of 2011.
Click the flyer image for a look at the History of Street Fighter from IGN.com
A VIBRANT NEW LOOK
I started my journey with the franchise just recently, beginning with Street Fighter 5. After playing that game for roughly 6 years, finally seeing gameplay of Street Fighter 6 during the latest PlayStation State of Play has breathed new life into my excitement for the series.
It’s clear that visually, Street Fighter 6 is going to be flashy and beautiful. This new entry will be the first built using Capcom’s proprietary RE Engine. The art-style builds off the ink and paint splatter in SF4 and SF5 and super-charges the vibrancy with a graffiti/Hip-Hop theme that was originally introduced in Street Fighter: 3rd Strike
“The world of Street Fighter 6 is all about the street culture. From the graffiti, to the music that beats while you hustle, and to the fight itself. You’ll also experience a new graphical quality that’ll let you really feel the dynamics of your body.”
NEW CHARACTERS & A DEEP ROSTER
As with most fighting games, the introduction of new characters is always a highlight. The reveal trailer shown during the State of Play gave us a look at newcomer Jamie. A flashy character that seems to fit right in with returning iconic characters Ryu and Chun-Li.
According to the official Capcom site, Jaime practices Zui Quan (Chinese drunken fist) fused with breakdancing, which makes for an unpredictable fighting-style. His grounded spin kicks were arguably the most hype moment in the reveal trailer so I he made a great first impression and I’m looking forward to learning how to beat-down enemies with those fluid attacks.
This self-styled Chinatown peacekeeper aspires to the example set by Yun and Yang, the Twin Dragons. An expert dancer, Jamie places justice and friendship above all else, defending his town with martial skill.
Hates: Getting lectured, arrogance
Likes: Yun, Yang, dancing, his grandmother
Height: 5'9
Weight: 170 lbs
Another character featured in the reveal trailer was the close-quarters MMA style-fighter, Luke. Luke was the last fighter added to the fifth season pass of Street Fighter V: Champion Edition.
A contractor for a PMC, Luke uses his elite military background to teach mixed martial arts. His days off are spent eating junk food, playing video games, and fighting, but make no mistake—Luke plays to win.
Hates: Horror games
Likes: Travelling, PC games, wacky T-shirts
Height: 6'1
Weight: 198 lbs
The prospect of another deep roster with new faces is very exciting. For context, Street Fighter 5 featured 16 characters at launch (4 of which were new to the series) and added 30 more via the subsequent Arcade and Champion releases & season-pass DLC.
We can’t wait to see all the inevitable new challengers. If you don’t mind spoiling it for yourself, there have already been leaked images of 22 characters that will be part of the Street Fighter 6 roster (the leaked images have now been officially acknowledged, though not fully ‘confirmed’).
NEW MODES
The most unique of the three main modes we were shown in the reveal trailer was the brand new World Tour single-player story mode. We saw a character (possibly Luke, but who knows we might be able to create our own custom character) roaming a large and bustling Metro City.
Surprisingly, the environments we saw were fairly populated with pedestrians (and potential combatants?) strewn around the city streets. We assume you’ll be approaching and challenging opponents before switching to traditionally 2-D view but there is so much we don’t know. Could it be that you can beat-up on any average joe minding his own business? We’ll have to wait and see.
The brand new World Tour mode! Roaming a bustling Metro City in 3rd person is a new direction for the long-running franchise.
““Powered by Capcom’s proprietary RE Engine, Street Fighter 6 spans three distinct game modes, including Fighting Ground, World Tour and Battle Hub””
NEW CONTROL SCHEME
Can we stop the gatekeeping argument and agree that if new players can be introduced to niche genres (and gaming in general) we would all be better off? Street Fighter 6 is introducing an alternate control scheme to make the game as friendly to newcomers as possible.
The new ‘Modern’ control type let’s you unleash special moves and arts easily. Complex button combinations are definitely a barrier-to-entry for some, so although we might not use it ourselves (and we might not be able to in competitive online-play) we’re glad that the option exists.
“Players who are delving into the world of Street Fighter for the first time, or those who haven’t touched a fighting game in years, can jump right into the fray.”
NEW DRIVE SYSTEM
With a new Street Fighter entry you can expect a new fighting/combo system. Street Fighter IV had the Focus Attack System, Street Fighter 5 introduced a whole slew of gameplay options using the V-Gauge and Street Fighter 6 is yet again giving us a new meter to manage.
You’ll start each match this time around with a Drive Gauge, and you can expend varying amounts of bars to perform all sorts of offensive and defensive actions. Check out a breakdown of all the Drive System Moves via the official StreetFighter.com/6 website. The trick this time around is if you empty this gauge you’re hit with Burnout and you won’t be able to use Drive-related techniques until the gauge is replenished automatically over time.
We are especially excited to unleash the new show-stopping Overdrive Arts (these are the same attacks as EX Special Moves in past games.) Check out a more detailed breakdown of all the Drive System Moves via the official StreetFighter.com/6 website.
“Understanding the system in-depth, including when to be conservative and when to gamble, allows for deep, high-level battles”
With Street Fighter 6 being slated for a release in 2023 I’m left with nothing but good feelings about the franchise. As a fighting game enthusiast I’m excited to spend countless hours learning the inner-workings of all the new and returning characters. And yes, I’m sure I’ll beat my head on my arcade stick and be completely demoralized by my online match performance. Good times. I hope you will all join the hype train with me!