Street Fighter 6
Street Fighter 6 was released on Friday in what would become one of the largest releases ever for a fighting game in a very long time. With many critics giving it perfect scores and concurrent players reaching one million, which is absolutely unreal to think about for a fighting game, Street Fighter 6 was always a title that had to try really hard to fail. From the moment I first played the game at EVO, to meeting Director Takayuki Nakayama, I knew that the game would head in a completely different direction. While it’s too early to give a full review as I have much to say, consider this the appetizer to the full course meal.
I’ve been a fighting game fan since I was a kid, a statement I haven’t shied away from echoing on several occasions. What made me such a huge fan was the other options given to me outside of simply beating an opponent until the words “KO” appears on the screen. One of the first games I played that featured an entire fleshed-out campaign was Ehrgeiz. Released in 1999, the console version of Ehrgeiz was best known for its inclusion of Final Fantasy 7 characters as well as a playable Final Fantasy demo among other things.
One of the major draws for me, someone who didn’t even know what a Final Fantasy was from a first fantasy, was the seemingly endless single-player content. There was a robust arcade mode and an expansive mini-ARPG dungeon crawling mode that gave players an incentive to try it out at the very least. Upon completing Quest Mode, Clair, and Koji, the two playable characters, are unlocked as bonus fighters in the main mode.
This was an early example of giving players options within a game’s system. Ehrgeiz was a fun 3D fighter but at times I had enough of the fighting and instead felt like running on the beach with Sephiroth. Quest Mode in Ehrgeiz was an important mode as it didn’t take the core gameplay away from the player, but rather it taught them how to play in a way that doesn’t coddle the player nor frustrate them into giving up.
Street Fighter 6’s World Tour and even it's Battle Hub does a great job of capturing the balance between satisfaction and progression. One of the most extensive critiques I’ve had for Tekken 7 was its lack of things to do outside of the fighting. After I’m done with a (usually tilting) ranked session, I like to unwind with other content that’s not just an extension of what I was already doing. Tekken 6 had a really amazing Scenario Campaign mode that was its own version of a “story mode” as well as visions of Tekken Force mode.
In Tekken 3, Tekken Force and Tekken Ball modes were two mini-games that were a beat-em-up and a “volleyball” inspired game mode respectively. Tekken Tag Tournament included Tekken Bowl, which made bowling fun with characters having unique quirks. Tekken 4 brought back Tekken Force and Tekken 5 not only included a side story featuring Jin titled “Devil Within,” but also arcade-emulated versions of the first three Tekkens plus Starblade.
So when Tekken 7 brought back Tekken Bowl mode, it was a nice gesture but it didn’t come with the game on launch. What we got instead was the most awful watered-down “story mode” I’ve ever played in a fighting game. I’ve honestly forgotten what happened aside from the plot being a fan-fiction fever dream crossing Street Fighter and Tekken. For those who are certain that Akuma may not return to Tekken 8, remember how much they made him an integral part of Tekken 7. Then again, he was really only tied to Kazumi and she’s deceased by the time Tekken 7 concludes.
I’m running on a tangent but this is the point I’m trying to make. Rather than give us a half-baked plot I would have preferred if there were more things to do outside of online matches, treasure battles, and spending three minutes putting on limited costumes. Tekken 7 would eventually have an “Ultimate Tekken Bowl” mode but not only was this DLC, but it was paid DLC. Not only that, there was no real incentive to play the mode except as a quick way to earn in-game currency. Something that was never difficult to obtain, to begin with.
I’m not writing this to rag on Tekken, in fact, I want Tekken 8 to succeed more than anyone as per my original thoughts playing it for the first time at Combo Breaker. Tekken 7 was Bandai Namco’s most successful game and a large part of it was based on community feedback and support. Street Fighter 6 instills the importance of community in the player from the moment they start World Tour mode. Luke teaches them the ropes, sets them free to “hit the Streets,” and is shortly being led by Chun-Li, Kimberly, and many others.
Throughout World Tour, the player meets these larger-than-life characters but they don’t look down on the player or even treat them as a separate entity. They treat them as their equals, some as friends and acquaintances while others are partners who ask for favors. Everything is connected via technology and feels relatable despite still being unsure when the game takes place!
Even in the game’s message, it tells the player not to give up. This is the most dynamic game in the series in a long time and everyone is at the same starting line. Apart from the incredible aesthetic which was years in the making, Street Fighter 6 may just be the newest template for future fighting games to follow.
At least Soul Calibur caught on to the character-creation aspect over fifteen years ago. In fact, I would say the Soul series championed what Street Fighter 6 was aiming for ever since Soul Calibur 3 and it’s a shame that the series never kicked off as it should have. Hopefully, with the white-hot reception from fighting game fans and newbies alike, this sets the tone for a potentially bright future for the FGC.
Street Fighter 6 is now available on PlayStation, Xbox, and Steam.