Fighting games. Why do people like them? This is something I’ve been pondering about for the last few weeks because when it comes to me, it’s not down to being good at the game or having any kind of innate talent other than just mashing the palm of my hand over my controller buttons hoping and praying for a miracle.
No, I think we like fighting games because of the nostalgia these kinds of games conjure. And don’t get me wrong, that’s not my way of saying that the only people who like fighting games are old enough that even just playing Street Fight 6 is enough to result in injury.
There is a sense of nostalgia that people can get for times they weren’t even around for; trust me, I can barely watch an episode of Stranger Things without deeply missing a time in my life when I would sit in my parent’s basement with all my friends, playing Dungeons and Dragons together (something I am more skilled at than Fighting Games, I’ll have you know)… a time that never existed.
But regardless of what people feel drawn to in fighting games, whether it’s the sense of nostalgia, actual tallet or something else, we’ve all gathered here today to talk about a new title that’s entered the ring, Street Fighter 6.
Each time a fighting game comes out, people are unhappy. If the game doesn’t try to mix things up, people are disappointed that the developers didn’t take risks. If the game adds too much new to the recipe, people are troubled that things are changing.
So when Street Fighter 6 came onto the scene, and there was so much new and so much old, I wasn’t sure what would happen. Would fans on both sides of the argument just… implode? Is this the end of the world as we know it, a belated Y2K, or is this, as my grandmother would have me believe, a true and undisputed sign that the end of days is here? I wasn’t sure, and then I was.
Street Fighter 6 is an enjoyable game. Again, I must stress to you reading this just how badly I suck at fighting games and how negatively that paints my entire experience with them. I vividly remember being in my 20s, having more hours of game time to my name than hours slept, and having to entertain my baby cousin.
I did this the only way that made sense: I put on a fighting game, picked the good controller for me, handed the sticky one to my cousin, and then proceeded to lose. Again and again and again.
And if you’re reading this thinking, “Aw! What a good cousin! Loosing so that the little one could feel good!” that was not what was happening. Instead, I was actively trying to beat my little cousin and found myself unable to do so.
So when I picked up Street Fighter 6, I brought with me years of trauma and emotional baggage, only to fall for the game faster than my cousin wiped the streets with me not that many years ago.
Street Fighter 6 comes with an 18-character roster of new and returning fighters who look better than they ever have before but still retain that aged look we associate with younger and more innocent times, bringing us back to the nostalgia.
The game also boasts a Battle Hub that could shame other fighting game online systems. Unlike many other fighting games with an online system, there is more to do in the Battle Hub than just fighting. Players can choose between a rotating selection of classic Capcom games like Final Fight and Street Fighter 2 to play.
Players can also choose to engage in Extreme Battles with party-like rule sets and gimmicks, pit their characters again others in Avatar Battles, or visit an in-game store to purchase more customisable clothes for their avatar with in-game currency.
Now, this might not sound like anything special for other types of games. Still, fighter games are notoriously bare-boned, so having this added option layer feels like a leap into a better future for the entire genre.
Another highlight of Street Fighter 6 is the new characters added to the rotation. While players can create their dream fighter from the ground up, with their character’s performance tied to parts or their appearance, the pre-set characters are also pretty damn great to play around with.
Whether you like playing Brawlers or Grapplers or just looking for an all-around character, Street Fighter 6 has someone to fulfil almost every archetype you want in a fighting game.
But the game comes into its own with me with the addition of the ambitious single-player mode, World Tour. Now don’t get me wrong, there is a lot this mode does wrong (looking at you, weak story), but the punches it does manage to land are all knockouts.
Think of World Tour as an RPG where players create a character and then run around the world of Street Fighter 6 playing them. Players can interact with all the characters included in the game’s roster, choosing to become their disciple and learning their moves; they can grind to level up, visit stores to buy various types of stat-altering gear and have an all-around great time playing throughout challenges, sidequests and enjoying a steadily increasing difficulty over the roughly 25 hours of playtime this mode has to offer.
World Tour is goofy and fun, and while I might not be able to stand up against real players, I had a blast running around and challenging any NPC that dared look at me funny to a duel with my fists. Every now and then, I even won.
On top of this, there is also a series of fun little minigames throughout to help keep the game feeling exciting, even when you’re playing alone. The best part about Street Fighter 6 is that it makes newcomers feel welcome in its streets instead of only catering to experienced players.
The game includes a Modern control scheme that lets players enjoy the game without worrying about character-specific command inputs or combo routes. This means players like me are less likely to start mashing everything they can and can actually employ strategy in the game.
But to keep things fair, the game balances itself by not letting players use the Modern controls to access all the normal moves. Still, being able to perform special moves with just the press of a button is worth losing some moves along the way.
And if the Modern scheme is still too tricky, the game includes a Dynamic control scheme that’s only usable offline but lets players receive some AI assistance, letting the AI choose which attack you do. You just need to trigger it and dodge.
Street Fighter 6 is a fun game worth a spin, even if fighting games aren’t your thing. Who knows, it might surprise you because it sure did me. If this review has you itching to try the game out for yourself, be sure to check out our Tips and Tricks for new players post here.
