I can understand why this game initially drew so much ire, but as someone who's been playing for a good few months after jumping onto the final version, Street Fighter V is a very fun time, although there are still quite a few issues.
The first one is single player. I don't play fighting games for singleplayer, but even still what's here is doodoo. The story mode is infamously poor, and that's basically all there is other than just basic arcade modes.
Presentation can be somewhat of a mixed bag. Most of the characters look good in this game's style, although some really don't. One major problem is how this game doesn't feel like it pushes much of anything forwards. Ryu has the same theme and design he's always had, and many legacy characters are in a similar spot. However, many later characters get a much better treatment as development really improved. The music is good, but a lot of the themes are just remixes of pre-existing themes.
Gameplay is quite fun, although defensive options feel a bit difficult to use effectively. Keep in mind I'm barely a gold player so I'm no expert, but I find that the game favors offensive play and feels a bit limiting. Another issue I take is how the V-system works. A lot of the moves are fun to use, but for most characters the V-system is what lets you do the coolest stuff that character can do. As an Ed main, his V-trigger is a really fun ability that allows for crazy combo setups and mixups, but I can only use it if I've been hit enough. It's a limiter that rewards you for actively not winning.
The other thing is a lack of good tutorials. There's a lot of interesting stuff to this game that I could really only learn through external sources. It was through them that I truly began to like this game a lot, so it's a shame that you have to dig around elsewhere to really learn how it works.
Now that sounded like a lot of complaining, but I do really enjoy this game. I'm able to very frequently get fights, and constantly learn new techniques or ways my opponent will throw me off, more than 60 hours deep.
Playing this game a lot just makes me more and more excited for sf6, which looks to solve all the problems this game had and more, although I would still recommend playing SFV if you want to warm up before 6. It's a very fun time, even with it's issues.
The first one is single player. I don't play fighting games for singleplayer, but even still what's here is doodoo. The story mode is infamously poor, and that's basically all there is other than just basic arcade modes.
Presentation can be somewhat of a mixed bag. Most of the characters look good in this game's style, although some really don't. One major problem is how this game doesn't feel like it pushes much of anything forwards. Ryu has the same theme and design he's always had, and many legacy characters are in a similar spot. However, many later characters get a much better treatment as development really improved. The music is good, but a lot of the themes are just remixes of pre-existing themes.
Gameplay is quite fun, although defensive options feel a bit difficult to use effectively. Keep in mind I'm barely a gold player so I'm no expert, but I find that the game favors offensive play and feels a bit limiting. Another issue I take is how the V-system works. A lot of the moves are fun to use, but for most characters the V-system is what lets you do the coolest stuff that character can do. As an Ed main, his V-trigger is a really fun ability that allows for crazy combo setups and mixups, but I can only use it if I've been hit enough. It's a limiter that rewards you for actively not winning.
The other thing is a lack of good tutorials. There's a lot of interesting stuff to this game that I could really only learn through external sources. It was through them that I truly began to like this game a lot, so it's a shame that you have to dig around elsewhere to really learn how it works.
Now that sounded like a lot of complaining, but I do really enjoy this game. I'm able to very frequently get fights, and constantly learn new techniques or ways my opponent will throw me off, more than 60 hours deep.
Playing this game a lot just makes me more and more excited for sf6, which looks to solve all the problems this game had and more, although I would still recommend playing SFV if you want to warm up before 6. It's a very fun time, even with it's issues.