traditional fighting games tend to be extremely unsatisfying. the genre has been in an embarrassing state for years with most new releases giving you barely any innovative content. then, they try to nickle and dime you for tiny driblets of dlc. i get that the fgc isnt massive that there's no room for smaller games to experiment that much, but the previous entry in this series Street Fighter V had no excuse. i unfortunately chose it as my first traditional fighting game and it just put me off the genre entirely.
seven years have passed since my first experience with SFV, and i have some more experience in the genre. i've played various Guilty Gears and Mortal Kombats and even past Street Fighters, and even learned how to play them on a basic level, but i still couldn't shake the feeling that the genre just is not for me. there's always just so little to do.
Street Fighter 6 not only is one of the first traditional fighting games that ive tried in what feels like forever to include thoughtful side content, but also one of the first to make competition irresistible. the allure of "gitting gud" in this the strongest i've ever felt.
world tour is a joke and i mean that in the most positive way possible. this mode is extremely endearing in how cheap and gimmicky it feels. it's very clear that a lot of this mode is crafted around getting new players familiar with fighting game mechanics in a fun way. everything you do stays rooted in street fighter's core gameplay. i see this mode as an extended tutorial for anyone who is new to the series that was also made to simultaneously draw in people like me who feel fighting games don't offer enough.
battle hub is probably the best lobby system ive encountered in any game. it's clear that a lot of thought and effort went into making this game a pretty positive social space all around. the community been really pleasant, which makes any anger you may feel about their playstyle just disappear. it's a great chill place to spam emotes with fellow character editor monstrosities in-between rounds.
fighting ground is your usual sf business that never had me hooked. pretty much everything in this mode is what sf games in the past had as much of or less than. however, there are some seriously cool things now. the practice mode offers a robust selection of settings that allow you to see whats under the hood of the game. extreme battle adds some overdue party settings to the street fighter formula that i'll be trying whenever i get the chance. arcade is kept short by default, and offers a collection of art as a pretty neat little reward for your efforts. the content in this mode alone is superior in quality compared to anything else ive gotten from the series, and only Street Fighter Alpha 3 MAX can rival it in the quantity of ways to play.
underneath all of these modes are great new mechanics with fantastic cast of characters. drive is much more straightforward than all the stuff they continued piling on Street Fighter V. it's hard to see a future where these mechanics make the meta less exciting, and the present makes it clear that they're fun to use. alongside the new mechanics are my favorite set of newcomers in the series history since Street Fighter II. the designs and personalities are inspired additions to the cast of the series. the returning cast also has some strong picks with seriously neat revamps to their style with the new drive mechanics. it's nice to have a new sf where the initial cast doesn't have that feeling of a crucial character being missing.
at every single point in this review, i was tempted to write "all fighting games should have this." this is the new kingpin of the genre. other competitive games should be taking as much inspiration from as they can.
if you are curious about getting into traditional fighting games for some fun competition, this is the most accessible entry point that there has ever been.
seven years have passed since my first experience with SFV, and i have some more experience in the genre. i've played various Guilty Gears and Mortal Kombats and even past Street Fighters, and even learned how to play them on a basic level, but i still couldn't shake the feeling that the genre just is not for me. there's always just so little to do.
Street Fighter 6 not only is one of the first traditional fighting games that ive tried in what feels like forever to include thoughtful side content, but also one of the first to make competition irresistible. the allure of "gitting gud" in this the strongest i've ever felt.
world tour is a joke and i mean that in the most positive way possible. this mode is extremely endearing in how cheap and gimmicky it feels. it's very clear that a lot of this mode is crafted around getting new players familiar with fighting game mechanics in a fun way. everything you do stays rooted in street fighter's core gameplay. i see this mode as an extended tutorial for anyone who is new to the series that was also made to simultaneously draw in people like me who feel fighting games don't offer enough.
battle hub is probably the best lobby system ive encountered in any game. it's clear that a lot of thought and effort went into making this game a pretty positive social space all around. the community been really pleasant, which makes any anger you may feel about their playstyle just disappear. it's a great chill place to spam emotes with fellow character editor monstrosities in-between rounds.
fighting ground is your usual sf business that never had me hooked. pretty much everything in this mode is what sf games in the past had as much of or less than. however, there are some seriously cool things now. the practice mode offers a robust selection of settings that allow you to see whats under the hood of the game. extreme battle adds some overdue party settings to the street fighter formula that i'll be trying whenever i get the chance. arcade is kept short by default, and offers a collection of art as a pretty neat little reward for your efforts. the content in this mode alone is superior in quality compared to anything else ive gotten from the series, and only Street Fighter Alpha 3 MAX can rival it in the quantity of ways to play.
underneath all of these modes are great new mechanics with fantastic cast of characters. drive is much more straightforward than all the stuff they continued piling on Street Fighter V. it's hard to see a future where these mechanics make the meta less exciting, and the present makes it clear that they're fun to use. alongside the new mechanics are my favorite set of newcomers in the series history since Street Fighter II. the designs and personalities are inspired additions to the cast of the series. the returning cast also has some strong picks with seriously neat revamps to their style with the new drive mechanics. it's nice to have a new sf where the initial cast doesn't have that feeling of a crucial character being missing.
at every single point in this review, i was tempted to write "all fighting games should have this." this is the new kingpin of the genre. other competitive games should be taking as much inspiration from as they can.
if you are curious about getting into traditional fighting games for some fun competition, this is the most accessible entry point that there has ever been.