i've always really liked tekken's movement and neutral systems. i like that the characters have a lot of nuanced options/moves, and that the game rewards the time and knowledge you apply to it. but the heat system really emphasizes some big problems with tekken's roster, with too many characters having esoteric knowledge checks and guessing scenarios that become completely overwhelming if you don't study the matchup. this difficulty can be as fun as it is monumentally frustrating. it doesn't help that the online ranked community is full of toxic lowlives who employ the most dishonest possible strategies they can get their grubby hands on, and either one-and-done you or plug when their strategy isn't working.

i think the game's very enjoyable overall, especially with its improved online infrastructure, but it definitely needs balancing. more counterplay needs to be added to heat systems and the top tiers' craziest moves.
also, please give asuka her backdash back :(

sf6 is still pretty cool—but the more time passes, the more i feel it has core design issues that desperately need to change. i continue to believe that it could become a vastly more interesting game and among the greatest fighting games of all time with a good few tweaks to its mechanics—until then, however, it suffers far too heavily from linear, flowcharty gameplay that discourages creativity and heavily rewards only a single playstyle.

the problem with meter systems in fighting games is that there is generally going to be a specific optimal way to use that meter; and the more pronounced/important said meter system is to winning, the more linear the game tends to become. when meter is the entire game, at some point it feels less like a fighting game and more like a resource management simulator (and not a particularly interesting one, either). this is also one of the many criticisms i have with guilty gear as a series, and why i feel like it doesn't maintain the depth and lasting power of its colleagues.

another big issue with this game is the roster, which is comprised of a majority of characters that are designed to force highly linear and uninteresting RPS scenarios. throw loops aren't the end of the world, especially if they eventually become more resource-dependent in future patches, but they still feel like an addition that doesn't care for the player's time investment, as too much of your time spent with the game is wasted on very shallow guesswork. i do still think the game (usually) does a good job of rewarding the more skilled player—it's far more an issue of fun and gamefeel than it is of balance. the way it stands, this game has some of the least fun offense to execute of any fighting game i've played.

i still have to commend this game for kickstarting the new generation of fighting game communities and infrastructures—the netcode and overall QoL is incredible—but as it stands i seriously would rather just play any other fighting game over this (except gear). i can only hope the patches address my issues, and also that some classic/beloved street fighter characters return that aren't gimmicky messes. rashid and ed are both great DLC additions, but aki and ed feel a bit undertuned—perhaps the game's power level will scale down to theirs over time.

kof still stands as one of the few fighting game series that are actually made for the fanbase rather than appealing to outside audiences. make of that what you will—it of course makes the games markedly niche—but for those it appeals to, it feels second to none. probably my favourite thing about kof is its roster of characters that are each their own take on a versatile, refined shoto playstyle rather than half of the cast being primarily shallow, overpowering gimmicks (something sf is really struggling with lately).

the big 3 might include MK for some—but for people like me who are passionate about 2D fighting game design, KOF has to take its place. if only it managed to reach the popularity of others, because i really think KOF15 is a great competitive game that has maybe the least design frustrations of any modern fighting game. fun movement, offense and neutral; all with very few knowledge checks or unintuitive, overwhelming, or flowcharty mechanics.