5 Things I Like About Street Fighter V!!

It goes without saying, E3 was an amazing week of surprises but what really kept my attention for the remainder of the event was the hands on game play that I witnessed for the upcoming current gen brawler Street Fighter V.

It was apparent that no other fighting game dare show their faces at the E3 convention center on opening day! Despite being eager to see what other developers had to offer on the fighting game front, the message was clear, big daddy was in the house.

With 3 days of Street Fighter V exhibitions that showcased some of the worlds best players discovering what the latest saga in the Street Fighter series had to offer, I came away with an amazing appreciation for what looks to be a game that I will be spending a great deal of time with between this and next year.

So, what exactly has me so excited about this title that I’m already giving it praises before I’ve even had a chance to get my hands on the game?! Well…let me count the ways.

1. A Stun Bar

Sounds crazy, I know, but for the first time in my fighting game experience, I’ll have a bar that represents just how much damage me and my opponent are receiving before we go into the dreaded stun state and I can’t help but be some what elated at having this feature available.

Having such a small feature is going to be a big deal when it comes to monitoring the amount of stun you receive and create against the different move sets.

It adds a nice element of urgency as you’ll need to manage much more then your meter and energy bar to avoid losing a match and it’s something I look forward to experiencing myself when I can finally play the game.

2. The Current Gen Graphics

While both Killer Instinct and Mortal Kombat have exhibited some amazing feats in character detail, Street Fighter 5 seems to have delivered on what I’ve been waiting to see in video games since I first witnessed the amazing photo realism of CG many years ago.

Watching the game play beautifully rendered in real time is a sight to behold and for the first time in a long time, I finally felt like we have reached the level of realism that was expected back when the Playstation 3 and Xbox 360 first made their way into gaming house holds.

Animations have a feeling of fullness even for the light attacks. Moves despite looking a bit sluggish, have a realistic weight to them. It may take some getting used to coming from Street Fighter IV but I’m very pleased with what the developers have managed to create using the Unreal Engine 4.

3. Smaller Combos, Bigger Damage!

The barrier for entry is looking a lot more promising for this version of Street Fighter V. On several occasions, I watched a few hits convert into some hefty damage something that was pretty difficult to do in the previous version of SF.

Gone is the Ultra mechanic that was thought to be an unnecessary comeback factor by many within the SF community. If you want to take back a round, you’re going to have to make some good decisions and execute your best combos to create big damage.

4. It’s A Little More Stylish

SFV is definitely experimenting a great deal with the combat engine. Veteran characters such as Ryu have been given a nice target combo(command combo) adding a little more flare to his basic fighting style one I felt was greatly needed in his latest incarnation.

Looking at just how much the new M. Bison has changed, tells me that this direction is something that many fans and new comers can look forward to and choosing a favorite is going to be more of a task than ever before.

5. V-Skills For Vendetta

The latest mechanic offers so much more when it comes to character variety. Ryu’s ability to parry and increase his damage output, returning Street Fighter Alpha character Birdie’s ability to eat food to increase his V-gauge as well as gain guard breaking attacks, these additions give Street Fighter V its’ much needed identity and I’m curious to see what developers have in store for the rest of the incoming cast.

So there you have it, five things I like about Street Fighter V. There is no doubting the series that brought many of us back to what we loved about fighting games has returned again to make a statement and so far it’s a good sign that the godfather of fighting games is here to stay.