After spending two days hitting strangers in the world’s first playable version of Street Fighter 6, gamers are sure that this is the game that will bring me back to the series as a casual fighting game player.
This “2023” fighting game is already stunning. It’s reachable. Its battles have a genuine impact. And its methods and in-game gameplay have more apparent implications and learning chances than any Capcom fighter you will ever see.
Gamers got the idea that Capcom still has some fine-tuning because the version we played was quite early, with only four available characters. Damage balancing, recovery windows, and other numerical improvements are already on my mind as areas where the developers will concentrate their work. Players will do their best to convey what they learned about SF6’s many systems, especially the “drive” abilities, which combine the best features from previous games into a soup of “greatest movement hits.” All of these look to be in flux.
But the most important stuff—the delirious fun that drove me to cancel all of your other plans for an in-person Summer Game Fest event to play more Street Fighter 6—is already locked in.
New, Optional “Modern” Controls: Simplified But Effective
Despite being a terrible fighting game player, you could hold your own against my first opponents immediately. Furthermore, the series’ new “modern” control suite wasn’t the differentiator—though you will enjoy it as a most elegant option.
A pictorial representation of the differences between “modern” and “traditional” control styles in Street Fighter 6.
Consider the modern control option (as opposed to the game’s other choice, which is a conventional, six-button “classic” mode) as a means to play SF6 with built-in “macro” button command chains. The most notable distinction is a button dedicated to activating “special” attacks, similar to Smash Bros. and other arena brawlers. Using the joystick, move it in various directions, as reported by arstechnica.
