Street Fighter V - Capcom Esport

Street Fighter V is coming, and with so much interest in Street Fighter as an eSport, it couldn’t come at a better time. We’ve already been introduced to the core gameplay mechanics; many things have changed since USF4, and Capcom has wiped the slate clean for a fresh start. We know who the first nine characters are, with many returning from previous Street Fighters and one being an all-new addition. But there’s plenty we don’t know yet as Capcom continues to tweak the game based on the small glimpses we’ve been given through tradeshows and beta access.

As we prepare for an eventual shift from competitive Ultra Street Fighter IV, here’s what the pros and personalities in the fighting game community would like to see in Street Fighter V.

              

Ho Kun Xian – Evo 2013 Champion

“I’d like to see a character with more in-depth complicated options,” Xian said.

Xian was impressed with the design of the V-Trigger properties, but is concerned about defense in a game that no longer gives players the ability to focus to absorb hits, or back dashes with invincibility.

Of course, Gen would be an ideal choice as an addition to Street Fighter V’s roster if Xian had his say, but he would be willing to take up a character with a high learning curve.

“Gen has a lot of different moves, stances, buttons, and many different ways to play,” Xian said. “There’s more creativity and you can grow with the character.”

At this stage in its development, we’re seeing new takes on traditional Street Fighter characters. Vega does have different styles that can be toggled, but he may not be as difficult a character to master as Gen was in Ultra Street Fighter IV given the desire to make Street Fighter V more accessible to players.

                  

David “Ultradavid” Graham – FGC Commentator

“It feels like you’re constantly involved,” Ultradavid said.

Ultradavid didn’t have high or low expectations for Street Fighter V so while it did meet his expectations, he did find the game's lack of downtime appealing. Long combos, Ultra animations, and escape mechanisms in Ultra Street Fighter IV can take the game out of the players’ hands at times, forcing them to sit and wait for extended periods of time. Street Fighter V keeps it simpler, with short combos and higher damage output. These things are under a constant state of modification as Capcom gets feedback through playtests, but ultimately it appears we’re in for matches that keep the players engaged.

One concern Ultradavid has with Street Fighter V is a lack of characters with more traditional zoning playstyles. It’s hard to guess at how this may shake out without knowing which characters are left to be introduced in Street Fighter V.

“I’m having trouble seeing how a zoning character could fit in that kind of game,” he said. “There have been strong zoners in the past. That’s my one concern and I’m not sure it’s real.”

“What I liked the most about what I played was what was missing from Street Fighter V, which is everything I hate about Street Fighter IV,” Gootecks said.

Unlike Xian, who would like to have the options of focus attacks and back dash invincibility, Gootecks wasn’t a fan and he’s happy to see them gone. But more importantly, he feels the game feels fresh again. After nine years of Street Fighter IV, one can understand the idea of the game getting stale despite its different upgrades and versions over the years.

“It’s a new Street Fighter which is always an exciting time in every fighting game player’s life,” Gootecks said. “It’s refreshing because it’s familiar but totally different. The damage output makes it so you can make fewer mistakes.”

“The biggest change competitively is that everyone gets a fresh start. When Street Fighter IV first came out, it was a different time, as the game matured different players came out of nowhere. It will be interesting to see the way that progresses with Street Fighter V and a different landscape.”

                     

One of our design pillars was to make Street Fighter V to be very intuitive,” Combofiend said.

Capcom’s goal was to make everything about Street Fighter V feel deliberate. That means stripping out some of the aspects of Street Fighter IV that weren’t as intuitive to the average player. Removing or changing the system wholesale doesn’t make Street Fighter V any less difficult to play. V-Triggers simplify a player’s ability to access special attributes or attacks, but utilizing the V-Triggers requires an advanced comprehension.

“The thing about fighting games, which is beautiful, is the community is always helping the game and the tech in the game grow,” Combofiend said.

“We have this initial design vision for the game, once we get it into the hands of the players, who knows what they can come up with? Once they figure out new things, they expand on the meta and depth of the game.”

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