“Honestly, it’s just a shame the launch was such a disaster and the game gained the reputation it did,” competitive Street Fighter V player Shivan “Shivryuken” Dass tells GLHF. “In my opinion, Street Fighter V now compared to launch is pretty much unrecognizable. As it is now, the game is genuinely really good.”
Street Fighter V has been through the wringer. At launch, the game was infamously lacking in content, without even a mode to play a standard best-of-three match with a CPU opponent of your choice, let alone an Arcade mode, a fighting game genre staple. The game was made with an online experience in mind, and even that was difficult to enjoy when server stability and netcode just wasn’t up to scratch.
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But several seasons of content, new modes, new music, a story mode, and 30 extra characters have completely changed the game, and although the mood has shifted, those first impressions really do matter.
“Coming from a company with like 30 years experience in making fighting games, you don’t really expect it to be barebones like that,” Marcus “Packz” Parker of Frame Advantage tells us. “But it’s so, so much better right now.”
After a rocky launch and years of updates, Street Fighter V has received its last patch. The final patch was huge, adding new cosmetic options and bonuses, but most importantly, balance changes across the cast that have changed how the game plays.
“It’s always been one of the coolest aspects of fighting games, seeing how well some players can react and turn unexpected situations into a sick combo on the fly,” fighting game commentator James Chen explains. “Street Fighter V was always lacking in this department and while the update hasn’t turned the game into Marvel VS. Capcom or anything, it’s still an improvement over what it was before. It allows players to express themselves more and stand out more.”
Not every player loves the changes, of course. For a high-level player it can be jarring adjusting to a finely balanced game, only to have seemingly everything overturned. “I don’t like the latest update. The best version of the game was the previous patch,” French player Chris “Akainu” Onema explains to us. “Some characters just had to be fixed a little, others nerfed a bit, but they completely changed everything. It’s the last year of SFV and some players have essentially lost their character due to the patch. I feel bad for them.”
GROUP D: REGULAR SEASON
The final Street Fighter V patch opened up combo routes for a lot of characters through juggles – that is, hitting an opponent in the air before they touch the ground, potentially multiple times. Previously most attacks would go straight through an airborne enemy, but now many attacks do land, meaning experience players can keep their combos going longer than ever. The reward for smart play is now higher than ever for a talented player.
For competitive players, the patch brings more than just a few buffs and nerfs. The smallest changes can have a significant impact on the micro-situations that players find themselves multiple times for every second a match continues, and not just for the character you’re playing, but for every other character you could potentially play against. The pressure is on for players to learn everything they can in time to quality for 2022’s Capcom Cup.
“It’s supposedly the ‘last’ Capcom Pro Tour for SFV, so I would like to go all out and see how it goes, as I have been very close to qualifying for Capcom Cup in the past,” Shakil “Shakz” Ghazi tells us as he outlines his plans for the year.
But prize money for fighting game tournaments is notoriously low in comparison to other major esports, and players can’t afford to go full-time in fighting games unless they consistently place well and travel to tournaments. “I have a full-time job so I can’t put as much time as I would like into SFV,” Shakz continues. “I still practice when I can to stay sharp. I’m waiting for Capcom to announce the CPT schedule so I can plan ahead.”
“Living in Europe is really awkward in terms of being a competitive Street Fighter player,” Shivryuken laments. But optimism really is the only cure. “It feels like if you have no sponsorship, your opportunities to qualify for the Capcom Cup are really limited, but I will try my best and hopefully I’ll get lucky along the way!”
Now that Street Fighter V is wrapping up, players are looking to the future. Street Fighter 6 was recently announced with a teaser trailer showcasing an extremely wide, realistic Ryu, and SFV‘s final DLC character, Luke.
“He’s the undisputed best in the game. If you really want to win, you might as well play Luke,” Packz tells us before sharing his Street Fighter 6 wishlist. “It’d be nice if there was a tournament mode with blind picks that allows us to set how many games and round there are, so it feels like a real tournament. In-game esports integration too: if there’s a tournament stream happening, show it in-game.”
“SF6 needs a very diverse roster with some complex characters that encourage specialists,” stresses Benjamin “Problem X” Simon, EVO 2018 and Red Bull Kumite 2021 champion. “Another thing is less of an aggressive comeback mechanic. I think it’s good to have one, but it shouldn’t be something that can turn the entire game around once used.”
“I’d love to see a continued focus on the Pro Tour and something to capitalize on the social element of fighting games,” outlines Gino “Ginodacampo” Christoforou. “That’s really something that no other genre can emulate. Cross-play between platforms, an improved Capcom Fighters Network, and a clear way to learn and grow with the game are high up on my wishlist.”
“Street Fighter has never been a series of legacy mechanics or staying stagnant. I really hope that Street Fighter 6 is a unique property, willing to do its own thing,” James Chen says as he shares his hopes with us. “Do something to make it different to everything else, as Street Fighter has always been!”
But after the pandemic, there’s one feature that every player is wishing for. When asked if he was hoping for netcode improvements, Packz simply replied: “Oh mate. I think that should be at the forefront.”
Written by Dave Aubrey on behalf of GLHF.
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