Tag: Street Fighter V

What do Street Fighter V professionals think of the game’s final patch?

We spoke to competitive players and commentators to find out what the final verdict is on Street Fighter V, and what to expect from SF6.

“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. 

[mm-video type=video id=01g10yhjhwwxwnhk1zfh playlist_id=none player_id=none image=https://images2.minutemediacdn.com/image/upload/video/thumbnail/mmplus/01g10yhjhwwxwnhk1zfh/01g10yhjhwwxwnhk1zfh-db2eea8845f8379795e4812a55acd813.jpg]

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.” 

ELEAGUE STREET FIGHTER V INVITATIONAL

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.” 

Image: Red Bull Kumite, Las Vegas, 2021.

“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.

[listicle id=1849533]

How Problem X won Red Bull Kumite 2021 amid a pandemic

The UK’s Problem X won one of the first big Street Fighter V events since the pandemic began. Here’s how he stayed sharp and won.

The pandemic has been brutal for the fighting game community. Without competitive real-world events, the FGC had to be moved online, and the players competing at the highest level suffered for it. This meant that every player entering the Red Bull Kumite Las Vegas 2021 had something to prove, and no one proved their point better than the Street Fighter V champion, the UK’s Benjamin “Problem X” Simon. 

Problem X is not one to shy away from the fact that his online performance hasn’t been too impressive. “I have noticeably better results offline,” he tells us. “Even when there was no pandemic, in Capcom Pro Tour online, I’d never usually win, or I wouldn’t even enter.” Though that certainly shouldn’t reflect on his abilities. “It sounds a bit like an excuse for not winning,” he continues. “So I’m glad that I could go offline and just win. It was a good reminder for me, and hopefully, it was a good reminder for everyone else.” 

[mm-video type=video id=01fdt7hmmpkcf3a6cn52 playlist_id=none player_id=none image=https://images2.minutemediacdn.com/image/upload/video/thumbnail/mmplus/01fdt7hmmpkcf3a6cn52/01fdt7hmmpkcf3a6cn52-a4ef6107c9c4f0b34b166fc95471bac3.jpg]

Many competitive players lose their touch when not regularly facing off against some of the best fighters in the world, so Red Bull Kumite this year was a test of how sharp and focused players can be throughout one of the most difficult periods the FGC, and the wider world, have ever seen. But Problem X managed to pull through thanks to practice and research. “To be honest, all we had is online,” he explains. “Just playing online, watching videos. I was lucky enough to have gone to Street Fighter League. That was a good time to have some offline practice.” 

Luckily, the UK’s Street Fighter scene was there to help stay fresh and prepare for Kumite. “Originally Mr. Crimson was on the lineup so I was playing with Broski who is a Dhalsim player, and I was playing with Shivryuken for Laura because I knew iDom was going to be there,” he says. But no amount of preparation can make up for experience. “The rest are matchups I already know in a bit more depth, so I didn’t feel I had to take extra time out to practice.” 

All of that preparation led to a climactic finale against NL, an experienced Korean player. Problem X took the win in the end, but it didn’t always seem that way. Even the commentators expressed some doubt on how likely a comeback was, and when you’re down 0-3 in a first to five, it can be easy to lose hope. But Problem X turned that 0-3 into 5-3, sweeping the rest of the match utterly and convincingly. 

Cammy, NL VS M. Bison (Dictator), Problem X. Red Bull Gaming.

“Generally, I think Cammy’s a bad matchup for M. Bison (Dictator),” Problem X explains. Initially, he tried playing against NL with Alex and E. Honda, characters he quickly switched away from in favor of the Dictator that is practically synonymous with his name in the FGC. “I played a couple of casuals in the back with NL, and those characters seemed to be doing quite well,” he continues. “Obviously, either he had done his homework and came ready, or he wasn’t playing at 100% when we were playing in the back, but I just didn’t feel as comfortable as I expected. So I decided to reset the playing field and go back to my tried and tested.” 

The tried-and-tested method often works best, as the 5-3 scoreboard clearly demonstrated when the dust had settled. “He was a bad matchup but when it comes to winning high-profile events under the highest pressure, it seems to be Dictator that pulls it out for me,” Problem X says. 

After taking down NL and emerging victorious, Problem X still seemed as calm and relaxed as ever. Excited, clearly, but composed and proud. At no point in the match did he look truly taxed, but that doesn’t mean it was easy to accomplish. “It was definitely not an easy fixture at all,” he admits. “I was just in the zone, and I was trying to look at everything that he was doing in each situation before trying to recollect, ‘Okay, he did this before here, so he might do this here now…’ I was just going at 1,000 miles per hour and really zoned into it.”

Problem X after his victory. Red Bull Gaming.

Problem X could be seen closing his eyes between each match, and that’s how he stayed sharp. “You try to answer seven questions in your head that could apply to the next match,” he explains of his internal process. “I’m just trying to stay focused and not miss anything because any decision here could turn a game.” 

Throughout the conversation, Problem X gives the impression of someone who is simultaneously humble and boundlessly confident. He knew he needed to practice his weak points in order to win Red Bull Kumite, but never for a second doubted that he could do it. Now that he’s proved that to the world once again, his sights are set on the next goal. “Hopefully I can ride this momentum,” he says. “If I can qualify and get to the offline Capcom Cup, then I’d be really excited to hopefully get the win there.” The man himself summarized it best when accepting his Kumite prize. “When it comes to offline, man does the ting.” 

Finally, Problem X couldn’t sign off without acknowledging everyone who helped him win. “Shoutouts to Mousesports, my sponsors, and all the supporters,” he says. “Shoutouts to the American and DR crowds, because the crowd was amazing, and all my supporters worldwide.” 

You can follow Red Bull Kumite Las Vegas 2021 champion Problem X on Twitch and Twitter.

Written by Dave Aubrey on behalf of GLHF.

[listicle id=1180074]