Street Fighter V is one of the most anticipated games of the year, but now that it has finally hit the shelves and landed on the PC and PS4, what do the gamers think about it?
To start things off, Yoshinori Ono and the other team members behind the action-packed title took things up a notch with a wide range of characters and new mechanics such as the V-System. With these aspects in tow, the game is easily expected to be a huge hit in the gaming industry – that is, when all the wrinkles have been ironed out.
Online Kinks
Capcom released Street Fighter V with little or no single-player content, where the cinematic story mode is scheduled for a June release and the combo challenges plus spectator mode have yet to go official in March.
Basically, the initial launch of the game is focused more on the online side of things. Of course, that meant that the servers should be in tiptop shape to accommodate the number of players who are itching to play. Sadly, that isn't the case.
"When I was able to fight online – connections have been sporadic – the majority of my matches felt smooth and responsive, but not all. Street Fighter V has so little single-player content at launch that the efficacy of its online components is paramount," Peter Brown of GameSpot says.
PC Frame Rate Lock
One big problem with Street Fighter V on the PC is that the gameplay is locked to the frame rate. Digital Foundry discovered the issue using a GTX 750 Ti with 2 GB of VRAM, reaching only 30 fps.
"Instead of running the game at normal clock speed, an underpowered computer – or an adequate one pushed too far settings-wise – will display all frames of animation, no matter how long it takes your computer to render them. Thus, if your PC would normally run the game at a locked 30 frames a second, SFV's current build will instead force the game to run at half speed, and if you're not quite up to the full 60 frames-per-second standard, slowdown will appear whenever your system needs more than 16.6 milliseconds to draw any frames," Sam Machkovech of Ars Technica writes.
Fortunately, this isn't present on multiplayer mode and the PS4 version.
New Characters
Now that the negatives are out of the way, let's take a look at the positives, particularly the new cast. To keep things short, the new fighters who joined the roster are welcomed additions, and they add whole new ways to keep the heat of the matches running high.
"The new kids on the block are all a joy to use as well. Shadaloo lieutenant F.A.N.G is all about flamboyance and a flustering keepaway game ... Necalli is just a savage, bullying opponents with heavy block-stun inducing punches and foot-stomps. With the ability to close gaps rapidly, and augment his myriad mobility options with the power of wind, Rashid can play balls-out like a nut, but he has some great pokes and a rounded toolset that allow him to play safe and solid if his gimmicks stop working out," IGN's Vince Ingenito says.
V-System
To match the impressive new ensemble is the V-System. It introduces the new V-Gauge along with V-Skills, V-Reversals and V-Triggers, making Street Fighter V one heck of a competitive game.
"The game's new V-System adds a host of new gameplay elements. These can be used to break out of a tight spot, with V-Reversals offering the chance to counterattack, or improve your chances with a V-Trigger – character-specific boosts that give players an advantage. For example, Ryu's V-Trigger electrifies his special moves and increases how stunned his opponents become following an attack. There are also character-specific V-Skills. To use the series' most iconic fighter as an example again, Ryu's allows him to absorb hits with a parry. These elements are just a few of the small tweaks developers Capcom has brought to the table," Sayem Ahmed of International Business Times remarks.
Boiling Things Down
As mentioned earlier, Street Fighter V doesn't show much love for single-player gameplay, but it sure does deliver well in the other departments.
"Street Fighter V features one of the most diverse and balanced casts I've ever seen in a fighting game and an online infrastructure design that seems poised to take the genre forward competitively. But as was quoted earlier, it's basically unfinished. So, what do you want from SFV? If you want local and online VS, it's the best in class," Alex Donaldson of VG247 says.
When Capcom resolves all the issues and rolls out every mode and feature, Street Fighter V will no doubt be among the best games for many years to come.
