The Old New Faces of Street Fighter V

That Capcom is promoting Street Fighter V in a slightly different way compared to previous efforts isn’t much of a secret now, though the well-substantiated rumors surrounding its form of release haven’t been highly publicized. The reboot of Killer Instinct and its release format were successful enough for Microsoft that other publishers are taking inspiration from that, albeit with unique quirks, and Capcom is among them.

It’s understandable, since the enhanced versions of Street Fighter IV didn’t perform anywhere near as well as the original. That, and it feels like Capcom barely wants to make this game, since the company has been able to figure out what they want to be in the last few years. That’s why Sony had to pinch in and contribute some funding and marketing, but they’re also getting an equivalent to their competitor’s main fighter out of it.

The release style is the reason why characters haven’t been revealed as fast as they have for last-generation’s Capcom fighters, but that doesn’t mean they haven’t been fun to watch.

Cammy and Birdie were revealed during E3, both sporting changes in-fitting with SFV’s style and cosmetic modifications. This game is all about lowering execution barriers, explaining why they’ve done away with Cammy’s “Tiger Knee Cannon Strike.” Instead, it can only be executed while she’s well airborne. To balance that out, it can travel a greater distance diagonally. Her V-Skill is the Spin Knuckle, now capable of passing through opponents if executed up close for mix-up opportunities. Her V-Trigger also gives all of her special techniques larger priority movement, but in exchange drains faster compared to other characters. She hasn’t received too many changes, meaning anyone familiar with her style from the SFIV games can jump right into SFV with her.

Meanwhile, her appearance takes cues from character designer Kinu Nishimura’s version from Dreamcast action game Cannon Spike, albeit without the knee pads and roller skates. It’s nice, but anyone hoping they’d finally give her pants will have to cross their fingers for an alternate outfit.

The development team hasn’t had a chance to play with Birdie for a while, since Street Fighter Alpha 3 released in 1999 sixteen years ago. So it’s unsurprising that he’ll play much different in SFV compared to that game. Many of this techniques are similar, but the priorities have been altered to his benefit. His command throws are easier to execute, requiring quarter or half-circle motions instead of 360 degree twirls, but still do big damage. Tournament players at E3 made him look like a force to be reckoned with, but keep in mind the game will still receive balance tuning before its release. This version will likely be intact for the beta, however.

His appearance is mostly similar to his previous iteration, albeit with slightly lighter skin and a beer belly. I’m glad they’re keeping the classic SF-style goofy designs, but anyone hoping for darker skin? Yup, hope for an alt.

The newest character revealed is one of the more unknown fighters in the franchise: Ken Masters.

Okay, he’s actually quite familiar, to the point that people who suspected he wouldn’t be included in the first round planned on boycotting this game until Capcom included him. Ken fans are a serious bunch, as anyone who’s played SFIV online can attest, so they weren’t bluffing. All these years later, Capcom’s developers have been doing their best to make Ken and Ryu more distinct from each other, despite using the same style, and this title will mark their latest shot at it.

He still has a basic fireball, the flaming Dragon Punch, and the Hurricane Kick similar to previous games (could you imagine the reaction if he didn’t), but he also has an EX version of the Hurricane Kick that travels diagonally when executed in the air. His V-Skill is a dash that fits Ken’s rushdown style, as his move set allows him to be even more aggressive in SFV.

“Interesting” is the word I’d use to succinctly describe his redesign, because it’s a little wacky. Considering he has to be in his early-to-mid 30s at this point, perhaps the 90s-style surfer dude hairstyle is evidence that poor Ken is going through a midlife crisis. Other aspects of his design are fine, though (unintentional?) comparisons to Ryo Sakazaki haven’t gone unnoticed. They left enough of his old outfit to give everyone a visual cue that he hasn’t changed too much.

Upon looking at the gameplay footage available, mainly from the casual bouts and tournaments from E3 2015, I appreciate how they’re bending over backwards to address every complaint people had with SFIV. For instance, this game will favor going on the offensive rather than overly favoring defense by making all attacks do chip damage — including normal attacks. However, the opponent will recover that damage if they aren’t hit, similar to how they’d recover absorbed damage from a Focus Attack in SFIV. Also, those who had a problem with the execution barrier being so high with link combos will be happy to hear that three frames is the tightest they’ll be here, making them much easier to execute.

Beyond the intense tournament battles that will undoubtedly ensue with a catalog of fighters, keep your eyes peeled for more SFV info during Evo this weekend. This would be a good place to unveil Alex and Urien, assuming this rumor isn’t made up. Also, the beta will be starting next Thursday for those who preordered, which will happen exclusively online. The idea is to test the online play, something I hope they get right for the final version.