Street Fighter 6, we tried Ken and the other TGS 2022 characters
Street Fighter 6
The fact that the only unanimous criticism of Street Fighter 6 concerns the design of the logo is indicative: Capcom, so far, is not doing one wrong, and since the game has been unveiled, every new news, trailer and announcement only does that. stir up and intrigue fans of his historic fighting series. It wasn't like that before Street Fighter 5, certainly it wasn't before the release of the fourth chapter and, perhaps for the first time in many years, we are facing a Street Fighter that from the launch can excite everyone, from the lover of challenges. competitive to the more casual user who mainly plays alone.For the Tokyo Game Show 2022, Capcom has however surpassed itself, presenting an unexpectedly high number of information and news, showing new characters, different game modes and bringing to the fair a new demo that allowed us to try out new scenarios and fighters with our own hands compared to the version of the Summer Game Fest: above all, a Ken Masters in great shape.
We tried Street Fighter 6 at TGS 2022, here's what we found out.
Ken Masters
Ken Masters. Goodbye banana hair: Street Fighter 6's design is a marked improvement Before its announcement, there was a lot of curiosity to find out what Ken would look like in Street Fighter 6. A little because of his unkempt appearance of him (leaked long ago in a leak), a little because over the years he has stopped being a simple clone of Ryu, finding an explosive and full of grit set of moves.In Street Fighter 6, Ken perfectly embodies the philosophy adopted by Capcom for the new game: the move set does not represent a revolution compared to the past, but rather takes all the best that has been done over the years with the character, combining attacks, skills, combinations and special techniques seen in the old chapters, and also adding some new moves.
Ken's moveset focuses on the use of kicks At the base, the Ken from Street Fighter 6 still has his classic shoto character park: hadouken, shoryuken and tatsumaki are still there. Yet the race seen in Street Fighter 5 is powerful again, which can be canceled at any time to become the fuse of devastating combos. Many of Ken's normal attacks, if performed after a run, then gain unique properties or become more powerful (such as the shoryuken and tatsu, which activate in inflamed versions and cover more distance). Inspired by the Ken from Super Street Fighter 2 Turbo, Capcom has then taken back the emphasis on kicks, with so many variations and combinations that the character is as spectacular to look at as it is dangerous in the corner.
The result is a fighter who looks familiar, sure, but who at the same time has never been so versatile and unique. For Ken, the same goes for Ryu and the other characters at the Summer Game Fest: having so many tools at their disposal will allow players to play with a very personal style, with the result that the matches will be even more unpredictable and interesting to watch.
Ken's tatsumaki has additional properties in Street Fighter 6, executed following a snapshot. In this regard, the work done with Ken's Super Art is remarkable: his special attacks have powerful and pyrotechnic animations, in particular the kinematics that starts with his Shinryu Reppa gives a feeling of power rarely seen with the Critical Art of the old chapters. The design of the costume is certainly interesting, but as always there will be those who will appreciate it and those who prefer to play with their classic red gi. Story mode still promises to reveal the background behind this strange wardrobe change, and why - in the trailer - he started working and hiding his identity.
Guile, Juri and Kimberly
In Street Fighter 6, Guile's V-Trigger has become a special move Although the spotlight of TGS 2022 was on Ken, the Street Fighter 6 demo gave the opportunity to spend some time with the other characters announced in recent months. Similarly to Ken, Guile also returns with a set of moves that draws heavily on old Street Fighters: Street Fighter 5's V-Triggers are now part of his arsenal in the form of special moves, but in general he has returned to being a much less aggressive and more defense focused fighter, a great zoner capable of pushing the opponent into the corner quickly.With Juri, Capcom has clearly worked to give the taekwondo wrestler a personality burst : much more jaunty, feline and annoying, she has a much more stylish costume, a psychopathic look and a character that has already conquered the fans. There are those who will try it even just for the look, but in terms of the game Juri is a hybrid between his version in Street Fighter 4 and the one seen in Street Fighter 5, with excellent anti-air and a large number of combinations that can start from Drive Rush and keep the opponent in midair.
Kimberly is an explosion of colors she is however the new entry, Kimberly, who has conquered the scene: lively and explosive, she makes you smile in the way she jumps to the rhythm and never manages to stay still . The spray cans and Walkman she carries around give this budding ninja a very different look from the usual Guy and Zeku, and her repertoire of moves also makes her quite unique: her cans (she has two at the start of the round ) replace the classic bombs, they can be thrown to the ground and detonated to control spaces or lead the opponent into a trap.
Many of her attacks are aimed precisely at reducing distances and we imagine they will be used above all in combination with the cans and her surprise attack that throws her forward. If the other unreleased characters have even half of Kimberly's character and creativity, then one of the richest and most interesting rosters seen at the launch of a new Street Fighter awaits us.
Blanka, Honda and Dhalsim
Blanka's repertoire expands with Blanka-chan dolls that can be electrified Speaking of characters, even if they weren't featured in the Tokyo Game Show demo, Capcom has revealed some more details about Blanka, Honda and Dhalsim, sparking discussions and theories among fans on what to expect. If Honda appears to be the slightly more conservative of the three, Blanka takes even more of a character-troll drift, with the ability to throw and electrify Blanka-chan dolls. Instead, it is Dhalsim that worries most of all, since the videos shown so far give the impression of a character with too many aces up his sleeve and moves capable of both giving him total control of the spaces, and deceiving the opponent in a thousand different ways.Street Fighter 5 was criticized for the lack of content at launch, and so Capcom took note that the new chapter represents a real binge. "Do you want single player content? We will give it to you", seems to shout the trailer in which the company has shown in more detail the World Tour option, in which to create your own character and go around the world and challenge other fighters. You have to train at the gyms, complete a series of challenges, and learn new techniques that can be used both in combat and to help you while exploring the map: in the movie you can see how a tatsumaki is used to pass in mid-air from roof to roof. The credits earned then allow you to buy clothes and accessories in the various stores, while it is possible to enter some arcades to play old glories such as Street Fighter 2 Turbo and Final Fight.
Your avatar editor has a large number of aesthetic options As if that weren't enough, Extreme Battle mode has been announced, in which you can add unpredictable variables and handicaps to normal online fights. The trailer showed spheres exploding after a certain number of seconds, electrified panels and raging bulls suddenly crossing the arena overwhelming the two challengers. The icing on the cake is the announcement of a closed beta to allow you to try the game between October 7th and 10th.
With each new presentation, Street Fighter 6 is richer and more interesting. If the first appointment at the Summer Game Fest left positively impressed on the direction that the gameplay and the pace of the game took, TGS 2022 reassured those who feared that the new Capcom game would repeat the mistake of the previous episode, that is to exit at launch with a limited amount of content. Both online and in single-player there is really a lot of meat on the fire and the care shown for the roster of characters only increases expectations about this new Street Fighter. Capcom will have to ensure the game a solid netcode and a balanced and non-frustrating progression system. Once this is done, we promise not to complain about that ugly logo anymore.
