Road Fighter 6 is shaping up prefer it is likely to be one of many biggest ever apologies in gaming historical past – and the world of video video games is one the place lots of builders have needed to make embarrassing admissions that their earlier mission was, y’know, a bit crap. I’ve all the time been a robust supporter of Road Fighter 5, and the truth that it acquired considerably higher over time… however lord is aware of, the distinction between SF5 and SF6 is night time and day.
I’ve already performed Road Fighter 6, after all. However this new sit-down, with a Tokyo Recreation Present construct of the sport, is a barely up to date and totally different construct to the one I spent an hour or so with earlier than. Right here’s what’s new this time round:
- 4 extra playable characters, bringing the full on this model of the sport to eight.
- The newcomers are; Juri of SF4 fame, two SF2 characters in Guile and Ken, and SF6 newcomer Kimberly.
- Two new levels; Tian Hong Yuan (a traditional-looking space most likely in China) and Provider Byron Taylor (Guile’s stage, a army plane provider), bringing the present whole to 4.
- Two new Commentators as introduced at Evo; SF neighborhood legends Steve ‘TastySteve’ Scott and James Chen. They be part of the 2 present commentators.
I need to begin out with what may look like the least consequential piece of this up to date construct – the brand new commentators. And, nicely… I’m impressed? Commentary in video video games is, after all, all the time a little bit of a combined bag. It repeats itself, it turns into stale, and it’s typically the topic of memes (particularly in conventional sports activities video games). However Road Fighter 6 has a canny answer to those ills – and it simply may work.
Particularly, there’s really not only one kind of commentator in SF6, however two. In fact, that is impressed by how event commentary typically actually works; one commentator offers with the ‘play-by-play’, reacting to the moment-to-moment specifics of what’s going on. In the meantime, the ‘shade’ commentator fills in with jokes and perception when the motion isn’t as intense. That is how commentary works in lots of sports activities – and Capcom has purchased it into SF6.
What’s intelligent is that you could have solely considered one of these if you happen to like – or you may mix-and-match the commentators. The one shade commentator revealed proper now’s James Chen, as an example, however you may have Chen pair up with TastySteve, Vicious, and even the Japanese-language commentator Aru, they usually’ll have a simulated back-and-forth over the course of a match. There’s even a setting the place you may have the commentators take the facet of a particular participant, and cheer them on extra explicitly, if you happen to so want.
What’s stunning is how nicely this technique works. It’s tough to understand once you’re really taking part in, as you’re extra centered on the match, however for a short time I set the sport to have two stage 8 CPUs go at it, and simply sat again and listened to the commentary. It actually works! In comparison with the final construct, the addition of the colour commentary provides loads – Chen is recognizably in the identical type he makes use of at actual tournaments, and obsessively peppers in references to the announcers of previous Road Fighter video games, chirping out references to video games like Road Fighter Alpha by hollering “Go for broke!” or “All of it is dependent upon your ability!” initially of rounds. In the meantime, TastySteve’s commentary will get extra particular, referencing issues like spacing, meter utilization, footsies, and the hazard of getting pushed into the nook.
You’ll be able to deal with this considered one of 3 ways, the best way I see it. First, you may flip it off and have the standard Road Fighter expertise. Second, you may deal with it as one thing for the viewers, if you happen to’re taking part in on a stream or with different individuals in the identical room. Lastly, you may really deal with it as a studying assist, the place maintaining an ear out for the commentator’s feedback may clue you in as to one thing you’re doing proper or flawed. It’s a cool system, and I wished to offer it its dues for a second. I look ahead to seeing extra commentators get revealed (I actually hope Yipes is an upcoming shade commentator).
However okay, sufficient about that. What concerning the characters? What about the way it performs? Properly, it’s nonetheless good. Should you don’t know the core mechanics of Road Fighter 6 just like the game-changing Drive System, I recommend you first learn my preliminary hands-on with the sport the place I launched these methods (that is linked on the high of the web page). Just a little extra time with them means I’m a bit of extra intimate with them now, nevertheless.
On a broad stage, I actually do really feel now that the Drive System is an extremely intelligent and stylish answer to lots of the woes of Road Fighter 5’s V-System. There are much less bars to handle, with mainly all the core methods besides Supers now tied into one bar. This takes some getting used to, however on this second hands-on, I used to be lastly bedding in – which meant I used to be controlling my mashy urges extra and depleting my drive gauge much less.
It looks like the power to zone and the back-and-forth within the mid-range on the bottom is collectively and extra thrilling on this sport – extra like Road Fighter 4, actually. And with eight characters to select from (barely over a 3rd of the full forged, if leaks are to be believed), it’s now simpler to see how the system works throughout totally different character archetypes. Although, we’re nonetheless missing a grappler – c’mon Capcom, reveal ‘Gief!.
Guile has all the time been a deliberate-feeling character – type of a tank, what with holding down-back to carry out most of his specials. He feels much more so in SF6. I’m no Guile professional, however he has sluggish however highly effective normals that really feel tough to get in with… however when you’re in, you may then unleash a super-damaging hell in your opponent. That’s my learn on him after a number of rounds, however I am positive he’ll be much more of a monster within the fingers of somebody extra skilled.
Juri was considered one of my secondary mains again in Road Fighter 4, however I actually struggled to get on together with her SF5 iteration, which was all about charging ‘shares’ of her fireballs and a virtually fully totally different move-set. The SF6 iteration of this antihero is kind of just like SF5, however there’s sufficient of her authentic model in there that my curiosity is piqued. She has her dive sit back, which is the most important factor to me. It felt like she had some actually beneficiant hitboxes, however she was additionally the character I naturally ended up abusing the drive gauge with most – slipping into an exhausted state – probably as a result of, as in SF5, lots of her specials really feel a bit of smooth, main me to tear out the EXes extra typically.
Kimberly is a pleasure. A newcomer for SF6, she isn’t fully new on the identical time. This younger girl is an apprentice of Closing Battle protagonist and SF veteran Man, who’s a part of a lineage of characters with a particular combating type that additionally consists of Maki and Zeku. Kimberly demonstrates what’s most enjoyable about SF6 lastly giving us a Road Fighter sequel once more, finally. All the things because the 90s has been a prequel to not less than Road Fighter 3 – however by shifting the timeline on, SF6 can introduce new faces who’re impressed or educated by the older technology. You get that in Kimberly.
Should you’ve performed Man, a lot of Kimberly will really feel vaguely acquainted… nevertheless it’ll even be wildly totally different. She’s tricksy, with traps she will lay within the type of exploding spray paint cans. Teleports aren’t in a puff of ninja smoke, however in a thick cloud of spray paint. Her animations are stuffed with vitality and angle – and although she borrows a few of her grasp’s strikes, she’s positively very a lot her personal character.
She’s additionally simply rattling good enjoyable. As a pal put it, she’s “all buttons, no mind”. Which, after all, is a reductive manner to consider it (there’s cautious thought concerned), nevertheless it demonstrates how she’s an in-your-face, aggressive rush-down kind character. She’s a pleasure to play, and I can’t wait to see her within the fingers of higher gamers than me.
Lastly, final however not least, there’s Mr. Ken Masters, hotly anticipated as a result of leaked idea artwork noticed him wearing a manner that had followers nickname him “hobo Ken”. I’m nonetheless undecided what occurred to him story smart – if Eliza actually did take the children or if one thing else is occurring – nevertheless it appears this new future hasn’t been 100% variety to Ken, leaving him barely extra ragged and tough and prepared than the preened, Beneath Armor sporting multi-millionaire Ken we acquired in Road Fighter 5.
No matter adjustments his character has been via, Ken is by and huge the identical character he’s been in earlier video games. I suppose it is a character design that you just don’t mess with, as individuals know precisely what he performs like and revel in that familiarity. Ken has a few new kick-based strikes, together with the Jinrai Kick, a transfer that chains into a number of different buttons like a goal combo and resembles considered one of his supers (Shippu Jinraikyaku) from a few of the versus video games, however past that he feels fairly acquainted.
Ken’s additionally a terrific poster-child for the visible glow-up this sequence has acquired, although. The faces on this sport, particularly, are great; nearly just like the group took the battering Capcom acquired for the state of Ken’s face and hair in SF5 to coronary heart. Road Fighter 6 has a colourful pop and a pleasant angle, nevertheless it additionally has a extra lifelike, grounded type than the final two 3D SF video games. It threads the needle – and I can’t wait to see extra of my favorites rendered on this type.
So, sure – unsurprisingly, a brand new construct of Road Fighter 6 with extra stuff in it slaps. It’s actually good. It stays my most-anticipated sport of 2023; and I can’t wait to see who’s subsequent. Fingers crossed I get to see my major, Cammy, quickly sufficient…
For extra Road Fighter 6 information, try our items on our first impression of Road Fighter 6, or examine why the sport that includes much-requested rollback netcode is so vital.