2023 video game
2023 video game
Street Fighter 6[a][b] is a 2023 fighting game developed and published by Capcom. Announced in February 2022, it is the seventh main entry in the Street Fighter franchise, and was released for PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Windows and Xbox Series X/S on June 2, 2023, while an arcade version, named Street Fighter 6 Type Arcade, was published by Taito for Japanese arcade cabinets on December 14, 2023. Additionally, a prequel comic book series was unveiled in September 2022.
Developed on the RE Engine, Street Fighter 6 supports cross-platform play and rollback netcode. It offers three overarching game modes and three control options. The game also features a real-time commentary system, providing a tournament-style feel and the option to cheer on the player.
Street Fighter 6 received critical acclaim and sold over 3 million units by January 2024.
Gameplay
Street Fighter 6 features three overarching game modes: Fighting Ground, World Tour, and Battle Hub.[1] Fighting Ground contains local and online versus battles as well as training and arcade modes, all featuring similar 2D fighting gameplay to the previous games in the series, in which two fighters use a variety of attacks and special abilities to knock out their opponent. World Tour is a single-player story mode featuring a customizable player avatar exploring 3D environments, such as Final Fight's Metro City and the small, fictional South Asian nation of Nayshall, with action-adventure gameplay. Battle Hub acts as an online lobby mode, using customizable player avatars from the World Tour mode (the first fighting game to implement similar online features was Tecmo's Dead or Alive 4). In the Battle Hub, players can compete in ranked or casual matches, battle using their created avatars, using the skills learned in World Tour mode, participate in special events, or play emulated Capcom arcade titles, using the same emulation technology used in the Capcom Arcade Stadium series, among other features.[1]
The main fighting gameplay of Street Fighter 6 is based around the Drive Gauge, a system designed to encourage player creativity. The gauge can be used for five different techniques, requiring players to choose which to prioritize. Most of the Drive Gauge's mechanics are based on previously existing mechanics from previous Street Fighter mainline games, such as Parry, Focus Attack, EX move, etc.[1] The game features three control types: the "classic" control scheme, which is a six-button layout that functions similarly to previous games in the series; the "modern" control scheme, which is a simplified four-button layout that assigns special moves to a single button combined with a directional input;[1] and the offline-only "dynamic" control scheme, in which the player need only press a single button for the game's AI to select an appropriate attack for that button press.
The use of multiple super combos returns from the Street Fighter Alpha sub-series, also counting the Ultra Combo W variant from Ultra Street Fighter IV. However, each character only has three super combos based on their respective level gauge. For example, Ryu's Shinku Hadoken, Shin Hashogeki and Shin Shoryuken can only be used at Level 1, 2 and 3 respectively. When a player is low on health, their Level 3 super move will become a Critical Art, which is more powerful in addition to having an expanded cinematic scene. Certain movesets can only be cancelled to super moves based on how many levels the player has filled, such as EX/Overdrive special moves, which can only be cancelled to higher levels above Level 1, while regular special moves without sacrificing the Drive gauge can only be cancelled to Level 3.[2] An "extreme" battle type is also available for play, allowing players to compete in matches that feature special rules and gimmicks.
A real-time commentary system is a brand new feature in Street Fighter 6, where English and/or Japanese commentators watch the action in real-time, giving it a more tournament-style feel, or allow the option to cheer the player on. Eight different commentators are featured, four for each of the two commentary types: play-by-play commentary and color commentary; players can choose whether to enable color commentary. Aru, Jeremy "Vicious" Lopez,[c] Steve "TastySteve" Scott,[c] and Kosuke Hiraiwa will be the four play-by-play commentators, while Demon Kakka, Thea "Zelina Vega" Trindad,[d] James "jchensor" Chen,[c] and Hikaru Takahashi will be the four color commentators.
Development and release
Capcom posted a "Capcom Countdown" timer on February 14, 2022, with an announcement pending once the clock finished its seven-day countdown.[4] On February 21, 2022, Street Fighter 6 was announced, teasing the return of Ryu and Luke, the latter of whom debuted in Street Fighter V's final downloadable content "season."[5]
Street Fighter 6 marks the first game since Street Fighter IV without the involvement of former Street Fighter producer Yoshinori Ono, who left Capcom in 2020,[6][7] as well as the first entry to appear on an Xbox console since IV as a result of Street Fighter V's PS4 exclusivity.
On June 2, 2022, a gameplay trailer was shown at PlayStation's June State of Play. The trailer announced the World Tour, Battle Hub and Fighting Grounds modes, showed the return of Chun-Li, and introduced two new characters named Jamie and Kimberly.[8] The game was released on June 2, 2023 on PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Windows, and Xbox Series X/S with an in-game commentary feature, a series first.[9] It was developed on the RE Engine,[10] and supports cross-platform play and rollback netcode.[11] The official announcement of the release date took place at The Game Awards 2022.[12]
The first closed beta took place from October 7, 2022 to October 11, 2022, with eight playable characters, and crossplay between Xbox, Steam and PlayStation. The second closed beta occurred between December 16 and December 19. Applications to access the beta version were chosen by lottery.[13] A demo featuring a portion of the game's World Tour mode and Luke and Ryu as the only two playable characters in Fighting Ground was released for PlayStation 4 and PlayStation 5 on April 20, 2023, with a release for other platforms on April 26.[14]
An arcade version was announced on December 9, 2022.[15] Published by Taito for NESiCAxLive-compatible cabinets, it is set for 2023 release in Japan under the title Street Fighter 6 Type Arcade, which only focuses on the "Fighting Ground" mode.[16]
On November 21, 2023, it was announced that all 18 launch characters will each get a third outfit. The third outfits released on December 1, 2023.
Collaborations
On July 2, 2023, a collaboration project with the manga and anime series Spy × Family involving the series' film Code: White was announced. An illustration drawn by Capcom illustrator and designer Chisato Mita featuring Chun-Li and Yor Forger was released with the announcement, which also promised more information would follow at a later date.[17][18][19] On December 4, 2023, Capcom social media released the animated short video of Chun-Li and Yor fighting at Suval'hal Arena. The animation was made by Wit Studio, with Shunsuke Aoki doing key animation and Kyōji Asano working on storyboard and character design. The video also revealed that collaboration items will be released in-game on January 9, 2024.[20][21][22][23][24] On the January 9, 2024, Capcom revealed and released the in-game collab items, which are avatar costumes based on Yor's Thorn Princess dress and Loid Forger's signature dark cyan suit. Yor and Loid's hairstyles are also added to the avatar creation. Players who log in during the collaboration period, which will last until 31 January, will receive free items like picture frames, stickers, and player titles. The Battle Hub area will also receive a temporary redesign to promote the movie.[25]
At EVO 2023 on August 6, a collaboration with Nickelodeon's Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles was announced, complete with a special illustration done by Shinkiro.[26] The collaboration includes costumes based on the Turtles, as well as a cover of the 1987 TV series theme song done by Capcom's in-house band CAP-JAMS and sung by Luke's English voice actor Aleks Le.
Days of Eclipse
A prequel comic book series dubbed Days of Eclipse by Udon Entertainment was announced on November 9, 2022, which explains how this game heavily focuses on Ken, Chun-Li, Kimberly and Luke’s stories. The comic was released on May 5, 2023 digitally, and was released in bookstores on May 6, 2023.[27][28][29]
Music
The main theme song for the game is titled "Not on the Sidelines", produced by GRP and rappers Rocco 808 and Randy Marx. The official video clip of the song also features artists Sumi Oshima and Benny Diar, and is directed and edited by Ross Harris.[30] According to lead composer Yoshiya Terayama, the soundtrack was influenced by hip-hop culture and intended to represent "a new generation for the series." Rather than arranging motifs, the character theme songs are based on new compositions, with the concept being the characters if they appeared on the streets.[31]
The game's battle pass was delayed following days of network problems.[32]
Reception
Street Fighter 6 received "universal acclaim" from critics, according to review aggregator website Metacritic.[33][34][35]
The Guardian praised Street Fighter 6's netcode, writing: "the online component actually works, and works well, right out of the gate".[50] PCMag liked the character creator, feeling it had a vast number of options: "there are a ridiculous number of body, eye, hair, nose, and voice options for creating a goofy, imaginative, or realistic martial artist".[45] Game Informer wrote that the Drive System was a great addition, that it sets "up a compelling risk/reward dynamic that tinges on every interaction".[40]
PCGamesN criticized the World Tour mode's storytelling as a disappointment, but noted that Capcom learned from its past mistakes and made the most "feature-packed fighting game yet", and that the expansive scope of SF6 will satisfy players with its abundant content without waiting for an Ultimate Edition to be released.[47] Ars Technica enjoyed the accessibility options included: "Blind and sight-impaired Street Fighter players will find a wealth of new options to help them play, like sounds that indicate distance to an opponent or if an attack hit high, mid, or low. It’s a really thoughtful touch, and I'm not aware of any other game doing something similar".[53]
Sales
Street Fighter 6 sold over 1 million units within five days after launch.[54] By January 2024, it had sold over 3 million units.[55]
In Japan, the PlayStation 5 version of Street Fighter 6 was the third highest selling physical game during its first week of release, with 21,192 retail units being sold across the country. The PlayStation 4 version was the fourth highest selling physical game in Japan throughout the same week, selling 12,078 retail units.[56]
Awards
