Our updated commentary on Street Fighter VI, focusing on its DLC offerings and the return of M. Bison. SFVI is developed by Capcom. Available now for PS5 (reviewed), PS4, Xbox X/S, and Windows.
WHAT IS IT?
Our annual check-in with this generation’s hottest fighting game.
IS IT GOOD?
SFVI in 2024 is not that different from SFVI at release one year ago, but recent roster additions make it a great time to join the fight.
WHO SHOULD PLAY IT?
Existing and new SFVI players.
3 2 1 FIGHT
Though we’re not in the habit of revisiting games we’ve already reviewed, for Street Fighter we tend to make exceptions. A franchise which has never been shy about iterating – there’s at least a dozen different releases of Street Fighter II, not counting that one version I played on the back of an airline seat – Street Fighter prides itself on responding to player feedback, and doling out welcome additions across a game’s lifespan.
While this isn’t quite in the nature of a review (we’ve omitted a review score), here are our thoughts on the state of SFVI in 2024.
FLAWLESS VICTORY
What SFVI did well from the beginning – and unlike its occasionally maligned predecessor SFV – was find ways to keep players engaged.
The “World Tour” mode, which allows players to create their own custom avatar, wander the open-world streets, and pick battles while unlocking custom movesets, has seen regular updates, including an overabundance of cosmetic unlocks that reward casual and regular players alike.
Probably top among these has been SFVI‘s various collaborations, allowing characters to kit their avatars with costumes borrowed from characters ranging from (sometime rival) SNK to full-blown Ninja Turtle cosplay. While it doesn’t quite rise to the level of actual playable Turtles (unlike, say, the Distinguished Competition), the ability to dress up custom avatars as familiar faces is well worth the investment in time it takes to unlock everything.
The multiplayer “Battle Hub” has also remained a lively space, with an ongoing year-round fighting circuit and special in-game tournaments where top players can shine, and rank amateurs (like me!) can spectate. It’s a natural evolution of the wildly popular real-world fighting tournaments at which Street Fighter has remained a consistent presence but in an online-only arena for our Twitch-friendly age. On the twentieth anniversary of the most famous viral video game moment of all time, it’s nice to see competitive Street Fighter alive and kicking (or dragon-punching, as the case may be).
Importantly, SFVI‘s ranking system is a huge improvement over SFV. Our resident fighting game expert Matt Kang (who we’ve been known to consult on other genres as well) tells us that the best thing about SFVI online is that it mostly refrains from punishing players. Do well? Rank up. Do not so well? Hover at the same rank until you string together a series of wins and rank up some more. The days of being brutally thrown back into a previous pool and clawing your way back up again are over.
A NEW CHALLENGER AWAITS
For the casuals, probably the most enticing feature of today’s SFVI is the expanded roster. While SFVI launched with a more than respectable base roster of 18 characters, including fan favourites like Chun-Li, Ryu, and Blanka, the SFVI of August 2024 has already been through one DLC “Season” with another on the horizon.
Of the Season 1 releases Rashid, A.K.I., Ed, and Akuma, the big news is Akuma’s (unsurprising) return to the top of the SF tier lists. The largely uninteresting Ed – did you remember him from Street Fighter V, because we sure didn’t – demands a high learning curve which we found a prohibitive bar, though he definitely has some cool moves. On the other hand, A.K.I.’s fairly bonkers, Lady Deathstrike-like design makes her a fun new addition. Rashid, who was decent in SFV, is decent again here, but nothing to get excited about.
Speaking of excitement, Season 2 is beginning to roll out. The big news is that M. Bison is back, despite seemingly crumbling to dust at the end of SFV‘s story mode. Absurdity of his convenient resurrection aside, M. Bison is a fantastic addition to SFVI, with his spooky/grimy new aesthetic, and a set of aggressive moves which call to mind the glory days of Street Fighter II, where Bison first appeared as the final boss. Since his debut this June, M. Bison hasn’t quite risen to the heights some might have been expecting (he sits at a comfortable tenth on the EventHubs Tier List), but he’s still a ton of fun.
Next up on the SFVI horizon? This fall, King of Fighters‘s Terry Bogard finally makes his Street Fighter debut, after having been originally intended as the player-character in the very first Street Fighter (1987), before being passed over in favour of Ryu.
Also arriving from King of Fighters is Mai Shiranui, who over the years has evolved into a sort-of mascot for KoF alongside Terry. Mai debuts in Winter 2025.
Finally, in Spring 2025 Elena will be rejoining her Street Fighter comrades as the last of the Season 2 releases. Debuting all the way back in Street Fighter III (1997), Elena has proven decently popular, if unknown to the general public, and one imagines that the same purists who hold SFIII up as a gold standard have been waiting for this announcement for a while.
As for who’s still missing? Notable omissions from SFVI include M. Bison’s right-hand man Sagat, dancing Spanish blade-master Vega, and, lest we forget, this author’s tried-and-true favourite Fei Long, last seen in 2010’s Street Fighter IV. We’ll keep you posted if and when Season 3 is announced, and hopefully, more returning characters will get their due.
#wheresfeilong #justiceforfeilong
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Read our full review of Street Fighter VI here.
Visit the official website for Street Fighter VI here.
