Street Fighter 6 Review

The king of fighters (not that one) is back for another round with the release of Capcom’s Street Fighter 6. 18 World Warriors are awaiting their next battle – does this title have what it takes to come out on top?

Street Fighter 6 Review

Those who have been throwing down since the days of Street Fighter II: The World Warrior will quickly pick up on Street Fighter 6’s basic tenants. Players will still be whittling down health with a six-button setup, trading punches, kicks, Special Moves, and flashy Super Arts that use a designated meter. The series has seen decades of refinement, and Street Fighter 6 contains the most polished mechanics to date. Of course, newcomers can take things easy with a far more forgiving Modern control scheme – the choice is yours.

Street Fighter 6’s new hook comes with the Drive Gauge. With it, players can perform Drive Impact Attacks that can absorb two attacks and break through the toughest of defenses. For those that play cheap, this changes dynamics a considerable amount and encourages fair play. Meanwhile, those weaned on the Street Fighter III series of games can utilize a Drive Parry, which can be used as a defense move. However, these are far from catch-all moves; certain moves are susceptible to throws, and abuse can lead to Burnout.

Some may balk at the idea of another gauge to manage, but the Drive Gauge quickly becomes second nature. It changes up match-ups as to whether one is on offense or defense. Put simply, the Drive Impact system is a game-changer.

Much like previous entries, players will have plenty of chances to put these mechanics to the test. The Fighting Ground features modes like Arcade, Practice, Versus and Online (with Casual and Ranked battles virtually free of lag) players have come to know and love, but things have been beefed up more than Zangief and newcomer Marisa combined. Team Battles lets multiple fighters queue up a la The King of Fighters series, while Special Match adds twists like running bulls and removed mechanics. Even Arcade mode lets players fine-tune their experience, with cutscene stories at the end of each successful run.

Fighting games were a staple of arcades back in the 90s, and Street Fighter 6 emulates the experience with panache with its Battle Hub mode. No need to head over to Round1 or Dave & Busters; there’s plenty of ways for players to be social here.

After creating an avatar, players are guided by the host Eternity to explore a world full of arcade machines and social elements. This is more than just a vanilla hub, however; players can earn Drive Tickets (or spend real-life money on Fighter Coins), make friends, see the top fighters of the week, or just spectate. It encourages players to come back with a living, breathing world, packing that oh-so-addictive hold on players. Plus, when players get tired of the action, there’s classics like Final Fight to enjoy.

Rounding things out is the single player World Tour mode. As a disciple of Luke’s Buckler Academy, players will customize their own character and hit the streets of Metro City. This mode features street brawls, items, and an EXP system that will allow players to get even stronger as things progress.

While this mode is robust with plenty of things to do (and mimes to take down), it will admittedly not appeal to everyone due to the slight genre shift. Players of SEGA’s Yakuza series will appreciate how it is cut from the same cloth, but its constant battles can feel like a bit of a grind.

Street Fighter 6 is the complete package, with decades of refinement proudly on display. Whether you’re flying solo or hitting the streets with others, this is the definitive Street Fighter experience.

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