You read that right! Thank you so much to the good folks at Biff Bam Pop for the opportunity to write their review for the game. In order to do so, they graciously provided me with their review copy, which I’ve been playing with almost every free minute I’ve had since they sent it over last week.
Want to know my thoughts on the final version of the game? Check out the full review over at Biff Bam Pop!
Even without his Siberian Blizzard Ultra combo from Street Fighter IV, Zangief will continue to protect the Russian Skies. This time, he has a mid-air Spinning Piledriver that can catch anyone while they’re in the act of jumping. This fundamentally changes the meta game of fighting Zangief, as you can’t simply hold up to get out of the way of a ground-based grab. His air grab is insanely powerful and can grab people out of almost everything, so it’s a real threat.
While he loses his Green Hand, he gains other tools in the transition that make him a more than worthy adversary in Street Fighter V, such as a V-Skill that allows him to walk forward while absorbing two attacks, to an armored standing medium punch, to a ground-based Spinning Piledriver that has incredible range. You should be scared every time you see this Russian wrestler on the other end of the battlefield.
Vega may appear like the same claw-wielding combatant of old, but he’s seen some major changes going into Street Fighter V. For one, he’s no longer a charge character, as all of his moves can be done with quarter circle and uppercut motions. Two, he’s now a stance character, as his moves change depending on whether he’s wearing the claw or not.
Both changes go a long way towards making the Spanish ninja a much more viable and fun character. By having access to his special moves at all times, he’s able to act on the fly. With the stance change ability, he can switch between being fighting at a distance or fighting in close. Top it off with an awesome V-Trigger and Vega is going to catch a lot of people by surprise.
Capcom’s iconic wandering warrior returns with a few new tricks up his sleeve. Appearing under-powered and limited offensively by the end of Street Fighter IV, Capcom has given him a few more tools to succeed. His normal moves link together better for more combo possibilities. His parry V-Skill is fun to use and a great tool for countering your opponent’s predictable offense. Also, his V-Trigger that allows him to charge up his super-fast fireballs can make him an offensive threat from almost any range.
Ryu may not be the main character for you, but he’s still the best character to start with. Use him to get an overall feel for the game before moving onto someone else. Or, at least at this juncture, Ryu still has enough juice in his tank if you want to take him all the way.
Rashid is one of the four new characters in Street Fighter V. While his place in the story is unclear, we do know he’s an agile fighter whose abilities are boosted further by the technology in his backpack. He can kick tornadoes out of his feet, sail across the screen with a fast jump kick, or even summon a giant tornado that is as tall as the screen.
His bag of tricks is deep thanks to all of the offensive possibilities afforded to him by his move set. However, he sorely lacks in a few key areas. His normal attacks are short and don’t lend themselves well to a stand up footsies fight. Also, his jump attack options are pretty poor. As a Rashid player, if you can hold onto the momentum, it’s going to be really hard for an opponent to take you out, regardless of how glaring his deficiencies might be.
R. Mika is a stud. My videos are definitely not a true display of her prowess, but she is a wrecking ball in Street Fighter V. Great normal attacks and combo potential. Her V-Trigger of having Nadeshiko fly out and do a drop kick or a body splash is useful in a number of different ways. The only thing that stops her from reaching her peak are her command grabs. While they’re devastating if they connect, landing them is really tough to do when their start-up is so slow and their range is so short.
She’s already a popular character in spite of her flaws, and one that appears to be a very dangerous foe. If I can overcome her slow grab speed and short grab range, she might be the one for me.
Whether he’s lunging at you or throwing you by your face, Necalli fights with a raw and almost animalistic quality. If he gets in close, you’re in big trouble, as his combos and frame traps can lead to a ton of damage. However, he really struggles in a stand-up footsies battle, as his normal attacks are extremely short in range. I’ve had a blast every time I’ve played Street Fighter V with Necalli. Though I have yet to pick a main character, he’s definitely on the short list.
Guile’s BFF returns with some new scars and a new way to play. No longer a charge character, all of Nash’s moves can be performed with standard quarter circle and uppercut motions. I never played Nash in the Street Fighter Alpha, but I really like that change for him in this game, at it helps differentiate him from Guile.
Also differing from his pal is that Nash doesn’t really have the tools to be defensive. Instead, he’s tuned for offensive play. Use his Sonic Boom to set up the pressure, then go in and land some big combos. While he’s an offensive force, his general lack of defensive and anti-air tools can be really problematic if an opponent turns the tables on you.
While it’s easy to get mesmerized by her stunning looks, Laura can also make you see stars with her assortment of strikes and grabs. Key to her offense is her Bolt Charge, an elbow move with a number of different grab-based enders. If you’re able to combo into any version of the Bolt Charge, she’s going to score a ton of damage. To keep people on their toes, she also has a traditional command grab that can really catch people off guard if you do the EX version.
What makes her challenging is that her combo potential is really limited, thus making her offense very predictable. Opponents will know that you’re fishing for the Bolt Charge at all times, meaning you’re going to have to get creative with how you land it. Her slow fireball and dashing V-Skills can help, but you’re really going to have to work for your damage. I really enjoyed playing as her in the beta, but I feel like her ceiling might be a bit too low for me due to her dependency on the Bolt Charge.
Ryu’s fiery rival is back and more unique than ever. Besides the obvious change to his appearance, his arsenal has a number of new normal moves and modifications to his specials. Most obvious is the change to his Hurricane Kick, as the heavy version doesn’t travel in a straight line anymore and the jumping EX version comes down fast like a dive kick. While he’s been tuned to be more of an up-close threat than ever, it comes at the cost of his reach. His normal moves have been shortened, and his fireball game is weaker than it’s ever been. To succeed now, you’re going to have to rush in and rush hard.
In Third Person 