Street Fighter 6 - TFG Review (2024)

Inspiredby Street Fighter Alpha 3's single-player mode of the same name, SF6'sWorld Tour mode is a completely new experience that mightmake you forget you're playing a fighting game. The mode's aesthetic andgameplay exists somewhere between the a modern JRPG like Persona 5, anopen world sandbox game like Grand Theft Auto, and... FinalFight — a timeless classic that Capcom thankfully still takes inspirationfrom, giving old school Capcom fans buckets full of fan-service. In Capcom's words, "World Tour is a single-playerimmersive story mode that pushes the boundaries of what a fighting game is andallows you to leave your own legacy within SF6 with your playeravatar".

In World Tour, there are colorful characters to meet, back alleys to explore, items tounlock, Mini Games to discover and play (many based on series classics), andmore secrets and throwbacks to discover. The "story" contentwithin the mode is a mixed bag and seems to lose track of itself at times... butat the very least, World Tour smartly helps introduce SF6'snewcomers and even teaches the player how to use them, all while running through Street Fighter "basics" aswell.

While not "necessary" for a competition-driven fighting game, theinnovative World Tour modebrings so much to the overall package and presentation (especially forthe under-appreciated casual audience). As ambitious and "open" asWorld Tour mode is, it has its flaws... but not many worth complaining about,since this mode offers something unprecedented that no fighting game has beforeit. It's likely that you'll accumulate hundreds of ridiculous side missionswhile in the middle of trying to stick to the main quest, but running aroundmeeting / fighting entertaining characters, playing bonus games, and leveling upyour avatar is hours upon hours of discovery and fun — for a single-playerexperience. Capcom actually nailed it. And we're not even talking about"the game" yet.

The insanely-detailed Avatar Creation experience rivals that of modern WWEwrestling games (or past SoulCaliburinstallments), being a deep mode you can spend hours in (and very fulfilling when you canachieve your desired look or character "cosplay"). While a bit goofy at times, your character will learnfrom Street Fighter's own icons and adapt their moves while exploring Metro City'sstreets in World Tour (which carry over to the multi-player experience in Battle Hub). It's clear from the beginning thatWorld Tour isn't to be taken " too seriously"... and that's a goodthing. Why your character is beating up random people in the streets isn't always clear (if ever)... but hey, the gameis actually called Street Fighter. I GET IT NOW. It finally makes sense!

Battle Hub is Street Fighter 6'sflagship online lobby system... a boldand compelling new way to experience fighting games. Your avatar canexpress themselves in a variety of ways in the presence of other players, asyou'll roam the Battle Hub's arcade area in search of opponents and other things to do.Player Avatars can even battle each other in the center using Street Fighter techniques they learned in World Tour (and weekly rewards through doing so). Onthat note, SF6's rotating Reward system is done really well and makes youwant to keep coming back for more. In addition to matchmaking for normal matches and Extreme Battle, you caneven play classic games like Final Fight, Captain Commando, Magic Sword, and StreetFighter II within the Battle Hub. Seeing Capcom paying respects to their humble beginningsnearly brings a tear to my eye. In so many ways and on so many different levels, Street Fighter 6 remains closely in touch withits roots.

Most importantly... the RollbackNetcode and Crossplay implementation is as revolutionary as theBattle Hub design and concept itself. Thankfully, the game feels and performs great online evenagainst players far away! For nearly a decade now, I was hoping a fightinggame would eventually adapt a "3D open world" as part of an onlinelobby system to make things more interesting and appealing to a wider audience. Battle Hub and World Tourcertainly have imperfections, but they are unquestionably innovative andimpressive all on their own. If Battle Hub lobbies aren't your thing, you canstill select Ranked / Casual matches from the menu and waitfor matches while Training or literally in any other modes. This is superconvenient and should become the standard. It's safe to say Street Fighter 6 has revolutionized fighting games online... and I have a feeling this is only the tip of theiceberg.

The classic Arcade/ Story mode is still present in Street Fighter 6, giving playersthe option of either a 5-stage or 12-stage playthough and variousdifficulty settings. There aren't any special cinematics, but great artwork and voiceoversare heard during story battles. Arcade also includes a fun Semi-Truck Bonus stage reminiscent of SFII's iconic beat-up-a-car minigame! It looks awesome and it's actually fun and rewarding. Every character playthough inArcade / Story has beautifully-drawn prologue artwork as well as a(non-animated) ending. Playing through Arcade will also unlock a plethora ofhigh-quality character illustrations for viewing in Gallery mode. Now let's talkabout the mechanics...

DRIVE SYSTEM: The Drive Gauge performs five differenttechniques that can easily enhance your offense or defense. Here's a run-throughof each of the Drive techniques: A Drive Impact is a powerful strike (similar to SF4'sFocus Attack) that can absorb an opponent'sincoming attack and leads to a "wall splat" in the corner. Drive Parrycan repelyour opponent's attack and refill your Drive Gauge. Cancel out of a Drive Parryor normal attack into a Drive Rush to quickly close in on youropponent.Drive Reversal is used to perform a counterattack toget you out of tight situations.

Finally, Overdrive Arts are similar to EX Moves from prequels that powerup your Special Moves. In SF6, EX Moves are typically easy to connect withspecific Super Arts, so they are very useful for setting up damaging combos aswell as applying pressure. With one gauge, players have these five techniques toutilize and balance. In addition to the Drive Gauge, players also have access tothe classic 3-tier Super Meter, which controls Super Arts. Everycharacter has a Level 1, Level 2, and Level 3 Super Art — appropriatelyranging in intensity, epic-ness, and damage respective of their level. Metermanagement is HUGE in Street Fighter 6 and feels more and more naturaland intuitive the more you play.

CONTROLS:The "Classic" standard 6-button control type for the series remains intact. However, Capcom alsointroduced a new setting called "Modern" which enables simplebutton presses for special moves and basic auto-combos by holding down theassigned "Assist" button. This is a helpful control setting for newcomers and those who don'tplay fighting games often, but it also limits the overall number of moves that acharacter can perform. Lastly, the "Dynamic" control schemeoffers an AI-assisted experience where players can simply mash buttons and theAI will chose what moves are best at the moment. It's effective too... and willperform advanced combos (with EX moves and into Super Arts) with repeatedpresses of single buttons + directional inputs. Dynamic mode is only availableoffline.

Speaking of controls... Street Fighter 6feels brilliantly smooth to play. Snappy movement, intuitive meter management,compelling moveset and combo designs (withnothing too frustratingly difficult), and simply one of the best moderniterations of the traditional 2Dgameplay formula that has been going strong for decades. In my opinion,character options and meter management in particular hasn't felt this good andsolid since SFIII: 3rd Strike.(The highest praise I can give!) Sure, there are certain aspects about SF6'sgameplay and combo system that feel "casual friendly", as high-damagecombos aren't too difficult to connect and Drive Impacts are very powerful, butoverall smart play and optimal damage combos (which are more difficult)prevail in the long run. SF6 is very much a skill-based 2D fighter withplenty of room for player creativity and expression.

Overall, Capcom refined their tried-and-true engine brilliantly, smartly balancing meter management and strong fundamentalsfor the ultimate Street Fighter experience. Street Fighter 6 is a gamethat we'll be talking about for a very long time. Congratulations on yourmasterpiece, Capcom... this is a wonderfully polished fighting game that alltypes of gamers can enjoy for years to come. On that note, Street Fighter 6definitely deserved to win "Best Fighting Game of 2023" at TheGame Awards in December 2023... even managing to beat out the over-hyped MortalKombat 1.