Street Fighter V is as game I’m not too accustomed to, while the series is icon within the genre its mechanics never came to me naturally. The original Street Fighter didn’t put the make on the map, instead it was its sequel which was released in 1991. I highlighted this information because the series’ contemporary identity is still tied to the original release's aesthetic. Like most fighting game, the narrative was thin and most characters are based on easily recognizable stereotypes. It’s an easy way to create strong personalities, like the big/strong Russian Zangief, sumo aficionado E. Honda, and Dalhsim the mystical Hindi fighter. While this created globally recognizable characters, as time goes on these charactures feel less acceptable to at least from my perspective as an American immigrant.
Fighting games as a genre is unique in my opinion. Unlike most multiplayer, its not a team based multiplayer game set in a large map. Your play space is relatively small, there are only two players, and not many mechanics based on chance. Street Fighter is the game to really set the standard and really exudes those aspects of the franchise. The game rewards disciplined players who knows many aspects of the game. Linking combos through proper timing, knowing which attacks are safe and unsafe, how to build and conserve your resource, reading opponents, utilizing spacing, and even bait them by whiffing attacks. For new players much of this is lost on them as they are too focused on how input a fireball or a super. The true game beneath the punches and kicks are mind games between you and your opponent. The narrative of Street Fighter does not come from the game’s story mode in my opinion, narratives are built more through the interactions between players.
Footage : https://youtu.be/q8NtHbOpavU
