Capcom disclosed the riddle behind their countdown website a few days ago, which turned out to be the official unveiling of Street Fighter 6. Fans speculated on what Capcom would be releasing before the announcement, given the studio’s myriad of video game brands, and it’s no surprise that many assumed the countdown would be about Resident Evil.
While Resident Evil fans may be unhappy that Capcom’s enormous countdown was for a different property, the announcement of Street Fighter 6 is a positive development. For starters, Capcom has put much too much emphasis on Resident Evil in recent years, so the series deserves a break. Capcom also has to keep its other IPs alive, particularly Street Fighter, after Street Fighter 5 failed to meet expectations.
Capcom has been releasing Resident Evil games every year with the release of the Resident Evil 2 remake in 2019, with the Resident Evil 3 remake releasing in 2020 and Resident Evil Village releasing in 2021. Not to mention, the studio is still working on a Resident Evil Village DLC expansion. While Capcom has released games from other brands outside of Resident Evil in recent years, it is reasonable to assume that the survival horror franchise has been the company’s primary focus.
Given that Resident Evil is Capcom’s most profitable video game property, it’s hardly unexpected that the company is attempting to cash in on its present success. The sustained focus on Resident Evil, on the other hand, raises the possibility of Capcom sacrificing quality in the name of striking while the iron is hot. It’s worth noting that the five-year gap between Resident Evil 6 and 7 was important in saving the franchise from extinction. Because of the gap between these two games, Capcom was able to go back to the drawing board and rethink the series’ direction, culminating in Resident Evil 7 salvaging the franchise. As a result, another hiatus could be beneficial in ensuring that the following title is as powerful as the previous ones.
Furthermore, the announcement of Street Fighter 6 rather than another Resident Evil game may be preferable because Capcom’s emphasis is currently focused on the Street Fighter franchise rather than Resident Evil. It’s no secret that Capcom’s Street Fighter 5 had mixed reviews when it was launched in 2016. While many people complimented Street Fighter 5 for its gameplay, others were disappointed by the game’s lack of substance.
The game’s first version lacked an arcade option, only had 16 characters, and lacked content to make it more replayable. Fortunately for Street Fighter aficionados, later releases like Street Fighter 5: Champion Edition introduced a ton of material. As a result, some people consider the Champion Edition to be the version that should have been issued first.
Finally, while Capcom has many studios working on various franchises, the company should devote more resources to Street Fighter 6 than Resident Evil, considering that the former requires more care. But, of course, Capcom is unlikely to take a break from Resident Evil anytime soon. As previously said, the studio is still working on Resident Evil’s Village DLC, as well as the numerous rumored projects that were released during the major Capcom hack of 2020, including the Resident Evil 4 remake, Resident Evil 9, and Resident Evil Outrage. If these games do end up becoming part of Capcom’s pipeline, hopefully their release dates will be judiciously spaced out and not hurried to fulfill a deadline.
The development of Street Fighter 6 is presently underway.
How Street Fighter 6 Can Improve Upon SF5’s Foundation
Fighting games have been a fixture of the media since the first arcades in the 1980s. The genre has endured throughout the years, earning a devoted following and, more recently, even its own esports industry. Street Fighter is without a doubt the fighting game franchise that started it all. Rumors regarding the next entry in the series had been circulating for a while, and anticipation was at an all-time high thanks to the excitement around Capcom Fighting Collection stretching the boundaries.
Street Fighter 6 was officially revealed this week, with Capcom releasing a short teaser trailer. The video didn’t show any gameplay, but it did disclose that Ryu, Street Fighter’s recurring protagonist, would be included, as well as some nice graphics. Street Fighter 5 added a lot of variety to the series, and despite a few hiccups at launch, it eventually matured into a worthy addition that lived up to the series’ name. Of course, a new entry is expected to outperform and reinvent its predecessors. Street Fighter VI should build on the foundations left down by its predecessor, if Street Fighter 5 was a mix of a sloppy debut and some exciting new components.
When it was first released in 2016, Street Fighter 5 was in a bad way. The game had significant netcode issues, making the online experience a complete nightmare. The release was further hampered by the weak initial content. For long-running franchises like Street Fighter, first impressions are crucial not simply to gratify ardent fans, but also to attract new players.
Street Fighter 5 may have finally achieved a point of acceptance, but Capcom needs to make sure that Street Fighter 6 gets off to a fast start. For starters, any netcode flaws should be addressed prior to launch, which goes without saying. Above all, Capcom should avoid releasing the game before it’s finished and then trying to patch it up later, as they did with Street Fighter 5.
Understanding The Basics Of Fighting Games
To make the game more accessible for novice players, Street Fighter 6 should absolutely have a strong tutorial mode. It should serve as a primer not only for Street Fighter, but also for fighting games in general. Fighting games have never achieved the same popularity as MOBAs or first-person shooters, so gaining new players in this method is always a positive.
Capcom might also think about including hit boxes and enhanced frame data as a gaming feature. As a result, players will no longer need to download an external software in order to determine the frame data or range of a move. This is a feature that has remained buried in fighting games for some reason. While competitive players will be more interested in this feature, even casual fans will be able to use it to learn how fighting games work at their foundation.
Having A Consistent Update Schedule For SF6
The games as a service approach is another current gaming mainstay to consider. Street Fighter 5 got one patch every year or season by the end of its final season. Establishing a consistent updating schedule with perhaps two patches per season would be one approach to fix this. Capcom would be able to provide brand-new content such as new characters every season, while the mid-season patch would be available to balance the game if necessary.
A maneuver can be nerfed if it is too powerful, while a character can be enhanced if it is too weak. After all, upgrading is a delicate balancing act. It’s impossible to enjoy the game if there are too many updates, but if there aren’t enough, issues go unsolved, and gamers are left hungry for fresh content or annoyed by an uneven game.
By rewriting the mechanics of Street Fighter 4, Street Fighter 5 signified a huge leap. The V-Gauge and all that came with it replaced the Focus Attacks that were a linchpin in Street Fighter 4. Overall, if a similar version of that mechanic is to be preserved, it could benefit from a few changes. A thicker stun gauge and a less subtle sound effect signifying that there is enough V-meter to activate, for example, would make players more aware of the situation. Capcom may even be able to improve on earlier mechanics and incorporate them into Street Fighter 6. A guard crushing mechanic, similar to the one in Street Fighter Alpha 3, could be one of them.
Street Fighter VI Needs A Good Story
There was a time when Street Fighter had a good story. Despite the restrictions of the era, Street Fighter II was praised for its numerous endings and plot, which indicated that the developer had put a lot of effort into it. That norm, however, did not hold up over time. There’s no need for a Street Fighter story to reinvent the wheel, and it doesn’t have to be too easy, and Capcom has plenty of options. The franchise already features a diverse array of characters, ranging from Chun-Li to Bison, who are all voiced by talented actors. All those characters need is a pretext to enter a martial arts event, as well as a personal motivation to win. After all, that is the essence of fighting games.
Street Fighter has become a renowned fighting game franchise after 35 years on the market, from the arcade to the Nintendo Switch. Street Fighter 6 has a lot to live up to as the most recent installment in such a storied franchise. Street Fighter 5 got a lot of things wrong and then right, but it laid a solid foundation. Street Fighter 6 is capable of a lot more.
Read more:
- https://mymediads.com/articles/100170
- https://feeds.buzzsprout.com/1934320.rss
- https://open.firstory.me/story/ckzai8uot0a2c0942jja73i5h
- https://open.spotify.com/episode/4nSbwFPBnjYqIEt6kKNq4A
- https://www.synfig.org/issues/thebuggenie/synfig/issues/1636
- https://www.deviantart.com/lesleywalter/art/Best-and-Rare-Fortnite-Skins-2022-906135959
- https://www.gbnconnect.com/articles/fortnite-popularity-how-many-people-play-fortnite-in-2022
- https://player.fm/series/pro-gamers-podcast/fortnite-everything-you-need-to-know-about-the-game
