Street Fighter V Merchandise and Other Retro Fighting Games

One of the greatest franchises in fighting games is set to release a new entry. Street Fighter 5 releases Tuesday, February 16th for the PS4 and PC. Coming off of the success of the Street Fighter IV series Capcom will introduce new features that will move the franchise forward. For the next installment they’ve decided to infuse new concepts into the beloved series, including new character designs, gameplay mechanics, and cross-platform online play. By doing this Capcom is staying true to what works for the series but keeping it fresh and enticing for both veterans and newbies to enter the Street Fighter arena.

One thing that has helped sustain Street Fighter’s popularity among the vast array of fighting games is the strength of its characters. Back for the latest edition of the series are some of the series’ staples; Ryu, Chun-Li, Dhalsim, M. Bison, Vega, Zangief, and Ken will all be available day 1 (other familiar characters such as Guile and Balrog will be available via downloadable content). But delivering familiar characters wasn’t enough. Producer Yoshinori Ono wanted to make sure that while the DNA of each returning character remained intact, this game’s version had to be a new interpretation, not just a recycled sprite. For example, Ken still wears the iconic gi that was once a mirror image of Ryu’s, but Ono’s team has decided to update Ken’s attire and tweak his fighting style to conform to his evolved image.

Another key to making a successful iteration of Street Fighter is complementing the standard pool of fighters with a unique and interesting supporting cast of characters. Due to its place further down in the series timeline Street Fighter V is able to pull from a deeper selection of fighters. Four new characters will also be introduced, such as F.A.N.G. who incorporates poison and deceptive tactics into his fighting style and Laura who is the first to incorporate Brazilian jiu-jitsu into the series. At launch 16 characters are available with 6 more slated to be released by the end of 2016. DLC will be earned in-game, meaning gamers will not need to buy a new disc-based or update pack.

Along with the cross platform play Capcom is also introducing new features such as the V-Gauge (used on V-reversals and V-Triggers) and V-Skills, which replaces the Focus Attack from the Street Fighter IV series. I can’t wait to see how all of these changes flesh out when the game drops this Tuesday!