What impressed me the most about Street Fighter V is how detailed the characters are. I was playing Necalli and he has large tentacle-looking braids of hair. There was actually a point I lost concentration in the fight because I was fascinated by the models and the hair physics. It is mind-blowingly beautiful. As I’ve already hinted, I am not great with fighters, so while I never got Necalli to what I can only describe as “super saiyan” mode (like in the trailer), his power is evident, even in simple moves like a ground pound that reaches opponents further away.
Besides Necalli, I played the other two new characters – Laura and Rashid. Laura’s character model is as elegant as she is nimble. The move I was only able to pull off once, but really loved was a static electricity shock that hung in mid-air. Instead of a quick ranged attack, it sort of floated long enough for my opponent to run into it and get shocked, leaving me an opening I squandered. Rashid may have been my favorite of the three. Focused on wind attacks, Rashid leverages those skills on his opponents. His ability to kick up quick, little wind storms with his foot kept my opponent at a distance, keeping me alive just a little bit longer.
Where I think Street Fighter V shines the most is in Capcom’s desire to make SFV a platform rather than a series of independent games. It was made clear to me that creating a multitude of versions of Street Fighter IV in the past winnowed the community into small groups, segregating each of them from the larger community. Capcom wants to remove that by having only one Street Fighter V that all people will play, and play with each other as the PC and PS4 will have the ability to fight across platforms.
While I may not be a Street Fighter master, or even a decent novice, it is clear that Street Fighter V will likely satisfy even the most hardcore fan when it releases this month.