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Street Fighter is a series that’s grown long in the tooth with a long repertoire of releases spanning over several years, now Street Fighter arrives on PC and PS4 but has one of the grand dukes of fighting games hit stony ground?

In short, yes, and it pains me to say it but “Street Fighter V” is one of the first disappointing AAA titles to release in 2016. The game is incredibly bare bones with a roster of just 16 fighters (much smaller than previous games), a handful of stages and a pitiful selection of modes. There’s no arcade mode and the story mode is so deprived of anything remarkable it makes me wonder why they even bothered.

The disappointment doesn’t stop there either, even a few days after release the servers are an absolute mess and the waiting times to find matches are ridiculous, there’s no rematch option or an option for to create a lobby for several friends to join. However, that option is coming in a later with an update. It’s such a shame the online is in such a sorry state. As Street Fighter is one of the few games which I actually I enjoy watching more than playing it myself, and it’s utter madness that you can’t just join lobbies to watch others fight.

‘Just because you are bad guy, doesn’t mean you are bad guy’ Zangief.

In fact, there’s a lot of content that is coming in future updates, such as pro tour, story modes, characters and more. The future content is available for free with DLC characters being unlockable with in-game currency (which is earned through playing). However, there is no information as of yet as to how much they will cost, and how long it will take to afford one. As the game stands it’s incredibly lacklustre. I mean, SFV does feel more like an early access program than anything else, but with a price tag of £49.99 (if you’re shopping at GAME).

If anything truly shines in “Street Fighter V” it’s the gameplay and the visuals. The combat mechanics are both accessible for new comers deep enough for veterans to master; making for some incredible fights. The 16 characters have their own unique move sets, some easier to master than others, after prolonged play I found certain combinations don’t always go the way you want. Other than that, you sometimes end up jumping or doing nothing at all. It’s worth recommending buying some thumb-grips or a Pro-controller as it can be a little difficult pulling off precise moves on the Duelshock 4.

Ryu vs Chun Li, observed by a bird.

Visually, this is the best-looking Street Fighter yet. As the character models are highly detailed, and stages look great bursting with color. There are also some nice features letting you choose connection strength before fights and selecting a favorite character. In addition to that, you can choose to fight players on PC as well. Furthermore, there are fighter profiles to be enjoyed too, but they’re in such a mess I have no idea how many fights I’ve won or lost.

The Roster is both good and slightly disappointing. Sure, fan favourites such as Chun-Li, Ken, Ryu and (Resident monster of a man) Zangief is a part of SFV, and there’re also a few newcomers such as Rashid and Necalli. Even so, there are some major fan favourites completely missing (fighters such as Akuma and Balrog, for example). And some characters will join the SFV roster via DLC. In all seriousness though, how the hell can you release a Street Fighter game without Guile?

May the hadouken be with you.

I´m going to be brutally honest now, because in its current state “Street Fighter V” is the most basic barebones AAA games, I’ve come across in years. In the matter of fact, SFV feels like an early access game. Sure the visuals and gameplay are brilliant (no doubt about it). Sadly enough though, the same can´t be said about the messy online support, lack of fan favourites and SFV´s content in general. So it´s rather hard for me to recommend “Street Fighter V” to the most hard-core of fans let alone newcomers of the SF series.

Pros:
+ Looks Great
+ Gameplay is on point
+ The soundtrack is really good

Cons:
– Online is a mess
– Lack of content all round
– Loading times

Gameplay: 5/5
Graphics: 5/5
Sound/music: 3/5
Controls: 3/5 (better with Pro controller)
Replay value: 3/5

tgg grade 3 out of 5

Verdict: 3/5
SFV had a really disappointing launch for such a well-respected franchise. While more content is on the horizon, it’s still hard to recommend this game to anyone due to it´s half-broken condition.

Title: Street Fighter V
Developer: Capcom
Format: PS4 and PC
Genre: Fighter
Resolution: 1080p
Release date: 02-16-2016
Difficulty: Medium to Hard
Spent time: 10 Hours
Average grade internationally: 77.96% Gamerankings.com
PEGI age rating: +16
Price: £49.99 GAME