Street Fighter V (5) is a fighting game developed by Capcom, the same developer behind the Devil May Cry series and Mega Man. The game was originally released on February 2016 and recently received an Arcade version, alongside many of the new characters and content available in the game. With Street Fighter V being a 2D fighter, players are tasked with going 1 on 1 against their opponent in a best of three rounds, all to see who the best Street Fighter player truly is.
How to Download Street Fighter V
To start downloading Street Fighter V hit the Download button at the end of this review. The game can be downloaded from Steam. You can also download many SFV add-ons: Original Soundtrack, Original Characters Battle Costume Pack and many others. of course there is also Street Fighter V: Arcade Edition with Street Fighter V – Season 1&2 Character Pass and Street Fighter V: Arcade Edition Deluxe with additional Season 3 Character Pass.
The Game Review
Most fighting games never have much of a story, and Street Fighter V doesn’t do much to expel that cliché, but it does have somewhat of a story tied to it. Without getting too much into the details, the plot revolves around a number of different characters and their tied story. To wrap things up quickly, M. Bison is up to his old tricks again and half of the characters are either on his side or against him, and the fate of the world balances between them.
The gameplay is pretty typical of a 2D fighting game (actually Street Fighter claims to be a 2.5D game) and uses many of the same systems and mechanics, with a few little nuances here and there for added effect. The game features a combo system, just like many of the previous Street Fighter games. With Street Fighter being the fighting game that it is, the game sticks to a 6-button layout, with three being punches and the other three being kicks. A combination of these button presses in good timing will lead to a combo of some kind, and a bit of practice will teach the player to perfect those combos and general timing.
As well as the usual combo system, there are the normal special moves that can be performed by making a motion with the directional buttons or analog stick, along with an attack. By doing this, a character will perform something special, such as a fireball or uppercut, depending on the character the player is using. On top of this, however, is the V-Trigger system, which gives each character a special move that others don’t, along with a few added benefits to go along with it.
In terms of the roster, Street Fighter V has a lot of different characters to pick and choose from, and as time has gone on, the game has only had more and more for the players to enjoy. With each character playing completely differently from one another, with each one having their own unique move set and style, there’s plenty for the average fighting game fan to sink their teeth into.
Street Fighter V Characters
There are altogether 33 characters in the game, 22 male and 11 female. They are:
Male SFV Characters
- Abigail, a former enforcer for the Mad Gear Gang measuring massive 8 feet, uses face paint and his hair-cut is a maple leaf logo,
- Akuma, the red-haired supreme master of the fist,
- Alex, an American fighter from New York,
- Balrog, a personal bodyguard to M. Bison, an African American boxer in blue boxing trunks,
- Birdie, an obese black British punk rocker,
- Blanka aka Jimmy, a wild fighter from Brazil. He has green skin and can generate electricity,
- Charlie Nash, a former Captain of the United States Air Force and friend of Guile, now a puppet for the Illuminati. He can be immediately recognized by a large forelock of blond hair,
- Cody Travers, light-blond ex-vigilante, now the city’s new mayor,
- Dhalsim, a white-bearded Yoga Master with pupil-less white eyes,
- Ed aka Bandaged Boy, capable of using Psycho Power, he has short blond hair and blue eyes,
- F.A.N.G., second in command to M. Bison, a Chinese slender tall man, capable of stretching,
- Guile, a major in the United States Air Force, he has a tall flat-top haircut and a chiseled jaw,
- Ken Masters, a fierce fighter and secondary main character in the game, with his long blond hair tied in a ponytail he wears characteristic brown sparring gloves,
- M. Bison aka Vega, a self-imposed dictator and megalomaniac in red military uniform with large silver shoulder plates,
- Necalli, a mysterious Aztec warrior, he devours souls of other powerful warriors, he has long black hair tied into locks,
- A Middle Eastern fighter Rashid, wearing a keffiyeh and an agal,
- The experienced martial artist Ryu, the main protagonist of the series,
- Sagat, a personal bodyguard for M. Bison, he’s bold, muscular and intimidating, the fourth-tallest character in Street Fighter, behind T. Hawk, Hugo, and Abigail. He’s 7’5″ possibly suffering form Gigantism,
- Urien, a member of the Illuminati and a brother of Gill, he has dark skin and short white hair,
- Vega aka Balrog, a narcissistic, Spanish ninja, who claims that Handsome fighters never lose a battle,
- Zangief aka Red Cyclone, a Russian fighter, fighting for the glory of his country, he’s bearded and over 7 feet tall,
- Zeku, a former 38th grandmaster of the school of Bushinryu Ninjutsu, he has dark grey hair, wears an outfit similar to his pupil Guy’s.
Female SFV Characters
- Cammy White aka Killer Bee, an MI6 operative for the British government wearing a red beret,
- Chun-Li, dressed in Chinese qipao, the strongest women in the world,
- Falke, a member of Neo Shadaloo, a blond-haired girl whose hair obscure her right eyes, similar in appearance to Ed
- Ibuki, a Japanese teenager who is a ninja in training wearing a traditional ninja dogi
- Juri Han, a brutal South Korean Taekwondo martial artist wearing a purple dudou,
- Karin Kanzuki with her blonde hair in combed into Victorian Europe-era ringlet curls she is a rival of Sakura,
- Kolin aka Helen, a long-haired blonde, attractive looking Eastern European fighter. She wears an ushanka hat,
- Laura Matsuda, a Brazilian fighter and a sister of Sean, with her long black hair, she wears a bright green sleeveless martial arts gi,
- Menat, an Egyptian fortune-teller, she has dark skin and green eyes,
- Rainbow Mika aka Mika Nanakawa, a Japanese professional wrestler and a superstar of the ring. She has blond hair with two long pigtails,
- Sakura Kasugano, a Japanese girl in her short-skirted sailor uniform who is very fond of Ryu and copies may of his techniques.
Anyone that enjoys fighting games, whether they’re casual or veteran players of the series are bound to find plenty to enjoy in Street Fighter V, without having to worry too much about the learning curve. Street Fighter V is designed to be very much accessible, without making things too easy or too difficult for the average player to jump right into and have a good time – either online or offline!
