'Street Fighter V' Review

I have to admit I was a late adopter of this game. Even though I loved Street Fighter 4 and have followed the Street Fighter series forever there was something I didn't like about Street Fighter V. Initially, it felt slower and I had to relearn all the rules. My friends would destroy me at it when the Vanilla Street Fighter V first came out. I didn't have a PS4 at the time and I vowed to wait until the system and the game became cheaper.

Fast forward a year from Street Fighter V's original release. Sales started to pop up and I decided to take the dive. I installed Street Fighter V. That took probably an hour or two. When I played the game I remembered how atrocious I was at it. My friends were killing me even worse than before. They did have a full year of practice before I got into the game. So I kept at it. I started to meet up with the local Street Fighter community. They taught me a lot about the game. I kept pushing through. The first few weeks I found I was getting better really fast. However I'd always be humbled when I tried playing online.

A year of practicing the game and I continued to evolve. The game evolved as well adding new V-triggers and new rules for certain moves. I'm starting to get comfortable with the game but I still suck at it online. It's as if there's a consistent group of people that stay at my level or get better. They just won't let me level up!

Almost two years after first getting the game I'm still at the same place as I was after my first year in. This game can be the most frustrating and the most satisfying game at the same time! It just goes to show how invested it can get you. I got sucked in! I'll get super cock online or extremely angry and constantly yelling!

What's so frustrating? Let me tell you! There's a ton to get mad at. Losing to someone at a lower rank than you is extremely frustrating! The ranking system works but it's my own personal ego that gets bruised. You have to learn the matchups. You have to learn your combos and look for your opportunities. You have to play smart but most importantly you have to keep your cool. There's nothing like playing a game when you think your opponent can read your very thoughts and that's what this game can make you feel! You can actually feel like someone on the other side of the screen is literally reading your every move. It's an absolutely frustrating feeling. You have to remember to mix up your moves if you get caught in this web.

Otherwise this game looks light years ahead of Street Fighter 4. The game is beautiful and plays beautifully. For the most part the net code works but there are some terrible connections. I wish there was a way you could disconnect without repercussions if the connection is unsatisfactory. There always seems to be someone out there playing Street Fighter V online, so that's a huge plus. Capcom has also been great at continuing to support the game. As of this review they are finishing up their third season.

That's all fine and dandy but what are the most satisfying moments? Well, when everything is going great this game is the most fun game you've ever played! When you feel like Professor X reading your opponents every move it is such a satisfying feeling because you know how it feels on the other end. You know how frustrated they are. Even though you can't see or hear your actual opponent you can see the frustration in the way they play.

I believe everyone can get great at this game but in order to do so you really have to get over yourself. You have to get over losing over and over again. There is always someone better too. Sit back and analyze what you did wrong. What you could have done instead. I think playing this game has made me a lot more patient and I would highly recommend it.

Also a bit of a warning, watch out for free play weekends. That's when great players that aren't willing to pay for an account open an account to play. They kind of throw off the whole ranking system because they destroy tons of people who aren't at their level. This is great and horrible. It kills your ranking but you can test to see how well you can do with these great players earlier than expected.