Reviews

Bristol Gaming Review of Street Fighter V Arcade Edition

Posted on: 2018-01-29

Street Fighter V: Arcade Edition is what the initial release should have been, a healthy amount of content with a fully fleshed out story mode and fun and addictive arcade mode. If you skipped out on the original release pick this game up..

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Street Fighter V: Arcade Edition PS4 Review by The Bristolian Gamer

Street Fighter V when it was initially released back in 2016, was rather anaemic when it came to content as it lacked standard modes such as arcade mode and a dedicated story campaign, which its competition Mortal Kombat X has. A couple of years later we get a re-release in the form of the Arcade Edition which is what the original release should have been in the first place, but never mind that the question is, is it worth picking up for your PlayStation 4? Yes absolutely, as it is now brimming with content compared to its first outing.

You heard me correctly that Street Fighter V now has a story mode, something that should have been included in the initial release, is it worth your time? Yes. Street Fighter V sees the series antagonist M. Bison coming up with another scheme to take over the world with his ragtag band of misfits alongside him. He has created devices that sit in orbit around the world above major cities, which cause an electronic magnetic pulse shorting all electricity. Ryu and his friends are the only ones who can stop him and go on a globetrotting adventure to stop the maniacal dictator.  The game is over the top and corny, but that is not necessarily a bad thing as it is completely self-aware and never takes itself seriously. The only problem I have with the story is that the lip syncing during cinematics are atrocious, their jaws flap like upside down pedal bin lids, it takes me out of the moment sometimes.

The story mode is not the only new addition, we now have an arcade mode if you couldn’t tell from the subtitle of this re-release and it is fantastic. What I like about the arcade mode is that it celebrates 30 years of Street Fighter as you can choose from Street Fighter 1 to V and the rules will change depending which game you choose. Aspects such as what characters are available and how many fights you will engage in keep things fresh, which gives you an insane amount of replay value.

The gameplay itself is a lot of fun and requires a lot of skill, unlike some fighters where you can get away with button mashing Street Fighter V requires you to learn combos if you’re going to win in an effective manner. Pulling off combos and special attacks are lot of fun and satisfying coupled with the visual flare with the backgrounds and particle affects when you fling a fire ball at an unaware opponent.

The presentation is fantastic, this is one of the most colourful games I’ve played from the past 4 years the backgrounds have a huge amount of detail, with the public cheering you on in a fight to traffic driving past. The character models look great with exaggerated body proportions as the game is not trying to be realistic as it has a cartoon aesthetic sticking to the game’s 30 year art style. 

The only issue I really have with the game is that the A.I can be insultingly easy where they stand their looking at you while you see the cogs in their head moving at a slow pace, or you they kick seven shades of blue out of you. Most of the time the A.I is fine but in some instances they are at two ends of the spectrum of difficulty.

Street Fighter V: Arcade Edition is what the initial release should have been, a healthy amount of content with a fully fleshed out story mode and fun and addictive arcade mode. If you skipped out on the original release pick this game up, or if you already own the game it is available in a free update.

4.5/5

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