Street Fighter V: PS4 Review

Street Fighter V: PS4 Review

Released by Capcom
Platform: PS4

It's been a classic since first released in 1987 and now nearly 30 years on, Street Fighter is back to kick some serious ass once again.

Sadly the BETA for Street Fighter V was an unmitigated disaster. Servers couldn't handle any hint of letting people get on to the game or even let them continue should they be able to do so.

It's not like the game's exactly breaking the mould for game play - it's simply a bash and smash to victory kind of game that relies on a bit of skill, a lot of timing and an ability to press several buttons at once in a co-ordinated effort to achieve victory.

There are newbies on the ranks too - from the likes of Laura to F.A.N.G, but it's essentially the same Street Fighter mechanics you'll be used to. However, with the exception that this is the next generation of console gaming, so it looks incredible. There's a cartoon fluidity to the game's play out that is startling and the HD elements really sing, from the backgrounds and the NPCs mucking about to the simplicity of the execution of the moves, it simply looks impressive.

The fights themselves play out nicely and take a longer time to reach a conclusion, but that speaks to the maturity of the game, in that it's not just about dealing out two or three combos and then it's done, it's more about ensuring a matching of the skill levels and an implementation of a strategy.

This game though is predominantly about the online environment rather than a single player experience, which is kind of disappointing.

Each character has a few levels to play through for their own story, but it's a once over lightly approach for the game and it's a shame there's no wider narrative that goes deeper and pulls them all together. Granted, given the number of  characters, there are plenty of options for story mode, but there are all too brief moments to enjoy.

The online works fine - though even after release, there's been a bit of trouble accessing the server. It's not quite as taut as you'd expect given the success of the game and that's a shame. IT's here that the fun lies though and it's to be hoped that Street Fighter V gets more of an upgrade later on.

As an experience and a fighter, it's a great one; but as an in-depth, plough hours of your time into it, it comes up a little lacking. So far.