This may be it, a Street Fighter game that just might be my favorite fighting game of all time, is it puppy love or is it a legit deep, technical fighter that I’ve put fifty hours into and feel like I’m still just skimming the surface?

Click on through to the other side…

If you asked me twenty hours into SF6 what my thoughts were, I’d tell you that it was a methodical slow fighter, ask me fifty hours in (now) and you’d get a different response, I’d say it’s still methodical but it has a bit of speed and more depth than it initially presented. If in twenty more hours I give you a different answer then the game’s fate is sealed. It’s my favorite fighting game of all time, beating out Mortal Kombat 2.

The fighting in Street Fighter 6 feels fantastic, usually, I get the feeling from any game in the genre that it’s too quick-paced, too spammy, or too frenetic. SF6 feels much more controlled, I feel much more in tune with the character. A bit methodical. To describe the game this way requires that I speak about what kind of player I am.

I’m not godly at fighting games but I enjoy them to the fullest, I was the best Mortal Kombat player in my group of friends but not at the local arcade. (I’ll get to you Dumpy). I played tons of fighting games and I was lucky enough to have friends to play them against. Mortal Kombat, Eternal Champions, Street Fighter, Weapon Lord, Brutal Paw, Ballz, and Primal Rage, just name a few. We loved us some fighting games.

I can go into our style of playing, but not today. Let’s just say we knew the moves and had a basic understanding of fighting game strategy unless it was Killer Instinct, the game I sucked at, and the game the “smart” kids would play. I just didn’t get that game for some reason, probably because I was team Mortal Kombat all the way and didn’t want to support the enemy. Back to Street Fighter.

My impression is that you need to use your brain here more than any other game in the series, more than any other fighting game I’ve played. Period. You have your special moves, your combos, throws, your super moves, and a button that makes your character turn blue that I do not fully understand. Also, in what I think is a new addition to the series, a one-button press that makes you perform a near-impossible move to stop an attack (for about 3 seconds) on your opponent. Mash these elements together and you’ve got yourself a great game.

At first, I thought the flow of battle was a little slow, and my opponent’s moves also looked slow. This made me think that the game had a more methodical play style than other Street Fighter’s and it does but it still mixes that style with speedy characters as well. The fighter I picked was a tad slower moving than the rest, and the fast characters are still here but they are just a little slower than most fighting games fast-playing characters.

I try to get in at least five games a day and am currently ranked Silver, two stars, I plan to keep playing this entering into online tournaments and possibly playing at PAX EAST 2024. If you are into fighting games, I ask you to play Street Fighter VI, it may just be your next favorite fighting game!

-Random Fact Stat Methodical was used (4) times.