Street Fighter 5 Review (PS4)

This is it.  The game that made me want to get a PlayStation 4.  It's Street Fighter 5, the biggest disappointment in the PlayStation 4 library.  So where did it go wrong?  Let's dive in and find out.

First off, let's start off by saying this is the best looking Street Fighter game to date.  The graphics are like Street Fighter 4 on steroids.  The game just flat-out looks good.  Street Fighter 4 is the only game that can possibly compare.  There are neat little touches, like palace guards and a punk rocker playing music in the background on the Train Station level.  There's usually something goofy going on in the background of every level, so players should keep their eyes peeled to see it all.

Those guards in the background are hilarious.

The music head-rocking and fist-pumping throughout.  The Street Fighter series has always had top-class music, so this is no surprise.  If you like bad music, stay away from this bad.  No bad tracks here.

The gameplay is the same great stuff you're used to by now.  Pick a character and beat the crap out of everyone until the game decides to give and admit that you beat it.  There are a few things that have been added for depth, such as elemental attacks.

There are a few bad things in the gameplay department however.  Some characters have changed a lot in terms of how they are played.  For example, Chun Li's Lighting Kick is no longer performed by tapping a kick button multiple times, but like Ryu throwing a fireball.  Looking for M. Bison's psycho crusher?  You won't find it here.  Poor Vega is almost trash now.  So, yes, while the gameplay is largely the same, make sure you hit that training room to prevent confusion in battle.

M. Bison's standard Psycho Crusher is gone, but he has this neat flame geyser

So, with the exception of minor character hiccups, it sounds all good, right?  Not quite.

The first problem is the roster.  Right out the box, you get sixteen characters.  While that's small compared to other fighting games, the roster size isn't really a problem.  The problem is that there's no Sakura.  WTF, Capcom?  Street Fighter just isn't the same without "Ryu in a dress".  Where is she?  She's not even a DLC character (and may never be).  Bring Sakura back, please.

Most of the classics are here.

Some characters have received quite the makeover.

Hopefully this isn't the only place we see Sakura.

Yes, there are cute women on the roster, including the legendary Chun Li.

Sakura wasn't the only thing left out.  All the game modes were left out as well.  No versus mode (at least not against the computer), no arcade mode, no time trial (not a big loss), and story mode is BS.  You have to download the REAL story mode.  The BS story mode comprises of picking a character and fight 2-5 lame, easy fights.  Survival mode is there, but like "story mode", it's BS.

Speaking of the BS story mode, there are costumes that you'll only have access to in that mode, unless you have internet access.  You like that police uniform Chun Li's wearing.  Sorry, it's DLC.  What about those shorts Laura is sporting?  DLC.  Hey, is that Sakura in Karin's ending.  Yeah...can't help you there.  It's such a tease and it's total BS.

Want to use this outfit outside of story mode?  You gotta download it, first.

Simply put, Street Fighter 5 IS a good game.  The music, graphics, and gameplay you know are back and better than ever.  The problem the level of content.  You'll get the REAL story mode and additional characters...as DLC.  It just feels like such a rip-off if you paid full-price and don't have internet access.  The overreliance on DLC is just a killer.  If you have an internet connection, don't miss this one.  If you don't have an internet connect, buy this one with caution.