Without fail, every time a new franchise entry drops for Street Fighter, we hear arguments through frustratedly gritted teeth that, whatever the feel and flow of the experience is, it’s not “real” Street Fighter.
In his latest video, Rooflemonger takes us on a blast through the past as he investigates what exactly real Street Fighter is. Is it something we can tangibly hammer down, or simply a fleeting idea that’s best used as an excuse when people are having trouble winning?
If we zip back to the days of Street Fighter 2 (yes, Street Fighter 1 was a thing, but let’s be honest, SF2 is where it all began) we find a game based primarily around pokes, fireballs, and uppercuts. Given its status in history, SF2 is often regarded to as the purest Street Fighter, but Rooflemonger is quickly able to highlight ridiculous exceptions from the Street Fighter 2 experience.
Vega, for instance, has incredibly spam-able wall dives that can be looped ad nauseam. T. Hawk has a ridiculous option select command grab that was clearly unintended, and Old Sagat clearly needs to be nerfed to become anything close to fair and balanced.
What do these examples mean for our obscure definition of real Street Fighter? Perhaps the answer is better exemplified in Street Fighter Alpha? When Rooflemonger explores that series, however, he finds more than a few issues that certainly disqualify it from being the standard.
We find that the same can be argued for Street Fighter 3, 4, and 5, and already we’re hearing plenty about how Street Fighter 6, with its new Drive System mechanics and somewhat unfamiliar feel and flow, does not reflect Street Fighter’s core essence.
Watch as Rooflemonger hunts this elusive concept throughout the chapters of Street Fighter history, and let us know in the comments what you think real Street Fighter is, and if any game to date has actually encapsulated it.