I’m about as far from being able to compete in Street Fighter as I am from being able to hold my own in actual kung fu.Ĭapcom has apparently recognised that there are plenty of people in my position, because Street Fighter 6, out next week, has two features that appeal to aspiring but terrible fighting-game players like me. Attaining even the merest imitation of that mastery, however, has always remained beyond me. I appreciate the skill and mastery that they allow for. I understand that fighting games are like ultra-high-speed chess, in which each kick and punch and spinning takedown has an equal and opposite move that can cancel it out or turn it around. The stylistic flourishes that Capcom is so good at – flamboyant animation, moving backdrops, the outfits – only add to the spectacle. It is the perfect esport: matches are easy to follow, over in just a few minutes, and thrilling to behold. I have watched fighting game tournaments in awe, and seen winners demolish opponents with deft combinations of reaction speed, on-the-fly strategising and seemingly unnatural powers of foresight. It is a stunningly energetic game full of stylish caricatures whose movement and swagger are fascinating to look at, especially in the hands of skilled competitors. That said, I have always greatly admired Street Fighter, and its players. I was a perennial button-masher, and I was humiliated so regularly that it put me off fighting games for life. Street Fighter was especially embarrassing for me, as an eager-to-prove-myself 16-year-old, because I could just never get my hands around the movesets and controls for all the different characters. When I got my first job on a games magazine, there were a few games on constant rotation at my grubby office, and at after-pub gatherings in the even grubbier flats my colleagues and I lived in: Pro Evo, Bomberman, and Street Fighter.
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |