Street Fighter is, perhaps, the most famous name in the fighting genre of gaming, but it’d be fair to say that, in recent installments, it has fallen behind its main competitors. Tekken 7 and Mortal Kombat 11 set a very, very high bar, while Street Fighter 5 didn’t stick the landing. This time around, Street Fighter 6 has landed as a genuine Game of the Year contender, while Tekken 8 is in the midst of its alpha and closed network testing, which has shown good signs.
A high bar from a legendary fighting franchise
Street Fighter defined a generation. The arcade fighter brought us one-vs-one play and so many iconic characters, particularly with Street Fighter II. That second installment continues to appease fans of all kinds of gaming.
Not only is it part of the popular Street Fighter 30th Anniversary Collection, but it’s also a popular slot title at a few of the free play online casino sites. Most no-deposit bonus casinos with a library, including the likes of NetEnt games, like BetMGM, tend to feature Street Fighter II: The World Warrior Slot. Essentially, within this game, you pick different styles of play through the many characters of the arcade classic. Only released recently, it’s a testament to the enduring affection for the iconic arcade fighter, and why the series was able to hold on to relevancy even through some lackluster additions.
Street Fighter 6 had a fair bit of ground to make up and did so tremendously. It sold over two million copies around its launch, getting praised across the board by critics. Not only does it deliver for its long-time fans, but an expansion of game modes and control accessibility has made it the perfect entry point for newcomers. Its success has been likened to the triumph of MK11, which was made expecting to be touched by everyone.
A lot of promise from the Tekken 8 CNT
While Street Fighter 6 has been full-steam ahead with its multiplayer mode, adding a 19th playable character, and making adjustments to key mechanics like Drive Rush, Bandai-Namco has reached the point of launching a closed network test for Tekken 8. Having experienced it first-hand, it’s fair to say that the gains made in aesthetics and gameplay are very impressive. Combos are smoother, and the new Heat mechanic promotes strategic, aggressive play.
There was extensive testing of the functionality of the game in its bare-bones state. Some 40,000 players piled in to try out the 16 characters, the new mechanic, and took the opportunity to partake in some online rumbles. There were both elements of praise and critique which have been noted by producer Katsuhiro Harada, who has been open to dialogue over social media with fans and has taken a firm stance to address the fact that connections were a bit off at times. However, overall, when it ran smoothly, the fights were exciting and engaging.
Perhaps most impressive of all was its showcase of a new controls mechanic that makes Tekken 8 even more accessible. At least compared to older Street Fighter games, Tekken has long been easy to grasp, mostly only using punches, kicks, grabs, and then combinations of them. Now, there’s a short-form, easy-input Special Style, which shows an input list and limits the attack range to make learning a new character easier.
Street Fighter 6 has set a high bar, and if the Tekken 8 CNT was, indeed, bare-bones, the Bandai-Namco game could certainly aspire to match it, or even exceed it in some regards.
