As Time Goes By – Street Fighter V

An unfortunate trend in this day and age is the release of broken and buggy games. It seems there isn’t a month that goes by without at least one anticipated title being released in a busted state. But all is not lost and with the wonder of the internet, a great game is often only some time and a patch away. This is where “As Time Goes By” comes in. We look at these once broken games a few months on and let you know if they are now worth your time, helping you decide once and for all if the game is finally something to be purchased or a title to be forgotten forever. 

As Time Goes By – Street Fighter V

The Street Fighter V release was a strange beast. The Multiplayer part of the game was released in a very solid state, with eSports instantly taking it on board and solid internet play being a huge positive for competitive players everywhere. The big problem with the release however was the lack of single player options. Players that didn’t want to compete with others were left with a poor survival mode and a pathetic excuse for a story mode. The traditional arcade mode didn’t even make an appearance so for those people who just like to play around with fighters against the computer the package was positively anemic.

As Time Goes By - Street Fighter V

Capcom promised that a proper cinematic Story mode, ala Mortal Kombat, was coming however and that this would be the solution to the woes of single players everywhere. Fast forward four months and that story mode is here but the question is does it make the game entertaining enough for folks who just want to have fun in the Street Fighter Universe without the pressure of competing online? Sadly the answer is no.

As Time Goes By - Street Fighter V

To put it simply the story mode is utter trash. Poorly thought out, poorly voice acted and poorly put together, the mode was one giant cringe from start to finish. That is not to say the gameplay is bad, because as we all know it isn’t, but everything surrounding the core mechanics screams of low production values and little thought and planning. The Story its self is initially confusing and ultimately boring. This is not helped by voice actors that range from apathetic to irritating. Perhaps the original Japanese voice overs were better but in English, there are times when it was nothing short of excruciating. Finally, there is no flow to the story, players chop and change fighters after each battle which makes it very difficult to feel any sort of progression.

As Time Goes By - Street Fighter V

This is truly a shame because thanks to Netherealm studios there is now an expectation of what single player in a fighting game should look like. The story in both recent Mortal Kombat games and Injustice were both told wonderfully. The stories were simple but they were put together in a way that they naturally flowed and show super high production values. Sadly the Street Fighter V story mode fails to capture any of that and comes across as an afterthought from developers and something of a slap in the face for people that have enjoyed Street Fighter arcade modes and stories for years. What makes it worse is I think there could be some truly exciting tales told in this universe, just look at the Assassin’s Fist YouTube series for proof, but Capcom have failed to use that potential at all.

As Time Goes By - Street Fighter V

There is however some good news. The story incorporates all of the DLC characters so everyone will get a chance to play as these fighters, even if they haven’t purchased them. This means that fighters such as Guile and Balrog can be tested before splashing out some cash on them. As far as silver linings go it is a pretty thin one but it is worth mentioning.

As Time Goes By - Street Fighter V

So we are pretty much left with what we started with, a game that is great for competitive fighter fans but basically alienates everyone else. If you were waiting for the story mode to come out before you purchased Street Fighter V you probably still shouldn’t buy it. The game isn’t worth the cost of entry for single players and this horribly tacked on story mode does nothing to change that.

As Time Goes By - Street Fighter V

Matt Hewson

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