I enjoy Street Fighter 6

I - am ... absolutely flabbergasted by how good this game is. I mean, I certainly wasn't part of those that had much negativity for Street Fighter 5 when it came out - but rather than just saying that it's 'not that bad' - I find that Street Fighter 6 is ... 'actually really good'. And there are multiple reasons to that. For once is there a single player mode that's actually pretty fun. Modern controls I couldn't care less about - but I'm glad that there are people who can enjoy the game that way. All I care about is that using Modern controls comes with a damage output downgrade - a.k.a. "fair enough" - because given the shit you can pull with those ... yea, there better be a downgrade.

While being still locked into the SF5 mindset - the graphics sure looked odd. But ... I really dig how nostalgia filled the game is ... without really ... pushing it. Or squeezing for it. It is by all means new and fresh and still ... really just organically ... carries a lot of that "original Street Fighter (2)" vibe. My only issue would be Manon ... because ... I really just find EVERYTHING about her disturbing ... as she also gets the whole mind-games thing ... practically for free.
I mean ... yea, the game is bold. So, I currently main Chun-Li - and I recognize that when winning while in Burnout, the way she stands there - is reminiscent of her stance in Street Fighter 2. And yet - her victory pose isn't what it used to be - and so there is this odd mix between new and old that's just really on point. Then you have those goofy face emotes ... which further makes the whole really sympathetic and lovely and fun.

But that being just superficialities and contrivances of the time, the same yet applies to the gameplay.
From being a Rose main in Street Fighter 4 - to me being in and out spectating on Street Fighter tournaments - my greatest issue was the eventual stale mate that would occur. So was I arguing for roses EX Soul Spiral to get more invicibility - as it'd help her to get out of being effectively locked into it. At least was it my impression that on the one side it was easy to turtle up against her - and on the other it was also really easy to pressure her into a corner. Or so, really difficult to navigate her to a win. SF5 Rose is odd ... as I suppose they tried to give her a more offensive moveset - which ... I don't think gels with her all that well. Like so, to play her effectively one has to get used to Soul Punish, promoting a playstyle I think leaves her way too exposed. But that's not really a professional opinion. It's just ... something's off. I also couldn't play her all that much - as ... my PS4 smoked off before she came out and just recently got me a PS5.
Anyway - regardless of her EX Spirals getting the buff - the stalemate would still set in eventually. But it's not unique to Rose - as ... a lot of the Street Fighter 5 matches I saw ... were like incredibly boring - sometimes. Like, not a lot of motion and very repetitive. Unless you'd eventually have a really mobile Character - but, I ... uhm ... don't think there were a lot in SF5. Certainly nothing like Gen. Or ... sure ... even Goken or Oni ... feel like delivering more motion than your average SF5 Character.
I mean ... again ... like, Rashid ... is supposedly this super agile all over the place fullscreen Character - and still ... it didn't feel like there was motion in it.
With Street Fighter 6 now however, it seems like it's the exact opposite. That because there are a lot of things that can change the dynamic. For once; And at times that still feels a bit weird to me; Is a more pronounced ... "hitting each other at the same time". Which is fun ... though the way throws work is still a bit beyond me. I mean, like, when throw takes priority over normal strikes ... or the other way around.
Thats one thing. Then there's burnout - and that blocking actually drains the drive meter - which eventually triggers burnout when depleted. So, that can change the flow of a game and actually discourages blocking. And so there's parries and perfect parries - which are a more or less powerful defensive tool - which for now I feel like is really just one more thing ontop of all the things to get used to. Then there's drive impact, as some kind of constant threat that can turn the tides - and also drive rush. So, in a way this game was made to be really noob friendly - in that one can simply parry all attacks by pushing a button - or crush right through almost any offense by pushing two buttons - or one even - but because these aren't all powerful omnipotent moves ... there's layers of depth to them. While a noob might use drive impact all the time - and experience would produce incentives against it - one can never discount for it.
And like so ... I find it really refreshing and fun ... . Now, it's not like I haven't gotten into ... some stale-mate~ish situation yet - or, already - and like so are there "those" kinds of playstyle that are extremely annoying because they kinda work and it sucks that they work because it bruises my ego to lose to such nonsense - to say: scrubbish noob-strats - but that'd be my bad I suppose - but it certainly is a long way from turtling in the corner and spamming a single move. -_- ... uhm ... yea.
It sure helps - I think - that every strat is basically on a bit of a timer. That EX (or ... OD) moves are independent from the Super Meter also means that the Super is ... like ... always an option. Which ... yea, get's scary at times. Like ... so the Drive Impact Spammy Modern Controls sporting Ken for instance. I mean - eventually they get uncautious and can be overwhelmed - but eventually that Level 3 super is just around the corner ... .
The best thing might however be - that there currently are a lot of players around - so, matchmaking happens really quickly - and the matches also have a tendency to be over relatively fast. Not too fast - but due to the many tools ... it's really a fast paced game. Although in a sense it also kind of isn't. I don't know.
I've heard it from someone who certainly knows more about the game than I do - that all the Characters also can really just play their game. Even if that might get ridiculous sometimes. I mean, for simplicity I think one only needs to look at Marisa. She has moves with Hyper Amor (absorbs hits - so, can punch through attacks, similar to Drive Impact) and Armor breaking moves. And that's her thing. To be like ... a bulldozer ... more so than Balrog (Boxer). Ontop of that you have Modern Controls. And she's just there - being able to do her thing - pretty much uncensored. On the other hand there sure are a few that are a bit weak by comparison - but ... uhm ... whatever. The point is that it's a pretty much "no fucks given" type of game - and I think that suits the concept of Street Fighter pretty well. I mean, the game has somehow always been about vastly different fighting styles clashing without any implied set of rules. Hence the name - we might say: Street ... Fighter.

But sure ... it's ... not all peachy. I think what however helps is that the technical barrier is a lot more diluted. What I mean is that with Street Fighter 5 the "wall of skill" was a lot more concrete - or so: The focus on pulling off combos was a lot more pronounced. Even so already in Bronze. So, being able to like ... incorporate one more move into your arsenal had a really tangible effect. Now that bar may have simply been raised a bit higher - while eating or dashing out a massive combo does certainly still have a significant effect - but the margin of what can be done outside of the technical ground game has been increased tremendously.
That I assume means, that the game's "gold nugget" - so in terms of winning - is even more so to deal massive blows whenever possible - with the back and forth of who gets to do so ... being a lot more dynamic.

And sill I don't feel like I can leave this on a positive note. That's ... a bit of a superstition of mine - that - as soon as I'd speak of a thing, it'd somehow magically turn into the opposite. If something sucked, everyone had to be a fan of it - and when something was good, everyone had to vomit all over it. To the point even that I caught myself watching movies ... being like: "Oh, I enjoy this! I wonder why it sucks actually". Or, conversely, "Oh this sucks! I wonder why people think it's good actually". But ... on and off there would be an agreement. Though I think that's usually when something has already been settled as one thing or another. ... Well. It's weird.
Another thing that concerns me, is that I'm under the impression that the game does realize a lot of things that I had suggested over the course of time - though I wouldn't really say ... uhm; That it's definitely so that the game is so good because the people at Capcom understood to break the curse of not listening to my ideas - as, it's certainly its own thing. It more so feels as a hodgepodge of things and thoughts ... and subsequently also filled with things that do annoy me - but that is certainly, at least so far, overshadowed by a) my ability to blame myself and b) that the game is oddly fun ... outside of winning.

So - if I were superstitious, I'd have to say that it sucks ... because ... I can't really leave this on a negative note ... practically. Except by maybe being a little toxic ... as in: NERF JURI!


I mean, I don't know what rubs me so wrong about her. It could be jealousy - as she has all those annoying moves with this annoying reach and those annoying hitboxes ... and an incredibly annoying attitude ontop of that - while playing against her is like walking on eggshells while everyone also seems to love her ... ugh.
Ironically I start to see myself in her - a bit. Not that I would see her as myself - but - I think the attitude ... is a clear intersection ... and whatever goes with it, though merely an abstract, might just be some matter of Karmic balance I have to put up with.
Manon is then on the other side of the rubbing me wrong spectrum. I mean, I hate to say it, but she's hideous! And her ballerina moves STINK! I get, I think, that that's the point. Like, with Blanka. That being, like, annoying is sortof the fighting style. Ontop of that ... she's like ... either a complete pushover or she is completely doing the pushing over. And sure - it's a fighting game. It's never meant to be easy.
Like so I could take a look in the mirror. Thinking of how many clutch victories I scored by simply pulling out a Level 1 super - I feel cheap sometimes ... .
I mean, I am cheap sometimes.


Oh yea, right. I'm suffering weird connection issues. Like so there'll be a popup informing me of some connection timeout - and as the popup is up, the game won't register inputs. That's annoying. So yea. SUUUUCKS! 9/10.


But seriously ... I'm sure this will be one of the historic greats of Fighting Game history. I guess the only thing speaking against that, are the hardware requirements.
Obviously, with the "Nerf Juri" statement I was being a bit facetious, though ... when it comes to suggestions as for how to improve the game - it'd be either that or adding Rose. As gimmick, I propose "Soul Snap". Some of her normals leaving soul charges on the opponent (perhaps in fractions), and with a snap they explode, deal damage and heal her up.

As her Level 3 I propose, she does the "Law of Regression" stance, as a counter move with a small offensive hitbox, [sending the opponent onto some soul plane where the opponent is launched and trapped in the air] and says: "(Now) Let me give you a taste" while pointing her finger at them and then snaps - doing effectively a single frame projectile into which most of the damage is concentrated. So, basically just a three or four hit combo. Maybe 5. Hmm ... opponent paralyzed (1), waving her hand in a horizontal arc, capturing them (2), gesturing them into the air ((3)) - sending them flying - and snap (3/4). As for the critical version, she brushes through her hair instead of doing the snappy finger, teleports after them dragonball style and does a 1 frame pile driver. And lands like with a delayed backflip after bouncing off the ground stylishly.

And for her Dive Impact ... a "this is Sparta" (forward jump) kick.

Well. One can dream. And one dreams. My head is full of that.
And so I wonder - because classically Rose isn't like ... super technical, has a lot of tools - while essentially being a footsie Character. So, in a sense she locks the opponent out of their options and forces them into that footsie game - and that ... to greater or lesser effectiveness; Depending on how well the opponent can rush in or turtle up. Thereby she doesn't have an easy game-plan one could exploit - with her big weakness being that she's easy to punish; Which then flips the game around so she can't do anything. And that's I think the big conundrum - so she needs that light to mid conversion to get back into the game. Or stay in the game.
As for Street Fighter 6 with the whole Drive Rush mechanic, I think her to be pretty vanilla as other than her slide kick and soul piede there isn't really a lot in terms of raw potential. Going off of her classic normals. And since those wouldn't really combo - her Drive Rush game is pretty basic. Though a Teleport it may be. XD

But yea. These aren't demands. It's just ... a form of venting. But, if you read this as a demand ... I suppose I may feel flattered. Anyway, for the time being, I'm busy enough learning Chun-Li.


So, uhm ... gg and ... hope to see more!