I first heard about it in 2011 when Seth Killian, who was then a Capcom guy talk about the “next” Street Fighter just as SF IV was hitting the home consoles. Last year the teaser trailer for it came out and shortly after I saw the game in action in Cologne at Gamescom.
The latest version comes with a mix of old and new characters with the glaring omission of the OP Sagat. New play mechanics are also thrown in that will certainly change the way most players approach combos and counters.
The game will come out on the PS4 exclusively this Feb. 16 (for a few months) and the eventual port to other systems will come. Here is a quick glance at the line up.
Initial Characters
| Character | Japanese voice actor | English voice actor | Origin |
|---|---|---|---|
| Birdie | Ryuzaburo Otomo | TJ Storm | Street Fighter |
| Cammy White | Miyuki Sawashiro | Caitlin Glass | Super Street Fighter II |
| Charlie Nash | Ryoichi Tanaka | Jack Calabrisi | Street Fighter Alpha: Warriors’ Dreams |
| Chun-Li | Fumiko Orikasa | Laura Bailey | Street Fighter II |
| Dhalsim | Daisuke Egawa | Christopher Bevins | Street Fighter II |
| F.A.N.G | Tsuyoshi Koyama | TBA | First appearance |
| Karin Kanzuki | Aya Endo | Lauren Landa | Sakura Ganbaru! |
| Ken Masters | Yuji Kishi | Reuben Langdon | Street Fighter |
| Laura Matsuda | Megumi Toyoguchi | Tara Platt | First appearance |
| M. Bison | Norio Wakamoto | Gerald C. Rivers | Street Fighter II |
| Necalli | Hiroshi Tsuchida | D.C. Douglas | First appearance |
| R. Mika | Hiromi Igarashi | Bonnie Gordon | Street Fighter Alpha 3 |
| Rashid | Eiji Miyashita | Ian Sinclair | First appearance |
| Ryu | Hiroki Takahashi | Kyle Hebert | Street Fighter |
| Vega | Junichi Suwabe | Doug Erholtz | Street Fighter II |
| Zangief | Kenta Miyake | Peter Beckman | Street Fighter II |
Downloadable Characters
First Wave DLC
| Character | Origin |
|---|---|
| Alex | Street Fighter III: New Generation |
| Balrog | Street Fighter II: The World Warrior |
| Guile | Street Fighter II: The World Warrior |
| Ibuki | Street Fighter III: New Generation |
| Juri | Super Street Fighter IV |
| Urien | Street Fighter III: 2nd Impact |
I’ve always been a fan of the series and have followed every iteration (yes, even the early 3D versions!) so like many other fighting game fans, anticipation is high for SFV. Will I make it up the ranks or just remain a scrub in the arena? Only time will tell- but one thing is certain- I bet I can wipe the floor with Shane and Monkey.
Are you ready for the next challenger?
The Nomad Gamers 