Ever since we at NCG played Street Fighter V at EVO 2015, we fell in love with the game and couldn’t wait for the Beta to open. The Beta was opened July 23, 2015 last night, but as for any huge title making you have to log in a server to play, it of course had a rocky start. Some players said they played with no problem logging in the servers, while others were stuck at the title screen. Soon after the issues were noticed a statement from Capcom was later released stating they were having server issues and will extend the Beta for the time lost.
Leave a comment below and let us know if you were able to log in, or how long did you try till you gave up.
If you weren’t excited to hear that a new Street Fighter would be released, now you should be. In the Capcom panel at Evo 2015 developers gave fans a peak at what the new Street Fighter V has in store for players.
Many players will be happy to know that Capcom plans to eliminate all those extra bundles of new content. Capcom has promised that Street Fighter V will be the only disc players will ever purchase. Say goodbye to Super Ultra Arcade Remix Hyper Edition EX+Alpha. Extra content and characters will be frequently updated, and no, you won’t find yourself saving pennies to pay for extra DLC.All characters and content added to the game can be earned by simply playing the game.Players earn “fight money” which can be used to unlock new content.Of course, you can also buy “fight money” to have instant access to content, however, it will not be required.We raised an eyebrow at the proposition, however, developers explained that “fight money” is meant to keep players engaged with the game: the more you play, the more you’ll earn.
Players can also expect to see new gameplay. Street Fighter developers focused on character development so this meant that when characters felt lacking, they were given new tools to utilize, and if they were amusing, well, now they’re more amusing. Emphasizing personalities has altered how each character plays. Each character now has their own battle system and special moves which can be used with the V Stick or V Trigger.There is also a new Variable system which is meant to help maintain character balance and allow players to choose how they want to play whether it be offensive or defensive.
So who can you play? A total of 16 characters are currently on the Street Fighter V roster: ten returning characters and six new ones.Confirmed returning characters will be: Ryu, Ken, Chun-Li, Birdie, Cammy, M.Bison, and Nash. The only confirmed new character for Street Fighter V is Necalli, who was announced on day three at Evo 2015.
Now that we know who we can expect to see, here’s a quick look at how the returning characters will play:
Ryu– Well-balanced character designed to be easy to use for new comers.
Chun-Li– Can be easy, moderate, or hard to use.She excels at mid-range and at countering attacks.Her V-Trigger will make up for her shortcoming in damage
M. Bison – Best for moderate and skilled players.Has heavy and powerful specials which are stronger in V-Trigger mode.His special moves put pressure on the opponent
Birdie– Great for beginners.He’s no longer a grab character and can now hit almost anywhere.
Nash-Difficult to use and redesigned to be offensive. He has an abundance of target combos.
Cammy – Can be easy to difficult to use.She’s aggressive with quick attacks and quick movements and deals huge damage with the V-Trigger, however, be careful not to miss the opponent
Ken– For anyone to use and now plays different from Ryu.You can use the V-Skill and V-Trigger to rush even when blocking.If you’re a rush player, he might be a top choice.
Since the game is still in development, Capcom plans to release Beta’s in three phases in order to gather feedback from the community.All North American pre-orders for Street Fighter V will have guaranteed access to the Beta. Players in Europe and Asia can sign up to test the Beta at streetfighter.com.The first phase will be on the PS4 from July 23-28.Phase 2 will be on the PS4 and PC but the date has yet to be determined. Phase 3 is also to be determined.
During Evo 2015, New Challenger Gaming had a chance to test out Street Fighter V. We noticed that the game runs faster than any other Street Fighter game, has a high frame rate with smooth animation, characters are more detailed, and when you mess up you are certainly punished for it.
Street Fighter V will be released in 2016.Be sure to get your pre-order to check out the Beta and let us know what you think! Also we have the reveal trailer below for Nacalli, be sure to click and watch how this character is up close in personal.
It’s not often that NPR focuses on gaming, but in this late 2014 episode of All Tech Considered they focus on “empathy games” that center around smaller, more personal stories about everyday people.
Those robust gaming sales were helped by promises of better graphics and better online gameplay than previous versions of both PlayStation 4 and Xbox One. But some game developers are pushing a different boundary; better storytelling. They’re using video games to tell sophisticated, emotionally complex stories and Travis Larchuk, has more. At first the game Gone Home feels like a first person shooter or a horror game. The player is in a house in the woods walking down dark hallways. A thunderstorm rages outside. But that’s where the similarities end. Steve Gainer is the game’s lead designer. “There’s no violence in gone home. There’s no shooting. There aren’t any enemies. There aren’t any other people in the game at all. It’s just you in this house by yourself trying to put the pieces together by exploring the space. Gone Home is actually a coming of age story told through the journals of a fictional high school student, Samantha Greenbriar. The player walks around the house opening drawers and closets and discovering letters and journals from Samantha and her parents. Each one reveals a little bit of their story. Here Samantha realizes she and a girl in her class have feelings for each other. “She put her arm around me. It was so close and whispered in my ear ‘I really like you.’ I just nodded my head and I really hoped she can tell.”It’s just about a normal family and what happened to them. You know it’s not about Science Fiction or military or supernatural stuff. It’s a story that could have happened down the street from you. And the game’s selling pretty well for an independent video game. Fifty Thousand copies in the first month. Gainer used to work on big budget blockbuster games like the Bioshock series. But he left that job to focus on more intimate projects. “I have always been interested in working on stuff that is more personal and smaller scale and more about people and individuals.” And he’s not the only one. Lucas Pope designed the gamePapers, Please.In this game the player is a border guard working for a fictional communist country. The player is forced to make difficult choices about who can cross the border. All while making barely enough money to help his family survive. Pope says today’s developers have a broad definition of what a video game can be. “Like my generation, or the people who make games now they grew up with games their whole life. Probably the first generation did that. So it’s really natural to consider that you can like have a game about anything.” Nick Suttner says he’s noticed a bigger trend recently. He works for Sony the company behind PlayStation. As part of his job he frequently hears pitches from independent designers. “There was an interesting shift away from mechanics to storytelling. When you play a game and it feels like it’s about something. And it’s not just about shooting something. It’s about an experience the developer had and wanted to communicate that idea in their game. Or about this moment of beauty or sympathy.” Some call these “empathy games.” They focus on engaging with the player on an emotional level. Ryan Greene’s taking that to an extreme. His deeply personal project uses the medium of a video game to create an interactive memoir. It’s called That Drago Cancer. “My wife and I have four boys and our third son Joel was diagnosed with cancer when he was one. And we’ve been fighting that for the past almost four years.” The game puts the player in Ryan Greene’s shoes during a night at the hospital. “We’re here. I hate that he’s sick. Just want him to feel better.” It becomes apparent there’s nothing the player can do to make the situation better. Just like in real life sometimes there is no easy answer. Ryan Greene says his game is more like a poem. I asked who he imagines will play this. “I hope its people that appreciate good film and good literature.” All three developers I spoke with share that hope. That their games will also reach and audience of people who may not consider themselves gamers. Travis Larchuck NPR News.
Keep up with the latest in Fighting Games, JRPG's, Indie Games, and Anime
New Challenger Gaming 