If it’s characters you want (and for the record, you should want characters), it’s characters you’ve got. The
Street Fighter V Season Pass comes with six excellent additions to the core roster, along with alternate costumes. None of the characters are entirely new, but Capcom’s pedigree shows with these competitors, as they each fit comfortably into the admittedly complex framework that drives
Street Fighter V’s combat system.
Let’s start with the all-American soldier boy with the greatest hair in all of video gaming: Guile. While it’s true that his theme goes with everything, let’s not forget that it goes best with Flash Kicks and Sonic Booms. From Street Fighter II on, I’ve always found the rhythm of his fighting style to be a marked difference from the rest of the gang. And that proves true in Street Fighter V. I have a feeling people are going to love or hate his incorporation here. Personally, I don’t mind.
Next, we have everyone’s favorite boxer, Mike Bison – err… I mean Balrog. I hope I live to see the day when this series goes with its original Japanese translation and names. Come on, Capcom, Mike Tyson has mellowed out and seems to be a really cool dude these days; I’m sure he’d be an enthusiastic supporter of his tribute character. Capcom has successfully translated his distinctly ground-based beatdowns into the workings of the new game. And his crouching jab (spammed many a time by Street Fighter IV veterans) has been nerfed to hell and back. A good thing.
Street Fighter’s resident kunoichi schoolgirl Ibuki is back to throw her ninjutsu skills into the mix with the rest of the motley crew. I’ve always been a fan of fighter characters who placed more of an emphasis on speed than brute force, so Ibuki always appealed to me. Her appearance in Street Fighter V is most welcome; I love frustrating my opponent by running around like a madman, taking to the air, peppering them with kunai, and occasionally getting in close for a throw or two.
Alex made his first appearance in Street Fighter III. He’s always been an up-close-and-personal combatant, and those who like to play as an all-around bruiser will find a lot to like here. He’s not the quickest fighter on the roster, but he’s no slouch. But if you can get him in close, he’s got a pretty brutal command list.
The last two fighters aren’t completely integrated into the mix, but appear in Story Mode. First, we’ve got Juri, the overtly villainous South Korean Taekwondo master who first appeared in Super Street Fighter IV. And finally, we have Urien, whose shady past and dabbling in forces beyond his ken have resulted in a stable of frightening supernatural abilities.
On top of the characters, the Street Fighter V Season Pass includes six stages: three of which are new, three of which are alternates.
