Trust Me, These Are 10 Things You NEED to Know Before Starting Street Fighter V.
The latest addition to Capcom's fighting series has a number of changes to the format that we thought you'd like to hear. Now, while we don't cover all the individual character changes, the following 10 points are things you'll need to know before you start slugging it out with the best of them.
Without any further ado, here is the first one; the V-Gauge.
1. The V-Gauge
The bottom bars are examples of what the V-Gauge will look like.
New to the fifth installment of the series is a concept called the V-Gauge. As you take hits from the opponent, the gauge slowly fills. Once that is done, you have three options for how to proceed from there. Using this gauge, you can utilize V-Skills, V-Reversals, and V-Triggers.
The V-Skills are special abilities for each fighter, a common trope in fighting games making an arrival in Street Fighter 5.
V-Reversals allow players to use a portion of their gauge to automatically counter an opponent’s attack. If you’re under a heavy assault, just pop the V-Reversal and your character will hit back. Hard. Finally, V-Triggers use and require the entire bar of accumulated V-Gauge to perform an incredibly powerful ability that varies per character. This can vary between damage boosts to longer combos to a number of other things.
2. The Guard Break
Her guard has just broken; the stun is soon to come.
Also new to the series is a guard break system. Now, when you are on the defensive, you have two options. You can retreat to the corner and probably die… or you can block. Street Fighter V puts a timer on how long you can defend yourself from your opponent's attack before being forced to strike back.
As you take attacks while blocking, the Guard Break meter will slowly deplete. If it fully depletes, then the player will be temporarily stunned, giving your opponent a serious advantage.
3. Interactive Arenas
This particular player is being flung back into the train; one of many unique finishers.
Shouting out to games such as Mortal Kombat, Street Fighter V has added variety to the ends of their fights. Instead of the same animation every time your character wins, which can quickly get boring, Street Fighter V varies the animation based upon WHERE in each one of their arenas you achieve your victory.
Say you push someone back into their corner in one arena and win over there. Then you’ll receive one special animation, but it will be a different animation from when your opponent pushes you back into your corner and you score a close victory.
4. Higher Damage
Zangief, one of the Street Fighter characters who will be packing an even more significant punch.
As compared to the previous Street Fighter games, the damage has been increased. While it is not to that significant a degree, the damage has been increased to a point that defensive stances must be used more frequently.
So, when playing the game this coming March in 2016, don’t forget your defensive moves; backing away and blocking. But, as mentioned before, don’t spend too much time blocking, or you’ll find yourself stunned on open ground, waiting for your (now more powerful) opponent’s punch to land.
5. The Stun Meter
Added from Third Strike, the Stun Meter will slowly rise with every attack you receive, though at a slower rate than the V-Gauge. So, to encourage aggressive players not to let up while on the offensive, all of their attacks will add to their opponent’s Stun Meter. When your opponent’s Stun Meter fills, they will fall to the ground, stars spinning above their heads, and then stand back up, stunned.
The other Street Fighter games have had this feature, but it was hidden in all of them, save Third Strike. Making it appear on the HUD encourages players to try and fill it faster, which in turn encourages a more aggressive style of play.
6. More Punishable Back-Dash
While not a backdash, this is a healthy example of what will happen if you time it wrong.
No longer will thumb stick happy players be able to back dash their way away from your mighty fists. In Street Fighter V, the dash still works like normal, and there will still be attacks you can dodge with it, but the hit-invulnerability has been removed.
There is no more invincible period of time while dashing backwards. Therefore, your back dashes have to actually dodge the attack in this game rather than merely timing the invulnerable period to match with your opponent’s attack.
7. Different Speeds for Different Characters
One of Street Fighter’s faster characters, showing off for the camera.
With this latest installment in the series, character now all walk different speeds as reflects their character. Faster, lighter characters will be dancing back and forth with ease, while heavier, stronger characters move back and forth with less than able feet.
What this means? Your character speed is another factor you’ll have to account for when fighting online. Do you want to try and hold your ground and hit as hard as possible back? Or simply dash away as soon as your opponent tries to strike? That’s all so much more important now.
8. Throws can Whiff
Previous Street Fighter games you could go for a throw and, if it missed, be back in the swing of the fight before anyone even notices. Not so for the latest edition of the game. Now, if you miss the throw, a small whiff animation will play.
That small whiff animation is BIG. That quick delay in your actions gives your opponent an opening to attack, raise that Stun Gauge, and potentially steal the win from under you.
In short? Be careful of those throws this March.
9. Chip Damage
Circled is an example of what chip damage I’m talking about.
Adding to the list of reasons not to turtle up is chip damage being added to Normal attacks. Say you’re blocking and you take a normal hit. You’ll take a certain amount of temporary damage until one of two things happens. Either you stay away from your opponent’s fists long enough for that damage to heal up… or you take a single unblocked hit and all that temporary damage becomes permanent.
10. Play Aggressive
This guy knows how to play aggressive.
If you have learned anything reading this article, let it be this; Street Fighter V is not a game for the meek or cautious player. All the changes listed so far have been geared towards rewarding aggression and punishing excessive defending or turtling.
Now, note that I say excessive. Defending will still be absolutely necessary. In a game about aggression, a quick defense in an incredible tool. But, when given the chance, always take the riskier option. The game is geared more towards rewarding that kind of play than towards making a cautious play.
TLDR: Play fast and violent to succeed in Capcom’s newest addition to the Street Fighter series.
