Due to its intensive new participant assist and its progressive story mode, Road Fighter 6 was the perfect preventing recreation of the 12 months. For extra awards, head to the Sport of the 12 months 2023 hub.
Tyler Wilde, Government Editor: Due to the deeper-than-usual tutorials and follow modes, I lastly perceive Road Fighter fundamentals which have eluded me for many years—I critically by no means knew what folks meant by “cross-up” earlier than this recreation. (I’ve not traditionally been excellent at Road Fighter.) That alone has made Road Fighter 6 thrilling for me, however I additionally just like the goofy story mode. I made a personality primarily based on me—with barely bigger biceps, certain, and yeah, inhuman quads, however principally me—and watching my new Road Fighter self meet Chun-Li felt weirdly like really assembly a celeb. Higher, actually, since Chun-Li taught me learn how to combat, however the one time I met Jack White he did not educate me learn how to play a classic guitar.
Wes Fenlon, Senior Editor: Road Fighter 6’s story mode is goofy, however Yakuza Lite is such a good way to increase on a preventing recreation—I am totally bored of the Mortal Kombat model of cutscene-fight-cutscene. Treating Road Fighter’s stars as celebrities in their very own world was a stroke of brilliance and opens up a lot comedian potential.
This 12 months’s Road Fighter EVO finals additionally served as one of many nice spectacles of the 12 months and demonstrated a recreation in nice well being: the highest six was a mixture of newer faces and longtime veterans representing a pleasant unfold of characters, and almost each match coming right down to an absolute nail-biter. Watch the entire thing after you end studying—these three hours will disappear in a blink.
I had a lot enjoyable simply taking part in a preview of Road Fighter 6 this 12 months that I went to an arcade components retailer in Akihabara whereas on trip to purchase the buttons to construct a hitbox. 2024’s the 12 months I am decided to beat years of muscle reminiscence and be taught to play on a leverless controller. If that is not love…
Mollie Taylor, Options Producer: Road Fighter 6 is the primary 2D fighter I’ve given a rattling about in a scorching sec. It is carried out a incredible job of constructing itself approachable to newcomers, with a wholesome combination of informal and veteran modes to fulfill all tastes. Whereas the brand new Drive Rush mechanic has cut up opinion locally, the shakeup has made the aggressive aspect of issues a blast to look at. I sincerely hope extra preventing video games have a coaching and on-line mode as nice as Road Fighter 6’s, and I actually would not complain if extra of them had an extremely goofy story mode too.
Wealthy Stanton, Senior Editor: As a longtime SF participant and combat stick aficionado, in all probability my favorite a part of SF6 is the trendy controls. I do not use them, nevertheless it’s opened the sport as much as such a large viewers that multiplayer feels extremely numerous, each roster character rocking up in some unspecified time in the future, and many beautiful particular assault spamming that I can brutally punish repeatedly.
The extra in-depth singleplayer modes had been reasonably misplaced on me as a long-term fan who performs these video games fully for the aggressive aspect, however the identical precept applies. Attracting sufficient gamers is vital to a recreation like this and from the off it was clear that Road Fighter 6 has an enormous and enthusiastic playerbase, and does a significantly better job of on-boarding gamers than any earlier sequence entry.
On a extra private stage, I adored that, after the slight misfire of SFV’s Ken, Capcom introduced him again to a extra conventional model but in addition doubled-down on his superior kicks as a difference-maker. I’ve by no means actually mained Ken earlier than however his SF6 incarnation is irresistible. Is that this the perfect Road Fighter Capcom’s ever made? SF4 will at all times be my SF for the period I performed it in, however I feel this has a shout. Important, brutal, beautiful, full of stuff to do, and easily essentially the most enjoyable you may have getting your face punched-in.