Recent reviews by cannonchow

I think this sets the standard for what to expect out of a major fighting game release going forward. It clears the bar for a functional fighting game in 2023: good netcode, painless matchmaking, lobby system, quick rematches (rematching is comically fast here), and a robust training mode.

It offers an entire single player mode that, to my knowledge, hasn't been done before in the genre. And it isn't that the story is compelling or the open-ish world is robust (both are silly and fine!), but that there is so much in there that acts as a delightful little backdoor to learning the fundamentals of Street Fighter. Mini games that teach how to input specials by making pizzas, breaking blocks to learn charge motion timing, breaking boards to learn how to time air to airs and landing timing. And general bot fights that operate at a slower pace to ease new people into the game and greatly rewarding punishes.

It still feels like a Street Fighter entry to me. I played a decent amount of SF4/USF4, mashing wildly with Dudley and I never really engaged with the core combo mechanic/system (Focus Attacks/FADC). This game brings the simple joy of hitting buttons back, no idea why SF5 felt so so miserable to just perform inputs in, maybe getting perfect parries just makes my brain turn to happy goop idk. So far with this game, I've had a lot more fun actively trying to engage with the Drive system. I'm not big brain enough to know how expressive the Drive system will be over the long haul, but for now the game has made learning both it and the game fun and engaging. Haven't tried Modern controls but fighting against Modern players feels balanced, I have yet to think/feel "damn I'm on the worse input method", it's always been "I'm getting outplayed/I'm doing something wrong." If you're annoyed by monetization schemes in games, no idea how you'll feel about Capcom's DLC path for this game, I have yet to see anything onerous with this game (looking at you Tekken 7 frame data).

banger aesthetic, music, setting in a mechanically solid survival horror world. really appreciated a story that gave me plenty to work with but offered enough space to make it fun to inhabit (i.e. there's room for you to interpret what's happening and ample scaffolding to enable the possibilities).

this is a good simple 3d puzzle game

TL;DR Fighting game that can be fun at each point on the time investment spectrum, only some minor quibbles. Strongly recommend as a first fighting game to deeply get into

1. I like hitting buttons / Never played a fighter before
   There's only four buttons, inputs for the majority of moves are by one to two buttons and a single direction, slow mo camera is a treat, rage arts (super moves) can be bound to a button press. Game state mechanics are as straightforward as in rage/not in rage, no X-factors/max modes/active switch/assists (which is a plus for newcomers). Gameplay is fast, rounds go quickly. Cast diversity is alright, although it's arguable that having two slots for Panda and Kuma is a bit of a bummer (and Devil Jin vs. Jin isn't readily obvious). Sizable amount of customization options for each character
   
   
2. I want to learn this character
   Move lists are deep, bread and butters are easier to hit in this game than any other (personal opinion, having tried more than a few fighters), movement options can vary character to character and are nuanced. Cast shines here as the game doesn't really have any completely joke-y/purposefully weaker characters, with a wide breadth of execution barriers and good representation of playstyles.
   
   
3. I want to learn this game
   It's the best 3D fighter out there, characters have deep movement options. Wealth of depth in terms of situations, setups, and matchups. I'm halfway between this stage and the prior stage so I can't add too much more. I'm 300 hours in and still have fun just finding out new things about Lee and Steve. Netcode is good, haven't had any major issues

• Absolutely nothing in game to teach players what's going on, stuff as simple as how to stand up without getting rocked requires YouTube or going into training mode and getting lucky flipping through options.
  
• Sometimes the game is poor at communicating why a move didn't win a scramble, or why your sidestep got counter hit, but this is mostly an extension of the first point
  
• I would have loved a team battle mode, for both online and offline
  
• Replays, I really could use a replay system. Maybe season 2 but I don't know

I can't say if you'll see the DLC as valuable, 3 characters/2 stages/Tekken Bowling was fine for me, Geese is a cool add and well implemented for Tekken, Eliza is solid, and I get how Noctis is great for some but I'm impartial to him. I got the game + season pass for $60.97 and I'm totally OK with that price point. It'll be interesting to see how much they charge for season 2, which looks like ~6 new characters.

Unqualified recommendation, a banger game. Gorgeous aesthetic, interesting enemies and tight combat, fantastic score.

DLC update: easily worth it, I haven't played anything quite like this in the interim and it's a fun, interesting addition to an already superb game