Street Fighter 6 Preview – Getting A Feel For The New Real-Time Commentary System

Capcom announced Street Fighter 6 this year at the end of the Pro Tour. This was the beginning of the new entry into the beloved franchise. Street Fighter V launched in 2016 with very few features and fighters. It was relaunched later that year to offer fans many more options, fighters, content, and characters. Street Fighter 6 hopes to avoid those initial stumbles by including various modes of play from the get go, but my hands-on time during Summer Game Fest 2022’s Play Days in Los Angeles, California was all about seeing how matches play out.

From the three matches that I saw, the core gameplay was solid. But the real-time commentary is what really intrigues me. It is an intelligent evolution in fighting games, with real-time commentary provided by well-known members. 

During my demo, I could choose between two play-by-play analysts: Jeremy “Vicious” Lopez and Aru. Vicious offers dynamic English commentary, and Aru provides Japanese analysis. You can choose a personality to play the match and a commentator who will color-code. The final team of analysts is coming soon and I cannot wait to see their match-ups. The build that I was able to play had no color commentators so it left my play-by -play guy with the difficult task of doing the job alone.

Vicious’ English commentary is chosen and I choose from the two stages and four characters: Ryu, Chun Li, Jamie and Luke. While loading into the fight, you can use the four d-pad directions to choose which face you want your character to make – while the face of determination always looks good on Ryu, I opted for the fierce gritted-teeth look (you can change the face as many times as you’d like until the match loads, leading to some hilarious face-contorted moments if you so choose). The combatants are greeted by unique animations that allow them to walk out of the arena, as well as screens that display their personal interests.

Hadoukens and raising uppercuts fly about the matches in an unmistakable fashion. Even the single-man comment booth keeps up with it all. Vicious called out inappropriate actions and projectiles used to hurt each other, as well as characters who were caught in tight spots and sustained a lot damage. The commentator was not only able to react to specific situations or attacks. Vicious commented on my match ending with a simple low kick and said that I had thrown a kick out of nowhere. This heightened the tension, especially since he let me know we were both prepared for anything.

While the commentary can be a valuable feature that helps to develop the series, it is not enough. The gameplay is just as good. As I took control of Ryu, I enjoyed fighting Chun-Li. Then I faced off against Jamie. Jamie’s Chinese drunken-fist style provides a unique puzzle to solve, but thanks to my familiarity with Ryu, I didn’t have too much trouble. I had a lot of fun trying Luke’s fast, high-energy style. This was especially since Street Fighter V debuted after my last visit with him.

Street Fighter 6 seems to be making the right moves. Although I was initially apprehensive about the commentary due to my years-long experience with sports analysis, the hands-on and ears-on time spent playing the game helped me to feel confident in the potential benefits that a two-person, dynamic commentary booth, which you can personalize, could bring to a match’s atmosphere as well as my understanding of Street Fighter tactics. Street Fighter 6 has been my best friend since the beginning.