Street Fighter 6’s Modern Controls Make It Fun To Play Against Rookies

If you don’t know this, fight game enthusiasts. Invite a friend to join you in your favorite fighting game. You invite a friend to join you in your favorite fighting game. Your buddy may not be familiar with the rules or they are rusty. In order to be able to help them, assume the weaker type. You can unleash just 5 percent of your real power so they don’t get obliterated. 

There are many laughs to be had, but it’s not fun to hold back when you really want the full effort. You wish that you were able to play faster and more efficiently to feel less inferior. This is not a good situation for a fan of fighting games. Street Fighter 6’s Modern control system is an amazing solution. 

Street Fighter’s next entry will introduce a new button layout called “Modern”. The name isn’t my favorite (“Simplified” and “Streamlined”) would communicate better the intent of the button layout, but I love the idea. This allows you to easily map your special moves using one button, along with a direction input. In-game descriptions state that the Modern Scheme is for “players who do not want to practice or memorize special moves.” This is a great way to ease newcomers into this often intimidating genre.  

Some Street Fighter 6 fans are not surprised to see the Modern controls as a way of making Street Fighter 6 more difficult. I spent many years learning how to do the Spinning Bird Kick. You should too! Don’t argue against student loan forgiveness by debating an optional fight game mechanic. Recognize that Street Fighter skills are enough to defeat Modern opponents. 

A person who has beaten an opponent that is sloppy with fireballs and psycho-crushings can tell you how important it is to be able to remember the best time to use it. Modern does nothing but reduce execution. This is an historical obstacle for casual players. This wall can be removed so that players can concentrate on the finer points of timing and reading their opponent, rather than worrying about making quarter circles or how high they should hit. If you feel threatened by that, well … maybe you aren’t as good as you think? 

My less-experienced coworker Alex Van Aken and I played many rounds each of Street Fighter 6 at Summer Game Fest. Modern controls made it easy for him to keep up with me. I was able to go full out and make it enjoyable for the both of us. Alex was becoming more strategic as we played. He even began to lure me into his attacks. I was honestly in awe at how rapidly he picked up more advanced behaviors – probably because he wasn’t pausing every few seconds to say, “lemme check my movelist real quick.” 

Most importantly, though, I was relieved. Street Fighter has the same popularity as Mortal Kombat when it comes to mainstream recognition. Because it is a familiar face, even though they may not be the best, some people will pick up matches, even if their skills aren’t great. If I ask friends for help, they respond with “I used love Street Fighter” but have forgotten how to play. I know I can lure them back with my strong ace in their hole. 

The Modern system was a great tool for me as a veteran player. The Modern scheme allowed me easily to pick up combination strings that were not yet figured out, and provided a framework for me to build my own chain of moves. Street Fighter 6 wasn’t the only game that has a simplified control system. It’s a good idea, and I hope that it becomes more popular. I think all fighter games would benefit from implementing streamlined control schemes. 

Street Fighter 6 is a game that has amazed me so far. From its beautiful animation and gameplay to the well-tuned controls, The Modern option allows rookies to play at the same level as me, so we have fun without having to be rude or pushy. Veteran and newcomers, be aware that the child gloves will soon come off and it is time to get out of my way.