To say Capcom was missing a number of key features when it first released Street Fighter 5 in February 2016 is an understatement. That’s not accounting for all the technical issues, terrible online multiplayer and so on and so forth. However, the development team has been updating it considerably over the years, bringing both new and classic fighters to the fold while improving balance as a whole. This culminated in the release of the Arcade Edition which brought back Arcade Mode among other features.
We now have Street Fighter 5: Champion Edition releasing on February 14th for PS4 and PC. Is it worth getting into for new players? What can lapsed veterans expect? It may not be the infinitive fighter that the fighting game community has dreamed of but there might be something you’ll enjoy. Let’s take a look at eight things you should know before picking up the Champion Edition.
All Fighters and Modes
The biggest appeal of the Champion Edition is that it includes all fighters released till now. That includes everyone from the base game like Ryu, Ken, Cammy, Chun-Li, M. Bison, F.A.N.G. and Zangief along with all fighters from the various Season Passes. Street Fighter 5 has had four seasons of content till now and introduced new fighters like Kolin, Zeku, Menat and G while bringing back fan favourites like Guile, Ibuki, Akuma and Sakura. You also get all of the modes released thus far, from the Character Stories and A Shadow Falls campaign to Arcade Mode, Extra Battle, Fighting Chance and Team Battle Mode. There’s even a gallery to unlock different concept art, music and cinematics.
34 Stages and Over 200 Costumes Included
Since the Champion Edition encompasses almost everything in Street Fighter 5 till now, that means all of the stages are included as well. Guile’s Air Force Base, Chun-Li’s Bustling Side Street, Shadaloo Base – all 34 stages are playable. You also get over 200 costumes which includes the various individual Costume Bundles, the seasonal holiday bundles, work costumes, school costumes, you name it. If you’ve ever wanted all the additional content but didn’t want to pony up hundreds of dollars and whatever remains of your soul, this is the ticket.
Capcom Pro Tour, Fighting Chance and Collaboration Outfits Not Included
To clarify: Almost all of the additional content. Some costumes have been excluded from the Champion Edition including those from various brand collaborations, the Capcom Pro Tour DLC and the Fighting Chance outfits. It’s easy to understand why – in the case of Fighting Chance, the rewards are based on grinding the Fighting Chance mode each month for random reward. The Capcom Pro Tour DLC, on the other hand, goes towards the Capcom Cup’s prize pool so it makes sense to leave it out.
New Fighter: Gill from Street Fighter 3
The Season 4 Pass is included with the Champion Edition, and contains characters like Kage, Lucia, Poison and E. Honda. There are some new fighters though, like Gill who first appeared in Street Fighter 3. Gill brings his own special brand of mayhem to the roster, wielding both fire and ice attacks to devastating effect (whether it’s sending an opponent flying with fire and making them fall on ice). Perhaps the real kicker is that Gill is available right now to purchase separately and play right now. You can even use Fight Money to acquire him. If you purchase the Champion Edition, he’ll be available in February when it releases.
New Fighter: Seth from Street Fighter 4
But wait, there’s more. Seth, the main boss from Street Fighter 4, is also coming to Street Fighter 5. Sporting a new look and various new outfits, Seth also sports a range of devastating attacks like Tanden Engine which can be used to “borrow” your enemy’s special move. There’s also Tanden Booster to dash and go all JoJo’s Bizarre Adventure with a flurry of punches. Seth’s V-Triggers are similarly devastating as you combine teleports and energy spheres for attacks. Though Seth can also be purchased standalone like Gill, he’ll only become available in February when the Champion Edition releases.
V-Skill 2 and Balance Changes
If you own the base version of Street Fighter 5 and have already unlocked the characters you like, there’s a pretty big update available for the base game. It adds a number of balance changes and introduces a second V-Skill to all characters. For instance, Akuma can release an aura that sends opponents into the air while charging the V-Gauge; Rashid gets a mid-air dash (which hilariously tormented the likes of fighting game pro Daigo); and Sagat gets a buff to his next Tiger Knee. Want to short hop over an opponent’s projectiles and hit them with a Sonic Boom in mid-air as Guile? How about absorbing an attack as Ryu and immediately attacking a second time? You can do that now. Considering all the characters available, that’s a pretty hefty range of V-Skills to perfect. Best get cracking.
Champion Edition Upgrade
Base game owners who never splurged on costumes or all of the characters but might want to purchase the Champion Edition are in luck. They can pick up the Champion Edition Upgrade, which costs $24.99, to receive it all. Sure that’s only $5 cheaper than the Champion Edition but it’s not a bad deal especially when you factor in numerous seasons worth of characters, stages and costumes.
Special Color on Pre-Order
Of course, as an incentive to those who pre-order, you receive a Special Color for all characters for Season 4. It’s actually pretty fetching, providing a dark shade to all fighters with red highlights, almost giving them a Dark Hadou effect. Should this be your only incentive for pre-ordering? No. Do you want to look cool? Of course you do. Flip a coin and go from there.
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