THE GENERAL (KAISER KNUCKLE)

The end of Kaiser Knuckle’s campaign sees players coming up against The General, in what proves to be one of the cheapest and most frustratingly tough bosses you’ll ever face in a fighting game. Thanks to ridiculously unfair teleportation moves, slide kicks that he just won’t stop spamming, and various attacks that can do devastating damage, the General is an absolute nightmare.

Spoilers abound so be warned.

Queen Reyna – Gears 5

We knew going into Gears 5 that Kait would be trying to exorcise her inner Locust. What we didn’t know is that she would succeed and that Reyna, her mother, presumed dead at the end of Gears of War 4, would re-emerge. Sure enough, Queen Reyna took control of the Locust, raged against the COG and even took Del or JD away to cement her evilness.

MIKE TYSON (PUNCH-OUT!!)

One of the greatest athletes of all time is just as formidable in 8-bit form as he used to be in real life at his prime. Starring as the final hurdle in Punch-Out!!, Mike “Iron Mike” Tyson pulled no punches. Right off the bat, he hurled a barrage of attacks at the player that required a series of precise dodges, while what followed was a series of fast, hard-hitting attacks that could make even the most season players sweat.

Capcom hasn’t been the biggest proponent of Xbox One backward compatibility with Xbox 360 games- however, it’s gone ahead and made one of its most successful games from the previous generation playable on Xbox One. Street Fighter 4 is now playable on Xbox One.

Now, to be clear, this is not Super Street Fighter 4, or any of the numerous updates that were released for the game- this is the vanilla, the original, which actually makes it very outdated. But for casual players who own a copy and want to play it on their systems, it’s something, I suppose.

Street Fighter 4 isn’t the only game being added to the list of Xbox 360 games that will be playable on Xbox One, either- Luxor, Poker Smash, and Madballs: Babo Invasion are all being added to the list of Xbox 360 games that can be played on Xbox One as well. So, really, Street Fighter 4 is the headliner here- but who’s to say those other games don’t have their fans, too?

The latest iteration of Street Fighter runs on Unreal Engine 4 and is perhaps one of the first AAA games that utilizes Epic Games’ set of framework and toolsets. The game also supports cross platform play between the PlayStation 4 and PC versions, so in other words it’s unlike any other AAA game out there. Being a fighting game, most players won’t even see any differences between the PC and PlayStation 4 versions. But on closer inspection one can see some subtle features tat sets the two versions apart.

Let us take a look at the PC version first. The developers have implemented a fair number of settings including resolution scaling, AA solution (which in this case is TAA, which is the same solution we saw getting used in the Unreal Engine 4 version of  The Vanishing of Ethan Carter), post processing effects and more, all of which can be adjusted from low to medium to high to max. But the problem with the PC version, despite the presence of four different presets, is that if your hardware isn’t up to snuff, you will most likely struggle to run the game at optimum performance. The frame rate is locked in the action on screen which results into everything getting slowed down tremendously and quite honestly, this will be game breaking issue for many if you do not meet the recommended specs.

The developers recommend a Nvidia GTX 960 to run the game at optimal performance, and by optimal performance we mean a solid 60 frames per second. Running the game at recommended requirements helped us achieve a rock solid 60 frames per second without many issues, with every setting maxed out at 1080p resolution, of course. This also goes to show that Street Fighter 5 on the PC is GPU bound and a mid-level CPU such as AMD FX 8350 will be good enough to run the game. In short, if you have a weak hardware, you will be investing your precious time changing the settings or opting for a better hardware. We know that this is not an optimal solution but it’s what it is.

So what about the PS4 version and how does it stack up against the PC build? Right off the bat, the PS4 version runs at 1080p native resolution with a solid frame rate of 60fps with minimal drops during gameplay. We did witness some minute slow downs at times, specially during the intro scenes, but nothing that will hinder the user experience. However, with more capable hardware comes better visual and post processing effects and this is where the PC on maxed settings takes the lead.

The post processing effects, in general, look and feel more polished than the PS4 version and the textures are mostly higher quality on the PC build, barring a few objects where the quality is similar on both platforms. The PC version is using a cinematic motion blur and generally has a better Temporal AA solution with more frames resulting into more crisper object edges and geometry. In short, the differences between the PC maxed out settings and PS4 are subtle and you really need to zoom in to notice the discrepancy.

I also wanted to briefly talk about how Street Fighter 5 has evolved when compared to Ultra Street Fighter 4. The former is running on a custom framework developed by the developer Dimps and right off the bat you can witness a big jump in post processing effects and character geometry. There are some major improvements in color visibility and volumetric effects along with a superior AA solution. It’s amazing to sit back and think about the transition from an in-house engine to licensed one hasn’t affected the game’s performance at all.

So where do we stand regarding Street Fighter 5? Which platform offers the best performance? Well, it’s a matter of choice and what is available with you. The developers have updated their entire engine pipeline for Street Fighter 5, moving away from proprietary in-house solution to a third party framework. Suprisingly, this makes no impact at all for a solid 60 fps experience on both consoles and PC. If you have a PC that meets the recommended requirements, then go ahead and buy the PC version due to its extra polish overall. And if you are a console gamer, the PS4 version will work just as fine with slightly lowered visual fidelity compared to a maxed out game on the PC.

"The new V-Gauge replaces the Focus system of old and changes things up in an interesting fashion. The V-Trigger and V-Skill abilities are your basic go-to mechanics in the beginning."

In terms of gameplay, Street Fighter 5 still proves why it’s the king. Controls are responsive and fluid – fighters move naturally and without any clunkiness or delay. This highlights the overall visual finesse of Street Fighter 5. If Street Fighter 4 was all about the wildly irreverent ink streaks and splotches, then Street Fighter 5 takes a decidedly more mature approach. Running at 60 FPS with High settings and 1080p resolution on PC, it’s amazing to note the personality that each fighter can exude by simply standing still. Environments are mostly static and don’t really affect the battle but they manage to stand out in their uniqueness for the most part.

The range of fighters is interesting this time around simply because you can’t get any more balanced than this. Ryu and Ken are your typical all-arounders. Fighters like Cammy and Chun-Li emphasize quickness and rapid strikes. There are plenty of others which can fit your play-style like the new F.A.N.G. who mixes rapid strikes with poison attacks that can deplete health or M. Bison whose strength and unpredictability offsets his slower movement.

The new V-Gauge replaces the Focus system of old and changes things up in an interesting fashion. The V-Trigger and V-Skill abilities are your basic go-to mechanics in the beginning. V-Skill is a special ability unique to each character that can activate on pressing both Medium attack buttons. Ryu, for example, can parry attacks with his V-Skill while Ken uses a quick step forward to close the distance. Successfully using V-Skills builds up the V-Trigger which can be activated by hitting both Heavy attack buttons.

"The problem – or rather, the fact – is that Street Fighter 5 doesn’t have a whole ton of content. The Story Mode is quite laughable with each character completing four fights each and solving conflicts via still-picture cut scenes."

This confers a “unique” version to your fighter’s range of special moves and attacks. Ken’s V-Trigger, for instance, will add a flame effect to his Shoryuken and Hadouken. Knowing your character’s V-Skill abilities and when to use them, along with successfully pulling off V-Triggers, holds the key to victory. Don’t think your enemy is in a corner when you use V-Triggers though – they can use their V-Gauge to execute V-Counters to your attacks, consuming some of the gauge in the process. It should also be noted that you still have you Special meter for pulling off hard-hitting combination attacks that can significantly turn the tide of battle without outright smashing an opponent.

Gameplay-wise, Street Fighter 5 is amazing. Presentation-wise, the game’s visuals, music and sound design are fantastic, even for those who aren’t fans of the English voice acting in Story Mode (thankfully, it can be changed). There’s also a better way to ease players into the game, offering a flashback session of sorts where Ken and Ryu hone their basic techniques while training with their master in the past. These are all great touches.

The problem – or rather, the fact – is that Street Fighter 5 doesn’t have a whole ton of content. The Story Mode is quite laughable with each character completing four fights each and solving conflicts via still-picture cut scenes. It’s weird, to say the least, but at least there’s a unique element to each fighter’s story. Street Fighter 4 simply threw in random battles en route to the same final boss for every character. At least this approach gives each character a personality though it’s admittedly bare-bones and doesn’t help build sympathy for, say, Cammy’s attempt to free the Dolls or Ken’s new life as a father. As it stands, the single-player Story Mode is just a way to earn some quick experience and Fight Money. What about the bonus rounds of car smashing? What about tag-team fights?

"If you’re new to the series and seek a single-player experience…then you’ll be disappointed by the lack of additional features in the base Street Fighter 5 experience."

That lack of content extends to the Challenge Mode which will be added as a free update in March. Considering that the Trials were the more significant meat in Street Fighter 4‘s single-player component while allowing players to master advanced techniques and strategies, it’s kind of a bust to not see them at launch. Even the Fight Money you earn only seems to apply to the additional characters you can unlock through the story. There are alternate costumes to try out but I was expecting a whole range of goodies to spend Fight Money on. With Survival and Training pretty much rounding out the single-player experience, Street Fighter 5‘s short-term longevity relies on its multiplayer out of the gate.

Thankfully, the multiplayer aspect is incredibly solid. You can set search parameters for the kinds of connections you want to face, participate in Casual and Ranked matches, leave yourself open to challenges from any one – thus allowing you to continue the Story Mode as such – and customize a whole range of Battle Settings. These include the default character you’ll be taking in, his or her costume and so on. The experience itself was incredibly fluid and I managed to find matches quickly.

If you’re walking into Street Fighter 5 for the opportunity to challenge opponents around the world, then make no mistake. This is your jam and it’s backed by excellent visuals, reliable online performance, a balanced yet unique roster and great gameplay. If you’re new to the series and seek a single-player experience, perhaps like Mortal Kombat X with its Challenge Towers and in-depth Story Mode, then you’ll be disappointed by the lack of additional features in the base Street Fighter 5 experience. Nonetheless, its multiplayer is worth sticking around for. If you seek a compelling fighting game which will only get better with time, then Street Fighter 5 will reward your time and commitment. We’ll see how the Daily Challenges, Trials and such pan out when Challenge Mode arrives next month.

This game was reviewed on the PC.

Evo 2012 held in Las Vegas, United States, was pretty memorable and incredibly competitive. New champions were crowned while some retained their last year’s honour, so here are the full results from the tournament.

South Korean, Seon-woo Lee, also known as Infiltration, beat Street Fighter 4 legend, Daigo Umehara, for the championship. You can see his image on top of this post. Last year’s champion Fuudo had a terrible tournament not placing in top eight. This is the great thing about these championships, as nothing is certain and highly based on Skill.

Ultimate Marvel vs. Capcom 3 is a pretty popular game as well, and Filipino player Ryan Ramirez, beat American Carlos Randay to take the championship. You can check out the full results below of the seven games that were played at the tournament.

• Super Street Fighter 4 Arcade Edition Version 2012 – Infiltration
• Ultimate Marvel vs. Capcom 3 – Filipino Champ
• Mortal Kombat – KN.EMP|Perfect Legend
• King of Fighters 13 – Mad KOF
• Virtua Fighter 5: Final Showdown – Fuudo
• Street Fighter x Tekken – Infiltration & Laugh
• SoulCalibur 5 – Shining Decopon

Thanks, Shoryuken.