Street Fighter 6" Test Play Report! Enjoying the new "Drive Gauge" system that holds the key to victory! Tokyo Game Show 2022 Special Edition

Tokyo Game Show 2022, the world's largest game trade show, is being held from September 15 to 18, 2022.

The Tokyo Game Show 2022 is being held at Makuhari Messe in Chiba Prefecture from September 15 to 18, 2022. This is the first time in three years that the show has been held there since the venue went online due to the spread of the new coronavirus infection. Various game makers, large and small, exhibited their products, and the show was bustling from the first day.

In this article, we will report on the "Street Fighter 6" that we were able to try out at the Capcom booth.

Street Fighter 6" is the latest title in Capcom's iconic "Street Fighter" fighting game series. In the official program "TGS2022 Street Fighter 6 Special Program" broadcast at the Tokyo Game Show 2022, it was announced that 18 characters would appear in the game, and illustrations of all of them were also revealed. Ryu and other characters were confirmed.

In this trial, we were able to control eight characters: Ryu, Chun-Li, Ken, Juri, Luke, Jamie, Guile, and Kimberly. On the selection screen for each character, in addition to control types such as standard, speed, and tricky, three items were displayed: appropriate pause length and control difficulty. The screen allows the user to see at a glance what kind of performance the selected character has.

The first thing that caught my attention while playing the game was the graphics, which have evolved for PS5, Xbox Series X|S, and PC. The surprising sense of realism of the game, from the neon-reflected floor to the real-time reflection of the cherry blossoms on the water surface, is a must-see.

The characters' movements are crisp and lively. On the other hand, there is also a "hit stop" action in which each character's movement stops for a moment when they attack their opponent, adding weight to their every move.

The line between realistic martial arts behavior and the emphasis on game play as a fighting game is precisely drawn, and I felt a strong sense of balance.

What was particularly impressive to me in the match-up was the new system using the "drive gauge.

The new system includes "Drive Impact," a move that is launched while parrying an opponent's attack; "Drive Parry," which automatically guards against enemy attacks; "Overdrive," a powerful special move; "Drive Dash," a dash from a normal move that can be held in Drive Parry or cancelled; "Drive Reversal," a counterattack by canceling one's own hardness while guarding; and "Drive Reversal," which is a counterattack by canceling one's own hardness while guarding. The "Drive Reversal" can be used to counterattack by canceling the opponent's stiffness while guarding, and five actions can be activated by consuming the Drive Gauge.

When the author and Director K of Akiba Research Institute played against each other on the test stand, I immediately tried activating Drive Impact, which allows the player to forcefully ignore his opponent's attacks, and even a single overdrive seemed to be enough to turn the tide of the match. It seems that actions using the "drive gauge" are both easy and powerful.

In addition, the effects of the drive moves are also quite flashy and fun to use, and the live action function implemented in the game adds to the excitement of the match. The effects are appealing to the eyes, and the play-by-play feature is appealing to the ears.

Although neither I nor K have much skill in fighting games, the game is designed to entertain players regardless of their skill, and I was able to fully enjoy the battles of this title until the end of the trial play.