It’s nice to have a flashy trailer that really shows off the art style or really digs deep into the aesthetic. But to really understand a fighting game — and I mean, to really understand what it actually feels like on a stick — you need to watch people who know what they’re doing fight.
Often, in fighting games, the really good players aren’t necessarily the brightest. For example, if you watch a high-level Tekken game, you’ll see a lot of kicking and backlash, followed by some impressively long (but not so exaggerated) combos. The same seems to be true for Street Fighter 6: The character trailers we’ve seen so far revel in exaggerated action, flamboyant superhumans, and snappy camera angles showing off new and returning actors — but the real battle between the two developers? This is the real deal.
In the video above, you’ll see veteran Brit Cammy go head-to-head with French newcomer Manon. Players of Cammy will recognize some of the signature moves in the mix (the Spiral Arrow, Cannon Spike, and Hooligan combo), as well as some fun new tech made possible through her super-art. Manon loves her dances and catwalks a lot, forcing Cammy to match her footwork (we see moves by Manège Doré, Renversé and Pas de Deux), ending a set in a great supergroup that was unceremoniously played by the Brits tripped and landed on his face on the concrete.
The video, in the form of a fast-paced three-round format and made from direct-to-capture footage shot directly by the developers, has me hyping Street Fighter 6 more than any other video I’ve seen to date. Why? Because this looks like the game I’m going to play — no hyperactive clips that would take me from move to move, no zoomed-in super, no stylish panning to taunt. Good, honest fight.
And, my god, does it look good? You can put a little bit of delay in the action of Cammy playing mind games with your opponents, a nice art style that really comes to life with the fluidity behind the fight, that nice soundtrack? Forget about your expensive marketing schemes, Capcom, give me more development battles.
Want to see more Street Fighter VI action? This Street Fighter 6 trailer shows off new gameplay footage of Cammy, Zangief, and Lily, and you can read Alex’s early Street Fighter 6 preview at the link.
Note: I was asked to add that Alex, a Cammy main, thinks she looks great, but is weeping over her regress.
