Play it on: PS5, PS4, Xbox Series X/S, Windows (Steam Deck OK)
Current goal: Complete the damn world tour
street fighter 6 is great, there’s no secret: a real return to form. If you like fighting games at all, you should definitely play them, maybe even this weekend. I’m glad I decided to buy it.
But it’s not perfect, and my biggest downsides are the World Tour mode and the game’s F2P monetization. I totally understand that the world tour mode for single player, globetrotter and rpg lite is a major draw for people who don’t love fighting games, a clever way to attract a new audience. I just wish it was also fun to play through and didn’t require you to spend hours struggling to unlock each main character’s side costume.
I want these costumes, you know? Some are really great! But you either have to spend money on per-character DLCs in a game that’s already over $60, or spend tedious hours honing the World Tour. Putting it that way, I think maybe my time is worth more than the cost of the DLC, but then anger hits back: I paid full price just to be ecstatic? light up!
The most depressing part is that working hard on the World Tour excluding online play actively leaves me behind the players who can ignore this frills and just focus on getting good in the real game. I have a feeling I’m in street fighter Purgatory reads tons of silly dialogue and performs fetch quests for generic NPCs just so my Zangief can wear his classic clothes.
It used to be a lot less annoying to unlock these things, but that’s the state of the modern gaming industry. I’m not surprised, just disappointed. Thank you for being my therapist today. — Alexandra Hall
