BADCP - GPOW Tribute

Call-Out Culture

DATE:
25 YEARS AGO

GPOW 25TH
A N N I V E R S A R Y



PLAYSTATION 4	BAD	STREET FIGHTER V: ARCADE EDITION


			Street Fighter V was both one of the most divisive Street Fighter games of all time, and one of the most divisive Capcom games of all time. On one hand, the game improves on some areas SFV was criticized for. On the other hand, its additions only work to magnify not just its own weaknesses, but the glaring weaknesses at Capcom as a whole. Rather than the future and direction of the series, Street Fighter V: Arcade Edition tells more about the recent tumultuous environment at Capcom during its least-productive generation. Street Fighter V: Arcade Edition gains more options that make it more fun than the regular Street Fighter V. It's hard to have fun when many of these options and features bring back memories of better times, though. Where SFVAE succeeds, it does so in devastating fashion. Where it does not succeed, the sources of its mishaps are plain and clear to see.

Street Fighter V: Arcade Edition reads like the chronicle of a once-successful icon desperately trying to stay relevant in a rapidly-changing age of unforgivable hypocrisy. It unearths an establishment media trying to do the same. On the surface, Street Fighter V: Arcade Edition features changes akin to arcade (CPS-II) Street Fighter II - The World Warrior to home (SNES) Street Fighter II. When you first play it, it still has the same general look, but everything is brighter and revitalized. Like the change from the "pulverized" design of the VS screen in arcade arcade (CPS-II) SFIIWW to the gold version in consumer (SNES) SFII, a flashy gold theme replaces the blue and white theme that was gone as quickly as the feeble "minimalist" trend it was inspired by. It is reminiscent of the "High Roller" theme seen in Balrog's Las Vegas stage. Confirmation sounds have also been changed to the metallic echo of coins. It changes the mode, Character Select, and VS screens. Lifebars now have a golden sheen to make a "Perfect" victory obvious. Added to the updated gold mode select menu are new modes. This is all information that should be available in other places, but in case it is not, I will detail it. Almost-never-spoken-of Gallery and Group Battle modes were added to the advertised Extra Battle and existing Survival modes. Group Battle is technically part of Versus mode, and Survival mode was moved to the Challenge(s) mode.

	01
	GLITZ
	Glamour.

	02
	FINALLY
	Get to see Chun-Li's make-up routine.

	03
	SAKURA
	Returns from Street Fighter Alpha 2!

	04
	FLASH
	Back to the best version of Street Fighter III from Gallery Mode.

	05
	VETERANS
	From the very first Street Fighter.

The Challenge(s) mode actually houses Trial, Demonstration, Mission, Extra Battle, and Survival modes. It would later include the network-distributed Fighting Chance mode, as well. Confusing? Yes, but I'm sure there's a fringe corner of the social media mob that would have it no other way. You know, since each corner of the social media mob is responsible for attacking different parts of a game, with the idiocy of them all being equal in the face of knee-jerk reactions by Capcom. Arcade mode is the most obvious to the point where it was literally reflected by the title. The inclusion of this mode was an immediate reaction to the social media mob's reaction to the absence of a traditional arcade mode in the original Street Fighter V. What the rabid dogs in the social media mob failed to notice, however, was that establishment media wanted Capcom to cut arcade mode from its fighting games, Street Fighter V not withstanding.

	06
	GROUP
	Battle makes its return from Street Fighter II' Special Champion Edition.

Establishment media often claimed that arcade mode made Capcom fighting games "boring" and/or "predictable". Much of the establishment media in print was replaced by Internet web sites, and much of the Internet web sites that replaced print media were replaced by commercialized YouTube and Twitter accounts. All contained the propaganda of their predecessors, which included a continued narrative that discouraged developers from putting arcade modes in their fighting games. In its place, establishment media concluded that story modes were acceptable. If your game doesn't bash the player over the head with its story, then your game was deemed not worth playing. The Lowest of the Low would classify such games as merely "worth a rental". In fact, established big media outlets would rate Capcom fighting games poorly for nearly two decades of game generations for the mere inclusion of an arcade mode. But didn't the outrage media declare that a game was "unfinished" without an arcade mode?