Capcom has officially announced the next installment in their long-running fighting game franchise Street Fighter. While we don’t know when Street Fighter 6 is being released, we do know it’s coming, and Ryu’s back muscles have never been more ready.
I’ve been a fan of Street Fighter since I first put Street Fighter II into my Super Nintendo. As someone who enjoys her fair share of fighting games, Street Fighter II holds a significant place in my heart as the first one I ever played. I spent a lot of hours on that game and making sure Chun-Li got her classic ending of avenging her father and moving on to be “a regular girl.”
That being said, as cool as it is to be getting more Street Fighter content, it’s not all that surprising, as it can very well be called one of Capcom’s most iconic franchises (if not THE most iconic, depending on who you ask). When I saw Capcom’s countdown clock that teased “something” being announced, I assumed it was either Street Fighter or Resident Evil, and since we’d all asked Lady Dimitrescu to step on us last year, now it’s Ryu’s turn.
I’m honestly at a point where I kinda wish I’d be proven wrong about what big thing Capcom’s planning on revealing. I love Street Fighter and Resident Evil, but I miss Capcom’s other franchises, the ones that are either only seen in a collection pack or … not at all.
Darkstalkers
Premise:
The Darkstalkers games take place on Earth as it’s in the process of merging with a realm known as Makai. The reason for this merger varies depending on the continuity, but a continuing theme is that the union of realms brings the arrival of the Darkstalkers to the human world, the term being a catch-all for the various creatures of legend. The greatest of these supernatural creatures, and the greatest among those who hunt them, meet in battle to determine who will rule the night.
Fangirl Thoughts:
Sigh.
Considering all of the fanfare this series gets, I am constantly surprised that Capcom doesn’t just go ahead and announce a game that isn’t just a rerelease of past installments. Granted, the upcoming Capcom Fighting Collection is going to include Darkstalkers games that never made it to the U.S. In fact, half of the collection’s lineup is Darkstalkers based.
That being said, it has been decades since we’ve gotten new a Darkstalkers game that wasn’t a re-release or remaster of a game, but Darkstalkers continues to be a beloved franchise thanks to all of the other content it has: the anime, the American cartoon, the comics and manga, the art books, the appearances in other Capcom games, and the fact that you can’t go to a convention without seeing some sort of Morrigan cosplay.
There is so much love for the franchise, and I’m honestly stunned that the most we ever really see from these characters is in a Capcom vs. Someone game—usually with Morrigan, but sometimes we get a Felicia or Demitri in a Project X Zone—or, well, a game like Capcom Fighting Collection that lets us play the classics again.
Trust me, I’m excited about that collection, but if half of your ten-game collection is based on a single franchise … maybe give that franchise its own, new solo game?
Rival Schools
Premise:
Taking place in Aoharu City, this series features several schools that have fallen victim to unknown attacks and kidnappings of their students and staff. The various characters in the game set out to find who is responsible for the attacks on their school, with the cutscenes and fights portraying their interactions with the other schools and each other.
Fangirl Thoughts:
It is absolutely criminal that we’ve only gotten two Rival Schools games here in the U.S. (there are 3 in Japan). I discovered this series by complete accident and immediately fell in love with the anime visuals, the gameplay, and the roster of characters consisting of students and teachers from different schools.
While some of Capcom’s games will make it into a collection pack, there hasn’t really been anything from this series except for characters making cameos in Street Fighter, since some of them are canonically friends with Sakura. I’ve pretty much given up on there ever being new content … except for the fact that Capcom made Akira playable in Street Fighter V back in … August 2021?!
Stop playing with my emotions, Capcom!
Power Stone
Premise:
Set in the 19th century, strong believers of legends, myths, and superstition search for fame, fortune, and glory. One legend above all is sought after by many, a treasure that can make any dream come true. Believers from all over the world set out to search for this treasure and are forced to fight against one another in pursuit of the legendary Power Stone.
Fangirl Thoughts:
Please spare a thought for the Power Stone fandom, which has only had 2 game releases and a collection pack. For the PSP. That handheld that Sony forgot existed, which is unfortunate because it definitely had some solid releases.
Power Stone is a chaotic amount of fun where you pick a character and go at it in 3D arenas where you use your own abilities and various items to win each match. While the first game had one-on-one matches, the sequel could have up to four players take part in matches where stages would, at times, force you into new environments. Fighting on an airplane? It would be a real shame if the plane broke apart and you ended up fighting WHILE FALLING THROUGH THE AIR.
While characters from the likes of Darkstalkers and Rival Schools make it into other Capcom properties, there really hasn’t been anything from this series since that PSP remake in 2006. It’s a bummer because this could be something that fans of things like Smash Brothers could easily get into.
Final Fight
Premise:
The crime rate at Metro City is at an all-time high until the election of pro wrestler-turned-politician Mike Haggar. Under his run, Haggar managed to suppress the crime rate of the city, much to the frustration of the Mad Gear Gang. Under the leadership of the crooked businessman Belger, the gang attempted to bribe Haggar to keep him from going after them. Haggar refused, so the gang kidnapped his daughter Jessica. This pushed Haggar to go up against the Mad Gear Gang himself along with Cody Travers, an expert fighter and Jessica’s boyfriend, and Guy, a ninja in training and Cody’s friend/rival.
Fangirl Thoughts:
I honestly don’t expect Capcom to revisit the good ol’ fashioned side-scrolling beat-’em-up style of gaming again, but I think when I see releases like Streets of Rage 4, a part of me hopes that Capcom will say, “Oh yeah, we have something similar. We should revisit it.”
It doesn’t help that they clearly remember these characters as they make all kinds of appearances in their other franchises, particularly Street Fighter—and these aren’t just cameos. The likes of Cody, Guy, Haggar, and even enemy characters like Poison, Hugo, Sodom, Rolento, and Abigail are playable. This isn’t just something Capcom did back in the day; Abigail is part of the Street Fighter V roster, and there’s something to be said about how the publisher is using Street Fighter to flesh some of these characters out more (e.g. Poison).
Even if I know Capcom will probably never go back to a proper Final Fight game, they just keep putting its characters in other games, so … why not go back? I miss walking the streets, punching barrels, and eating chicken for my health.
Someone vs. Capcom, as a treat
I don’t have much to say here I just like it when Capcom goes up against another franchise—and not just Marvel, either, though Marvel vs. Capcom 2 continues to be my favorite.
But like … remember when we got to fight against Capcom with frickin’ GATCHAMAN characters?
More of this, please!
More of … all of these games, please!
(Image: Capcom)
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