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[Men_in_Boxes]

"Street Fighter 6 is without question the best fighting game package I have ever played, and will keep you going far longer than a one-on-one fighter has any right to be able to. A true classic." 10/10 - God is a Geek

I am endlessly fascinated how the ~1,000 or so people who comprise Metacritic scores get multiplayer wrong so often.

Street Fighter VI, which released 6 months ago to universal acclaim (92 Metascore) has been all but deserted by players.

It has fallen out of the top 50 on XBox Live Most Played List and is currently the 101st most played game on Steam. It's monthly decline has yet to stabilize on Steam as its last 30 days have seen a 7% drop in players.

Crosshair X, an aim training program, is currently being played by more people on Steam, and 2020s single player darling Assassins Creed Valhalla is more popular on console.

Does anyone else want to start a title wave of resentment towards game critics who have no f***ing idea how to review multiplayer games? What say you? Grab a pitchfork and march towards Frankensteins castle with me?!

 

[cash_longfellow]

Names get great scores…it’s not about the actual game anymore, how have we not realized that at this point?

 

[Dice]

I think it is definitely one of the best designed fighters of all time. Nothing provides you with options in both offense and defense every millisecond like it does. However, that means it has a high mental stack and most people just don't want to be perpetually aware of that much all at once or train for it, so most people are dropping it. Nothing was greater than Virtua Fighter until this game and now for the same reasons it is somewhat unpopular like Virtua Fighter. That does not mean it is not a thing of greatness. Nobody rated how popular it would be, they rated how good it is.

 

[Men_in_Boxes]

I thought I could find at least one Bro who had the balls to trash SFVI, but this is the blurb from the lowest score on Metacritic...

"Street Fighter 6 in it's simplest form remains a fantastic, fun experience, retaining the same gameplay that has been tweaked and improved throughout the years to ensure it remains top of the pile."

No balls were found. What an embarrassment.

 

[BennyBlanco]

This is the trajectory of every fighting game. Casuals buy it day 1 and have fun for a while then move on. FGC nerds keep playing. This is why you’re never gonna have a good time if you buy a fighting game way after release, the only people still playing it are killers.

 

[DForce]

Fighting games are niche overall. Most people play for the offline content and drop the game shortly after. Some will come back to purchase extra characters and future story DLC content.

Having 18k players within the past 24 hours is still good.

Street Fighter 5 didn't start off great, but it ended up being a successful game after all the updates and content.

 

[Danjin44]

Are you shitting on the game just because it’s not highest played game? That dosent change the fact SFVI is good fighting game because of its gameplay not how popular it is online.

There are lot of good games out there thats not popular but that doesn't change the quality of the game itself.

 

[Slothbeing1209]

This is the trajectory of every fighting game. Casuals buy it day 1 and have fun for a while then move on. FGC nerds keep playing. This is why you’re never gonna have a good time if you buy a fighting game way after release, the only people still playing it are killers.

Pretty much this. It's always small hardcore community keep playing/supporting the game, other casuals just play it and drop after 2,3 weeks.

Seem like OP just doesn't understand fighting game .

 

[Dice]

I thought I could find at least one Bro who had the balls to trash SFVI, but this is the blurb from the lowest score on Metacritic...

"Street Fighter 6 in it's simplest form remains a fantastic, fun experience, retaining the same gameplay that has been tweaked and improved throughout the years to ensure it remains top of the pile."

No balls were found. What an embarrassment.

Fighting games are by nature hard work and leave you with no excuses but yourself. Not only that but by making it 1v1 it puts the issue right at the forefront the entire time. If you do not stack up it will be shoved in your face again and again, your own weakness and lack of creative thinking will beat you down. Most people fucking hate that. I think it's pretty surprising that you think a fighting game is trash if it does not remain one of the most popular games out there.

 

[Men_in_Boxes]

Fighting games are by nature hard work and leave you with no excuses but yourself. Not only that but by making it 1v1 it puts the issue right at the forefront the entire time. If you do not stack up it will be shoved in your face again and again, your own weakness and lack of creative thinking will beat you down. Most people fucking hate that. I think it's pretty surprising that you think a fighting game is trash if it does not remain one of the most popular games out there.

The reviews should echo your post here.

"Most people will hate Street Fighter VI but if you're in a very specific minority, you may love it. Final score: 4/10".

That is far more reasonable and is pro reader rather than pro publisher. How many people read these glowing reviews, bought the game full price, and put the game down after 17 joyless hours?

These critics suck. All they do is tell readers to "buy buy buy!"

 

[Sleepwalker]

Fighting games are dead. Unless you're smash bros, then you sell 30m+ copies and end up being an esport that the game maker wants to eliminate.

 

[[Sigma]]

Cap thread. And all you did was point out normal numbers. The game still has a healthy base and that won't change. I need my costumes though Capcom. Capcom Pro Tour though has taken hit due to Capcom's poor structure which kills hype but that's another issue.

 

[ChorizoPicozo]

As the celestial gates unfold, a resplendent choir of angels heralds the divine presence of:

 

[NikuNashi]

Honestly, Ive dropped it too. There is just too much to play at the moment.

 

[Danjin44]

So based on this logic no Fighting game should get good score because they are not as popular as online shooters?

 

[Aces High]

Names get great scores…it’s not about the actual game anymore, how have we not realized that at this point?

Exactly.

I played so many 90+ metacritic score games during the past 5 years that were in my eyes mediocre at best.

Metacritic is useless. I see it as a marketing instrument for publishers, not as a guide for consumers.

 

[nikos]

It's been hitting about 20k peak daily players on Steam alone for a few months now. Far from dead.

SFIV was my main game for the entirety of its life. I didn't really get into SFV but played it here and there. I thought I'd be back with SF6 but it kind of lost me. Would be nice to see a balance patch. The Battle Hub tournament mode also didn't work forever and the way it's designed is kind of dumb. The content being added is mediocre but that ultimately doesn't matter. I still think SFII-SFIV are way more fun.

 

[Knightime_X]

I bet money people fucking hate the drive rush mechanic and are leaving because of it.
Also, many things that worked in legacy sf games from st to third strike is missing from this.

The game in itself is perfectly fine, but changed too many things that made sf great to begin with.

Of course not everyone will agree, but it is what it is.

 

[Unknown Soldier]

Fighting games were always a niche genre even at the height of their popularity in the 1990's, back when arcades still existed.

Now? They are a super niche genre only played online by a very small group of people. It's not an exaggeration to say that almost the entire FGC can fit into Las Vegas Convention Center for the yearly EVO tournaments.

Games which actually do sell like Smash and Mortal Kombat appeal to casual players. Street Fighter hasn't had casual appeal in 20+ years.

 

[LectureMaster]

The game might be dead one day, but the waifus long live dearest in my hear all the time.

 

[Puscifer]

I just wish the pricing scheme didn't alienate me. I honestly wish it would've just been 90 dollars from the get go

 

[Grechy34]

"Street Fighter 6 is without question the best fighting game package I have ever played, and will keep you going far longer than a one-on-one fighter has any right to be able to. A true classic." 10/10 - God is a Geek

I am endlessly fascinated how the ~1,000 or so people who comprise Metacritic scores get multiplayer wrong so often.

Street Fighter VI, which released 6 months ago to universal acclaim (92 Metascore) has been all but deserted by players.

It has fallen out of the top 50 on XBox Live Most Played List and is currently the 101st most played game on Steam. It's monthly decline has yet to stabilize on Steam as its last 30 days have seen a 7% drop in players.

Crosshair X, an aim training program, is currently being played by more people on Steam, and 2020s single player darling Assassins Creed Valhalla is more popular on console.

Does anyone else want to start a title wave of resentment towards game critics who have no f***ing idea how to review multiplayer games? What say you? Grab a pitchfork and march towards Frankensteins castle with me?!

WTF is this actual take? It's an amazing fighting game but like with most fighting games it's very difficult for casual players to keep playing when the FGC community are studying and dedicating enormous time to the game. Doesn't take away from the fact that the game is excellent.

 

[Men_in_Boxes]

So based on this logic no Fighting game should get good score because they are not as popular as online shooters?

Fighting games were super popular in the early 90s because they represented some of the best the medium had to offer at the time.

Then the industry advanced a considerable amount over the next 30 years...Street Fighter didn't...and yes, it should be dinged heavily for clinging desperately to an ancient formula that almost nobody enjoys.

Street Fighter II deserves a 92 Metascore.
Street Fighter VI doesn't.

 

[Cornbread78]

Play a fighting game online? Fuuuuuuuccckkkk NO.

I'd rather smash my face into a wall all day than repeatedly getting KO'd without landing a single hit....

 

[TheDarkPhantom]

Seeing some of the usual, clueless hot takes in this thread, time for some clarity:

1. SFVI is one of the greatest fighting games ever made from it's gameplay to mechanics to animations to it's cornucopia of game modes, there is more than enough content here for both the casual and hardcore fighting game fan.

2. ALL fighting games see a severe fall off after the first couple of months with only the hardcore, competitive players remainin

3. OP doesn't mention PSN numbers where most of the player base is.

4. SFVI launched in what has been arguably the greatest year ever for gaming, the quantity of exceptional titles released in 2023 has been unprecedented, I've personally bought 15 games, full price at launch on PS5, it's been a hell of a year and difficult to balance all the stuff I want to play.

5. I spent a good 80 hours with SFVI with both multiplayer and the fantastic single player. Brought my Blanka up to Platinum rank 2 putting me in the top 10-15% if Ranked players. Why did I stop playing? See point number 4 . If you're a hardcore gamer that plays a wide variety of genres (as I do) no one game will keep your attention for a protracted period of time.

Conclusion: SFVI is a god-tier fighting game, one of the finest to ever grace the genre, the high scores were all warranted and it's decline in player base is nothing new under the sun.

 

[Pelao]

I don't know, I greatly enjoyed SF6. It definitely feels like a 90+ game to me.
That being said, I have never once played an online match, same as with all the other fighting game franchises I've been playing since the 90s.

 

[Nvzman]

Are you shitting on the game just because its not highest played game? That dosent change the fact SFVI is good fighting because of it gameplay not how popular it is online.

There are lot of good games out other than not popular but that doesn't change the quality of the game itself.

Yes this is actually one of the stupidest fucking threads I've ever seen.

It's an excellent game in a niche genre. How hard is that to understand. A majority of players are on PS5/PS4 anyways which are the platforms most actual tournament play uses.

 

[[Sigma]]

Fighting games were always a niche genre even at the height of their popularity in the 1990's, back when arcades still existed.

Now? They are a super niche genre only played online by a very small group of people. It's not an exaggeration to say that almost the entire FGC can fit into Las Vegas Convention Center for the yearly EVO tournaments.

Games which actually do sell like Smash and Mortal Kombat appeal to casual players. Street Fighter hasn't had casual appeal in 20+ years.

Speaking of casuals, MK is a game that sells way more than Street Fighter but can't maintain those casuals to save their life.

 

[Kabelly]

Fighting games require so much investment and I'd love to play it but this year just had so much. Like I'm replaying Sekiro anyways just cuz I felt like it.

 

[Alexios]

What others have said about your insanely ludicrous lack of logic, possibly lack of a brain altogether, plus it also has very good player ratings, so clearly they aren't dropping it because they got scammed by the high ratings the critics you disagree with gave it

 

[bender]

The more casual player base is obviously going to fall of which seems to be the natural case for any fighter. I think Capcom did some commendable things with a meaty (but flawed) single player and introducing modern controls.

Not that I'm very good, but I've played Street Fighter since the original and SF6 is a fine entry. I just get to a point where I enjoy them less and less as new systems get layered on top. I think that's why I like something like VF5 over modern Tekken as I prefer more pure/simplistic systems.

Also kudos to Capcom for the Fighting Pass implementation. It's not a massive time sink and after your first investment, you can earn all the currency back through the fighting pass tiers so the next pass is "free".

 

[Danjin44]

Fighting games were super popular in the early 90s because they represented some of the best the medium had to offer at the time.

Point and click adventure games used be popular now they are not, that doesn't make them bad....you think too much like a corporation rather than actual person who enjoys playing games.

All you think about is how trendy is and how popular is in mainstream, you dont think about actual game itself.

The again you are type of person who thinks turn based strategy game shouldn't be a thing, so........

 

[ShirAhava]

SFVI is one of the greatest fighting games ever made

SFVI launched in what has been arguably the greatest year ever for gaming

 

[OneDrop_]

Play a fighting game online? Fuuuuuuuccckkkk NO.

I'd rather smash my face into a wall all day than repeatedly getting KO'd without landing a single hit....

Git gud

 

[Men_in_Boxes]

Point and click adventure games used be popular now they are not, that doesn't make them bad....you think too much like a corporation rather than actual person who enjoys playing games.

Me: "These critics should warn readers that the vast majority of them won't enjoy SFVI.

Danjin44: "You think too much like a corporation."

Imagine recommending a restaurant to 10 friends and you know only 1 of the 10 would enjoy it enough to return. You just recommended a bad restaurant to 90% of your friends. You're a bad friend Danjin44, a bad friend!

Btw, Street Fighter VI is a trendy modern game. The trend is a cliff.

 

[Danjin44]

Me: "These critics should warn readers that the vast majority of them won't enjoy SFVI.

Danjin44: "You think too much like a corporation."

Imagine recommending a restaurant to 10 friends and you know only 1 of the 10 would enjoy it enough to return. You just recommended a bad restaurant to 90% of your friends. You're a bad friend Danjin44, a bad friend!

Btw, Street Fighter VI is a trendy modern game. The trend is a cliff.

You either in to Fighting games or you not, grown ass man doesn't need to be told such obvious thing.

 

[CoreyFlawless]

FGC was very hype bout it. Since it plays good. Plus sense it seems to have a single player mode more then just an arcade mode. Reviews mostly not fighting games experts so. They was like it have to be good. Cause as harccore FGC, it’s good. But that community is small. They not really half of the games sales. SP mode really just sucks. If you not a hardcore fgc, u sure not gonna put that much time in the online. Plus, MK just come out. So some of the hardcore are trying it out and playing it.

 

[Men_in_Boxes]

You either in to Fighting games or you not, grown ass doesn't need to be told such obvious thing.

Reminder: There is no age requirement to read Metacritic.

"Buy this awesome game!" is a front of the box slogan that game critics are using to mislead their audience.

It's a corrupt system and it should be fixed.

 

[Jigsaah]

"Street Fighter 6 is without question the best fighting game package I have ever played, and will keep you going far longer than a one-on-one fighter has any right to be able to. A true classic." 10/10 - God is a Geek

I am endlessly fascinated how the ~1,000 or so people who comprise Metacritic scores get multiplayer wrong so often.

Street Fighter VI, which released 6 months ago to universal acclaim (92 Metascore) has been all but deserted by players.

It has fallen out of the top 50 on XBox Live Most Played List and is currently the 101st most played game on Steam. It's monthly decline has yet to stabilize on Steam as its last 30 days have seen a 7% drop in players.

Crosshair X, an aim training program, is currently being played by more people on Steam, and 2020s single player darling Assassins Creed Valhalla is more popular on console.

Does anyone else want to start a title wave of resentment towards game critics who have no f***ing idea how to review multiplayer games? What say you? Grab a pitchfork and march towards Frankensteins castle with me?!

So are you saying that SF6 should not have gotten a 92 because it's multiplayer is actually bad?

The game is good, the reason its dying is not because the game is bad...it's because of the nature of fighting games and the FGC community.

What came out after SF6. We had Johnny release as a character update as well as a rebalancing to Guilty Gear Strive. Also MK1 dropped. Both fantastic games. Then Street Fighter 6 releases A.K.I. and as far as I know there's no rebalance.

A.K.I. is regarded in Japan as a bottom tier character. The pros will get her to Master, but beyond that the number of people who will main her is low.

Keep in mind that compared to MK1 and GG: Strive there are some really fundamental flaws with SF6. The rush move eating already more difficultly timed attack make players feel like their ability to react to certain mechanics in the game are not being respected. That's a huge no no for the FGC. Modern Controls for SF6 also made the game way to easy given the speed of the combat. For those who are tried and true to classic control scheme, they feel like they are being beaten by less skilled players because they can do 1 button anti air's fireballs and level 3 supers. Don't even get me started on what happens if a skilled player learns and uses modern controls. So from the game's release, players were not on the same playing field. That's very bad for an E-Sports game.

It's not that reviewers don't know how to score multiplayer games. In this example at least, it's more that they don't know the intricacies of fighting games. Sorry to say, but this OP kinda shows that you don't know jack shit about fighting games either.

 

[Danjin44]

Reminder: There is no age requirement to read Metacritic.

"Buy this awesome game!" is a front of the box slogan that game critics are using to mislead their audience.

It's a corrupt system and it should be fixed.

First people who only pay attention to just "score numbers" are frankly morons and deserved to be disappointed.......you should read or listen to actual reviews, maybe some their postive points are not postive for you and vice versa.

At end of the day reviews are nothing more than that person's opinion of the game and people should use heir own fucking brain and decide if the game is for them or not.

 

[Miyazaki’s Slave]

I have a dedicated multi screen set up in my media room, and I practice a few hours a week.
The best fighter since sf3 imo.

OP seems extremely out of touch with fighting games. They should go play clay fighter 63 1/3rd, zero divide, or Starfield.

Modern controls is an option for players…but it’s just that, an option. Also I don’t how of any pro qualifying for Capcom cup using modern controls at this point (could be wrong…there was a qualifier last week that I didn’t follow).

 

[FeralEcho]

Street Fighter 6 is an amazing fighting game and I've played all of the numbered ones.3rd strike and Alpha 3 are still my favourites. I don't play online and I don't play much Street Fighter 6 in general because there's so much shit to play this year but that doesn't suddenly make it a bad game.What kind of shit take is this?!

 

[Danjin44]

OP seems extremely out of touch with fighting games. They should to play clay fighter 63 1/3rd, zero divide, or Starfield.

His out of touch with most games and only thinks about GaaS and live service games and how trendy they are.

 

[Dice]

The reviews should echo your post here.

"Most people will hate Street Fighter VI but if you're in a very specific minority, you may love it. Final score: 4/10"

Ah, yes, that thing nobody does for any genre.

“This is the best RTS of all time but most people hate that shit. 4/10”

 

[Men_in_Boxes]

Ah, yes, that thing nobody does for any genre.

“This is the best RTS of all time but most people hate that shit. 4/10”

Me: "The entire system is corrupt. Game critics are conditioned to sell for publishers. They are not here to inform or help readers.

Dice: "But all critics do this therefore you're wrong."

Is Men_in_Boxes the one true gamer? A pure heart surrounded by the tarnished?

No! There are others!

dem
nikos
Pejo
LectureMaster
Klosshufvud
Knightime_X
Fabieter

They can't stop all of us!

 

[Hustler]

Wow, what a terrible take. I played the hell out of SFVI when it first came out and still jump on every now and then. But.... guess what? Too many great games have been coming out and I have limited amount of time to play games. All my time and effort has been going to playing and beating great games the past few months.

Now excuse me while I go platinum Spiderman 2 and then go buy Lies of P next when it goes on sale for Black Friday (Fingers Crossed)

SFVI is a great game and the online MP is amazing too, just wish the online tournament mode was ready while I was playing. So put your pitchfork away and git gud.

 

[Robb]

I’m not sure I get it. The game could be a 100/100 and still be played by a total of 2 people. The amount of players doesn’t indicate the quality of the product.

 

[semiconscious]

Names get great scores…it’s not about the actual game anymore, how have we not realized that at this point?

yep. & the occasional exceptions to this only tend to prove the rule...

 

[Men_in_Boxes]

"Too many great games have come along. That's why everyone dropped it."

Anthromoporphise Fortnite, Minecraft, CSGO, League of Legends (legitamitely great multiplayer games) etc and picture the uproreous laughter that statement would cause when they heard it. They would look something like this...

 

[Danjin44]

Me: "The entire system is corrupt. Game critics are conditioned to sell for publishers. They are not here to inform or help readers.

Dice: "But all critics do this therefore you're wrong."

Is Men_in_Boxes the one true gamer? A pure heart surrounded by the tarnished?

No! There are others!

So let me get this straight, you want reviewers to give low scores to niche genre like RTS and Fighting games because they dont appeal to everyone....am I getting this right?

If that what you are saying here then...

And thats the "nicest" way I can put it.