Not sure which Street Fighter 5 character you want to play yet? Combofiend's advice can help you pinpoint your perfect match
Posted by John 'Velociraptor' Guerrero • December 22, 2015 at 7:44 p.m. PST • Comments: 107
Most of the time we'll just choose a character that's visually appealing based on their character select screen pose, and we'll start from there. If you're not too keen on blind trial and error, Street Fighter 5 offers some tips on every character before you even enter a match.
Developers for SF5 have included an attribute chart for every character in the game. This chart breaks the fighters down via five different categories: Health, Damage, Range, Mobility and Techniques.
These charts are often overlooked, or deemed a simple visual filler for the pre-fight screen, but they can actually be a massive help when choosing a character that will best fit your style. While some of these are straightforward, others, like "Techniques," are not as transparent.
Street Fighter 5's Associate Producer, Peter "Combofiend" Rosas, was kind enough to discuss the specific meaning behind each of the attribute categories. His explanations equip us with the knowledge to best choose our perfect match.
Hit the jump to see what he had to say.
Do you want a character that can begin offense quickly? Do you favor simple fighter with whom you won't have to learn a ton of different moves? Maybe you prefer to safely fight from afar with long range attacks?
Let's take a look at a few of the categories on the attribute list, and see what Combofiend has to say about them.
Range
This attribute is fairly straightforward, but there still may be some questions we can answer.
Rosas describes this category in his own words:
"Range refers to the distance that characters can attack from. If you look at Dhalsim's, his is probably off the charts."
What about fireballs? Those usually traverse the whole screen. We're inclined to believe that this category is referring mainly to normal attacks. We think this because Ryu and Ken have fairly similar fireballs in that both travel the length of the screen, and yet Ryu's range statistic is a four, while Ken's is only a three.
If you're not one to get up close and personal when you battle, then you'll want to choose a character with a higher range ranking. Poking and jabbing from afar means you'll be able to fight from a safer distance than most others.
Mobility
"Mobility is how fast a character can move. Cammy, Chun-Li, they're faster than your average character. Those two have a higher mobility ranking," says Rosas.
This isn't just walk speed, but rather refers to a character's ability to traverse the screen quickly. As an example, while M.Bison walks excruciatingly slow, he still has a mobility ranking of four out of five.
If you're not the type to stay in one place on the screen for long, you'll want to pay special attention to your character's mobility stat.
Techniques
This one was probably the least obvious to understand by name alone. This was where Combofiend came to the rescue, describing exactly what's being measured.
"Techniques refers to the number of moves a character has. If a character has a lot of manual attacks, or they have a lot of special moves then their techniques line is a bit longer than others."
If you're looking for a simple character, you probably will want to avoid those with higher techniques ratings. Most characters have a three in this category, but Bison and Mika are bit more complex, each with a four.
Karin is the only character of the initial 16 to have a five under techniques. This makes sense as she has a ton of variations when it comes to her Rekka techniques. If you don't want to have to master a lot of moves, you may want to think about Necalli, Ken or Zangief.
So if you aren't sure exactly who you want to play, but you do know that you want big damage and don't care about moving too quickly, the attribute chart for Birdie may catch your eye.
If you hate being slow, and don't mind lacking a bit of health, Cammy may be a good fit for you. It's true that these charts are more guidelines than law, but they can greatly help with the intimidation of the initial character select process.
Other Exclusive Capcom Interviews About Street Fighter 5
• Combofiend: Fireballs are a casual killer in Street Fighter 5, but players like Choi or Bonchan will still beat you with them
• Matt Dahlgren opens up about Street Fighter 5 character leaks
• Cheaters will have a hard time hacking into Street Fighter 5's all new leader board and ranking system
• Capcom speaks out on changing Street Fighter 5's risqué visuals
• Combofiend answers 'Was Omega Mode a test bed for Street Fighter 5?'
• Combofiend: Fireballs are a casual killer in Street Fighter 5, but players like Choi or Bonchan will still beat you with them
• Matt Dahlgren opens up about Street Fighter 5 character leaks
• Cheaters will have a hard time hacking into Street Fighter 5's all new leader board and ranking system
• Capcom speaks out on changing Street Fighter 5's risqué visuals
• Combofiend answers 'Was Omega Mode a test bed for Street Fighter 5?'
