Street Fighter V was a highly anticipated game that ended up having a rough few years after launch as it was released with barebones content. While more and more was gradually added, it never reached the heights of great Street Fighter games past until Capcom relaunched the game as Street Fighter V: Arcade Edition.Street Fighter V: Arcade Edition lived up to its name and brought in a lot of new content and singe player experiences. But there was something else being added as well, that would continue to be added over the next while. This of course was DLC, and a lot of it. Capcom had given the means to earn the DLC via in game fight money, but it was more practical to just buy it instead. This is where Champion Edition comes in. Aside from a single major gameplay change, there isn’t really anything new here, except that this is a more complete version of the game, with almost all the DLC, barring a couple of exceptions. gameplay changes beyond what we got in 2018, but it doesn’t need to. It basically serves as a convenient and inexpensive way to snag almost all the DLC.
Among the DLC are the costumes, and they are a standout here. Capcom went above and beyond what they normally do, with a variety of neat outfits for the characters. I will stress that none of these have any impact on the game whatsoever, but they are a joy to have. While seasonal costumes are present, the best part of these are the costumes from other Capcom games, such as Ghosts’ n ‘Goblins, Mega Man, Darkstalkers and more. For fans of Capcom, this is a nice sight to see, and shows Capcom hasn’t forgotten their franchises.
My only complaint here really, is the netcode. The netcode has never been the best in SFV, and Champion Edition did not really fix it. A change was made to the netcode recently, but it didn’t really improve anything, and the only still has a ways to go. The game is definitely playable online, but there are rough spots with it, and I think Capcom could have done a lot better here, especially with how rollback netcode is being used more and more by developers of fighting games.
Getting back to the positives, I did say there was a new major gameplay change, and I will mention that now. Champion Edition introduces a second V-Skill for each character. Some of these are simple and just boost your existing moves, while others are more complex and add new moves altogether. This means you need to take the time and relearn aspects of the character you are playing and understand how the new V-Skill will apply to the character. Combos may work differently for instance, and your offense and defense may be changed up. This isn’t even taking into account the balance changes that have been made, which really do make a difference, and some characters are now a lot more competitive than they were before.
Two new characters are added as well, in the form of Gill and Seth. Gill plays like a more balanced version of his 3rd Strike self, while Seth has undergone a massive overhaul, with a new look based on Juri, and a new playstyle that is far more fun to use. This brings the total character roster up to 40 and combines it with the existing changes from Arcade Edition. This includes the arcade mode, which is arranged by game, so you will take on characters in relation to the game they appeared in. A fun trip down memory lane through each era of Street Fighter this manages to be one of the best arcade modes in a fighting game. There have been different types of arcade ladder variations before, but not quite like this
Overall, Champion Edition is just that, a Champion of a game, and represents Street Fighter V’s rise from a disliked game, to one of the best of the modern era. I highly recommend it.