The Giant Attack event for Street Fighter 6 has decided to come back and this time it will be a little different as it will be accompanied by a character from the past. From December 1-15, gamers will have to access the Battle Hub, take the fight to the cabinets, and defeat SiRN Akuma. The play revolves around gathering energy, shooting Hadokens, and then finally taking down the big demon. One of the main new rewards is Elena’s Outfit 2 EX color which according to some resembles… it is just plain crazy going by the replies. Moreover, if you were not lucky enough to be around for the previous event, you can still claim the rewards of that event. This is a time-limited event, meaning once it starts, every moment counts.
What is the situation in the Street Fighter community? It’s…sort of a mix, or rather it is really a mixed bag. To some extent there are players clamoring for this new Elena color, with DizzyDemii dubbing it “one of the coolest colors ever” and even suggesting bold colors to be made. TheAnimeG_ is all about the eyes in the preview and he/she/they is/are saying “BROO THE EYES ARE EVERYTHING!!” Hence it is quite safe to conclude that there is a group among the players who value the aesthetic rewards.
However, a major part of the audience has voiced nothing but their discontent. And it is not too hard to comprehend. The main counter is that the event is replayed all over again. The Giant Attack event is a replication and SiRN Akuma is still in the picture. Spawn0fSparda remarks, “The worst part is they already did Shin Akuma before (and Shin Bison)…” Others like ButtHngry, also share the same view stating, “Wow now you’re even reusing content. What a joke this game became.”
They were expecting something new. OnimitsuX claims that SiRN Sagat would have been a great choice for a GIANT attack, referring to the Akuma rehash as “the lazy route”. Some_frozen brings up the Mecha Zangief that was hinted, and he/she/they is/are wondering why that character was not utilized. There is a feeling of lost opportunity, as if Capcom is just warming over old fries, to borrow TomSilesian’s phrase, stretching the content thin after promising more NEW stuff.
Coinciding with this is the whole issue regarding the reward structure. A common complaint regarding SF6’s events is that some rewards can only be obtained by buying certain DLC. Spawn0fSparda makes a direct request: “Capcom, for the love of God, can you please stop giving us ‘free’ rewards that are locked behind DLC characters and costumes?” This is part of a wider conversation about the game’s economy that has been going on since the launch. It creates a scenario where the player sees a nice reward, gets excited, but then realizes that she/he/they has to spend more to even have a chance at getting it. That does not feel nice at all.
Wait a minute, what was I saying… Oh yes, the divide in the community. It is not all bad news! There are some people who are just very grateful for the additional content. SV_108 states “Nice, thank you!” and even suggests future giant bosses like Hugo or a super strong Ryu. And it is hard to deny the pure happiness being felt by the players who are playing Elena or just love to see crazy cosmetics. JVjoaoJVvitor shouted “EVIL ELENA CANON!!!!” which is totally the vibe.
Yet the criticism about pace and originality remains. If a game is live service, players want to see a constant flow of new experiences. In a way, repeating the event from “year one,” as OnimitsuX puts it, with what is essentially a new paint job (SiRN Akuma) can make the content calendar look less than stellar. Especially when the battle passes have already been extended to six weeks. It starts to seem like they are stretching it, you know?
Now let’s discuss the other solicitudes that were buried in the replies. There is a wishlist in there! Kaiju_carver is rooting for Abel, Fei Long, or Gouken. The808Ohana is asking for Cody or Dan, since we can’t even get character costumes on a regular basis. Render_sir is just stunned that the Giant Attack isn’t a 2v1 Dramatic Battle mode, which… yeah, that really makes a lot of sense. The comments suggest a player base that is very passionate and has clear ideas about what they want, which is both a blessing and a headache for the developers.
So what will the final decision be? The Giant Attack event is returning. You will have to play this fighting game event on your PlayStation or Xbox.
