Published , by Ozzie Mejia
Published , by Ozzie Mejia
Normally, Capcom and other developers wait until the actual EVO weekend for its big announcements. But this year, Capcom didn't want to wait. Just two days before the biggest fighting game tournament of the year, the publisher dropped a bombshell, announcing that three new characters are coming to Street Fighter V: Arcade Edition.
Long-time fans will recognize two of these faces, for sure. One is E. Honda, the beloved sumo from Street Fighter II. The second is Poison from Final Fight. And the third is a new face, also hailing from the Final Fight series. She is Lucia.
Those who have been around since the SF2 days should know what to expect from Honda by now. He brings along his trusty arsenal of flying headbutts, hand slaps, and body attacks. His Tajikarao V-Trigger II blinds his opponents with a flurry of strikes, driving them into the corner before bombarding them with body slams. His V-Trigger I is Onigawara, which gives him nigh-unstoppable momentum as he pushes his opponent across the screen with his flying headbutt. Honda's Critical Art has him lunge forward with a headbutt. If he connects, he'll follow up with the ultimate hundred hand-slap, ending with a straight palm to the opponent's skull.
If you don't recognize Lucia, that's because she came much later in the Final Fight series, acting as one of the playable characters in Final Fight 3. She brings along a lot of the martial arts moves from FF3, including her flaming kick. Her Weapon Fury V-Trigger II will see her come at her opponents with a baton in-hand. Her V-Trigger I is Burning Fight, which adds fire to all of her strikes. Her Critical Art is a souped-up version of her Final Fight 3 special, where her burning kick launches the opponent all the way into the air.
Lastly, there's Poison, who's been a big part of the Final Fight series and was last seen managing Hugo in Street Fighter III and IV. Now Poison, Capcom's most recognizable transgender character, is ready to step in as a playable character for the first time since Ultra Street Fighter IV. Poison retains many of her moves, but adds a heavier whip-based arsenal, one that even allows her to swing across stage. Toxic Glamor is her V-Trigger II and allows her to tie her opponent up with her whip before throwing them to the ground. Poison picks up a little something from her Final Fight days for her V-Trigger I, Poison Cocktail. This sees her toss a Molotov cocktail, engulfing the opponent in flames. Her Critical Art is like something out of a bondage scene, where she'll tie her opponent to the ground before whipping them repeatedly like the bad boy/girl that they are before kicking them out of her sight.
One might wonder why these fighters are being revealed now. Well, as it turns out, according to Kotaku, the trailer above was inadvertently posted early to the Street Fighter V Steam page. It was taken down almost immediately, but a split-second is all anyone needed to see what was next for the game. The leak spread like wildfire and Capcom's big EVO surprise for Sunday was ruined.
The folks at EVO are not taking this well.
Meanwhile, Capcom's Yoshinoro Ono appears to be taking the setback in stride.
All three fighters will be made available on August 4, with a bundle set to arrive the next day.