Vicious: The commentary Luminary Gives Thoughts on Street Fighter 6

Street Fighter 6 is out now and we cannot be more excited about it! Among the several features added to the game, the play-by-play commentary added is one of the most striking. SF6 will feature some of the most prominent names within the FGC who have lent their voices to the game and now, your personal matches can be analyzed and commented on by household names like Jeremy  ‘Vicious’ Lopez. 

There are four English commentators for the game.

Jeremy ‘Vicious’ Lopez

Jeremy has been on the fighting game scene forever, but has graduated from a player to one of the top talents as regards commentary in Street Fighter. He gained prominence throughout the lifespan of Street Fighter V with his insightful analysis and his personable on-screen presence. He has worked on some of the biggest Capcom tournaments including Capcom Pro Tour, Capcom Cup, and even Evo. He also regularly mans the commentary desk for Street Fighter League USA along with his colleague Tasty Steve. 

Steve ‘Tasty Steve’ Scott

The man with all the wrist beads is one of the iconic names within the shout caster community and is a legend on the scene. Tasty Steve has always brought the hype to all his work and his colleague have felt him grab their arm in excitement on more than one occasion. Tasty Steve is also incredibly versatile as he also does commentary for Tekken and is well known within that community too. His work with Street Fighter has spanned several years and he is perhaps best known for hosting Street Fighter League along with Vicious. 

James Chen

James might not have a flashy nickname, but his work speaks volumes for him. James has been a pillar of the FGC for decades and is one of the few people that can comfortably call themselves an FGC historian having been there since the inception of the community. His selflessness in talking about Street Fighter has made him a household name, and his tendency to cry or show emotion has endeared him to many. James joins the commentary team as a ‘color commentator.’ This is a term for a commentator who isn’t play-by-play but is there to provide deeper insight into specific interactions or mechanics within the game. He is a veteran of Evo and even has his own show on YouTube called the Ultrachen show.

Thea Trinidad

Thea joins the cast from the world of WWE where she is better known as Zelina Vega. She is a huge fighting game fan and she also will play the role of a color commentator. Her superior knowledge of wrestling will add a lot to the game as there are several wrestling elements in the characters of the game.

With all that, we also had the honor of interviewing Vicious and he shares his thoughts and opinions about the game and the new feature being added.

DashFight: How does it feel to have your voice in a series as iconic as Street Fighter?

Vicious: This is something that I never thought would happen in my wildest dreams. AT MOST I thought maybe I could lend a voice line for something/someone in the game as an extra. But being asked to voice MYSELF and being placed in the Street Fighter game itself is an absolute dream come true!

DF: Do you have any prior history with the game? If so, please share it with us.

V: This is a question that I feel gets often overlooked as a commentator--I’ve had a very competitive history with the series, primarily in Street Fighter 4, but even further back in Street Fighter 3: 3rd Strike. My very first EVO was in 2009 and I happened to place in the Top 32 for SF4. I’ve played every single Street Fighter title (including the very odd Street Fighter 2010 on the NES) since I was kid, in fact my first game ever was Street Fighter 2 on the SNES.

DF: What do you feel about the in-game commentary feature? What does it add, and who is it best suited for?

V: Initially I was a bit anxious about the in-game commentary feature regarding what it would sound like, when certain lines would hit, and what type of lines would be asked of me. However, looking at the way it was executed has me feeling way better about it than my previous statement and I thoroughly enjoy listening to the specific lines in the game during certain interactions.

The commentary itself is meant to have an official tournament feel to it for those that may not usually get that chance to compete at such capacities, the lines were also intricately designed to inform players of what is going on during gameplay at a somewhat deeper level (if certain moments happen, sometimes I’ll just yell positively for great decision making). This feature also has a rally system which is kind of like having your own personal coach during your matches. The in-game commentary feature is primarily meant for the newcomers/beginners/amateurs as the lines inform the players of strategies/actions that may not have been noticed from a casual perspective, so if the reader happens to fall into this category of player, I highly encourage you to take a listen with the commentary feature on during your matches!

DF: What are your thoughts on the state of fighting games right now?

V: The state of fighting games is at an all time high and I truly mean that as there are so many great fighting games being produced and released by the time this article comes out. On top of that, developers are considering and utilizing rollback netcode which feels like an absolute necessity at this point–finally being able to play with people fluently and consistently has always been something we needed as players.

DF: What are your hopes for Street Fighter 6 in relation to its potential within the fighting game community and beyond?

V: Majority of my hopes have already been realized with the amount of communication we’re currently getting from Capcom in regards to player support for CPT (prizing, more opportunities for regions to showcase their talented players, single player mode, etc). If there’s anything else I’d hope for it would be to keep this line of communication and support consistent throughout the lifespan of the game. (But also, add Yun in the game PLEASE! Thank you, Capcom)

DF: What do you feel is the importance of ‘the story’ behind tournaments, matches, and even individual rivalries? Are they simply to provide context, or what more do they add to the match-viewing experience?

V: The importance of the story could vary per person but I think it’s very significant for the viewing experience, the point of storylines is to give the viewer something tangible enough to be invested/interested in. The details of the story itself may not be the most exciting but being able to portray it in an entertaining light makes it far more enjoyable than stating a player’s stats. For example, some storylines happen to include previous interactions between players which can provide even more weight to the match like an iDom vs Punk match or even a team’s performance in SFL from being in last place with almost zero wins to taking down the championships the following season. Whatever the storyline may be, if done well, it can provide context/entertainment/something for the viewer to be invested in.

DF: What do you consider to be the most underrated skill every commentator must possess?

V: Being yourself. I think the biggest thing that most commentators miss out on is how to intertwine what they learn from various commentators and adding their own personal spin on it. On a personal level, it’s taken me a very long time to figure out how I wanted to present myself even after studying a long list of commentators that I’ve looked up to, sometimes I’ve caught myself trying to slightly imitate them but there’s just something so important about adding your own personal character that can really change how you approach commentary.

DF: If you were given one DLC character you could add to the game, who would it be?

V: MYSELF AS DLC! (Maybe in World Tour Mode) All jokes aside though, I’ve always been a big fan of how the twins Yun/Yang play but if I were being really honest… It’d still be either twin for me :)