Long read: The beauty and drama of video games and their clouds

"It's a little bit hard to work out without knowing the altitude of that dragon..."

If you click on a link and make a purchase we may receive a small commission. Read our editorial policy.

First Street Fighter 5 match reveals new mechanics

Guile's mate Charlie returns.

At the Capcom Cup tournament over the weekend we got our first look at a Street Fighter 5 match.

In the video below, Capcom's Street Fighter community chief Peter "Combofiend" Rosas (Chun-Li) and veteran tournament player Mike Ross (Ryu) play two matches of the PC and PlayStation 4 fighting game.

We notice a number of new mechanics. Chun-Li begins with three potential bars of EX meter, whereas Ryu begins with just two. Both characters are able to use this meter to electrify themselves for a short time, opening up new moves.

And it's worth noting that in the arena played, you're able to kick or punch your opponent through a wall and into a restaurant - and the next round begins in the place where the previous round ends. In one match, Chun-Li is slammed against a wall and a bowl of noodles falls on her head. She wears the noodle bowl as a hat throughout the next round.

There are mechanics we're familiar with from previous Street Fighter games, such as a Revenge meter used to power what look like Ultra combo attacks from Street Fighter 4.

Cover image for YouTube videoStreet Fighter V Capcom Cup Stage Demo

Fighting game expert Joe Ciaramelli offers analysis of the matches in the video below. There's a lot of informed speculation in there.

Cover image for YouTube videoStreet Fighter V Match Analysis - Capcom Cup 2014 Preview

Meanwhile, the extended version of the Street Fighter 5 announcement video, released over the weekend, teases the return of Charlie, a war buddy of Guile.

Cover image for YouTube videoStreet Fighter V Gameplay Video Capcom Cup Extended Cut