Thanks to the deeper-than-usual tutorials and practice modes, I finally understand basics that have eluded me for decades—I seriously never knew what people meant by ‘cross-up’ before this game (I have not historically been very good at). That alone has made exciting for me, but I also like the goofy story mode. I made a character based on me—with slightly larger biceps, sure, and yeah, inhuman quads, but basically me—and watching my new self meet Chun-Li felt weirdly like actually meeting a celebrity. Better, really, since Chun-Li taught me how to fight, but the one time I met Jack White he didn’t teach me how to play a vintage guitar.
