Trouble in Paradise
Of the four World Warriors making a fresh appearance at The Game Awards last week, only one would be recognizable to the Street Fighter faithful — Having taken time out from the series for a few years, Street Fighter 6 will see the return of the ultimate party animal and dance hall superstar, Dee Jay Maximum!
Dee Jay made his Street Fighter debut way back in 1993, as one of the four new faces added to the legendary Super Street Fighter II. Hailing from Jamaica, Dee Jay is local superhero, renowned for his loud, brash, all-night parties, excellent musicianship, and infectiously upbeat personality. Rarely seen without a toothy smile plastered across his jaw, Dee Jay is easily one of the SF universe’s most happy-go-lucky characters, living his best life without a care in the word.
And, in Street Fighter 6, it seems that the beat-loving megastar is truly at one with himself — living for each and every breathing moment — and rocking a whole new visual appearance that screams both “It’s Party Time!” and also “Hey! Hey! Come on over and have some fun it’s Crazy Taxi!”
From the brief glimpses we have caught of Dee Jay in action, we can see that his stylized kickboxing skills have not dulled with age. We get to see new versions of his “Max Out” air-slashing projectiles, as well as his far-reaching combo-ender attacks “Dread Kicks” and “Up Kicks. Of course, he wouldn’t be Dee Jay without his rapid-fire “Machine Gun Uppercut”, which now appears to include more hits than ever before!
Perhaps most interestingly of all, Dee Jay appears to be able to feint his projectiles, tricking opponents into jumping forward and straight into an anti-air trap. In addition, a new “sway” ability lets Dee Jay take a brief backstep before coming in with one of a number of different attacks. The combination of the sway options and the feints are likely to make Dee Jay’s gameplay deeper than it’s ever been before, potentially making him an incredibly frustrating and tricky opponent in the ring.
Dee Jay's new move Jus Cool is a sway that can be followed up with a multitude of options depending on the rhythm you're feeling. 🎧 pic.twitter.com/9iZgU0Yw0a
— Street Fighter (@StreetFighter) December 11, 2022
Street Fighter 6 launches on PlayStation, PC, and Xbox July 2, 2023. Be sure to check out our other reports on the game in its current state, 50 things I loved about the beta, as well as CJ Andriessen’s experience with the Modern control system, and a list of Do’s and Do Not Do’s for the new sequel.