Street Fighter 5's big March update detailed by Capcom — plus a first look at Alex

Two major updates are coming to Street Fighter 5 this month: the arrival of the game's first DLC fighter, Alex, and the addition of a host of long-awaited — and desperately needed — game features.

On the Capcom Unity blog, the publisher offers first details on how Alex will play, nearly 20 years after his debut in Street Fighter 3. Two decades on, Alex is still Power Bombing, according to Capcom:

In Street Fighter V, Alex returns as a powerful grappler that can inflict big damage with his close range Power Bomb command grab and his long limbs to fight from midrange distances. The threat doesn't end there however, as Alex has a variety of special attacks that can cover a large portion of the screen for those times when the opponent keeps him out. Players looking for a methodical grappler who can do big burst damage up close, yet still do well at midrange, will find themselves perfectly at home with Alex.

Alex's V-Skill is called Overhaul, and activating it makes him stretch, which powers up his next attack. Once Alex finishes his stretching animation, Capcom says, "the very next attack he pulls off will count as a hard hit and damage the opponent as if they were counter attacked. If that attack misses or is blocked however, he loses the hard hit bonus."

His V-Trigger move gives Alex a new move: a charged clothesline attack. Alex's Critical Art, a powerful chop-and-drop combo, sees him smash his opponent into the ground.

Grid View

Alex is the first of six confirmed characters coming to Street Fighter 5 as downloadable content. He can be purchased with in-game Fight Money or with real-world cash.

March will also see an update that delivers Street Fighter 5's challenges, its in-game store and larger battle lounges, which are currently limited to just two players. Here are the details, from Capcom:

Challenge Mode
Demonstrations: Learn the ins and outs of Street Fighter V through helpful demonstration and tutorial content. Contains content for each of the 16 characters, as well as advice geared towards players of all skill levels:

• Beginner Tutorials: 12 lessons covering, movement, normal attacks, special attacks, V-System, throws, counter hits, chip/recoverable damage, etc.
• Intermediate Tutorials: 11 lessons covering projectiles, invincibility frames, armor and armor break, recovery, cross-up attacks, anti-air options, etc.
• Advanced Tutorials: 4 lessons covering back dashing, frame advantage/disadvantage, combo potential, button priority, etc.
• Character Tutorials: 16 lessons covering each individual character.

Trials: Put your skills to the ultimate test with combo trials for all 16 characters, ranging from basic to pro combos. Completing Trials will also earn you some extra Fight Money.

In-Game Shop
Fight Money Expenditure: Spend your hard earned Fight Money to purchase extra game content, such as DLC characters and the Story Mode Costumes.

Online Rematch Option
Salty from a close loss online? Want revenge? Players can now play a 2/3 set in Ranked Match, provided both players accept the rematch.

Battle Lounge Improvements
Enjoy up to 8 person lobbies, complete with match spectating.

Capcom also has some bug fixes and balance changes planned as part of the March update, which doesn't have a confirmed release date yet.