This 2v2 fighting game is too much for my eyes, but you can try it on your fingers
Them's fighting lanes
Street Fighter 6 may be the hot new fighting game in town, but like every other fighting game in history, it lacks depth: literal depth, ha ha, el oh el. Diesel Legacy: The Brazen Age is here to fix that, mixing up the classic punch 'em up formula with three lanes for you to manoeuvre around during 2v2 fights. The result looks messy, but also interesting enough that you might want to try the currently-running free open beta.
As the charming old-timey American announcer man above exclaims, fights are 2v2 up until the very end - seen as your ghost can parry attacks for your still-living teammate. I'm undecided on whether that sounds neat or extremely frustrating, as I am with the entire concept in general. Flitting between different lanes broadens out tactics and makes for more lively, dynamic movement, but letting your kicks and punches get obscured by those of other brawlers seems like dangerous territory. I can see how the action might get easier to parse when you're controlling one character rather than watching the chaos in aggregate, but it's never going to be as clean and readable as a traditional 1v1.
It's good, then, to see a "Comprehensive Training Mode" featured over on the Steam page, where you can "practice combos, record or analyze situations, view hitboxes and frame data, and refine team strategy together using an extensive set of training tools tailored to players of all skill levels." Developers Modus Studios seem to be in the serious fighting business, rather than shooting for a more anarchic knockabout.
I'm glad that hasn't stopped them from also leaning into a playful diesel-punk setting, with the four playable characters currently comprising a sneaky stabby man, a big-haired girl with rocket rollerskates, a man with a jetpack, and a man with a tattoo.
The open beta runs until June 19th, with more details available here. Modus plan to launch the full game sometime this year.
If you're after more of a safe bet, our Street Fighter 6 review reckons it's "leagues above the competition", with a great story mode that serves as an excellent tutorial for fighting game newbies.
Diesel Legacy: The Brazen Age was announced during the PC Gaming Show, along with a bajillion other things. Here's our helpful roundup of the actually interesting stuff.