Street Fighter

Street Fighter (or SF for short) is the title shared by a popular series of beat 'em ups that pit contestants from around the world against one another. Each fighter has his or her own special moves.

Street Fighter made little impact when it was released at the end of the eighties, despite a novel control system which involved the player actually punching the machine, rather than using a more conventional joystick and button setup.

Street Fighter II was one of the most popular games of the early nineties. It is widely acknowledged as the premier fighting game of its era, and perhaps to date, due to its game balance with regard to the timing of attacks and blocks, which was unparalleled at the time; and due to its interesting (and subsequently widely copied) "combo" system in which experienced players could execute complex fighting moves by moving the joystick and tapping the buttons in certain combinations. These complicated fighting moves were given names, such as the Dragon Punch and the Flash Kick, which provided a framework for players to have conversations about their games. The game features eight fighters that players can choose from (Ryu, Ken, Blanka, Zangief, Dhalsim, Guile, E.Honda, and Chun Li), plus four "bosses" (Balrog, Vega, Sagat, and M.Bison). It was followed by a slew of other games of similar design, some by Capcom, some by other companies. One of the most well-known early competitors to SF II was Mortal Kombat.

After the release of the upgrade to Street Fighter II: Street Fighter 2 Championship Edition, many modified bootlegged versions of the game were released by certain distributors. In an almost unprecedented move, most Arcades (even large corporate owned ones) embraced the bootlegs. They were widely distributed until Capcom released its answer to the bootlegs: Street Fighter 2 Hyper fighting. In 1993 and 1994, Capcom released another version of the game, Super Street Fighter 2: The New Challengers. As the subtitle implies, four new characters were added. They are Fei Long, Cammy, Dee Jay, and Thunder Hawk.

The game franchise inspired several films. Street Fighter (with Jean Claude van Damme), Street Fighter II The Movie (Japan, Animated) and Street Fighter Alpha (Japan, Animated). There are also a Street Fighter animated series (USA), and Street Fighter II V (a japanese animated series, considered by fans to be superior to other spin-offs, except, perhaps, Alpha).

Games

These games are the main part of Street Fighter.

Street Fighter

• Street Fighter

Street Fighter II Series

• Street Fighter II - The World Warrior
• Street Fighter II' - Champion Edition
• Street Fighter II' Turbo

Also known as Street Fighter II' - Hyper Fighting in Japan

• Super Street Fighter II - The New Challengers

A special version of this game, known as Super Street Fighter II - Tournament Battle was created to allow eight players to participate in an elimination tournament.

• Super Street Fighter II Turbo

Also known as Super Street Fighter II X - Grand Master Challenge in Japan

The Game Boy Advance version of this game is known as Super Street Fighter II X Revival in Japan and Super Street Fighter II Turbo Revival elsewhere.

Street Fighter Alpha Series

• Street Fighter Alpha - Warriors' Dreams

Also known as Street Fighter Zero in Japan

• Street Fighter Alpha 2

Also known as Street Fighter Zero 2 in Japan

An improved version of the game was released as Street Fighter Zero 2 Alpha (Japanese release only), which the home versions further changed it into Street Fighter Zero 2' in Japan and Street Fighter Alpha 2 Gold elsewhere.

• Street Fighter Alpha 3

Also known as Street Fighter Zero 3 in Japan

Originally appearing in the arcades, the game was ported to the Sony Playstation, the Sega Saturn, and the Sega Dreamcast, the last of which was re-released into arcades as Street Fighter Zero 3 Upper (Japanese release only). This game was ported to the Game Boy Advance as Street Fighter Zero 3 Upper in Japan and Street Fighter Alpha 3 elsewhere.

Street Fighter III Series

• Street Fighter III: The New Generation
• Street Fighter III: Second Impact - Giant Attack
• Street Fighter III: Third Strike - Fight for the Future

Related Games

These games are not part of the Street Fighter series, but involve Street Fighter characters.

Street Fighter EX Series

• Street Fighter EX
• Street Fighter EX +
• Street Fighter EX + α
• Street Fighter EX 2
• Street Fighter EX 3

Marvel VS. Series

These games also involve characters from Marvel Comics, as well as various other Capcom games.

• X-Men - Children of the Atom

Although not technically part of the Marvel VS. Series, this game has Akuma as a secret character.

• X-Men Vs. Street Fighter
• Marvel Super Heroes Vs. Street Fighter
• Marvel Vs. Capcom - Clash of Super Heroes
• Marvel Vs. Capcom 2 - New Age of Heroes

SNK VS. Series

These games also involve characters from SNK's various fighting games. For more information, see SNK VS. Series.

• Capcom Vs. SNK - Millenium Fight 2000
• Capcom Vs. SNK 2 - Mark of the Millenium 2001
• SNK Vs. Capcom - Match of the Millenium
• SVC Chaos - SNK Vs. Capcom

Other Games

• Cannon Spike
• Cyberbots - Fullmetal Madness

The Sega Saturn version of this game features a robotic version of Akuma as a secret character.

• Rival Schools - United By Fate
• Street Fighter - The Movie

This was the game based off of the movie, with digitized characters akin to Mortal Kombat. The home version is distinctly different from the arcade in the fact that the gameplay is closer to that of Super Street Fighter II Turbo.

• Super Gem Fighter Mini-Mix

Also known as Pocket Fighter in Japan

• Super Puzzle Fighter II Turbo

Also known as Super Puzzle Fighter II X in Japan

Characters

Street Fighter contains many characters, some of which originate from other series, and some of which have appeared in games outside this series. Here's a list of characters that have appeared in a fighting capacity in the various Street Fighter games:

Characters From Final Fight

• Cody
• Guy
• Hugo
• Maki
• Rolento Schugerg
• Sodom

Characters With Appearances Outside This Series

• Akuma
• Balrog
• Blanka
• Cammy
• Charlie
• Chun-Li
• Dan Hibiki
• Dhalsim
• Eagle
• Edmund Honda
• Guile
• Ibuki
• Ken Masters
• M. Bison
• Ryu
• Sagat
• Sakura Kasugano
• Vega
• Yun Lee
• Zangief

Other Characters

• Adon
• Alex
• Birdie
• Dee Jay
• Dudley
• Elena
• Fei Long
• Geki
• Gen
• Gill
• Joe
• Juli
• Juni
• Karin Kanzuki
• Lee
• Makoto
• Mike
• Necro
• Oro
• Q
• Rainbow Mika Nanakawa
• Remy
• Retsu
• Rose
• Sean Matsuda
• Thunder Hawk
• Twelve
• Urien
• Yang Lee

Software piracy

This game has been ported illegally to the Famicom in Asia. It has appeared in several multicarts in China.

One of the versions of this game that appeared on a multicart had Mario in it.

External Link

• The Killer List of Video Games entry on Street Fighter
• The Street Fighter Plot Canon Guide