Street Fighter

Street Fighter (ストリートファイター, Sutorīto Faitā), or commonly abbreviated as SF, is a popular series of fighting games in which the players pit combatants from around the world, each with his or her own special moves, against one another. Capcom released the first game in the series in August 1987

History and development

Street Fighter (1987)

Street Fighter made its debut in the arcades in 1987. It was designed by Takashi Nishiyama and Hiroshi Matsumoto. The player took control of lone martial artist Ryu, who competed in a worldwide martial arts tournament, spanning five countries and ten opponents. A second player could join in at any time and take control of Ryu's rival, Ken.

The player could perform three types of punch and kick attacks (which varied in speed and strength) and three special attacks: the Ball of Fire, Dragon Punch and Hurricane Kick. These were performed by executing special motions with the controls.

Street Fighter was ported to many popular home computer systems of the time including PC. In 1988, it was released on the NEC Avenue TurboGrafx-CD console under the new name Fighting Street.

Street Fighter was later included in Capcom Classics Collection: Remixed for PlayStation Portable and Capcom Classics Collection Vol. 2 for PlayStation 2 and Xbox.

The side-scrolling beat 'em up Final Fight was originally promoted with the working title Street Fighter '89. While the game's title was changed due to its drastically different gameplay, Final Fight is established to take place in the same fictional universe as the Street Fighter games. Characters from Final Fight would go on to appear in later Street Fighter games.

Street Fighter II series (1991-1995)

Street Fighter II: The World Warrior, released in 1991, was the first true sequel to the original Street Fighter. It was one of the earliest arcade games for Capcom's CPS hardware and was designed by Akira Nishitani (Nin-Nin) and Akiman (Akira Yasuda), who were previously responsible for Final Fight and Forgotten Worlds. The release of the game had an unexpected impact on gaming and was the beginning of a massive phenomenon.

Street Fighter II was the first one-on-one fighting game to give players a choice from a variety of player characters, an option which created hitherto unknown levels of depth and replay value for an arcade game. Each player character had a fighting style with approximately 30 or more moves (including previously nonexistent grappling moves such as throws) as well as two or three special attacks per character.

In the single-player mode, the player's chosen character is pitted sequentially against the seven other main characters before confronting the final four 'boss' opponents, who were CPU-controlled characters not selectable by the player.

As in the original, a second player could join in at any point during single player mode and compete against the other player in competitive matches, with the multiple available characters allowing for more varied matches.

Street Fighter II proved to be popular due to all these factors, eclipsing its predecessor in popularity, eventually turning Street Fighter into a multimedia franchise. Numerous home ports of Street Fighter II followed the original arcade game. Demand for the game was so high that pirates created an unsanctioned, copyright-infringing Famicom/NES version, which saw a very limited release in Asian markets. Computer versions were released for 16-bit PCs, first by a number of copyright-infringing fans who strove to develop a PC version of the game, and later by Capcom, working with an external programming house.

The first official update to the series was Street Fighter II: Champion Edition (pronounced Street Fighter II Dash in Japan, as noted by the prime symbol on the logo), which allowed players to play as the four previously non-playable bosses and also allowed two players to choose the same character (with one character drawn in an alternate color pattern). The game also featured slightly improved graphics (including differently colored backgrounds) and refined gameplay. A second upgrade, titled Street Fighter II' Turbo: Hyper Fighting (or Street Fighter II Dash Turbo), was produced in response to the various bootleg editions of the game. Hyper Fighting offered faster gameplay than its predecessors, different character colors and new special techniques (such as Chun-Li's Kikoken or Dhalsim's Yoga Teleport).

Super Street Fighter II: The New Challengers, the third revision, gave the game a complete graphical overhaul and introduced four new playable characters (Cammy, Fei Long, Dee Jay and T.Hawk). This game gave previous characters new basic moves (such as giving Vega standing kicks), new special moves (such as Vega's diving claw), and improvements to previously existing special moves (such as Ryu's flaming fireball or Ken's flaming dragon punch). It was also the first game for Capcom’s CPS II arcade hardware. The fourth and final arcade version, Super Street Fighter II Turbo: The Ultimate Championship (or Super Street Fighter II X: Grand Master Challenge) brought back the faster gameplay of Hyper Fighting, new moves for some characters and a new type of special techniques known as “super combos” and hidden character Akuma.

Numerous home versions of the game had been release for various platforms including the Super NES, Sega Genesis, PC Engine, 3DO, PlayStation, Dreamcast and Saturn, Sega Master System among other platforms. Most of these games had been released individually or through compilations such as Street Fighter Collection and more recently the Capcom Classics Collection series. Most notably, Capcom released Hyper Street Fighter II: The Anniversary Edition, a modified version of Super Turbo that allows player to select characters from all five versions of the game, was originally released for PlayStation 2 and Xbox and also saw a limited release in Japanese arcades. Emulated versions have also been recently included in downloadable game services. The Wii's Virtual Console received the SNES versions of Street Fighter II, Street Fighter II Turbo, and Super Street Fighter II, and the Xbox 360's Xbox Live Arcade received an online enabled version of Street Fighter II' Turbo: Hyper Fighting.

Capcom has announced that an updated version of Super Street Fighter II Turbo will be coming soon to the PlayStation Network and Xbox Live Arcade service in 2008. The game, to be called Super Street Fighter II Turbo HD Remix, will have fully redrawn artwork, including HD sprites 4.5x the original size, done by artists from UDON. This will be the first time the Street Fighter characters will have new sprites, drawn by Capcom, since Capcom vs. SNK 2 in 2001. Capcom also promises a newly tweaked version of the game, which addresses character balancing issues, but will also feature the original arcade version gameplay so that players can choose between the two.

Street Fighter Alpha series (1995-1998)

The interquel Street Fighter Alpha: Warriors' Dreams (Street Fighter Zero in Japan and Asia) became the next game in the series. The game used the same art style Capcom previously employed in Darkstalkers and X-Men: Children of the Atom, with settings and character designs heavily influenced by Street Fighter II: The Animated Movie. Alpha expands on the Super Combo system from Super Turbo, by extending Super Combo meter into three levels (allowing for more powerful super combos), and also introduces Alpha Counters and Chain Combos (also from Darkstalkers). The plot of Alpha is set between the first two Street Fighter games and fleshes out the back stories and grudge matches held by many of the classic SF2 characters. It features a playable roster of ten immediately playable characters (and three unlockable fighters), comprising not only younger versions of established Street Fighter II, but also characters from the original Street Fighter and Final Fight.

Rather than being a sequel, Street Fighter Alpha 2 ended up being an upgrade, featuring all-new stages, music and endings for some characters (some overlapping with those from the original Alpha). It also discarded the Chain Combo system in favor of Custom Combos (which required a portion of the Super Combo meter to be used). Alpha 2 also retained all thirteen characters from the original, adding five new characters to the roster along with hidden versions of returning characters. Alpha 2 was followed by a slightly enhanced arcade release titled Street Fighter Zero 2 Alpha and was released in Japan, Asia and Brazil, was ported to home consoles as Street Fighter Alpha 2 Gold (Zero 2 Dash in Japan). The home versions added Cammy as a hidden character.

The third and final Alpha game, Street Fighter Alpha 3, was released in 1998 (following the release of the original Street Fighter III and 2nd Impact). Alpha 3 introduced three selectable fighting style and further expanded the playable roster to 28 characters (including three hidden characters). Console versions of the three games (including the original Alpha 2 and the aforementioned Alpha 2 Gold) were released for the Sony PlayStation and Sega Saturn, although versions of specific games in the series were also released for the Game Boy Color, Super NES, Sega Dreamcast and even Windows. The home console versions of Alpha 3 further expanded the character roster by adding the remaining "New Challengers" from Super Street Fighter II, along with Guile, Evil Ryu and Shin Akuma (the latter two were omitted from the arcade release). The Dreamcast version of the game was backported to the arcades in Japan under the title of Street Fighter Zero 3 Upper. A version of Upper (simply titled Alpha 3 outside Japan) was released for the Game Boy Advance and added three characters from Capcom vs. SNK 2. A PlayStation Portable version titled Alpha 3 MAX (or Zero 3 Double Upper in Japan) contains the added characters from the GBA version and Ingrid from Capcom Fighting Jam.

Street Fighter III series (1997-1999)

The true sequel to Street Fighter II, Street Fighter III: The New Generation, made its debut in the arcades on the CPS3 hardware in 1997. Street Fighter III discarded the character roster from previous games (only Ryu and Ken returned), introducing several new characters in their place, most notably the female ninja Ibuki, twin brothers Yun and Yang, and grappler Alex. Street Fighter III introduced the "Super Arts" selection system and the ability to parry an opponent's attack. Several months after its release, it was followed by 2nd Impact: Giant Attack, which made adjustments to the gameplay and added two new characters, as well as the return of Akuma and bonus rounds. 3rd Strike: Fight the Future, released in 1999, was the third and last iteration of Street Fighter III, bringing back Chun-Li and adding four new characters to the playable roster.

The first two Street Fighter III games were ported to the Sega Dreamcast as a compilation titled Double Impact. Ports of 3rd Strike were released for the Dreamcast as a stand-alone game and then included in the compilation Street Fighter Anniversary Collection for the PlayStation 2 and Xbox.

Street Fighter EX series (1996-2001)

In 1996, Capcom co-produced with Arika (a company founded by former Street Fighter II planner Akira Nishitani) a 3D fighting game spinoff of the series titled Street Fighter EX, developed for the PlayStation-based ZN-1 hardware. EX combined the established Street Fighter cast with original characters created and owned by Arika. It was followed by upgraded version titled Street Fighter EX Plus in 1997, which expanded the character roster. A home version with further additional characters and features, Street Fighter EX Plus Alpha, was released for the PlayStation during the same year.

A sequel was released in 1998, titled Street Fighter EX2, developed for the ZN-2 hardware. EX2 also received an upgraded version, Street Fighter EX2 Plus, released in 1999. A PlayStation version of EX2 Plus, was also released. A third game in the series, Street Fighter EX3, was released as an early title for the PlayStation 2 in 2001.

Some of the Arika-owned characters from the series were later featured in non-Street Fighter games developed by the company. The Namco-distributed arcade game Fighting Layer featured Allen Snider and Blair Dame from the original EX (the only characters from the original game not to be featured in the EX sequels). Skullomania would reappear in the PlayStation game Fighter Maker, as well as in the PlayStation 2 music game Technictix.

Vs. series (1996-2002)

Capcom has also produced fighting games involving licensed characters from other companies and their own properties. In 1994, Capcom released the Marvel-licensed fighting game X-Men: Children of the Atom, which featured Akuma from Super Turbo as a hidden guest character. It was followed by Marvel Super Heroes in 1995, which featured Anita from Night Warriors.

Capcom would release a third Marvel-licensed game, X-Men vs. Street Fighter, in 1996, a full-fledge crossover between characters from X-Men and the Street Fighter Alpha games that featured a two-on-two tag team-based system. It was followed by Marvel Super Heroes vs. Street Fighter in 1997, which expanded the roster to include characters from Marvel Super Heroes; Marvel vs. Capcom in 1998, which featured not only Street Fighter characters, but also characters from other Capcom properties; and Marvel vs. Capcom 2 in 2000, which was produced from the Dreamcast-based NAOMI hardware.

Capcom also produced a series of similar crossover fighting games with rival fighting game developer SNK. The games produced by Capcom includes Capcom vs. SNK in 2000, which features character primarily from the Street Fighter and King of Fighters series. It was followed by a minor upgrade, Capcom vs. SNK Pro ; and a sequel titled Capcom vs. SNK 2, both released in 2001. All three games were produced for the NAOMI hardware as well. The SNK-produced fighting games of this crossover includes the Dimps-developed portable fighting game SNK vs. Capcom: The Match of the Millennium for the Neo-Geo Pocket Color in 1999 and SNK vs. Capcom: SVC Chaos for the Neo-Geo in 2003.

Street Fighter IV (2008)

Prior to the Jamma show (officially the Amusement Machine Show) in Tokyo in 2005, rumors were circulating that Capcom would unveil a new entry in the series, most probably Street Fighter IV. These reports proved erroneous, however. Though Capcom dropped hints that a new "combat game" would be unveiled at the show, this turned out to be War of the Grail, a 3D battlefield game yet no information was revealed for two years. Several factors seemed to count against the possibility of the series receiving another installment: 2D games had dramatically decreased in popularity and were mostly considered little more than a niche market, especially due to the rising popularity of 3D fighting games such as Tekken and Virtua Fighter. This was also coupled with the rising costs of producing video games in the modern industry — Capcom has reused the sprites of some of the characters in its games for over a decade at this point and was unable to justify the expense of redrawing them against projected sales of the games.

Rumors of Street Fighter IV being in development were sparked in July 2005 at the San Diego Comic Convention where a Street Fighter panel was held. Representatives from Udon Comics and Capcom USA said that there was something in the works. However, given the fact that the Street Fighter Alpha Anthology was announced later on in the year, they might have been referring to that title. As Hyde Park entertainment and Capcom had announced a new Street Fighter movie to be released in 2009, Capcom had also stated multi-platform releases would coincide with the 20th anniversary of Street Fighter which could include new games.

On October 17, 2007, however, the wait was over. Capcom unveiled Street Fighter IV at a Capcom Gamers Day event in London.Capcom had released a trailer for Street Fighter IV, but no gameplay was shown. The game was confirmed to be made in 2.5D, and Capcom said that the trailer provided hints on what the gameplay will be like. Also for note is that this fourth iteration's story will chronologically fall in the events that occur after the second Street Fighter tournament and before the third Street Fighter Tournament, making this game (chronologically) the 4th in the series (including the Alpha series).

Details continued to emerge and gameplay media revealed 3D rendered characters and backgrounds, but the game still plays in traditional 2D, thus creating a "2.5D" effect. The gameplay itself is heavily influenced by Super Street Fighter II Turbo, considered by some fans to be one of the high-points of the series. The game is scheduled for release in July 2008 in Arcades, and will be released on Xbox 360, Playstation 3 and the PC later.

Future games

Capcom has also licensed Street Fighter to developer Daletto for a PC fighting game, Street Fighter Online: Mouse Generation. The game solely uses the PC's mouse for combat, and the characters are customizable to some degree. Confirmed thus far are Ryu and Chun-Li, as well as two new characters, Hiko and Teiran.

Capcom is also working on a new crossover fighting game titled Tatsunoko vs. Capcom, which features characters from both companies' properties. Confirmed characters so far includes Ryu and Chun-Li on Capcom's side; along with Eagle Ken of Gatchaman and Casshern of Neo-Human Casshern on Tatsunoko's side.

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