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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).
Series Synopsis
Games
These games are the main part of Street Fighter.Street Fighter
Console Ports:
Street Fighter II Series
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.
Console Ports:
Console Ports:
Console Ports:
Console Ports:
Although not video games, the SF2 series also contained:
Console Ports:
Street Fighter Alpha Series
Re-released into arcades as Street Fighter Zero 2 Alpha (Japanese release).
Console Ports:
Console Ports:
Re-released into arcades as Street Fighter Zero 3 Upper (Japanese release).
Console Ports:
Street Fighter III Series
Console ports:
Console ports:
Console ports:
Related Games
These games are not part of the Street Fighter series, but involve Street Fighter characters.Street Fighter EX Series
Marvel VS. Series
These games also involve characters from Marvel Comics, as well as various other Capcom games.
Although not technically part of the Marvel VS. Series, this game has Akuma as a secret character.
SNK VS. Series
These games also involve characters from SNK's various fighting games. For more information, see SNK VS. Series.Other Games
The Sega Saturn version of this game features a robotic version of Akuma as a secret character.
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.
One of the versions of this game that appeared on a multicart had Mario in it.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
Characters With Appearances Outside This Series
Other Characters
Software piracy
This game has been ported illegally to the Famicom in Asia. It has appeared in several multicarts in China.