Xbox 360
Part two of our look back at CAPCOM's definitive beat-em-up Street Fighter and a glimpse of what's in store for the next exciting instalment.
In part one, we looked at the rise of a legend in Street Fighter II and the many great versions, crossovers and spin-offs that followed. While titles such as Capcom VS SNK or Street Fighter Alpha 3 were great editions to the series, fans were left wanting another true sequel. After all, Street Fighter II was originally released in 1991 and it would take a further six years before the brilliant Street Fighter III: A New Generation would appear in arcades.
Capcom really knocked it out of the park with this one. The game was an instant hit, although some fans were left a bit perplexed by the decision to drop all of the original fighters except mainstays Ryu and Ken. Players who had honed their skills with a particular character found themselves having to unlearn all they knew about how the game worked and get to grips with an almost entirely new move set. From the wrestling styles of lead character Alex, to the swift capoeira moves of Elena, each fighter brought new trademark special attacks and finishers to the table.
After a few plays, everything about this game felt right. The updated characters are fluidly animated, the soundtrack was sheer brilliance and the balancing was spot on. Fans, who had perhaps grown too-accustomed to how Street Fighter II worked, were spoilt for choice here, as the level of tactics present here made this an entirely different beast.
So focused on delivering the definitive Street Fighter experience, Capcom released three update dversions of the game, ending with the brilliant Street Fighter III: Third Strike. The game featured an impressive character roster of 19 and other subtle nuances. Along with a string of leap attacks and air parries, guard parries were introduced in the third version. These required precision timing to execute and, if used correctly, a good player could turn the tide of a match in seconds. If they mess it up however, they are in for a world of hurt. The sense of risk/reward here made for a compelling addition
In fact, if you want to see some absolutely epic use of the system, check out this video, which is something of a hit among fans. By this point Street Fighter tournaments were becoming a really big deal, with vast amounts of insanely good players locking horns for big prizes. The video shows one of the best-known tournament players Diago (playing as Ken) pulling of an lightning-fast string of parries that helped him secure victory against another superb player Justin Wong (playing as Chun Li). Diago holds on for his life with a paltry health bar only to swing the match with an insane show of skill. Check it out - definitely one of the best captured moments in gaming.
So the game had found a new face and enjoyed an ever-expanding fanbase. Unfortunately, the home versions were enjoyed by very few players as it was an exclusive on Sega's Ill-fated, but particularly choice Dreamcast console. As such fans would have to wait a further nine years before Capcom dropped a particularly exciting bomb. 2007 saw the unveiling of a brilliant teaser trailer for the next full sequel Street Fighter IV, check it out here.
Not only that, but a new, updated version of Super Street Fighter II Turbo was announced for Xbox Live and Playstation Network, boasting anime sprites, full online play and completely remixed soundtrack. We interviewed the guys at game-music remix community OverClocked ReMix a while back. The guys have really done the original soundtrack justice and paid homage to Capcom's flair for penning ace tunes. Read the full interview here, these guys are super-talented!
So what's new for Street Fighter IV? Well, in addition to the original roster of Street Fighter II's 12 fighters, four new combatants; Abel, Rufus, El Fuerte and Crimson Viper join the gang in putting boot to face. Also, Ryu and Ken's master, Gouken will appear in the home version as a playable character for the first time - fans rejoice!
There's also the addition of a neat-sounding online mode with item collection and custom costumes. Add in a brilliant art style and some familiar stages and you end up with one pretty comprehensive package. It's just a shame that there's no solid release date though - but then again, you can't rush genius can you?
We'll have more on the excellent Street Fighter IV closer to release.