The evolution of Street Fighter: How combat game has survived almost three decades
The Street Fighter series, first released in 1987, has enthralled gamers with its many spin-offs and updates. Its new chapter is set to be a winner too, writes Pavan Shamdasani
Fighters meet in an exotic location for a battle to the death. They hail from all parts of the globe, from Japanese warriors to American brawlers, Russian wrestlers and Indian mystics. Their fighting styles are a combination of the brutal and the supernatural, where fast-paced martial arts and street-fighting moves are mixed with massive fireballs and flaming uppercuts.
This is Street Fighter, arguably the most renowned fighting game series of all time. Last week saw the physical release of Ultra Street Fighter IV, the latest in the long-running series. For diehard fans, it marks the culmination of every Street Fighter entry before it. For the rest of us, it's a testament to the series' immense staying power: nearly 30 years, with many well-received spin-offs and updates.
A multimedia franchise was born, expanding to include live-action movies, animated TV shows, instrumental music albums and a long-running comic book series
"There's no doubt that Street Fighter created the fighting-game genre and then helped it mature," says Capcom's Ayano Tomoaki, a longtime producer of the series. "We believe that there's a responsibility for Street Fighter to lead the fighting game genre itself and make it grow."
First released as an arcade game by Capcom in 1987, Street Fighter didn't immediately set the world alight. The game was a minor release made up of a mishmash of influences: character designs were inspired by Japanese manga of its day, the name was borrowed from a 1970s Sonny Chiba movie, and the gameplay was shaped by long-forgotten games such as Karate Champ and One-Two Kung-Fu.
Street Fighter wasn't wholly unique, but what it lacked in originality it more than made up for in creativity. The game stood out for its clever blend of great graphics and competitive gameplay: 2D animated character designs sent the player deep into a comic book-like world, while the ability to battle it out against either the computer or a second player brought an additional level to the contest.
More than all that, though, were its special moves - complicated button combinations that when timed right, allowed your fighter to dish out such devastating attacks as the hadouken fireball and the shoryuken uppercut. A fighting game had never gone to such inventive lengths before, and it became an impressive hit, immediately calling for a sequel.