The 10-Best Video-Game Franchises
- July 07, 2006 13:27 PM PST
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The introduction of parries in SF III and the various "isms" in Alpha made the series approachable for only the hardcore.
8. Street Fighter
Developed by Capcom
It had six of them. Buttons lined up in two rows of threes, the original Street Fighter came as a shock to gamers in an age where just two were the norm. Just what did that "Forward" or "Strong" button exactly do? Nobody knew. And it didn't matter, either-simply mash the punch buttons and jiggle the joystick in circular arcs, and the game would sporadically belch out game-winning dragon punches. A button-less (and notoriously unreliable) version was also released that had players pound giant rubber mounds for different punches and kicks-further cementing its fate as a bizarre arcade anomaly.
The franchise took a dramatic turn when Street Fighter II: The World Warrior launched in 1991, revolutionizing the genre. Not the crude bar fight brawls of Pit Fighter, The World Warrior required chess-like strategy and swift reflexes. Bringing an unparalleled level of depth to fighting games, a whole slew of new lingo was added to gaming lexicon: cheese, combo, cancel, reversal. It didn't take long before whole sections of arcades became enshrined to the game, crowds of players placing quarters on monitor sills and eagerly awaiting their two minutes of glory.
Tron-inspired skeleton costumes-one of the many reasons why the 3D Street Fighters failed.
Street Fighter II proved to be vastly popular, and other companies (namely SNK) scrambled to release fighting games of their own, spawning an eclectic array of mediocre fighting games including Time Killers, Primal Rage, and Fighter's History. Capcom meanwhile was content to milk the franchise for all its worth, releasing nearly 10 different Street Fighter titles before the subdued launch of Street Fighter III: New Generation.
With the recent surge in popularity of 3D fighting games (Tekken, Virtua Fighter), the Street Fighter franchise has lost much of its thunder. Still, when it comes to 2D fighters, no game comes close to Street Fighter III: Third Strike-peerless in its rich character design, complexity and fun.--Funky Zealot
Capcom seems to have an axe to grind with Toyota, featuring Lexus LS400s and Land Cruisers as bonus stage fodder.
One, Two, Two and a Half, Two and . . . Just how long did it take for Street Fighter II to finally hit III?
- Street Fighter (1987)
- Street Fighter II: The World Warrior (1991)
- Street Fighter II: Champion Edition (1992)
- Street Fighter II: Hyper Fighting (1992)
- Super Street Fighter II: The New Challengers (1993)
- Super Street Fighter II Turbo (1994)
- Street Fighter: The Movie (1995)
- Street Fighter Alpha: Warriors' Dreams (1995)
- Street Fighter EX (1996)
- Street Fighter Alpha 2 (1996)
- Street Fighter EX Plus Alpha (1997)
- Street Fighter III: New Generation (1997)
- Street Fighter EX 2 (1998)
- Street Fighter III 2nd Impact-Giant Attack (1998)
- Street Fighter Alpha 3 (1998)
- Street Fighter III 3rd Strike: Fight For The Future (1999)
