Everyone remembers Street Fighter II, but what about its 80s forebear?
We find out how Street Fighter paved the way for a classic sequel…
Its 1991.
TheStreet Fighterstory began in 1987, when the original game appeared in arcades to relatively little fanfare.
One-on-one brawlers were also thin on the ground in the 1980s.
The title screen is set in the same distinctive brush stroke style as the games which followed.
I remember when I first saw [Street Fighter], Capcom USAs head of consumer games toldPolygon.
It had those big rubber [pads] that you punch with your fists.
That had to come off the market because everybody was getting injured.
In the wake ofStreet Fighter,two of the games key personnel were spirited away by rival developer SNK.
Capcom, meanwhile, didnt exactly rush into making theStreet Fightersequel.
Okamoto, being a contrary soul, decided he wanted to makeStreet Fighter IIinstead.
WhereStreet Fighters battles felt leaden and inert,Street Fighter IIs felt fast and dramatic.
Capcom would be propelled into the big-leagues, and fighting games would never be quite the same again.
