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The Street Fighter franchise is gaming royalty that has endured since the late eighties. Today, it still has millions of fans around the globe. So why does its flagship title, Street Fighter II, still remain so popular? We discuss it in the article below. 

The original Street Fighter was a moderate arcade success. It was part of the burgeoning beat em up trend, in which you played a character who roamed the street fighting enemies. The difference with this title was that it was a two-on-two bout, much like a more traditional martial arts contest. You took the part of a fairly bland martial artist named Ryu, and in two-player mode you were joined by the more eighties-looking Ken Masters. You travelled across five continents, fought ten adversaries, and if you were good enough, became the Street Fighter title holder. However, it was Street Fighter II that really put the game on the map. 

The Arrival of Street Fighter II 

While the concept was the same in Street Fighter II, it changed one key feature, which really elevated the game. This was its character. You could now select from six fighters. Each was unique in appearance and their moveset, with their own bright and interactive world stage. For the first time, the character you chose to use had a direct impact on the game. Would you choose the slow yogi expert Dhalsim with his extended reach? Or would you opt for the nimble Chun-Li who took damage more easily but could bound around the screen with ease? 

Street Fighter II Spin-Off Games 

Digital technology has progressed greatly since the initial arcade title and its console ports. However, despite the many upgrades and increased processing power, at its heart, the core gameplay remains the same. It is two fighters using their skill and prowess to take one another down in a best of three contest. 

This has led to the game becoming available on a range of different devices and has led to some fantastic variations. One of them is the Street Fighter II: The World Warrior Slot game. It can be played directly from your device on any trusted mobile casino. The game involves linking up combos using the spinning reels, which are also where you win cash. Manage to defeat your adversary, and you move onto the next stage. This combines the fighting action inherent in Street Fighter, along with the chance element of the best slot games. 

It may seem far-fetched, but it is actually just one of the occasions Capcom has tried to merge puzzle and chance elements with gaming. Super Puzzle Fighter II Turbo was released in arcades in 1996 and was then available on the numerous consoles. It jumped on the back of a popularity explosion in puzzle games at the time, with the likes of Tetris. Like the aforentioned slot, you had to match combinations and clear lines of coloured bricks to perform attacks and move onto the next stage. It featured characters from Street Fighter and Capcom’s other beat-em-up franchise, Darkstalkers. 

One of the strangest outings for characters in the franchise was Cannon Spike. It took its name from a move performed by Cammy, one of the additional four characters added in a console port variation of the game. Joined by Charlie, a friend of Guile from the original series, the game was a multi-directional shooter that included other characters from Capcom franchises. Original boss Vega was included as one of the final enemies you had to defeat. 

The Legacy of Street Fighter 

Due to its popularity on arrival, the game created a whole genre of similar titles that still exist today. Mortal Kombat was Street Fighters biggest competitor, which swapped the anime fighting for hyper-realistic gore and violence reminiscent of horror and kung fu cinema. Other titles included Tekken 8 and the King of Fighters series. 

Street Fighter itself has also had numerous iterations. Each one has experimented in some ways, adding to the lore of the game. Street Fighter Alpha was the next to arrive, taking place narratively before Street Fighter II. For Street Fighter III, the story jumped forward in time and featured very few of the original characters, much to the outcry of fans. Street Fighter IV fought back with one of the biggest rosters ever. 

Last year, Street Fighter VI was released by Capcom. It paid homage to the original characters of Street Fighter II by naming them the Grand Masters. It also introduced a built-in character mode for the first time, allowing players to travel the world and train with the legends before going on their own Street Fighter journey. Like Super Mario or Pac-Man, Street Fighter is one of gaming's most enduring legacies, and it will continue to be for a long time to come.