And then the day came when I finally managed to force myself to review Street Fighter 2. I must assure you that this is hard and responsible work. Here is a project that gave birth to many series of fighting games, and it should be treated with the same respect as we treat our loving parents. The most difficult task for me will be the analysis of different versions of the game, which were released with the frequency of the current assembly-line sequels (but were head and shoulders above them in quality and content). And when making a verdict on one or another aspect of the game, I will focus, first on the early versions of the game, and then on the new ones, as if gradually updating them, combining them into a single whole and not forgetting how former shortcomings became the positive aspects of the game and vice versa. I came to the idea that it would be necessary to do such an analysis when I noticed that when taking on the analysis of other fighting games, I had difficulties, and all due to the fact that they all, one way or another, followed in the footsteps of Street Fighter 2. The development of the genre, all sorts of clones and series of AAA class massacres require a historical digression, where it is necessary to talk about how the appearance of the second part of Street Fighter influenced them. I have already revealed the essence of what the first Street Fighter tried, but never achieved (introduced various and useful super moves, and controls with eight directions of movement, but this innovation was hindered by boring gameplay and crooked controls). And at the time of the game’s release, there was no trace of something like this in terms of quality and elaboration of the gameplay. The closest example is Fatal Fury, SF’s cousin, which came out only a couple of months after Street Fighter. And yet how cool is this fighter, who came from the streets of Capcom where he already dominated the arcade machines of Final Fight and Double Dragon? This fight really deserves honor and love from the gaming community? Could he stand the test of time?? You will learn all this in my battle today with this crowned king-father of the entire genre of massacres.
ME VS STREET FIGHTER II
(There was a Flash player, but since 2020 Flash is not supported by browsers)
History of creation: Even though players and critics did not like the first part of the Street Fighter series, Capcom still decided to give the game another chance. This was likely due to the financial and commercial success of Final Fight in the US. Yoshiki Okamoto shared interesting information with GamePro magazine in 1994: “The main idea with which Capcom wanted to revive Street Fighter was a modification of the original game concept that could be made interesting in arcades.”. Between 35 and forty people worked tirelessly on Street Fighter II, with Noritaka Funamizu as producer, and Akira Nishitani and Akira Yasuda in charge of gameplay and character design, respectively. Noritaka Funamizu noted that the developers did not set out to balance Street Fighter II; they primarily wanted to achieve success through attractive animation. Wanting to achieve maximum animation quality, the developers decided to use the CPS-1 engine, the advantage of which was the ability for different characters to occupy different amounts of memory. for example, Ryu weighed up to 8 megabits, and Zangief 12 megabits. Game development lasted two years.
Combos in the game are a bug that the developers decided to leave, basing the decision on the fact that it is an interesting and unusual secret:
“While I was checking the bonus level with the car for bugs… I noticed something unusual, curious. I recorded it on tape and showed it to the staff. We noticed that during a strike, it is possible, with good timing, to make a second strike, and so on. I thought that this was something that could not be made useful in the game, since it was quite difficult to balance and catch this fragment. So, we decided to keep the function as a secret. The most interesting thing is that this became the basis for future sequels and updates to the game. Later we were able to make timing much more convenient and combos as a workable mechanic. In SFII we thought if the player timed his shot perfectly, he could take a few extra hits, up to four I think. Then we managed to make eight! Bug? Maybe.
—Noritaka Funamizu.
______________________________________________________________________________________________
Plot: First, it’s worth remembering how the first part officially ended. Sagat fights Ryu in their final battle and knocks the latter to the ground. He lies on the ground and it seems to Sagat that he has won, so he calmly extends his hand to his opponent to help him get to his feet. But Ryu suddenly gets up and knocks out his opponent by performing the Metsu Shoryuken move, which leaves his famous scar on Sagat’s body. This means Ryu won. The initiator of the tournament was none other than Sagat. He hoped that he would be accepted into the terrorist organization Shadaloo, which is ruled by M. Bison and with their help he will find rivals in strength far superior to himself. And somewhere on the periphery of the tournament, Akuma kills his brother, as well as Ken and Ryu’s teacher, Gouken. After this, the Street Fighter Alpha storyline follows the canon, which occupies the time period of 1987-1990. I’ll tell you about it next time I get to the Alpha series. The second part begins in 1993. The initiator, this time, was M. Bison. Just before the start of the tournament, he recruits new members to the Shadaloo group (including Sagat) to help him defeat all contenders for the champion title. No one knows how the second tournament officially ended, but the fact that at the end Akuma appeared and killed the evil dictator M. Bison, that’s a fact. But Akuma himself is not a participant in the tournament, so he is defeated by one of the characters available to the player, who had previously fought with Bison.
This is the original arcade machine.
The very first port of Street Fighter II: The World Warrior. The SNES cover, as you can see, has a comically creepy design. The first thing you notice is the Green weirdo named Blanca with the look and smile of a rapist. He has already “dealt” with Ryu and is ready to get down to fresh meat. Poor Chun Li. Blanka: Swiggity Swooty I’m Coming for That Booty
Exactly the same cover, but on the Amiga system. Ooh, that phrase is on the top left. She’s no less terrifying than Blanca.
Run, you fools! He walked around you on the other side!
High-quality cover for the Japanese version of the game on snes (aka Famicon)
And this is the PC Engine version of Street Fighter II: Champion Edition. Bison is ready for the final battle. He has so much energy that he is just ready to explode. And Ryu didn’t get enough sleep. I’m also surprised that the artist didn’t decide to capture the moment when Ryu yawns. It’s like me, when I went to school early in the morning or got up at work at six in the morning: “Bison, well, wait a minute.”. I’ll lie down for ten minutes and then get up.”. Maybe that’s how he won the fight with Sagat in the first part.
Cover on Genesis. Still sleeping.
Another version of the cover on Genesis. Highly detailed characters fight against the backdrop of the famous Gaila airfield. But Bison’s face. He has such a funny expression on his face that he’s starting to remind me of Ernesta P’s character. Worrell from the comedies of the same name.
Poster for the Sega Genesis version of the game. Everyone here is posing as if for an advertisement for toys based on. I can’t find anything real in them.
My favorite cover among all this variety of strange and funny pictures of the second part of SF. This is the Super Nintendo version of Street Fighter II Turbo: Hyper Fighting. Nothing seems unusual. Fights E. Honda with Sagat in a bathhouse in Japan. But Sagat’s face is simply excellent. It reflects all the futility of existence and the meaninglessness of battles, that all that remains is to wrap yourself in a blanket and fall on the floor, waiting for the end. Why is he suffering so much?? From the force of the Honda’s blows or from boredom? What’s going on in his head at this moment?? But this expression is worthy of a cover.
Beautiful art for the cover of the original Japanese version of the game on snes (aka Famicon).
Great poster for the arcade version of the game.
Drying wall snes version of Super Street Fighter II.
An alternative version of that version of the game on snes. It looks like Fei Long is giving DJ a piece of bread here. No, it seemed.
This is what the cover for the Mega Drive/Genesis version looks like. In a rather interesting way, with the help of shadows on the wall, the artist hints at new characters in the game. A good way to interest the buyer in purchasing the next game update.
Japanese cover for the Mega Drive version of the game. It seems that frames and models were used from the full-length anime based on.
X68000 version of the game. Best cover for this version of the game. Strong, cool and epic. Moreover, it’s beautiful and with a hint of renewal.
3D0 version of the game. On the cover there is an anime, and on the back there is art from the game Capcom vs SNK 2. 100% pirate, but why not mention?
This is a 100% real cover for the 3DO version. Akuma reproaches me for mentioning a pirate. The creepy look of a real monster. This is a very simple piece of art and yet quite meaningful. It makes it clear what to expect from the game itself. No mercy!
Alternate cover version on 3DO.
What do you think the Japanese version is like?? Right! This is 3DO.
This is a terrible cover on the Amiga. All faces are individual works of art. How did Akuma pull out his lower lip?? Is he really pure evil or does he have problems with his facial muscles?? Why is DJ happy?? Is he at all glad to find himself in the company of these freaks and to be part of them?? What’s wrong with Blanca again??! It’s not enough for him what he did in the original on the cover of snes?
Poster for the arcade version of the game. Akuma is watching your pathetic attempts to beat the game from the shadows. Be glad, player, that you don’t have a chance to meet him face to face. But he’s here. He’s nearby. Watches. Waiting.
Cover for the GBA version of the game. I’ll talk about it separately when I get to the gameplay.
Collection for Sega Saturn, which also includes several versions of Street Fighter II.
Collection on PS1.
Cover for the PS2 and arcade version of the game. All parts are combined into one game and you can choose which character in the style of which version you will play.
Strong re-release of the original game in full HD on PS3 and Xbox360. Absolute beauty, to be honest. A must buy for every fan of the series.
Gameplay: Original Street Fighter II: The World Warrior 1991 carefully follows in the footsteps of its predecessor, taking the same gameplay elements as a basis, but without stopping to improve them and add its own where necessary. One-on-one battles take place in a small arena, where the opponent can be either a computer or a live player. There are six buttons responsible for punches and kicks (of varying strength and speed). The player can make grabs, hit from any position and perform special techniques unique to each character, as in the first part. But if before all this did not work very responsively and looked relatively entertaining, now everything has changed completely. It’s worth starting with the fact that now we have the opportunity to play as eight characters, and not just two, who only differed in hair and clothing color. Each character has their own fighting style, mechanics and special attacks. Some members of the roster can perform a strike only after holding down the direction button for two seconds (for example, Guile the sonic boom does this before shooting, and Chun Li does the same before he flies in your direction upside down, spinning like a top), and there are those who specialize mainly in grappling (our compatriot Zangief is the first grappler in the history of fighting games). This fight is played slowly and beginners have time to think about their moves and use special attacks. I would say that this version of the second part is best suited for those who want to learn the basics of gameplay. IQ hasn’t gone crazy here yet and doesn’t read your thoughts. The downside is that you cannot play as four boss characters (Sagat, Balrog, Vega and Bison), as well as the too strong similarity between Ken and Ryu. They differ only in the capture animation, and that’s all.
Each blow is accompanied by time dilation. During the game you feel all the strength and power of the characters. You learn to easily understand their strengths and weaknesses. The first massacre in history that so accurately conveys the feeling of battle and strains the gray cells so that the player learns to use tactics. And yes, I will never tire of praising SFII.
Street Fighter II: Champion Edition: Published in the spring of 1992. The main improvement in this version, which was released in 1992, was the ability to play as four masters. All of them were slightly nerfed (nerf, that is, reduce the characteristics of the character so that he could not deal too much damage), but they still represent strong and formidable opponents. Now it’s possible to fight in mirror matches (like Ryu vs. Ryu, Ken vs. Ken, etc.).e) due to the appearance of an alternative palette for all available characters. Finally changed Ryu and Ken. Now they are at least somewhat different from each other. Redrawn, slightly corrected and modified the portraits of the heroes, endings and arenas. Nothing significant, but still there are changes. Speed has also been increased (slightly). There’s no point in complaining about this version, it was made for the fans. And they wanted little and mainly to get four previously unavailable characters at their disposal, as well as improve the balance of the game. But the developers continue to pretend that there are no combos in the game, although the players proved the opposite to them. Street Fighter II Turbo: Hyper Fighting: Released at the end of 1992. The main update was an increase in speed. I personally could not immediately get used to the sharp increase in the pace of the game. But adding the word Turbo to the title will make the player expect something else? Playing has become more difficult, but more interesting. Everything must be done faster and more accurately than the opponent. Think ahead, player! One new special move was added to each available character. A player accustomed to previous versions will be surprised to find that Chun Li has learned to shoot fireballs. Devil! Unfortunately, Guile and the four masters were deprived of improvements. For some reason they also changed the main color palette in the character selection menu. A nice update has been released, but controversial in places. And not much is included in the game. I’m keeping quiet about the fact that there are no new characters. The engine is old. Well, you know what I mean. But it became clear to me who they learned to rivet Arc System sequels from.
The speed in Street Fighter II Turbo: Hyper Fighting is indeed much higher than in previous versions. But it’s even more fun this way.
Super Street Fighter II: The New Challengers: Released September 1993. The game has undergone dramatic changes, not only externally, but also internally. To begin with, the game received a new engine. The old CP System I (which has been used since 1988 in such famous games as Ghouls’n Ghosts and Strider) has been replaced by CP System II. It was first used in this game and then it worked brilliantly in many other classic massacres. New superior graphics. All music and sounds have been reworked and brought to a new level of quality. Replaced the old intro with two people fighting against the background of a skyscraper (they are probably the heroes of the first part of SF Joe and Mike). Instead, a highly detailed and fully animated figure of Ryu against the backdrop of black emptiness throws a fireball towards the player. New animations were made for special attacks and even victory poses. The HUD has also been completely redesigned and now you can easily read the names of the characters and find out how much time is left until the end of the battle (I’m not talking about the bloody red letters K.O, which start flashing before knocking out the enemy). New voices for characters and also a new voice announcing battles. Finally, they added a fully functional system with combos and even show how many of them the hero completed at a time. We slowed down the speed a bit, bringing it to the level of the Champion Edition. The arcade machines also had the opportunity to try a tournament mode with eight opponents who fight each other in turns until only one remains. But for this, all arcade machines must be connected to a single network (local, yeah). Redrawn and added new endings to some characters. And the icing on the cake were four completely new playable characters. The downside to such a celebration of novelty is all this cosmetic fuss, which prevented Capcom from developing the next part. Even then, people began to understand that these new versions do not make the game a third part. But they spent money on them, don’t forget about it. And yet it was worth it. I assure you, this is the golden version of an already wonderful fighting game. Nothing was spoiled or unnecessary added.
Beautiful, fast and fun. These words perfectly describe the Super version of SFII.
Super Street Fighter II Turbo: Now https://gamblingsitesnotongamstop.co.uk/review/love-casino/ we have reached the turbo version. It came out in early 1994. For three years we milked a cow, not an easy one, but a golden one. And the milk always turned out better than before. Unusual phenomenon. And this time what? A scale of supers has appeared, which is called Super Combo and is located at the very bottom of the screen. As soon as it accumulates, you can perform a special technique that will take away a huge part of the opponent’s life scale. Combos appeared for the first time in the air. This is the very first case of juggling an opponent appearing in massacres. Just new items, no room left for old tricks. The speed has increased, and significantly. Removed bonus levels. Yes, I forgot to mention that in the original parts there were three types of levels: the famous bonus test of destroying a Honda car, smashing beer barrels and a level with burning barrels (in some versions, these were bricks). Added a secret boss in the form of Akuma. However, you can’t play as him. There is nothing wrong with the game except the lack of bonus levels. And complexity. Oh she’ll give me nightmares. I don’t recommend anyone to play this version for the story campaign or battle with a computer opponent. This is hell on the level of Mortal Kombat 2. IQ knows what to counter all blows, has much stronger reflexes and even a powerful (long-lasting) grip. Run away you fools! Before it’s too late. I miraculously completed the game as Zangief without saving or loading the emulator. But you can and even need to play with friends.
I haven’t had the chance to fight Akuma, but I know he’s a hell of a cheater and has a ton of health. A real monster of the series and it’s hard to imagine someone cooler and more dangerous than him. This was the case until the third part. But more on that next time.
Hyper Street Fighter II released in December 2003. Released in honor of the 15th anniversary of the series and allows you to play as absolutely any version of the character. On consoles you can select music from the versions released on CP I and CP II as the one that will play in the game. The best part of this collector’s edition is the full-length anime that you can safely watch. But playing on an arcade machine is still much better, especially due to the fact that everything there is exactly as it was before. In the port, everything plays a little slower and not as responsive as we would like. Super Street Fighter II Turbo HD Remix was released in 2008 and is a completely graphically and musically redesigned original version of Super Street Fighter II Turbo. Graphics from UDON Entertainment (which previously drew comics based on them) and music from the OverClocked ReMix team. You can choose both classic graphics and new HD. In training mode you can see how the characters’ hitbox works. But the main emphasis was placed on the network component. All sorts of ratings, lobbies, tournaments and championships, everything is here for everyone. Great re-release of an already great game. It’s a pity that again it’s purely external. But why fix something that already works great??
AND in the end we have a huge list of updated versions of the original game, each of which is good in its own way. Personally, I like everyone least. No ugly duckling or bad version. It’s funny, of course, to see how Capcom confused fans with Turbo and Super consoles, but this has already become a pleasant nostalgic little thing. So many years have passed since the release of the original, but SFII is still as young and strong. The holy grail of all massacres is nothing less.
Looks like a comic book, but well animated and without losing the excitement of the original in terms of gameplay. Of course, I prefer the original drawing, but this one is also not bad.
Snes version is a corseted version of the arcade original. It’s funny, but when porting to the Nintendo system, the developers managed to add the mirror battles feature even before the release of the Champion Edition. Taking into account the small size of the console’s memory card, some elements of the game were also removed, such as the intro with two fighters against the backdrop of a skyscraper, the voices of characters during special techniques, and some strikes were also removed. The corset was tightened as best they could, but they still tried to improve the old elements, such as the musical accompaniment. It is, in my opinion, even better than the original in some ways. Thank you for this you should say to Tatsuya Nishimura, who joined the porting of the game. In addition, on snes you can select the levels on which players will fight in VS mode. Just looking at the sales of the game on this console, and SFII sold there for 6.3 million, you can understand that we have before us, although not perfect in everything, but still the best port of all possible.
Amiga, as is usually the case with computer ports, it suffers from a number of shortcomings. But the first among many – only two buttons responsible for attacks. The version also lost several music tracks. Looks good though.
Atari ST one complete nightmare. It’s buggy, takes a long time to load levels and, in addition to this, also doesn’t have more than two buttons responsible for attacks. The graphics in the game look chewed up. Horror, in a word.
Commodore 64 looks and plays worse than the original first part. Should anything be added at all when you’re looking at a port that looks worse than many games from 1980.
ZX Spectrum It doesn’t play that bad, but it just looks painful. Why port a game with such complex and highly detailed graphics to this weak system?? And why are there barrels and pieces of wood at the levels?? So many questions and so few answers.
Game Boy version was released in 1995 and is based on the original version of the game. There are no Honda, Vega and Dhalsim, but there is Balrog, Bison and Sagat. Some characters even have attacks from later versions. Looks and plays better than the two I mentioned before, but still not very fun. Again, only two buttons responsible for strikes. No music again. Graphics – gray veil.
PC Engine very high quality port of the game for computer systems. The graphics are at a high level, there are additional samples of elephant voices and a more or less workable version of two-button gameplay with a switch for hand and foot attacks on the select button. Probably the most efficient and arcade-like version of the game.
For Mega Drive/Genesis versions of Sega and Capcom even released a special six-button controller. Although it was also possible to play on the old one, you need to switch punches and kicks to the start button. Because of this, the pause disappeared from the game. The players endured, because they had to fight not only with dangerous opponents, but also the toilet, household chores and animals that got in the way in front of the TV screens. The game has an intro, which was not in the same snes version. Two game modes: Champion and Hyper. The music, however, in this version is lame on both legs, but for the sake of high-quality gameplay you can endure it.
In terms of the quality of music and graphics, the version of the game is X68000 almost identical to the arcade original. But the game is spoiled by a regional restriction (it was released only in Japan) and during the transition to a new level you need to change one floppy disk to another. From this, the player, over time, begins to get tired.
On SNES There was no Champion Edition, but the third update of the second part was released exclusively. However, in game modes by selecting “Normal” you can switch to the Champion Edition. Plays very similar to the original and looks good too. But the music and sounds failed again…
Snes the version again loses to the original in terms of music quality, but skillfully compensates for this deficiency with content. Online, group battles, time battles and even a tournament, this good port has it all. If you are looking for a good port, then this is in front of you, but this is not the ideal that the player deserves.
Genesis/Mega Drive differs from snes only in small details. All of the above modes are present here, just like there. And, in addition to this, against Nintendo’s 32 megabits, Sega puts its 40 megabits filled with missing pieces of cues, music (which in Snes stopped abruptly during the battle and started playing from the very beginning) and sound effects. True, this does not mean that the quality itself is the same as that of the arcade version. In that era, achieving an ideal port was almost impossible.
X68000 was released exclusively for Japan in 1994 and is a more or less accurate port of the arcade original. Somewhere the colors and backgrounds have been changed (like the aura in the sky in Cammy’s area), but these are only small details that do not spoil the overall picture. Not bad from the point of view of transmitting the gameplay of the original thanks to the support of the CPS joystick.
3DO the version is not particularly different from the original graphically, but the gameplay goes to another steppe far, far from home. The backdrop slowly follows the characters, combos work slightly wrong, etc.d. However, there are no long loading times (the CD era has arrived) and the controls are generally very responsive. Plus there are several remixes of the main themes that were not included in the original version of the game.
MS-DOS The port of the game is very close to the original. Compared to MS-DOS, this is a large and feature-rich version with a large variety of color palettes and options. But there are also significant drawbacks, such as screen resolution. With a resolution of 320×200, the fighters in the arena are initially too close to each other, which can lead to funny and not so funny incidents. But, despite this, it’s quite a solid port.
Super Street Fighter II Turbo version on Game Boy Advance this is a separate topic for discussion. You can even make another review for this port, but since it is still an almost exact gameplay copy of the original, plus it is not officially listed as a spinoff, I will treat it as a port. The game has a unique and different name from the original – Super Street Fighter II Turbo Revival. There are only four buttons that are responsible for strikes, but they can be reconfigured as you please. The main drawback of this version is the animation. Character sprites from the regular Street Fighter II were taken and combined with sprites from the latest version of the game. This sometimes causes characters to grow or shrink slightly in size.
The main thing worth playing this version for is new arenas for most of the characters (there are some old ones, as well as those that came straight from another series, which is called Alpha) and the opportunity to play as the secret boss Akuma. You don’t need any cheats or anything else to open it, it’s already there with its own arena and the ability to use the legendary signature move. For this reason, you need to try the game, but if you compare it with the original versions, then we have a mediocre craft, but with pleasant new little things that will definitely capture the attention of fans.
Graphic component the game looks just great. Detailed animation, high-resolution textures and diverse (all colors and patterns) locations for tournament battles turn SFII into a multi-colored fireworks display in the night sky. There is no trace of the gray sameness of the first part here. Of course, in the first three versions of the game, the portraits of the heroes look a little strange in comparison with other elements of the game. Also, the sudden, huge amount of blood and bruises on the portraits of beaten characters at the end of the battle is a little unsettling. It’s like you’re playing MK and not SFII. The sprites, compared to the first part of Fatal Fury, are large and you can see even the smallest details. All arenas are on different contents with completely different cultures and landscapes. The levels are masterfully made, although some areas in earlier versions still suffer from unoriginality (like the Vega or Dhalsim arena) or repetitive background elements (how often in SFII the number of elephants in the arena in India changed?). But this is, without a doubt, the most beautiful fight of 1991. With the transition to a new engine, the game got even more (much better)?) detailed picture and increased color palette. In addition, the character portraits were replaced with more professionally drawn versions. To this day, SFII still looks great. Has stood the test of time perfectly.
They even drew what an arcade machine should look like. How cute is that.
Dhalsim level sketches.
Kote and the elephant riders.
Ryu and Ken’s Framing Techniques.
Blanca as a caveman.
Super anime version of Chun Li.
Blanca in a mask. Very inconvenient.
Zangief and the Anchor Tattoo.
Vega and his narcissism at its finest
This mask again. Why is it added to characters?? This is a sign?
Guile broke his leg and is crawling to the hospital.
I’m pretty sure this is an early armored version of Vega.
It would be nice to get into the game Crusader. But the theme of SFII is not time travel, so the ideas were rejected.
The policeman with a shield and baton somehow reminds me of Stryker from MK. It would be very interesting to see him in this game. Oh yes, there is also a standard karateka here. I need to tell you why the last one didn’t make it into the game?
Thick and Thin from Power Rangers.
The guy’s legs on the left look like flippers. Maybe he was taken from SFII to DuckTales? And on the right is a homeless man/elder who is in ladle state.
It’s Kenshiro from Fist of the North Star and some African stereotype with a banana tattoo! What a hodgepodge, I tell you.
Boxer and karateka with stubble. Not bad… hmm.
Don’t care about the guy on the left, look at this natural wonder on the right. Zubaz! He was resurrected by famous Canadian YouTubers (and professional players of scuffles) Two Best Friends Play. With their help, from a sketch for SFII I became the hero of Divekick, Shovel Knight and other indie video games. He was able to get out of the artists’ notebook and become a full-fledged character.
Music and sounds: Worthy of praise. The sounds of impacts sound quite natural and charge the player with adrenaline, as if he had been slapped in the face. The feeling of the battle is real. The terrain shakes, objects break and time slows down (the only thing missing is the moment when your life flashes before your eyes for greater plausibility). The voices of the characters and the announcer slightly strain the ears. Capcom was not very successful in achieving the same sound quality of voices that they achieved with effects and music. Sometimes it’s unclear what exactly a character is saying. It’s only worse when Guile begins to pronounce in a monotonous and seemingly not his own voice the names of his signature moves (for some reason they were voiced by the announcer and this spoils the general perception, as if our relatives were stopping us from playing the game or something like that). And now a little about the musical themes of the characters. Everything is fine with them. There are a few boring themes (Dhalsim and Honda), but when you hear music at the level of Guile or Ken, all the shortcomings will immediately disappear from your memory and your feet will start beating the rhythm, imitating the melody. Almost all songs have three or four different versions in one subpart or another. But I prefer to listen to the original from the arcade machines. There is a feeling of purity and power. But to each his own. There are some good arrangements and remixes, like those that were included in the 2008 HD remake. I suggest you choose your favorites and decide how you feel about Street Fighter music.
Music from the Super Street Fighter II Turbo arcade machines
(There was a Flash player, but since 2020 Flash is not supported by browsers)
(There was a Flash player, but since 2020 Flash is not supported by browsers)
(There was a Flash player, but since 2020 Flash is not supported by browsers)
(There was a Flash player, but since 2020 Flash is not supported by browsers)
(There was a Flash player, but since 2020 Flash is not supported by browsers)
(There was a Flash player, but since 2020 Flash is not supported by browsers)
(There was a Flash player, but since 2020 Flash is not supported by browsers)
(There was a Flash player, but since 2020 Flash is not supported by browsers)
(There was a Flash player, but since 2020 Flash is not supported by browsers)
(There was a Flash player, but since 2020 Flash is not supported by browsers)
(There was a Flash player, but since 2020 Flash is not supported by browsers)
(There was a Flash player, but since 2020 Flash is not supported by browsers)
(There was a Flash player, but since 2020 Flash is not supported by browsers)
(There was a Flash player, but since 2020 Flash is not supported by browsers)
(There was a Flash player, but since 2020 Flash is not supported by browsers)
(There was a Flash player, but since 2020 Flash is not supported by browsers)
(There was a Flash player, but since 2020 Flash is not supported by browsers)
(There was a Flash player, but since 2020 Flash is not supported by browsers)
(There was a Flash player, but since 2020 Flash is not supported by browsers)
(There was a Flash player, but since 2020 Flash is not supported by browsers)
Birthday: July 21, 1964
Place of birth: Japan
Height: 175cm
Weight: 68kg
I came to the tournament to test my strength. Ryu just loves to fight just for the sake of fighting. He follows the path of a warrior and is not so much a hero as he is trying to become the strongest in the world. He has the most famous moves in the series. Anyone can complete them even if they are playing SF for the first time. I’ve never been a fan of Ryu, because besides his fanaticism for battles and cool blows, there is nothing else that I could cling to. He’s undoubtedly one of the coolest characters in the series and the easiest to learn mechanics, but he’s not my personal favorite. In addition, here he still has too strong a connection and similarity with Ken and Akuma. It will be better when he gets more unique attacks, but this will be in future parts and crossovers (as well as spinoffs).
Birthday: February 14, 1965
Place of birth: USA
Height: 175 cm
Weight: 72 kg
Story: Ken received an invitation to the second Street Fighter tournament, but since his last American martial arts tournament, he allows himself to spend too much time on his girlfriend Eliza rather than on training. Only Ryu’s challenge revived Ken’s fighting spirit and convinced him to enter the second tournament. Following the events of Street Fighter II, Ken marries Elise, which he vowed to do only after winning the climactic battle with Ryu. However, it is unknown if they fought during the tournament and if Ken actually won, although it is difficult to believe that Ken actually won.
My opinion: I always saw the connection between this American karateka and Terry Bogad from the Fatal Fury series. I was impressed with Ken, although I understood that he was initially only an exact copy of Ryu. And in the story, he always follows his comrade and is inferior to him in strength. Ken is more fun than Ryu, more carefree and shows emotions much more often. After a couple of changes in his fighting style, he became faster and more dangerous than his comrade. I like playing as him, even if I’m not his biggest fan in this particular part of the series. He turned out much better in the third part and Capcom vs SNK 2. But I am grateful to Capcom for the fact that they were able to make him an original and full-fledged character, separating his similarities with Ryu.
Birthday: March 1, 1968
Place of birth: China
Height: 169 cm
Weight: SECRET
Story: Chun-Li’s name consists of the characters Chun (spring) and Li (beauty) which means that she is an ordinary young girl filled with the beauty of spring. She received an invitation to the second championship, and discovered that Bison apparently survived the destruction of the base in Thailand (which happened in the third part of Alpha). At the same time, she had a clear motive for destroying Shadaloo and avenging her father once again. The results of this tournament are unclear.
My opinion: The first girl in the history of fighting games who wasn’t someone who always had to be rescued from the hands of villains (April O’Neil?). Strong pumped up legs and swift blows turn her into a thundercloud over the battlefield, ready to fall on the enemy at any moment. Not the strongest, but incredibly fast and dexterous, she is a very original and interesting character in terms of mechanics, which every respecting fan of fighting games must play. I love performing her difficult to pronounce Hyakuretsukyaku move for her (who invented this?). Although I personally prefer the Alpha version of this character. It’s a shame she got a movie that focused on her storyline. He was very bad. It’s better to remember her from anime and video games than from feature films.
Birthday: June 1, 1956
Place of birth: USSR, Russia
Height: 214 cm
Weight: 115 kg
Story: By the will of Gorbachev, he takes part in the second World Warrior Tournament, organized by Shadaloo. He loses to either Ken or Ryu (commenting in Street Fighter IV that fireballs are a "pain in the neck" and "Dragon Punch sucks too", hinting that he lost to someone who uses them – but regardless, it’s still unclear whether it was Ken or Ryu, as he tells Ryu "glad you’re not out of shape" in the SF4 victory quote, but if he loses to Ken, then Ken tells him: “It seems like you still can’t compare to my Dragon Punch, but?"). In any case, after the tournament, Zangief – unsatisfied with the result – returned to training in the Siberian wilderness, fighting bears. He eventually received an offer from the largest wrestling organization in the world to use "Red Cyclone" as a slogan for their advertising. Zangief initially refused, explaining that he was less interested in money than in raising the honor and honor of Russia, demonstrating the Russian soul. The organization promised to show his skills in the best light in their matches, which are watched by millions of people. Deciding that this will significantly help his desire to show Russian strength, Zangief agrees.
My opinion: I passed SSFIIT for this guy. With his help I defended the honor of Russia! He’s my favorite grappler in fighting games and my favorite Russian character in video games. Incredibly strong, he has significant disadvantages (such as speed and the inability to engage in combat at a distance), but continues to fight and improve his skills. How can you not love a character who has the “Red Cyclone” move and an ending where he dances a Cossack girl with Gorbachev??
Birthday: February 12, 1966
Place of birth: Brazil
Height: 192 cm
Weight: 98 kg
Story: Blanca was originally intended to be more caveman-like, and it was rumored that the design for King Rasta Mon from Saturday Night Slam Masters was one of Blanca’s early character models. In his ending in SF2, he is reunited with his mother, who recognizes him by the chains on his legs. She reveals that Blanca was once named Jimmy before he was in a plane crash as a little boy. This crash forced him to grow up in a wild environment, apart from a small village nearby. Due to the crash, Blanca/Jimmy was separated from his mother.
My opinion: A little green freak who can roll up into a ball and shoot lightning. Not my type to be honest. In addition, his evolutionary leap in the series turned out to be quite strange. Either he is full of drama, or he is a cheerful and stupid character who is no longer looking for his mommy, but is simply fighting for the sake of… fun? However, it is interesting to play as him. An unusual system with energy charging and also its small size turn it into an interesting toy that can kill anyone if it falls into the hands of a master.
Birthday: November 3, 1960
Place of birth: Japan
Height: 185 cm
Weight: 137 kg
Story: Honda began his training as a child to become the best sumo wrestler of all time. He achieved the highly revered title of "Ozeki" (In the English version it was incorrectly translated that he had reached the rank of Yokozuna, the translators believed from his appearance that he was good enough for this title). Honda was upset that the rest of the world didn’t pay attention to sumo and didn’t respect the Japanese enough, he entered the second fighter tournament to prove to the world that sumo wrestlers were on par with the world’s greatest fighters. Besides this, he wanted to prove and test his own strength and obtain the title of Yokozuna.
His participation in the second tournament also relates to his investigation into Shadaloo’s involvement in the drug use of some sumo wrestlers and Shadaloo’s other dealings after he caught a couple of dealers. His face paint and binational name allowed him to pull this off.
My opinion: The most difficult enemy in the original second part of SF. Can go at the enemy and at the same time deliver crushing blows. He has a very well balanced defense and attack. The enemy is rarely ready for his attacks, which is what Honda himself takes advantage of. But I assure you, you can dodge them. In addition, they are quite long and slow, which allows him to respond to his attack with a counterattack in a matter of minutes. I’m not a big fan of this sumo wrestler, like many other fans. This can be understood by how rarely he appeared in new parts and spinoffs. And this is even funny, considering how the hero himself tried to become an icon for everyone and make sumo a popular sport.
Birthday: December 23, 1960
Place of birth: USA
Height: 182 cm
Weight: 86 kg
Story: Bison wanted revenge on Guile and Chun-Li and many other people who interfered with his syndicate. To this end, he created a second tournament to catch them.
Although information about the confrontation between Guile and Bison is fragmentary, he managed to corner the dictator and asked him what he knew about the fate of his friend Charlie. Although Guile threatens to kill Bison, he does not do so.
My opinion: This hairstyle is just the bomb! Jean Claude Van Damme himself played in the film based on it. It has the most famous theme song among fighting games. He is brutal and honest. His fighting style was taken as an example by heroes of other fighting games (for example, Jackie did this in the Virtua Fighter series). He is the first character in the fighting game environment who showed me how complex and interesting other mechanics can be (pressing a button for two seconds and then performing a special Sonic Boom move is, of course, something that I could not immediately get used to). And I just have one question: Who cuts this guy’s hair??
P.S.: Guile’s creators were clearly inspired by Stroheim’s design from JoJo’s Bizarre Adventure.
Birthday: November 22, 1952
Place of birth: India
Height: 176 cm
Weight: 48 kg
Story: Rather a pacifist by nature, Dhalsim fights to earn money for his home village, but realizes that this goes against his pacifist beliefs. Dhalsim’s only notable action in the overall plot of the SFA series is returning Cammie White’s mind.
My opinion: He wears children’s skulls around his neck and has white pupils, although it is obvious that he is not blind. Mr. Mystery with a unique and interesting fighting style has long become one of the most popular stereotypical characters in the fight community. He is second only to Zangief. I love how much this character relies on his ranged attacks. He is weak and seems so to the enemy, but he has remarkable strength capable of knocking down a group of elephants (I am hinting at his terrain, where their roar can be heard all the time). And in the story, this is what Balrog does to one of his elephants. He will be very offended by this boxer. Although during a fight he always looks calm and speaks little, he does such things that there are no words. The yoga master stretches to the length that the monitor screen allows. Breathes fire and can meditate during a dangerous battle, as if battles were nothing to him. I’m sure you didn’t even suspect that he had a wife and son. Yes, it’s full of surprises.
Birthday: September 4, 1968
Place of birth: USA
Height: 198 cm
Weight: 102 kg
Story: Balrog is a boxing champion and multiple winner of many different tournaments. But he was banned from competing after he maimed several and accidentally killed one opponent. Therefore, he joined the ranks of the criminal organization Shadaloo, led by Bison. Fulfilling Bison’s instructions, Balrog killed Dhalsim’s elephant with one blow. After Bison was killed by Akuma, Balrog was left without a job. He couldn’t find a high-paying position and became a security guard at a casino.
My opinion: Of all the characters on the roster, Balrog comes closest to the word “normal” in terms of his appearance and fighting style. He is a very interesting mechanical boxer. Strong and swift, he tries to keep the enemy at a distance and does not allow him to launch a counterattack. I really like boxers in scuffles, although I don’t know how to play for them. The Balrog is one of those that may appeal to a communications beginner due to the ease of mastering many of its attacks.
Birthday: January 27, 1967
Place of birth: Spain
Height: 186 cm
Weight: 72 kg
Story: Vega uses his own fighting style, which is a mixture of ninjutsu and bullfighting techniques. Vega was born into a noble family in Catalonia, Spain. As an adult, he studied the art of Bullfighting as a cultural tradition among the nobility. He then went to Japan and studied ninjutsu, a style he felt suited his natural grace and agility. Returning home, Vega combines Corrida with ninjutsu and soon participated in metal cage fights, where he became one of the best. Tragedy struck when Vega witnessed the murder of his mother at the hands of his father. Her death was punishment for disrespecting his father. Seeing this tragic event, Vega has since begun to live a double life. A nobleman by day and a narcissistic killer by night, who maims people who are ugly in his opinion with the help of a three-bladed glove. His first victim was his stepfather. Vega possesses brutal combat skills and serves the ruthless leader known as M.Bison. Bison came to him personally with an offer to join Shadaloo. Vega accepted Bison’s offer solely to improve his own aesthetic sense. After joining Shadaloo, Vega became one of Bison’s three closest supporters. Vega led the operation to kill Shadaloo’s enemies and was also involved with the project to create killer clones based on Cammy.
Vega wears a mask not so much for protection, but as a means of preventing cuts and bruises that could mar his incomparably beautiful face. He is very narcissistic and only takes off his mask after a fight. This mask isn’t particularly durable, he broke it during Street Fighter II. His body has tattoos that were usually worn by members of the Yakuza (snake tattoo).
My opinion: The fastest character on the roster and the weakest in terms of defense. An incredibly charismatic bastard with interesting and rarely used mechanics. Can jump from the edge of the walls and thus do dive kicks and even jump onto the net, which is located at the back of the arena and with it make an unexpected maneuver towards the opponent. Plus one of the few characters who uses weapons and can lose them during battle (which will reduce the radius of attacks). But mastering the character is incredibly difficult. Not for beginners, I warn you.
Birthday: July 2, 1955
Place of birth: Thailand
Height: 226 cm
Weight: 78 kg
Story: Although Sagat’s goal for the second World Championship was a clear rematch with Ryu, his hopes were dimmed when Ryu was eliminated from the tournament, and consequently he was also eliminated from the tournament before his next match, finishing third in the tournament. Sagat continues to train his body and mind in Thailand, hoping to become a top fighter before he gets too old to do so.
My opinion: My favorite character in the entire series. I really like how his character and attitude towards battle changed from episode to episode. Being, along with Ryu and Ken, the oldest character, who was also the boss in the very first part, he has quite a lot of baggage behind him. Many games, comics and spinoffs have revealed him and shown him from a new side. And it was always damn fun to play as him. Just look at its size! He’s a monster from Thailand. But I still prefer its future versions, and not the one that appeared in the first and second parts. And so, when someone somewhere says uppercut, I, in turn, add: tiger.
Birthday: April 17
Place of birth: Unknown (possibly Thailand)
Height: 182 cm
Weight: 80 kg
Story: Bison appeared in the second Street Fighter tournament to take revenge on the people who destroyed Psycho Drive. His new body was much weaker than the previous one, but he was still very strong. In the end, he was defeated in a short fight. Some fans believe that Ken. He also found himself face to face with Guile, who planned to kill him, but his (Guil’s) family dissuaded him from this idea. He was eventually killed by Akuma, who finished him off with the Shin Goku Satsu.
My opinion: Boss with psychic and almost paranormal abilities. Wants to take over the world (Of course!). Pure evil and a pain in the ass for those who will fight him. He’s a lot of fun to play. Flies at the enemy with a torpedo and lands on his head. Slides coolly along the ground towards the opponent. Strong and acrobatic, he can appeal to anyone who loves playing as ruthless scum in massacres.
Birthday: July 21, 1959
Place of birth: Mexico
Height: 230 cm
Weight: 163 kg
Story: During the events of Street Fighter 2, T Hawk sought revenge against Bison for his father and his tribe. He opens a tournament on his land with the goal of defeating the evil dictator. It is unknown whether this battle took place, but the tribe was freed after the death of Bison at the hands of Akuma.
My opinion: A huge Mexican Indian imitating a falcon and a Russian bear is a good addition to the overall roster. Perhaps overly stereotypical, but playing as him is interesting anyway. On the ground it behaves like a battering ram, but in the air like a bird. Apparently Zangief, as the only grappler, was bored and they brought a friend into the game with similar mechanics. It’s bad, of course, that this makes him lose his originality. On the other hand, this lack of originality is rather visible from the outside and does not concern the mechanics.
Birthday: April 23, 1969
Place of birth: Hong Kong, China
Height: 172 cm
Weight: 60 kg
Story: A young and talented guy from Hong Kong begins to study Kung Fu at the age of 6, subsequently inventing his own style. He fights in the streets until he is noticed by a director who makes him a movie star. Fei Long continues his film career until he stumbles upon the Second World Warrior Tournament (Super Street Fighter II). He stops his work in cinema for a while, having felt the taste of a real battle, but still returns to cinema after a while.
My opinion: Bruce Lee is never enough. In the plot, this character also reminds me of Johnny Cage from MK. Mechanically he resembles Ryu and Ken. Of course, I’m primarily for the interesting gameplay, which the character undoubtedly possesses, but he’s lacking in originality. And yet this is the best copy of Bruce Lee in a fighting game that I have ever seen. If you have always dreamed of being like this great hero of cinema and martial arts, then you are welcome.
Birthday: October 31 (Halloween!), 1965
Place of birth: Jamaica
Height: 184 cm
Weight: 92 kg
Story: In Super Street Fighter II, DJ, already a popular musician, takes part in the second World Warrior tournament to find a new rhythm for his next album. It is unknown what his success was in the tournament, but he found the rhythm he was looking for and his next album becomes a hit.
My opinion: I read the plot of the characters and see that they get into battle for completely strange reasons that have little to do with the battle. DJ is the only character invented by the American division of Capcom, and in particular by the future creator of Weaponlord James Goddard. Initially they were going to make him Head Swap of Fei Long (a copy of the original sprite with similar techniques, read as a double), but in the end he became an original character. Seems to be a copy of the character from the first Fatal Fury, nicknamed Duck King, who also uses dance moves in battle. DJ is always smiling. Playing for him is generally interesting, although I haven’t discovered any particularly interesting moves from him.
Birthday: January 6, 1974
Place of birth: United Kingdom
Height: 164 cm
Weight: 46 kg
Story: When the second World Fighting Tournament was announced and that Bison was the organizer, Cammy felt a strange connection to him and signed up for the tournament to find out. She confronted Bison, who informed her that she was a copy of him, that he had implanted her in Delta Red (but did not count on memory loss), and that he had no further use for her. After Bison’s defeat, Cammy was told at Red Delta that she did not need to live in the past, but needed to start life from scratch. It is believed that Cammy is still working for Delta Red, as she appeared in Final Fight. The team consists of Delta Red leader Colonel Kate Wolfman, weapons expert Matthew McCoy, melee weapons expert Lita Luwanda, and young computer specialist George Ginzu.
My opinion: A beautiful and strong girl with a complex biography and multiple memory loss. Of all the new characters in SSFII, she comes closest to the quality of the original roster of all the others. In some ways she even outdid him. She has a very interesting fighting style aimed at fast, precise frontal attacks and complex acrobatic techniques. It’s not for nothing that she has the nickname “Killer Bee.”. She also copes well with enemy attacks. Cammy is a resilient girl, despite her small size. The Perfect Soldier! Ideal wife!
Place of birth: Unknown (most likely Japan)
Height: 178 cm
Weight: 80 kg
Story: Akuma did not officially participate in the second tournament. Although at some point he rushed into the arena to fight Bison, deciding to test how strong he was. Akuma performed Shun Goku Satsu on Bison. Killing him in the strongest body and saying that no psycho-energy can compare with a true martial artist.
My opinion: Demon and monster. He is obsessed with finding the strongest opponent, but unlike Sagat or Ryu, he kills the strongest. He loves to fight to the death and wants to die at the hands of an unsurpassed master (Ryu is pushing for something). In fact, he has similar fighting techniques to Ryu and Ken, with the exception of completely new dangerous techniques. Is a secret boss that can be reached if the player does not lose more than once and scores a large number of points. Then instead of Bison, wait for Akuma. He’s a ruthless and fucking cheating boss. You can play as him by entering the code (when selecting a character, wait three seconds on Ryu’s portrait, then go to the Thunder Hawk portrait and wait three seconds again, then on Guile and live the same amount of time, then on Cammy after waiting the same amount of time and again on Ryu after waiting three seconds. At the end of this performance, press HP + MP + LP + start and you can play as him. But don’t expect anything too different from Ryu or Ken. On the Gameboy Advance he even has deadly equipment. This version is worth playing for it. Compared to Akuma, Bison is a minor villain. That’s why everyone loves him. No wonder he will appear in Tekken 7.
1 – terrible (something on the level of Superman 64)
2 – bad (big problems, most likely in mechanics and gameplay)
3 – average (balances on the edge. The cons help the pros and vice versa)
4 – OKAY (graphics, music or something else prevents the game from taking off)
K.O.: Incomparable game. Has stood the test of time and paved the way for other massacres. Opened up a new breath for the genre. Reconstructed the mechanics and gave many fighters unique fighting styles. Became a classic for many fans and is considered one of Capcom’s most sold games. Newbies will have fun, and old-timers will find it interesting. This is ideal for all fans of the genre.
My last battle: Time Slaughter
Latest review of Beat em up: Altered Beast
Latest review of Shoot em up: Loaded
Latest Best of the Best: Fighting Game Girls
Let’s talk about the future of the fighting game genre