Street Fighter II: Champion Edition

Street Fighter II: Champion Edition
Developer(s) Capcom
Publisher(s) Capcom
Producer(s) Yoshiki Okamoto
Designer(s) Akira Nishitani
Akira Yasuda
Composer(s) Isao Abe
Series Street Fighter
Platform(s)
Release
Genre(s) Fighting
Mode(s) Up to 2 players simultaneously
Cabinet Upright
Arcade system CP System
CPU 68000 @ 12 MHz,[1]
Z80 @ 3.579 MHz
Sound YM2151 @ 3.579 MHz,
MSM6295 @ 7.576 MHz
Display Raster, horizontal orientation, 384×224 pixels, 60 Hz refresh rate,
4096 out of 65,536 colors[2]

Street Fighter II: Champion Edition[lower-alpha 1] is a competitive fighting game released for the arcades by Capcom in 1992. It was the first of several updated versions of Street Fighter II: The World Warrior, part of the Street Fighter II sub-series of Street Fighter games. The main changes were the addition of the Grand Masters (the final four computer-controlled opponents in the single-player mode) as playable characters and mirror matches (vs. matches using the same character). The fighting techniques of the eight main characters from the original game were also further refined to allow for more-balanced competitive play.

Champion Edition was followed by Street Fighter II Turbo: Hyper Fighting, released several months later.

Gameplay

Sagat vs. M. Bison. The ability to play as the four Grand Masters was made possible in Champion Edition.

Gameplay was similar to other versions of the Street Fighter II sub-series. The following changes were made from the original World Warrior edition of the game.

Characters

In addition to the eight main characters, the four Grand Masters (Balrog, Vega, Sagat, and M. Bison), who were controlled exclusively by the CPU in World Warrior, are now playable characters. The Grand Masters were toned down considerably from the previous iterations, but remain relatively strong compared to the standard eight fighters.

The returning eight main characters had many of their techniques and priorities modified in order to allow for more-balanced competition between different characters. Ryu's and Ken's fighting techniques in particular were changed in order to differentiate their common fighting styles.

Matches and rounds

In World Warrior, players were not allowed to choose the same character. This restriction has been eliminated in Champion Edition, allowing for "mirror matches". Each fighter now has a standard palette and an alternate palette that can be chosen by pressing the Start button. If a palette is already chosen by one player, the other player will be automatically assigned the remaining palette.

Graphics and audio

Minor graphical changes included color improvements, particularly for background stages. The portraits for all the characters and endings of some of the returning characters were redrawn (particularly Ryu's, Ken's, and Zangief's), while each of the four bosses received an ending as well. The ending for the boss characters consist of an image of all four Grand Masters (with the character used by the player on top), with scrolling text overlaid on it specific to the player character with a large army of demonic-looking soldiers marching below and accompanied by the same ending music.

Ryu's face in his ending was redrawn with a more serious expression. Ken's fiancée (Eliza) in his ending was given a more-realistic design. The Soviet President (a caricature of Mikhail Gorbachev despite him having stepped down after the dissolution of the Soviet Union) is drawn with a more-serious expression in Zangief's ending. The clothes Chun-Li threw away were redrawn in her ending. The drinks Guile's wife is holding were redrawn.

Champion Edition features new music for the end credits sequence (shown if the player completes the single-player tournament without losing a match). The special credits sequence, where the player completes the game without losing a single round, was changed to depict the twelve playable fighters performing their special moves on oil drums and crates.

Ports

Year Platform Media Developer Publisher Notes
1993 PC Engine 20 Megabit HuCard Capcom NEC Home Electronics Released exclusively in Japan. Later released worldwide via the Wii Virtual Console.
1993 Genesis 24 Megabit ROM cartridge Capcom Capcom Titled Street Fighter II: Special Champion Edition. Includes an additional game mode based on Hyper Fighting. Later re-released on the Wii Virtual Console.
1993 X68000 4 x 5" floppy disks Capcom Capcom Released exclusively in Japan.
1997 Master System 8 Megabit ROM cartridge Tec Toy Tec Toy Released exclusively in Brazil.
1998 Sega Saturn CD-ROM Capcom Capcom Included in Capcom Generation 5. Released exclusively in Japan.
1998 PlayStation CD-ROM Capcom Capcom Included in Street Fighter Collection 2.
2006 PlayStation 2 DVD-ROM Digital Eclipse Capcom Included in Capcom Classics Collection Vol. 1. Based on the PS version.
2006 Xbox DVD-ROM Digital Eclipse Capcom Included in Capcom Classics Collection Vol. 1. Based on the PS version.
2006 PlayStation Portable UMD Capcom Capcom Included in Capcom Classics Collection: Reloaded. Based on the PS version.
2018 PlayStation 4 BD-ROM Digital Eclipse Capcom Included in Street Fighter 30th Anniversary Collection.
Xbox One
Nintendo Switch ROM cartridge
Windows Online distribution

PC Engine

The PC Engine version (published by NEC Home Electronics and developed by Capcom) was released exclusively in Japan on June 12, 1993. The accuracy of this port is high compared to the Super NES port of The World Warrior, as it featured the barrel-breaking bonus stage that was cut out from that version, along with numerous voice clips by the announcer and the elephants in Dhalsim's stage (these were later integrated in Street Fighter II Turbo for the SNES). This version was released on a 20-Megabit HuCard. NEC Avenue released the Avenue Pad 6 specifically for the PC Engine version of Champion Edition, which added four additional action buttons (labelled III through VI) in addition to the standard I and II buttons. Other six-button controllers were later released for the platform such as the Fighting Commander PC by HORI and the Arcade Pad 6 by NEC Home Electronics. When the game is played on a standard two-button controller, the Run button, along with buttons I and II, are used as switchable attack buttons, while the Select button is used to toggle between punches and kicks. This version was released on Virtual Console on November 16, 2009.

Mega Drive/Genesis

The Mega Drive/Genesis version titled Street Fighter II: Special Champion Edition,[lower-alpha 2] was released on September 28, 1993 in Japan, September 27, 1993 in North America, and October 29, 1993 in Europe. It was first of two Street Fighter II ports for the console and came in a 24 Megabit cartridge.

The Genesis version was originally intended to be a standalone port of Champion Edition, similar to the PC Engine version. However, following the announcement of Street Fighter II Turbo for the SNES, Sega ordered their version to be delayed so that Capcom could add all of the extra content from the SNES Turbo version as well, resulting in the title change.

A six-button control pad for the Genesis, the MK-1653 (or SJ-6000 in Japan), was made primarily for the game, adding three action buttons labelled XYZ in addition to the standard ABC buttons. The game can also be played with the original three-button controller, in which the ABC buttons are used for attacks (light, medium, and heavy), while the Start button is used to toggle between punches and kicks (the pause function cannot be used with a three-button controller as a result).

Special Champion Edition consists of a "Champ" mode with Champion Edition rules and a "Hyper" mode with Hyper Fighting rules,[lower-alpha 3] similar to the "Normal" and "Turbo" modes in the SNES Turbo version. This was the first console version of a Street Fighter II game to feature the original opening sequence which depicted two generic martial artists fighting in front of a cheering public (the Japanese version features a white fighter hitting a black opponent, while the overseas versions replaced the black opponent with another white fighter). The ten-stars speed settings in "Hyper" mode, which were only accessible in the SNES version through a cheat code, is available by default in the Genesis version, and a cheat code that allows players to adjust the speed in "Champion" mode was added in its place. Special Champion Edition was the only home version at the time to allow players to cancel simultaneous button inputs.

This version was a bestseller in Japan,[3] the UK[4] and US.[5] In November 1993, Famitsu magazine's Reader Cross Review gave the Dash Plus version of the game a 10 out of 10.[6]

Special Champion Edition was released as a plug'n play system in 2005 as part of the "Play TV Legends" series by Radica. It also included the Genesis version of Ghouls'n Ghosts.

Special Champion Edition can be seen in Walker, Texas Ranger episode 18 season 1 ("Deadly Vision") at 26:28

X68000

On November 26, 1993, Capcom released an X68000 port of Champion Edition exclusively in Japan, which consisted of four floppy disks. The port is almost identical to the arcade version, with the same exact graphics and almost identical soundtrack. However, the X68000 version forces player to switch floppy disks when loading different stages and characters (it is possible to avoid this by installing the game to the system's hard drive if the computer has more than 6 Megabytes). The game also included a joystick adapter that allowed players to use the Super Famicom and Mega Drive versions of Capcom's CPS Fighter joystick controller. On an X68030 with multiple PCM (pulse-code modulation) drivers installed, the music and voice quality can match that of the arcade version's ADPCM sound system.

Master System

A Master System port of Champion Edition was released in 1997 for the Brazilian market, published by Tec Toy, although the character portraits in the player select screen are based on Super Street Fighter II. It features only eight characters; Dhalsim, E. Honda, Zangief and Vega are not in this version.[7]

Other releases

Street Fighter II Turbo for the SNES, while based on the succeeding game in the series (Street Fighter II Turbo: Hyper Fighting), allows players to choose between Champion Edition rules (Normal mode) and Hyper Fighting rules (Turbo mode).

The arcade version is also included in Street Fighter Collection 2 (Capcom Generation 5) for the PlayStation and Sega Saturn, as well as Capcom Classics Collection Vol. 1 for the PlayStation 2 and Xbox, and Capcom Classics Collection: Reloaded for PlayStation Portable.

Reception

Reception
Aggregate scores
AggregatorScore
Defunct GamesGenesis: 89% (10 reviews)[8]
NinRetroMega Drive: 93% (3 reviews)[9]
Sega RetroMega Drive: 93% (34 reviews)[10]
Review scores
PublicationScore
AllGameArcade: [11]
TurboGrafx: [12]
Genesis: [13]
CVGMega Drive: 94%[14]
EdgePC Engine: 8 / 10[15]
Mega Drive: 8 / 10[16]
EGMGenesis: 33 / 40[17]
FamitsuPC Engine: 34 / 40[18]
Mega Drive: 30 / 40[19]
Mega Drive: 10 / 10[6]
GameFanGenesis: 389 / 400[20]
TurboGrafx: 374 / 400[21]
GameProGenesis: 5 / 5[22]
GamesMasterMega Drive: 95%[23]
Electronic GamesGenesis: 90%[24]
GamersMega Drive: A[9]
MegaMega Drive: 92%[25]
MegaTechMega Drive: 95%[26]
Awards
PublicationAward
1992 Gamest Grand Prize (Winner)Best Game of 1992,
Best Action Game,
Best Album[27]
1992 Gamest Grand Prize (Runner-Up)3rd Best VGM,
5th Best Direction,
6th Best Graphics,
3rd Best Character (Chun-Li)[27]

Critical reception

Street Fighter II Dash was awarded Best Game of 1992 in the Sixth Annual Grand Prize (in Japanese), as published in the February 1993 issue of Gamest (in Japanese), winning once again in the category of Best Action Game. Dash placed No. 3 in Best VGM (video game music), No. 6 in Best Graphics, No. 5 in Best Direction. The Street Fighter II Image Album was the No. 1 Best Album in the same issue, with the Drama CD version of Street Fighter II tied for No. 7 with the soundtrack for Star Blade. The List of Best Characters was not dominated by Street Fighter II characters this time, with the only character at the Top Ten being Chun-Li at No. 3.[27]

The Mega Drive version, Special Champion Edition, received positive reviews. In November 1993, Famitsu magazine's Reader Cross Review gave Special Champion Edition a 10 out of 10.[6] It received 10 out of 10 for both graphics and addiction from Mega, who described it as "a candidate for best game ever and without a doubt the best beat-'em-up of all time" and gave it an overall 92% score.[25] MegaTech scored it 95%, and commented "the greatest coin-op hits the Megadrive in perfect form".[26] Edge gave the PC Engine version of Champion Edition a score of 8 out of 10.[15]

Sales

Street Fighter II: Champion Edition sold 140,000 arcade cabinets in Japan alone, where it cost ¥160,000 ($1300) for each cabinet, amounting to ¥22.4 billion ($182 million) revenue generated from cabinet sales of Champion Edition in Japan,[28][29] which is equivalent to $327 million in 2018.[30]

In North America, it was number-one on RePlay's May 1992 coin-op earnings chart for upright arcade cabinets, above Midway's Mortal Kombat.[31] On RePlay's April 1993 charts, Champion Edition was No. 4 on the upright cabinets chart,[32] and remained No. 4 on the uprights cabinet chart in May 1993.[33]

Street Fighter II: Champion Edition's arcade earnings exceeded $2.3 billion in gross revenue, making it one of the top 10 biggest grossing arcade games of all time.[34]

The Sega Mega Drive/Genesis version, Street Fighter II: Special Champion Edition, sold 1.65 million cartridges.[35] Despite this, the port sold under expectations, with competition of the original Mortal Kombat game being cited as a reason for sales not meeting Capcom's expectations.[36]

Notes

  1. ↑ Released in Japan as Street Fighter II Dash (Japanese: ストリートファイターII ダッシュ Hepburn: Sutorīto Faitā Tsū Dasshu, stylized as Street Fighter II′, with a prime symbol. The prime symbol is still present in the overseas version of the logo, but is left unspoken.)
  2. ↑ Released in Japan as Street Fighter II Dash Plus (ストリートファイターII　ダッシュプラス Sutorīto Faitā Tsū Dasshu Purasu, stylized as Street Fighter II′ Plus).
  3. ↑ In the Japanese version, these two games modes are called "Dash" and "Excite" respectively.

References

  1. ↑
  2. ↑ "CP System arcade system by Capcom Co., Ltd. (1988)". Arcade-history.com. 2014-09-23. Retrieved 2017-01-20.
  3. ↑ Official Japanese Mega Drive sales chart, December 1993, published in Mega (magazine) issue 15
  4. ↑ Official Gallup UK Mega Drive sales chart, January 1994, published in Mega (magazine) issue 16
  5. ↑ Official American sales chart, February 1994, published in Mega (magazine) issue 17
  6. 1 2 3 読者 クロスレビュー: ストリートファイターII ダッシュプラス. Weekly Famicom Tsūshin. No.257. Pg.40. 12–19 November 1993.
  7. ↑ GameSpot Staff (2006). "Street Fighter II′". Retrieved 2006-08-08.
  8. ↑ "Street Fighter II Special: What Did Critics Say in 1993? - Defunct Games".
  9. 1 2 "Street Fighter II': Special Champion Edition (Mega Drive) - N.i.n.Retro (New is not Retro) v3". Ninretro.de. Retrieved 2017-01-20.
  10. ↑ "Street Fighter II': Special Champion Edition". Sega Retro. Retrieved 3 October 2017.
  11. ↑ Rovi Corporation. "Street Fighter II': Champion Edition". Archived from the original on 15 November 2014.
  12. ↑ Rovi Corporation. "Street Fighter II': Champion Edition - Review - allgame". Archived from the original on 11 December 2014.
  13. ↑ Rovi Corporation. "Street Fighter II': Special Champion Edition". Archived from the original on 11 December 2014.
  14. ↑ Computer and Video Games, issue 144 (November 1993), page 42
  15. 1 2 "Street Fighter II: Championship Edition review (PC Engine)". Edge. Future Publishing. October 1993. Retrieved November 20, 2012.
  16. ↑ "Street Fighter II: Special Champion Edition review". Edge Online. Archived from the original on 31 May 2013.
  17. ↑ Electronic Gaming Monthly, issue 52 (November 1993), page 46
  18. ↑ "ストリートファイターII ダッシュ まとめ [PCエンジン] / ファミ通.com". Famitsu.com. 2016-08-17. Retrieved 2017-01-20.
  19. ↑ "ストリートファイターII ダッシュプラス まとめ [メガドライブ] / ファミ通.com". Famitsu.com. 2016-08-17. Retrieved 2017-01-20.
  20. ↑ GameFan, volume 1, issue 11 (November 1993), pages 10 & 44-45
  21. ↑ GameFan, volume 1, issue 9 (August 1993), pages 11 & 82-84
  22. ↑ GamePro, issue 52 (November 1993), pages 50-52
  23. ↑ GamesMaster, issue 11 (November 1993), pages 56-57, published 21 October 1993
  24. ↑ Electronic Games, issue 10 (July 1993), page 65
  25. 1 2 Mega magazine review, 1993
  26. 1 2 MegaTech magazine review, December 2010
  27. 1 2 3 第６回ゲーメスト大賞. GAMEST (in Japanese) (84): 8.
  28. ↑ "The Making Of... Street Fighter II". Edge. Bath: Future Publishing (108). March 2002. Noritaka Funamizu: We made Street Fighter 2 Dash, and sales were so high. I mean the game cost around ¥150,000 or ¥160,000 [£820] and we sold about 140,000 of them. I can't even imagine such numbers now.
  29. ↑ Ste Curran (2004). Game plan: great designs that changed the face of computer gaming. Rotovision. p. 38. ISBN 2-88046-696-2. Retrieved April 11, 2011. When Street Fighter II′ (pronounced street fighter two dash) was released just a short time later, it sold around 140,000 units, at ¥160.000 (c. US $1300 / £820) each. The figures were beyond massive — they were simply unheard of. Capcom's Titanic wasn't sinking. Anything but. The game was a runaway success in its territory of choice, bringing Western gamers as much joy as it had in the East.
  30. ↑ "Five Ways to Compute the Relative Value of a Japanese Yen Amount, 1879 - 2009". Measuring Worth. Archived from the original on April 5, 2011. Retrieved April 25, 2011.
  31. ↑ "Electronic Games 1992-12". Retrieved January 18, 2015.
  32. ↑ "Electronic Games 1993-06". Retrieved January 18, 2015.
  33. ↑ "Electronic Games 1993-07". Retrieved January 18, 2015.
  34. ↑ "Top 10 Biggest Grossing Arcade Games". US Gamer. Retrieved 2013-01-25.
  35. ↑ "Platinum Titles". CAPCOM. 2016-12-19. Retrieved 2017-01-20.
  36. ↑ Ken Horowitz (2011-12-21). "Sega-16 – Interview: Joe Morici (Capcom VP of Sales)". Sega-16.com. Retrieved 2017-01-20.

Further reading

  • Studio Bent Stuff (Sep 2000). All About Capcom Head-to-Head Fighting Games 1987-2000. A.A. Game History Series (Vol. 1) (in Japanese). Dempa Publications, Inc. ISBN 4-88554-676-1.
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