Street Fighter (video game)

Screenshot of Ryu versus Retsu

The player competes in a series of one-on-one matches against a series of computer-controlled opponents or in a single match against another player. Each match consists of three rounds in which the player must knock out an opponent in less than 30 seconds. If a match ends before a fighter is knocked out, the fighter with the greater amount of energy left will be declared the round's winner. The player must win two rounds in order to defeat the opponent and proceed to the next battle. If the third round ends in a tie, then the computer-controlled opponent will win by default or both players will lose. During the single-player mode, the player can continue after losing and fight against the opponent they lost the match to. Likewise, a second player can interrupt a single-player match and challenge the first player to a new match.

In the deluxe version of the arcade game, the player's controls consist of a standard eight-way joystick, and two large, unique mechatronic pads for punches and kicks that returned an analog value depending on how hard the player actuated the control. An alternate version was released that replaces the two punching pads with an array of six attack buttons, three punch buttons and three kick buttons of different speed and strength (Light, Medium and Heavy).

The player uses the joystick to move towards or away from an opponent, as well as to jump, crouch and defend against an opponent's attacks. By using the attack buttons/pads in combination with the joystick, the player can perform a variety of attacks from a standing, jumping or crouching positions. There are three special techniques which can only be performed by inputting a specific series of joystick and button inputs. These techniques are the "Psycho Fire" (波動拳, Hadōken, "Surge Fist"), the "Dragon Punch" (昇龍拳, Shoryūken, "Rising Dragon Fist") and the "Hurricane Kick" (竜巻旋風脚, Tatsumaki Senpū Kyaku, "Tornado Whirlwind Kick"). This was the first game to use such a concept. Unlike the subsequent Street Fighter sequels and other fighting games, the specific commands for these special moves are not given in the arcade game's instruction card, which instead encouraged the player to discover these techniques on their own.[4]

The single-player mode consists of a series of battles against ten opponents from five different nations.[5] At the beginning of the game, the player can choose the country where their first match will take place: the available choices are Japan or the United States, as well as China or England (depending on the game's configuration). The player will proceed to fight against two fighters from the chosen country before proceeding to the next country. In addition to the regular battles, there are two types of bonus games which players can participate in for additional points: a brick-breaking bonus game and a table breaking bonus game. After defeating the initial eight characters, the player will travel to Thailand to fight against the last two opponents.

The player takes control of a young Japanese martial artist named Ryu, who competes in an international martial arts tournament to prove his strength,[6] while the second player takes control of Ryu's former training partner and rival Ken, who challenges Ryu in the game's 2-player matches.[7] Normally the player takes control of Ryu in the single-player mode; however, if the player controlling Ken defeats Ryu in a 2-player match, the winning player will play the remainder of the game as Ken. The differences between the two characters are aesthetic, as both of them have the same basic moves and special techniques.

The first eight computer-controlled opponents are: from Japan, Retsu, an expelled Shorinji Kempo instructor[8] and Geki, a claw-wielding descendant of a ninja;[7] from the United States, Joe, an underground full-contact karate champion[9] and Mike, a former heavyweight boxer who once killed an opponent in the ring;[10] from China, Lee, an expert in Chinese boxing[6] and Gen, an elderly professional killer who has developed his own assassination art;[11] and from England, Birdie, a tall bouncer who uses a combination of wrestling and boxing techniques[12] and Eagle, a well-dressed bodyguard of a wealthy family who uses Kali sticks.[13] After the first eight challengers are defeated, the player is taken to Thailand for the last two adversaries: Adon, a deadly muay Thai master,[14] and his mentor Sagat, the reputed "Emperor of Muay Thai" and the game's final opponent.[15]

Street Fighter was produced and directed by Takashi Nishiyama (who is credited as "Piston Takashi" in the game) and planned by Hiroshi Matsumoto (credited as "Finish Hiroshi"), who both previously worked on the overhead beat 'em up Avengers. The two men would leave Capcom after the production of the game and were employed by SNK, developing most of their fighting game series (including Fatal Fury and Art of Fighting). The duo would later work for Dimps and work on Street Fighter IV with Capcom. Keiji Inafune, best known for his artwork in Capcom's Mega Man franchise, got his start at the company by designing and illustrating the character portraits in Street Fighter. Nishiyama drew several inspirations for developing the original gameplay of Street Fighter from martial art styles he was practicing at the time.[16][17]

The game's designers at Capcom took inspiration from Bruce Lee's 1973 martial arts film Enter the Dragon. Both Enter the Dragon and Street Fighter are similarly centered around an international fighting tournament, with each character having a unique combination of ethnicity, nationality and fighting style.[18] In terms of gameplay, Karate Champ (1984) and Yie Ar Kung Fu (1985) provided a basic template for Capcom's Street Fighter.[19]

The game was commercially successful in arcades. On the Coinslot charts, printed in the August 1988 issue of Sinclair User, Street Fighter was the top dedicated arcade game.[26]

The arcade version was well received. Tony Thompson of Crash, in its October 1987 issue, said it "breathes new life" into martial arts games, with a "huge" cabinet, "big" characters, pads where "the harder you hit the pads the harder your character hits", and "secret techniques".[27] In its January 1988 issue, Julian Rignall and Daniel Gilbert said "it adds a new dimension with pneumatic punch buttons" and the action is "gratifying" with "great feedback from the buttons" but "there's very little to draw you back" after the novelty wears off.[28] Clare Edgeley of Computer and Video Games, in its December 1987 issue, said it had "huge" sprites, "among the most realistic" characters, and "intense" action, but requires mastering the controls, including punches, kicks, stoop kicks, flip kicks and backward flips. She said "the competition is intense" and the deluxe version "is much more fun."[29] Sinclair User awarded the game a maximum and claiming it was "one of the games of the year",[30] while Computer and Video Games said it had "no lasting appeal whatsoever".[31]

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

• Street Fighter at the Killer List of Videogames
• Street Fighter at MobyGames