Street Fighter (Redux Series)

Street Fighter (Redux Series) is just a reverie of mine which is based on how the Street Fighter series would be if it had been conceived, created and developed by me from the beginning.

Street Fighter (ストリートファイター Sutorīto Faitā), commonly abbreviated as SF, is a popular series of fighting games in which the players pit combatants from around the world, each with their own special moves, against one another. Street Fighter II is largely credited with setting the standards for all future games to come, and is regarded as a true classic series, (though still not the first game ever released). Capcom released the first game in the series in August 1985. In 1989, a beat em' up called Final Fight was created by the team who eventually would develop Street Fighter II series. Eventually the Final Fight series merged into the Street Fighter canon when the Street Fighter III series was made, giving many Final Fight characters frequent appearances in the games while some Street Fighter characters appeared in the Final Fight games as well.

The King of Fighters
The King of Fighters, commonly abbreviated as KoF, made its debut at the arcades in 1985 as a 2D fighting game, designed by Takashi Nishiyama and Hiroshi "Finish" Matsumoto. The player took control of a lone martial artist named Ryu, who competes in a worldwide martial arts tournament spanning five different countries (United States, Japan, China, England, and Thailand) and ten opponents, two per country.

The game controls consists of an eight-directional joystick and depending on the cabinet: six attack buttons, three punch buttons and three kick buttons of differing speed and strength; or two mechatronic pads for punches and kicks that determined the strength level of the player's attacks. The player uses the joystick to move towards or away from an opponent, as well 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 were also three special techniques, performed by inputting a specific directional-based command and button combination. These techniques were the Hadoken, the Shoryuken and the Tatsumaki Senpukyaku. Unlike the subsequent Street Fighter sequels and other later fighting games, the specific commands for these special moves were not given in the arcade game's instruction card, which instead encouraged the player to discover these techniques on their own.

KoF has been noted by fans of the series for the considerable difficulty in executing special moves compared to its sequels. This game used pressure sensitive pads to measure the three strengths of attack used in the game. The harder the player hit the pad, the stronger the attack was. The pads quickly became damaged, and Capcom eventually abandoned them.

Street Fighter
In 1987 Capcom developed a 3D version of KoF calling it Street Fighter, name with which the series will be famous, abandoning definitely 2D mechanics. It was the first arcade fighting game to feature fully 3D polygon graphics. The images were created using wireframe and flat-shaded quads. Beyond 3D, it retained the staple of multiple characters, each with their own distinctive moves. Unlike KoF, Street Fighter allows the player to control each of the fighter's four limbs independently. The player can watch the animation on screen and figure out the appropriate command (if the character kicks low with their right leg, the move is likely to be executed by pressing down and right kick, or a similar variation).

Street Fighter was the first one-on-one fighting game to give players a choice from a variety of player characters (both two main characters and all the unplayable ones from the previous version with four inedited ones), an option which created hitherto unknown levels of depth and replay value for an arcade game. Each player character had a fighting style with roughly 30 or more moves, including previously nonexistent grappling moves such as throws, as well as two or three special hidden attacks per character. In the game's single-player mode, the player's chosen character is pitted against eight other main characters before confronting the final two opponents (Adon and Sagat). Like in KoF, a second player could join in and compete against the other player in competitive matches, with the multiple available characters allowing for more varied matches. The objective of each round is to deplete the opponent's vitality before the timer runs out. By default, there will be two rounds of combat. However, the players have a choice from one to five rounds, as well as options for the time limit of each round. If the winning character retains all of his or her health without the time having run out, the announcer will say, "Perfect!" If the winning character is near knock out, the announcer will call, "Great!" Occasionally, both characters will be knocked out simultaneously, and the announcer will call "Double Knock Out". If the time limit for the round expires, the character with more health will be declared the winner. If one does not exist, is declared and additional rounds will be played until sudden death.

Street Fighter II: The World Warrior
Street Fighter got little fame in Japan and in North America but it not left a significative mark in the videogame industry.

Street Fighter II: The World Warrior released in 1989, was the first true sequel to the original Street Fighter. It was one of the earliest arcade games for Capcom's hardware and was designed by the duo of Akira "Nin-Nin" Nishitani and Akira "Akiman" Yasuda, who were previously responsible for Final Fight and Forgotten Worlds. Notably, even when Street Fighter II was released, Capcom had no idea what sort of phenomenon it was about to create. It believed that the game would do somewhat (but an unknown quantity) better than its DPS-based contemporary games, Final Fight and Mercs.

This game was known for its breakthrough graphics. It used Capcom's S-P Model 2B-CRX arcade hardware to run the game at 60 frames per second at a high resolution with no slowdown. It introduced the use of texture-mapped 3D characters and motion capture animation technology.

The original version of Street Fighter II featured a roster of eight playable characters that could be selected by the player. Ryu and Ken, the main characters from the original Street Fighter, appeared along with Guile (a former special forces operative from the United States of America) and five new characters from different nationalities: E. Honda (a sumo wrestler from Japan), Blanka (a beast-like man from Brazil), Chun-Li (a female martial artist from China), Zangief (a pro wrestler from the USSR) and Dhalsim (a Yogi from India).

The single player tournament mode also features four CPU-controlled opponents whom the player faces after defeating the other main characters. The bosses in the game: Balrog (an American boxer already seen in the previous chapter), Vega (a Spanish claw-welding ninja-like matador), Sagat, (one-eyed Muay Thai master and the former champion from the original Street Fighter) and M. Bison (a mysterious military commander).

Street Fighter II: Hyper Fighting
Street Fighter II: Hyper Fighting was the first official update to the series which introduced four new playable characters and also allowed two players to choose the same character with one character drawn in an alternate color pattern. The game also featured slightly improved graphics including differently colored backgrounds and refined gameplay making it more faster.

Street Fighter II Champion Edition
Street Fighter II Champion Edition was the second official update to the series which allowed players to play as the four previously non-playable bosses and added two new characters (Hironori and Kyoko). In addition, after every third match in the single player mode, the player will participate in a "Bonus Game" for additional points. The bonus games included (in order) a car-breaking event, a barrel breaking bonus game where the barrels were dropped off from a conveyor belt above the player and a drum-breaking bonus game where drums were flammable and piled over each other.

Super Street Fighter II
Super Street Fighter II, the fourth version, gave the game a complete graphical overhaul and introduced eight new playable characters. This game gave previous characters new basic moves, such as giving Vega standing kicks, new special moves, such as Vega's diving claw, and improvements to existing special moves, such as Ryu's Flaming Fireball or Ken's Flaming Dragon Punch.

Super Street Fighter II Turbo
Super Street Fighter II Turbo, the fifth and last version, was the first one released on PlayStation. It added new type of special techniques known as super combos and two hidden characters: Akuma and Umakashte.

Super Street Fighter II Turbo also introduced various modes that would become staples to the series. These include Survival mode, Team Battle mode and Time Attack mode. Survival mode takes the player through an endless number of matches to see how many opponent they can defeat without being defeated themselves. In addition, any health lost during a match will carry over to the next match, but the player would regain a little bit more health. Team Battle mode is a two-player mode which up to eight characters can be selected by each player. Like Survival mode, any health lost during a match will carry over to the next match, but the player will regain a small amount. Time Attack mode is similar to Arcade mode, except it is played to see how fast the player can go through it and beat records.

Super Street Fighter II Turbo was met with many positive reviews and was the first PlayStation game to sell over a million units. Guinness World Records awarded this game with multiple records in the Guinness World Records: Gamer's Edition 2008. These include, "First PlayStation Game to Sell Over One Million Units", "First Fighting Game To Feature Simulated 3D", as well as a record for the entire series as "The Best Selling Fighting Series for PlayStation Consoles."

Street Fighter III
Street Fighter III was the first true sequel to the Second Series and the first entirely new Street Fighter arcade game developed by Capcom since the first iteration of Street Fighter II. In this chapter was been included some characters from Final Fight.

Street Fighter III revamps the Super Combo system introduced in Super Street Fighter II Turbo by adding a three-level Super Combo gauge. Like in Super Turbo, the Super Combo gauge fills in as the player performs regular and special moves. When the gauge reaches Level 1 or higher, the player can perform one of their character's Super Combo techniques.

Street Fighter III Evolution
Street Fighter III Evolution was the first official update to the series bringing many improvements, such as significantly more detailed graphics and animations and faster and more fluid gameplay.

Street Fighter III Evolution added emphasis on the third axis, allowing all characters to sidestep in or out of the background by lightly pressing the arcade stick (or tapping the controller button in the following console version) towards the corresponding direction. The improved engine allowed for quick recoveries from knockdowns, more escapes from tackles and stuns, better juggling and extra newly created combo throws.

Street Fighter III: Eternal Legend
Street Fighter III: Eternal Legend was the second official update to the series.

Street Fighter III: Eternal Legend added new features: "Guard Breaks", unique moves which cannot be blocked by an opponent, and "Excel Combos" ("excel" being abbreviation for "extra cancel") allowing player to connect a series of basic and special moves for a limited time. During an Excel Combo, the player begins with a basic move and can follow up with a different basic move or follow-up a basic move with a special move, which can be followed by a different special move. However, the player cannot connect any move with the same move, nor is it possible to cancel special moves into basic moves during an Excel Combo. "Time Attack"

Street Fighter III: Eternal Legend Plus Alpha
Street Fighter III: Eternal Legend Plus Alpha was the third official update to the series and the first one of this series released on PlayStation.

Street Fighter III: Eternal Legend Plus Alpha, further success in "Guard Breaks" added in the previous upgrade, added also "Surprise Blow" system which does not use up energy stored "super bars", and rather than being unblock-able, works as an over head attack that can be blocked, but only when standing. Survival mode, Team Battle mode and Time Attack mode made their return for this console version.

Street Fighter III: Eternal Legend MAX
Street Fighter III: Eternal Legend MAX was the fourth and last official update to the series and the first one of all the saga released on PlayStation 2.

Street Fighter III: Eternal Legend MAX continued the fighting mechanics from Street Fighter III: Eternal Legend Plus Alpha making them a bit faster. Along with Survival mode, Team Battle mode, and Time Attack mode were introduced two new modes. "Iron Ball" mode, a bowling minigame where each character has different attributes. "Shadaloo Force" mode, a beat 'em up mini-game where the player with an over-the-shoulder perspective as they fight wave upon wave of M. Bison's Shadaloo Force through four stages, eventually facing M. Bison himself. The player can pick up health and power-ups while they fight waves of enemies.

Street Fighter IV: Fight for the Future
Street Fighter IV: Fight for the Future was the true sequel to the Third Series. Series game discarded the character roster from previous games, except very few characters.

Street Fighter IV; Fight for the Future introduced the Super Arts selection system and the ability to parry an opponent's attack. significant new gameplay changes had been introduced from the previous games in the series. For the first time, it allowed players to maneuver around an arena interacting with walls and other obstacles for extra damage. These "environmental hazards" in turn allowed players to juggle opponents for consecutive combos and allowed the designers to implement a "switch maneuver", which let players escape from cornering and throw the tide in their favor. The game engine had been tweaked to be more focused on the environment, causing the characters to move more slowly and fluidly than in Street Fighter III: Eternal Legend MAX. Finally, the game introduced a brand new graphics system, that featured increased lighting, dynamic physics, and smoother surfaces.

Street Fighter IV: Giant Attack
Street Fighter IV: Giant Attack was the first official update to the series bringing some adjustments to the gameplay and added some new characters. It was the first one of the Fourth Series released on PlayStation 2.

Street Fighter IV: Giant Attack introduced a comprehensive training mode. The mode consisted of an encyclopedia of fighting game terms, complete character command list walkthroughs, tips on all of the game's mechanics, recommended character combos, alternative options for failed combos, detailed command input timings, slow motion for frame counting and timing, and other useful training tips.

In this update was introduced also "Impeccability Challenge", a beat 'em up mini-game, very similar to "Shadaloo Force" mode from Street Fighter III: Eternal Legend MAX, where the player with an over-the-shoulder perspective as they fight wave upon wave of Illuminati's Army through six stages, eventually facing Urien.

Street Fighter IV: Final Strike
Street Fighter IV: Final Strike was the second and last official update to the series. It was released on PlayStation 2 too.

Street Fighter IV: Final Strike brought just some improvements in the graphics system and a sslight speeding on the characters' movement.

The Fourth Series received in general a mediocre review, highlighting the game's experimental and pretty nature, and that overall it is a more solid and thoughtful proposition than its predecessor, but also that the game feels "over-familiar and curiously uninspired".

Street Fighter V
Street Fighter V was the true sequel to the Fourth Series. The arcade game was released for Japan and North America. Home versions were released for the PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360 for Japan, North America, Europe and Australia.

Street Fighter V features bigger stages and use a graphic engine running at 60 frames per second as well as a dynamic physics engine which allows water to behave accordingly to how characters move. The graphics engine has been designed with focus on character-animation to make movements look more smooth and realistic which led to many animations being remade to either reflect the impact and damage caused or to create new possibilities in gameplay. The developers considered animation specifically important for a fighting game and wanted to make the game "look good in motion" whereas previous installments had been designed to "look good on still-shots".

Super Street Fighter V
Super Street Fighter V was the first official update to the series for the Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3.

Super Street Fighter V improved character tweaks based on community feedback, and an improved online mode.

Bonus Stages made their return where the player races against the clock to destroy a car, or attempts to destroy falling barrels. The player can choose to skip these by turning them off in options; they can also challenge them outside of Arcade Mode.

Ultra Street Fighter V
Ultra Street Fighter V was the second official update to the series for the Xbox 360, PlayStation 3 and PC.

Ultra Street Fighter V introduced new mechanics, Ultra Combo Double (allowing players to choose both of their character's Ultra Combos at the cost of doing less damage, this gives players more options in their tactics and play styles) and Red Focus Attack (Focus Attack that absorbs multiple hits, it is still subject to the same weaknesses as the former with Armor Breaking moves and throws).

Ultra Street Fighter V Ultimate
Ultra Street Fighter V Ultimate third and last official update to the series for the Xbox One, PlayStation 4 and PC.

Ultra Street Fighter V Ultimate introduced new "rage" system who gives characters more damage per hit when their vitality is below a certain point. Once activated, a reddish energy aura appears around the character, and their health bar starts to flicker in red.

Street Fighter VI
Street Fighter VI was the true sequel to the Fifth Series for the Xbox One, PlayStation 4 and PC.

Street Fighter VI didn't change its mechanics compared to Ultra Street Fighter V Ultimate. Its peculiarity is the return of all characters from the previous series with the addition of some new characters.

Gameplay
This game leaves 2D mechanics introdiucing a more realistic moveset for each character like other 3D-based fighting games, but characters can shoot the traditional fireballs (for example the legendary Hadoken) or perform specific moves less realistic on which the game has always based on (like Shoryuken, Psycho Crusher).

The traditional six-button control scheme has been retained, with Focus Attack and Ultra Combo and has been introduced the Apocalypse Combo, very similar to Street Fighter EX3 Meteor Combo, executable when the player has only 5% of health.

Being the game 3D-based, fighters can move sideways, to do it must hold down back, then back and up or down (depending on the direction), finally hold down up or down.

Some characters wield a weapon but unlike Street Fighter and Final Fight series, they don't lose it during the fight.

Character Roster
Street Fighter (Redux Series)/Playable Characters

WORK IN PROGRESS