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Written: 9.20.07
Acquired: 2.26.06
Status: Cart only
Price: $2.25

Pub: CapcomJuly 1992
Dev: Capcom16 MEGS

It's hard to believe the Street Fighter brand has been around now for over 20 years. But it wasn't until the sequel's release
in March 1991 that would forever change the course of video game history. Sweeping coast to coast like a blistering tornado, swooping up everyone ruthlessly in its path, Street Fighter II took the video game world by storm. Gamers cutting classes, thousands of quarters disposed and endless lines -- all just another day at the office for Capcom's epochal once in a generation masterpiece

And here's to 20 more



It was more than just a video game. It was nothing short of a phenomenon. And for many, it became a way of life -- embedded in our culture. Never before did a game offer the endless combinations that Street Fighter II presented. In every pizza parlor, arcade hall, 7-11, anywhere you could imagine -- you were bound to find an arcade cab, as well as a line of eager game players. Capcom had truly created a monster














You know you've really made it when you're on the cover of snacks!





8 warriors spanning the globe,
each with their own special
moves, six buttons of varying
speed and strength, unique
quarter motions requiring some
degree of skill, combo's; it was
lightning in a bottle



Any gamer who lived through '91 probably has a fond story or two to share regarding SFII.
Here's mine:





Sometime in early-mid '91, my dad took me, my brother Kevin and his friends to a 7-11. I'd never yet played SFII you understand, but my bro and his friends had. Well, I was only 7 and a half years old at the time, and Mike, my brother's friend, challenged me to a duel. Ahh, Mike was a classic dude. He was this 10 year old cocky big punk who acted tougher than he really was. Anyhow, I selected Dhalsim as my first character ever. I don't know why but I'm drawn to oddballs and freaks [Nah, way too easy -Ed.] Mike was trash talking as usual. I could not pull off one special move, hell I didn't know how! But that didn't matter, for you see, Mike had NO answer for Dhalsim's long limbs. I ended up perfect-ing him two rounds straight!



My bro and his friends started out on Mike's side. After all, they were a pretty close-knit group of friends. After Round 1, they jumped ship. And after my 2nd consecutive perfect on Mike, my bro and his friends had an absolute FIELD DAY on poor ole Mike! He was spitting excuses out of his ass while I stood there with the fattest grin on my face. I became the man of the hour, and Mike was never going to live this moment down, ever. I knew then and there Street Fighter II was no ordinary game











My bro, his friends and I used to frequent a card shop, TRIPLE PLAY, on a bi-weekly basis. My bro would get 2 bucks to spend, and a dollar for me. I'd spend that dollar on a 12-card pack of Marvel '91 trading card series. My brother would as well, and use the dollar he had left on the Street Fighter II cab. My brother Kevin would occasionally spare me one quarter (what a great older brother, eh?) but most of the times I just stood by, happily checking out my new Marvel cards, as well as the on-screen madness




And as the 8-bit Nintendo was making its final push in the US, word broke out about a SUPER Nintendo. A machine that promised to break all the boundaries of modern technology and bring home never-before-seen gameplay. Later that year the SNES launched and quality software like Super Mario World, Contra III: Alien Wars and The Legend of Zelda: Link to the Past proved most critics wrong -- the Super Nintendo was no fly-by-night hype job

However, as great as those titles were, and as much as they contributed to the ascension of
the Super Nintendo... it was Street Fighter II that, to me, etched the system's fame in granite





I'll never forget
that Summer
night in '92...
counting down
the seconds til
my brother and
mom, who left to
Sears Funtronics,
would come home



So it lost the fancy little intro. So what! We felt like we had the arcade in our living room!






















My bro even went
out and bought this
guide. I still have it,
of course it's a bit
beat up but it still
works like a charm.
Like GamePro or
not, the guide itself
was amazingly well
done!







THE FIGHTERS



RYU

DOB: 7.21.64
5'10" 150 lbs


The main character in the
franchise, Ryu is the most
commonly used combatant.
A master of the Shotokan
martial art, Ryu lives for
the fight and only the fight





       Duke it out on the
       Dojo Rooftop. Only
       the privileged few
       ever see this arena
     



Arguably the most iconic move in fighting game history



And perhaps the most mispronounced move!



The classic double axe kick is simple yet downright deadly



"SHO-RYU-KEN!"  One of the most iconic moves ever








                                             KEN
                                             DOB: 2.14.65
                                             5'10" 169 lbs


                                             Friend and foe of Ryu's, Ken is the more
                                             flamboyant of the two. He knows every
                                             move that Ryu knows. But unlike Ryu,
                                             Ken knows there is more to life than just
                                             the fight. In battle he is often times more
                                             reckless and has a higher propensity to
                                             show off. Will arrogance be his downfall?




Ken loves having an audience, and this cruise liner provides him with just that. Storage barrels line the battle field and break
if hit violently





                     "HA-DO-KEN!"

                     Through years of
                     rigorous workout's,
                     Ken discovered a
                     way to launch a
                     fireball from the
                     palm of his hands.
                     Either that, or he
                     peeked over the
                     shoulder of Ryu



His Hurricane Kick packs a wallop when administered in succession



OUCH! The Dragon Punch packs a punch!  [Clean out your desk NOW -Ed.]



Even a simple throw is made flashy... this screen-rattling toss is satisfying




















                                                                           Pretty much!








E. HONDA

DOB: 11.3.60
6'2" 304 lbs


Edmond entered the
tournament to prove the
validity of sumo wrestling
to the world. A winner of
the "Yokozuna" title, he's
quicker than he looks, and
is a formidable foe indeed




A well-polished ring is kept ready for combat, sumo or street fighting. He forbids spectators to enter and ruin his concentration. Between battles, Honda likes to cool off in his hot tub 



Honda's double knee bash is like being whacked by a tree limb!









Never judge a book by
its cover. Here Ken is
about experience a
nutcracker of a reality
check....








                   ... yowzer! Honda's
                   Sumo Head Butt
                   hits hard and fast









The Hundred Hand
Bitch Slap is capable
of dizzying opponents
in the blink of an eye









                                             CHUN LI

                                             DOB: 3.1.68
                                             5'8" None of your damn business!


                                             The so-called "Strongest Woman in the
                                             World"
entered the tourney in hopes of
                                             avenging her father's death, who she
                                             believes is on the head of a mysterious
                                             crime lord named M. Bison



In a quaint Chinese village there lies a small but bustling market. As is their custom, many pass by riding bicycles, and a man in the background is preparing a chicken to be sold to customers



Defying gravity, Chun Li flips upside down and spins around like a top











Though difficult to nail
skilled opponents with,
hey at least it looks cool







                                                

                                                Using her grace and agility, Chun
                                                Li's head stomp can give opponents
                                                a headache in more ways than one!


                                                On characters without an anti-air
                                                deterrent, the head stomp can
                                                quickly lead to frustration


                                                And we all know, street fighting rule
                                                #7: He who is flustered, is flushed








The Lightning Kick
causes a blue blur
and possibly even
a black eye or two




















                                       BLANKA

                                       DOB: 2.12.66
                                       6'5" 218 lbs


                                       For years, the natives have reported
                                       seeing a half-man, half-beast roaming
                                       in the rain forests. The creature became
                                       something of a "Brazilian Boogeyman."
                                       Only recently has he fled the comforts
                                       of the vast rain forest to show the world
                                       he has no equal in combat




After hiding in seclusion for years in the Brazilian rain forests, the natives are shocked to see the beast in the light of day, and so they snap photos to prove his existence



Blanka can hurl himself at opponents like a pinball... a 218 pound pinball!








The velocity is tremendous,
and upon impact deals 17%
damage. However, should
Blanka be injured during his
Rolling Attack, he'll take
double the damage!






             
              See what happens when your
              best friend is an electric eel?
              Don't ever say Blanka doesn't
              have an electrifying personality!


              [I thought I told you to clean
              out your desk?!?! -Ed.]



This bloody feast does a potential 25% damage. BON APPETIT!



Blanka's double knee inflicts 20% damage...



... While his double head-butt only 13% -- what a rip-off, eh?!







GUILE
DOB: 12.23.60
6'1" 191 lbs



During a special mission in Thailand, Guile
and his best pal Charlie were captured by a
tyrant named M. Bison. The crime lord took
the life of ole Charlie, and ever since Guile
has been out for blood... Bison blood. Using
a unique blend of Special Forces training and
street fighting skills, Guile is one of the most
beloved characters of all time. Jen Seng, if
you're out there, holla!




His air combat buddies relax from recent missions and cheer him on to victory. During heated contests, boxes of supplies can be broken
by flying bodies



"SONIC BOOM!"  One of my favorite moves of all time









Another fan favorite, who
doesn't love the Flash Kick?
Well, I guess Ryu here, for
one! Never before has a move
been more aptly named






Right up there with Shoryuken...



And who could forget Guile's classic double roundhouse sweep?
If at first you don't succeed...









... Then try again! It can
leave you quite vulnerable,
however








                             His german suplex shakes
                             the ground and cracks the
                             back of his victim! Takes a
                             quarter of their life away, too

























ZANGIEF
DOB: 6.1.56
7'0" 256 lbs


The strong man of the tournament,
this Russian wrestler fights bears
for fun, fer cryin' out loud! Suffice
to say, a measly fireball or torpedo
attack strikes fear in him not. Man
of 1,000 holds, he has in his claim
the most devastating move in the
game: The Spinning Pile Driver!




Zangief works long hours six days a week at this heavy-industry factory in Mother Russia. On breaks, he takes on all comers. His comrades cheer him on from the sidelines










Here it is...


The Spinning Pile Driver!






















His Spinning Clothesline allows him to safely evade projectiles



It can also serve as an offensive weapon, as Ken is about to find out









Rumor has it... Zangief
took this move right out
of the play book of one,
Mike Haggar








                                          
                                           DHALSIM
                                           DOB: 11.22.52
                                           5'10" (varies) 107 lbs (varies)



                                           Ahhh, my first choice. This freakshow and
                                           I bonded from the get-go. Though strangely,
                                           we have nothing in common. [Riiiiiight -Ed.]
                                           Hey I guess opposites attract! Dhalsim is
                                           incredibly flexible and over the course of his
                                           long life has sought to unify his mind, body
                                           and soul through the discipline of Yoga




Dhalsim loves to meditate inside this indoor temple and stretch, pardon the pun, to gear up for battle. He's proud of the rich wall tapestry and finely-crafted architecture









                    
                    His greatest asset
                    are his extendable
                    limbs







Somewhere right
now, Mike's rolling
over in his grave...



Momma said use your head!  This double decker is sweet



Or if you prefer, use THEIR head!  The Yoga Nugie is classic



Wanna blow off some steam?  Yoga Fire's ripe for the occasion








By tapping mystical energies
from deep within himself, or at
least, that double taco supreme
deluxe the night before, Dhalsim
can spew forth this lethal flame
cloud to incinerate the opposition







                      The Yoga Flame
                      removes 20% off
                      their vitality, plus
                      you get this cool
                      effect to boot







BOSSES

After defeating the seven that stand in your way, prepare to tangle with four bosses


Clockwise from upper left corner: BALROG, SAGAT, M. BISON, VEGA





























Indeed, Balrog's stage was quite the sight to behold!

























                                                                       Ryu fails at Hide-N-Seek






It's pretty well known by now,
but did you know that in Japan
Balrog was really M. Bison?
In the US they changed his
name because M. Bison was
too similar to Mike Tyson

Bison in US is known as Vega
in Japan. US Vega is Balrog
in Japan. Sagat was always
Sagat. Bloody oath!

























                                                   The Masked Ninja will climb the fence in a pinch

























Chest scar courtesy of Ryu's Dragon Punch in the past tournament



Bison's sweet pre-battle ritual... good stuff

























Can you withstand his dark, twisted Psycho Power?







BONUS ROUNDS











Remember this one
thing about bricks...












     "Bricks don't hit back"



The second is the classic car bonus stage. Check it out:



























It never gets old smashing
this car into a pile of junk!


But you know what's even
better?  Having your friend
join in!  My gaming group
did this back in '92 more
times than I could count!
















STREET FIGHTER II: THE SILLY WARRIOR





You know what
this reminds me
of?






















                                                                            MR. SPARKLE!!



















What's the deal with these creepy
bikers, anyhow?  Innocent passer
bys?  Wicked Witch of the West,
more like













SEND IN THE CLONES

Unless you apply the code, two players cannot select the same fighter


Press Down, R, Up, L, Y, B at the CAPCOM logo







DIZZY RAMA







While special moves are nice, they don't mean nearly as much as when they're linked together. 2-in-1's and combo's are the heartbeat of true master Street Fighters. It took me a while before
I pulled off my very first combo. But when I did, the game's possibilities expanded tenfold and I began to develop a much deeper appreciation for the game

It was roughly 15 years ago -- I remember as though it happened last week. Late '92-ish. My bro went out with his friends one day. Alone, I popped the game in and chose Ken. I've replicated that Ken combo below for you to see, as well as other tasty combo's, tactics and techniques










An ordinary uppercut...
deadly in its own right...









                         ... But absolutely lethal
                         when chained!







An ordinary uppercut
linked into a fireball
becomes extraordinary.
The damage doubles,
from 17 to 34%!







  • RYU








Jumping fierce












Standing fierce











Dragon Punch -- 47% damage







  • KEN











Jumping roundhouse...










                                             ... Standing fierce...









... Quickly cancel the
animation to go into a
fireball motion...







                              ... The opponent will
                              still be reeling from
                              that fierce uppercut
                              attack...








.... As you send
forth your fireball...









                                  ... Ouch! Simple,
                                  yet so satisfying







  • E. HONDA







Jumping fierce











Standing strong













Ducking fierce -- 44% damage








                                         Jumping fierce










                        

                                         Standing roundhouse
                                         (double hit)












                                          42% damage







  • CHUN LI







Jumping fierce











Standing strong












Ducking roundhouse -- 39% damage







                                                                     Jumping jab









                                                                     Standing jab









                                                                     Standing strong







                                                                     Standing fierce

                                                                     42% damage







  • BLANKA








Jumping roundhouse











Standing strong













Ducking roundhouse -- 41% damage









                                              Jumping fierce












                                              Ducking forward











                                              Rolling Attack

                                              44% damage







  • GUILE











Throw a jab Sonic Boom












                                          Follow up...









... Spinning backfist!  Usually
only on computer opponents
though. You could also throw
here to really piss them off!



Here's one of my faves, and all-around perennial fan favorite:



Jumping fierce... crouching strong...








FLASH KICK!


Easy, sweet, effective


45% damage







                                                                   Jumping fierce








                                                                   Ducking strong









                                                                   Standing strong







                                                                   FLASH KICK!

                                                                   60% damage!!






Jumping jab







Standing jab






Sonic Boom








Standing jab






Ducking short -- 47% damage







  • ZANGIEF






Jumping short









Ducking jab








Ducking short









SPINNING PILE DRIVER!

63% (!!!) damage









                                            Jumping fierce











                                            Ducking strong












                                            Ducking roundhouse

                                            41% damage







  • DHALSIM






When up-close, use
his slide to evade the
Sonic Boom....








                                      ... As well as
                                      take out Guile!








Dhalsim is so skinny...







    ... He can go under
    the Hadoken as well!







Use this on
fireball-happy
foes to keep
them honest











         Here's a classic Dhalsim
         roundhouse fireball trap















         Throw a fireball of any
         speed, and when they
         jump, knock 'em outta
         the sky with a round-
         house kick!











You can harrass
opponents by
throwing a jab
fireball















And then quickly
using a ducking
fierce for an easy,
almost unavoidable
hit!




         Jab, ducking jab,
         roundhouse slide

         29% damage







ENDINGS


Finish the game on level 0-2, and you'll be asked to challenge a harder level

Level 3-5 presents your character's ending 
















If ya wanna see the names
behind the game, and who
doesn't, you've got to beat
it on level 6 or 7



Not only do you get the
lowdown on those who
made it happen, you also
get to watch your favorite
world warriors mix it up in
demo mode












        Without swapping
        characters








Without swapping
and using a continue


And should you
not lose one round
(on level 7, mind),
then you can press
start to make Chun
Li say "Ya Tai!"



Let's sample just four of the eight endings...







  • RYU









  • BLANKA


























  • GUILE



































                                                                                       "WHOA!"









"Now I remember why I hate
flashbacks!  You WILL edit
that out, right?"





[You have my word.. -Ed.]







  • KEN














Damn all these
beeeeeee-yuu-tee-ful
gurls


They only wanna do ya dirt


They'll have you suicidal, suicidal, when they say
it's ohhhh-ver!


















                                  "Say WHAT?!"


                                  "Sorry brah. You ain't the first"


                                  "I don't believe you..."







"Better believe it... 'coz I've been with her too!"


"Lies... LIES!!"


"Why don't you ask her, then, bigshot?"







             "Chun Baby, I am the only one, right?"


             "What?  Oh... yeah, of course you are.."



                           See it's very define, girl
                           Yer one of a kind
                           But you mush up my mind.
                           You walk to get declined.
                           Oh Loooooord...
                           My baby is driving me crazy!



"Uh, excuse me, Ken?"


"What? Who are you?"


"Let's just say I've been auditioning to be the new host of CHEATERS, and I've got here in my hands proof of everyone she's been... you know"


"I'm listenin'..... who has she been with?"

















                           You're datin' other guys


                           You're tellin' me lies


                           Oh I can't believe

 
                           What I'm seein' with my eyes



"Would you like to confront her now?"


"Dude. She's standing right here"


"Oh right. Hey, I'm new at this. So tell me, how does knowing all this make you feel?"


"Suicidal!  Look, it's only a couple dozen guys... so what?  Besides, that one girl encounter could work out in my favor..."


"Hold that thought, Ken... there's just one more... let's take a look at the footage..."






"RYU!?!"


"Oh?  You know this man?  Why, I had no idea... let's keep watching.."









"Lord no...."


"I must warn you now, Ken... this gets quite graphic..."









"NOOOO!"


"And then they get REALLY --"


"TURN THIS SHIT OFF NOW!!!"

















"Oh, you're getting married?
Then prepare to be like me.
You'll be choking the chicken
night and day, pal...."
 



Uh yeah. Let's move on..







STREET FIGHTER II MONTHLY?




The pages (and covers!) of EGM were dominated by Capcom's 2D juggernaut. Every month there was page after page of coverage. Overkill? Quite possibly, but as EGM once wrote in an editorial, you go with what sells. And did the Super NES port sell or what! Sales for the first week set new records, and it help sold Super Nintendo's by the truckload. Nearly everyone and all of their brothers were drunk with Street Fighter II fever 

And as company after company set out to capture their own slice of the pie, 9 times out of 10 the clone couldn't even sniff the jock strap of the almighty SFII

It was truly a wild and exciting time



Here's an excerpt from EGM's September '92 Insert Coin, written 15 years ago....


THE STREET FIGHTER II PHENOMENON





OK, by now virtually everybody in the country has the mega-hot Street Fighter II. Judging by the hundreds of letters we have already received, player satisfaction with this prime cart is at an all-time high. The impact of this game goes beyond just the software sales. Based on the letters we have received, literally thousands have bought Super Nintendo's just to play this. SNK has just brought out a huge 87 meg fighting game called World Heroes, and we see no end in sight. How long will SFII stay popular? Most likely through the holidays. Or maybe forever. All in all, a big tip of the hat has to go to Capcom for all of the work they did in creating this phenomenon. This could be the Game of the Year!
 







EGM CREATES AN INTERNATIONAL MONSTER





In their April '92 issue they ran a joke about how to fight Sheng Long in the arcade. Many thought this to be real, including Hong Kong publication JADEMAN COMICS, who printed the code, and later made its way to England's GAME ZONE, who not only printed the code but updated it to work on the SNES port!



The infamous Sheng Long April Fools joke is often revered and to this day, it sticks with us still. EGM would go on to conduct annual April Fools jokes as a reader contest, but they could never quite recapture the "magic" like they did with the Sheng Long gag

Check out this blurb from Super Play:










WHAT THE CRITICS SAID


  • EGM: 9, 9, 10, 10  (won Game of the Year 1992)
  • GameFan: 88, 95, 97, 99, 100
  • Super Play: 94%







CLOSING THOUGHTS

Really, what more can one say about what an impact this game made on the market? Yeah, there are superior ports today, naturally, but back then this was as good as it got. When my bro finally came home from Funtronics, he nearly shoved me out of the way to get to his Super Nintendo. I can remember thinking it would be a very watered down port, having seen and played the arcade quite a bit. No way the SNES could capture the essence of the arcade game, right? Next thing I knew, I was searching for the coin slot! What a summer that turned out to be. We were the kings of our neighborhood, with all our friends coming over almost every day and playing the cart til the cows came home. It was a golden age. There will never be another like it






You talk about the good old days, you're looking at it. Street Fighter II was a way of life for many young boys growing up. It was an outlet. It was a passion. And it was a revolution. Usually, one can say "Oh but you're looking back with rose-colored glasses." In this case, saying anything
less, would be an injustice






I feel very fortunate, that when the Street Fighter craze went down, I was young enough to be overwhelmingly awestruck, and yet at the same time, old enough to really appreciate the magnitude of the event. Capcom hit lightning in a bottle, sparking a cross-cultural phenomenon


For every Hadoken shot 'round the world...


For every "ARE-YOU-KEN"...


And for every Flash Kick...


The Street Fighter legacy lives on



Graphics: 10
Sound: 10
Gameplay: 10
Longevity: 9



Overall: 10

PLATINUM AWARD

Those so-called "halcyon days of yore" -- look no further. Although software like
Super Mario World, Contra III and Legend of Zelda put the Super Nintendo ON the map, to me here's the game that ETCHED it in granite.... Street Fighter II!