Retro Thursday: The Evolution Of Street Fighter

Dec 17, 2015

Street Fighter is the worlds most recognizable fighting game franchise. The original Street Fighter was released in 1987 but it wasn't until Street Fighter II dropped that the franchise went mainstream and dominated the arcade scene of the 90's.

Over the past 30 years, the Street Fighter franchise has evolved and improved upon itself. There have been many off-shoot Street Fighter games like the Street Fighter Alpha series, EX series as well as re-iterations on the numbered sequels. For Kidzworld's look at Street Fighter's evolution though, we are just looking at the first entry in each numerical release. Now, scroll through and see how much has changed!

Street Fighter

Released in 1987, Street Fighter was the first competitive fighting game produced by Capcom. It's also barely talked about in the shadow of it's big brother. But the original Street Fighter is worth a play.

The very first Ken vs Ryu battle.Courtesy of Capcom

Street Fighter Gameplay

Street Fighter II

Street Fighter II: The World Warrior became an instant hit when it was released in the arcade in 1991 thanks to big beautiful sprites and the best gameplay seen yet in a fighting game.

The jump in quality from Street Fighter I to Street Fighter II is incredible.Courtesy of Capcom

Street Fighter II Gameplay

Street Fighter III

How do you improve on Street Fighter II? Well Capcom thought they could do it by starting from almost scratch. Street Fighter III, released in 1997, was built on new hardware and dropped all of the classic characters except for Ken and Ryu. It also introduced a parry system allowing for reversals.

Street Fighter III was a great entry but not among many people's favorites.Courtesy of Capcom

Street Fighter III Gameplay

Street Fighter IV

Street Fighter IV, released in 2008, takes the main series into the world of 3D fighters for the first time and goes back to its roots in the gameplay department. Building off what what made Street Fighter II so great. Including bringing the original cast of characters back.

Street Fighter IV brough the franchise back to its roots.Courtesy of Capcom

Street Fighter IV Gameplay

Street Fighter V

Releasing in the Spring of 2016, exclusively for PlayStation 4 and PC, Street Fighter V is looking to be one of the best entries in the storied franchise yet. Featuring a cast of old characters and new, it's a jaw dropping display of how far the franchise has come.