Street Fighter II

As the sequel to "Street Fighter," "Street Fighter II" improved upon many of the concepts introduced in the first game, including the use of command-based special moves and a six-button configuration, and also offered players a selection of different playable characters, each with their own unique fighting style and special moves. “Street Fighter II” is considered the catalyst for the fighting game boom of the 1990s. Its success led to the production of several updated versions, each offering additional features and characters compared to its predecessors, as well as many home console versions. Some home versions of the “Street Fighter II” games have sold millions of copies, with the SNES port of the first “Street Fighter II” remaining Capcom’s best-selling home video game of all time until 2008. Street Fighter II follows several conventions and rules that were already established by its 1987 predecessor. The player faces off against opponents in a series of one-on-one close-quarters “best-of-two-out-of-three” matches. The goal of each round is to deplete the opponent’s health before time runs out. If both opponents knock each other out at the same time, or if time runs out while both fighters still have the same health, a “double K.O.” or a “draw” is declared. Additional rounds are played until “sudden death.” In the original *Street Fighter II*, a match could last up to 10 rounds if there was no clear winner; this was reduced to 4 rounds starting with the “Champion Edition.” If there is no clear winner at the end of the final round, in a single-player match the computer-controlled opponent wins automatically, or in a 2-player match, both fighters lose. After every third match in single-player mode, you participate in a “bonus game” to earn extra points. The bonus games include (in this order) a car-destruction event; a barrel-destruction bonus game in which barrels fall from a conveyor belt above the player; and a barrel-destruction bonus game in which the barrels are flammable and stacked on top of each other. The bonus games were removed from the arcade version of “Super Street Fighter II Turbo.” As in the original, the game is controlled using an eight-direction joystick and six attack buttons. Use the joystick to jump, crouch, move your character toward or away from the opponent, and block the opponent’s attacks. There are three punch buttons and three kick buttons, each with different strength and speed (light, medium, and heavy). The player can perform a variety of basic moves in any position, including grab and throw attacks, which were not present in the original “Street Fighter.” As in the original, the player can perform special attacks by entering a combination of directional and button commands. Street Fighter II differs from the original in that it offers multiple playable characters, each with their own fighting style and special attacks. In addition, the player can “cancel” an animation by performing a different move, which allows for combinations of basic and special attacks. Both features were further expanded in subsequent installments.