Wed, 04 Nov 2009 by Corbie Dillard
Proof that some memories are best left in the past
Before Street Fighter 2 became all the rage in arcades and one of the most popular fighting games in the world, it began life as an overlooked arcade title called Street Fighter, which saw the light of day way back in 1987. While the title was far from the monster hit its successor would become, it nevertheless ended up being ported to several of the popular personal computers of the time period and also saw a release on the TurboGrafx-16/PC Engine CD-ROM system.
One of the earlier CD-based video game titles, the game was praised for its amazing musical soundtrack but the sluggish play control and the lower-than-expected commercial success of the expensive Turbo CD attachment made sales of the game dismal at best. So how does this two decade old fighting game hold up and is it worth a look given its distinction of being the launching point for one of the greatest fighting game series in history?
In Fighting Street (they changed the title subtly, as you can see), you can choose to use the Wii Remote held sideways, the Classic Controller, or even a Gamecube controller. The control is very similar to that of the many other fighting title available on the Virtual Console, aside from the fact that your characters only have a handful of punch and kick moves with which to choose from.
Using the D-pad and the action buttons you can basically execute a low, medium, and high punch or kick attack. The main problem with this is that not only is there a very noticeable delay between your pressing the punch or kick button and your character actually performing the attack, but your character also has a very limited reach making you have to get in very close in order to land a blow. This is further complicated by your enemy having a much longer reach. Needless to say, this can make for some fairly frustrating battles, especially once the difficulty begins ramping up.
You can choose to play the game in the one-player mode, where you take control of either Ken or Ryu and battle against the ten CPU opponents, or you can take on another player in the two-player mode where one player uses Ken and the other player Ryu. Both fighters feature the exact same move set, with the only difference being the actual look of the characters. The single-player game features ten fighters, each with their own unique fighting style and location. In between locations you'll even visit a Bonus Stage where you can earn free credits if you can correctly time a karate chop to break a stack of boards sitting in front of you.
You'll make your way through the various locations of the game until you ultimately meet up with the game's final boss, Sagat. Ultimately the single-player mode ends up being the most rewarding aspect of the game given its variety and large number of fighters to tackle, while the two-player mode just feels far too repetitive and basic for any seasoned fighting game fans.
The mere fact that we've seen the fighting game engines become so intricate and responsive over the years is one of the main reasons the gameplay in Fighting Street tends to feel so below average in today's gaming world. Not only are the main characters afforded only a handful of basic punch and kick attacks, but their opponents are given a wider range of attacks that are much more powerful and effective. While the game does a nice job of giving each character their own unique fighting style, it tends to make them so difficult to beat that you'll likely not even stick with the game long enough to see all ten of the CPU fighters.
Another glaring problem is the depressing manner in which the game chugs along; while Street Fighter 2 features silky control and movement, Fighting Street feels clunky and jerky. Mid-air attacks are infuriatingly difficult to connect with thanks to the strange leaping pattern each character adheres to. The fluid, flowing and combo-rich gameplay showcased by Street Fighter 2 certainly doesn't have its roots in this prequel, let's put it that way.
Couple all of these gameplay annoyances together and you have what turns out to be a very frustrating and tedious fighting game experience that will ultimately make you wonder how the same people that created this extremely sluggish fighting title could have possible created it's amazing sequel Street Fighter 2.
The visuals in Fighting Street are actually fairly solid, especially by TurboGrafx-16 standards. The backgrounds feature plenty of vibrant colors and detail and even the fighters themselves are well-constructed and animate fairly smoothly considering the time this game was created. Now it's certainly not anything on par with what we'd later see in Street Fighter 2, but it's better than some of the bland graphical fare we see in other fighting titles of this game's time period. Toss in some good variety between the various areas and you have a very solid visual presentation and a near arcade-perfect port of the game.
Any time you have a CD-based game title, you expect a high-quality audio performance. And while Fighting Street delivers a very solid musical soundtrack, the horribly muffled and almost indistinguishable voiced dialog in the game ends up making the overall audio performance laughable at best. It doesn't help that it's basically the same voice re-used over and over with each of the characters in the game making you wonder exactly what the point was of going to the trouble of creating a CD-quality musical soundtrack only to muck it up with such terrible sound chip-produced garble. The sad fact is, the very first version of the TG-16/PC Engine CD-ROM hardware shipped with hardly any RAM, and while this was rectified later thanks to the launch of System Cards, it resulted in the first batch of CD titles being noticeably inferior to their HuCard/TurboChip siblings. Because Fighting Street is one such early game, it's little wonder that corners had to be cut in places.
1. Vaynard
04 Nov 2009, 12:25 GMT
Good review and I agree with the score. This game is so dated and has been surpassed by just about every other fighting game out there. I really don't see why anyone would ever pick this up except out of Nostalgia.
2. CH405K1N6
04 Nov 2009, 12:54 GMT
Good review as always, Corbie
This crap excuse of a fighting game has only surpassed the likes of even more pathetic crap like China Warrior.
3. Bass X0
04 Nov 2009, 13:08 GMT
And some people say crap games can only result in crap sequels. They were wrong.
4. Link79
04 Nov 2009, 13:12 GMT
I sorta wonder how street fighter 2 ever came about if the original game was so horrible. They don't often make sequels to bad games do they? Maybe this was more of a flawed prototype to what eventually became a hit series. This is probably the first time I've ever seen the original game.
5. Hoffkage
04 Nov 2009, 13:45 GMT
I think I cant remember a fighting game that plays sooooooo bad.
6. motang
04 Nov 2009, 14:31 GMT
Yeah it has been surpassed but since it's so old, I will be getting it because of the nostalgic factor.
7. Viper6391
04 Nov 2009, 15:00 GMT
It's amazing that this game got sequels. If Capcom had not picked up this game and decided to give it another chance then we wouldn't have had the popular Street Fighter 2 and Street Fighter 4.
8. WolfRamHeart
04 Nov 2009, 18:21 GMT
Good review Corbie and thank you for saving me 800 points! I was actually considering getting this but not anymore. I only got to play this game a couple of times in an arcade a long time ago and I swore that it was much better than this. It clearly hasn't aged well at all. I sure am glad that the sequels turned to be awesome though.
9. Earendel68
04 Nov 2009, 19:06 GMT
History is indeed an important matter. Since this point of view, this game is important. That doesn't mean it has to be a "funny" game or even a "good" game...
But we all thank for the secuel, right???
10. Good
04 Nov 2009, 19:35 GMT
Geez, everytime a game is outdated you guys give it a low score!
11. StarBoy91
04 Nov 2009, 19:38 GMT
It was decent for a moment, but then I tried the much superior Street Fighter 2, and I never looked at SF1 the same way again. Still, I do find it rather amusing that Ryu is wearing shoes! :3
12. Dazza
04 Nov 2009, 20:04 GMT
Great review Corbinator! I used to love this in the arcades. I fondly remember the two punch bags which determined the power of your punches and kicks.
I agree however, this game does not stand the test of time. It's just painful to play now. Still it's a great slice of gaming history, the first time we met Ryu, Ken and Sagat!
The muffled speech is legendary too!
13. Tony
04 Nov 2009, 20:27 GMT
Don't forget some of the SF 1/Fighting Street characters returned for the excellent Street Fighter Alpha series.
14. romulo
04 Nov 2009, 20:41 GMT
@Good: This is not simply an outdated game. It's a bad game! I have painful memories of Fighting Street, when I tried it by the early 90s. Never played the original arcade version though.
15. cheetahman91
04 Nov 2009, 20:49 GMT
This game is just too hard. There really is no skill involved.
A word of advice people: Please don't even consider getting this one.
16. Mayhem
04 Nov 2009, 21:27 GMT
Ryu wearing shoes? How about having red hair?!
17. CH405K1N6
04 Nov 2009, 21:27 GMT
@Viper: True dat. It's a miracle that it got another chance.
18. CH405K1N6
04 Nov 2009, 21:28 GMT
I didn't actually recognize Ryu for a second there.
19. LinktotheFuture
04 Nov 2009, 22:57 GMT
I have this on the Capcom Classics Collection 2 for PS2, I was able to make it to Sagat, but I have not been able to beat him. Ok game, but Super Street Fighter II is the only fighting game I need.
20. StarBoy91
04 Nov 2009, 23:18 GMT
I could never beat the adversary that precedes Sagat in this game, what's his name.
21. Mickeymac
04 Nov 2009, 23:20 GMT
I'll probably still get it sometime down the road.
22. Jolted85
05 Nov 2009, 01:07 GMT
ill get it anyway, i wanted to play this game for awhile
23. StarBoy91
05 Nov 2009, 03:00 GMT
I like that Ken is also here. Unfortunately, only the second player can control him.
Also, playing this game on the PSP is probably less painful than in the arcade (I've only played SF1 on Capcom Classics Collection Remixed for the PSP).
24. vio
05 Nov 2009, 04:09 GMT
Good review, but you failed to mention how it's nearly impossible to pull off special movies.
And to be fair, Ken and Ryu are nearly identical in most of the sequels as well.
25. Badknux
05 Nov 2009, 07:03 GMT
To be perfectly honest, I don't like Street Fighter II, and I hate how they ruined Street Fighter IV's roster with almost nothing but SFII fighters. It stunk because the graphics were pretty unique looking (big shock for any modern day game, seriously). This game's not great, obviously, but it was a genuine attempt to create something new.
Besides, SFIII plays much better than SFIV, II, Alpha, EX, and of course, this game.
26. JimLad
05 Nov 2009, 09:38 GMT
Next up: Road Brawler and Avenues of Aggression
27. wii man10
05 Nov 2009, 14:05 GMT
For all of you people who are saying how bad this game is, then you should see virtua fighter 2 for the genesis. It's total crap.
28. StarBoy91
05 Nov 2009, 21:16 GMT
I played it, Virtua Fighter 2 on the MegaDrive, and I found it significantly more playable and enjoyable than Street Fighter I.
29. Mickeymac
05 Nov 2009, 22:30 GMT
Bah, Street Fighter III is just SF2 with a new coat of paint, lamer characters, and a new broken mechanic. I think I'd rather play SF1 than that.
30. StarBoy91
06 Nov 2009, 02:59 GMT
How's Street Fighter 3D, 'cause I know there is one for the PSX? Is it just as good or is it just meh?
31. Adamant
06 Nov 2009, 03:40 GMT
Street Fighter EX? Not as good, but worth a try.
32. Badknux
06 Nov 2009, 04:14 GMT
I don't agree Mickeymac. Street Fighter III is superior to Street Fighter II in every aspect. Some characters aren't great, but neither are some of the characters in its predecessor. Street Fighter EX finishes as second for me, which I found to be much more enjoyable than II also.
But to be perfectly honest, I like The King of Fighters a lot more than Street Fighter, Especially KOF XI. KOF XI actually plays better than SFIII, and the selectable characters are so varied, everyone can find somebody they like. My favorite is either King, or Mr. Big, I can't decide.
33. outrun2sp
06 Nov 2009, 10:59 GMT
Corbie what the hell is your review about. Why are you trying to deny sales. You dont have to tell people not to buy it let them find out for themselves. Your opinion is yours.
I played this game back in 87 when everyone liked it in a brilliant arcade hall that had double dragon 2 and ghouls n ghosts at the same time. People would crowd around the machine. I am a hardcore gamer true.
Only the second time this has been released in the uk.
As far as conversions go, this is an excellent conversion compared to the arcade. Only differences are in the colour palette. At the time you would never get conversions as good as this. Also if people are having trouble pulling off the moves it goes like this. Fireball = (press punch) QCF (release punch). If you master this type of input you will pull off all of the moves no problem. This is different to the sequels in that you push the button first and hold until motion finished. I can pull off moves perfectly with a classic controller.
Now roll on double dragon 2, saphire and rondo of blood on turbo cd.
34. Badknux
06 Nov 2009, 21:15 GMT
This version has a much better soundtrack than the arcade, except for Eagle's song. I liked the old one better, sounded more menacing I guess.
35. StarBoy91
07 Nov 2009, 22:25 GMT
So, that makes it a total of five Street Fighter games on the VC right now? Awesome!
36. outrun2sp
08 Nov 2009, 09:27 GMT
Here are some examples of fans of the game. Read the comments.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Imo09oQ7N6k
37. DarkEdi
08 Nov 2009, 13:56 GMT
Why the title changed from Street Fighter to Fighting Street?
38. outrun2sp
09 Nov 2009, 10:29 GMT
license issues.
39. ICEknight
09 Nov 2009, 17:47 GMT
Are you kidding? What license issues could Capcom possibly have with the name "Street Fighter"?
40. outrun2sp
10 Nov 2009, 17:09 GMT
Movies came out with the name in japan where the game was created.
Watch true romance.
41. davegorack
17 Nov 2009, 11:28 GMT
I think ill stick with SSF2
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