Street Fighter: the Titles That Time Forgot

Sure, you've heard of the main four titles in the Street Fighter series featured in the previous Street Fighter article. But what about the 3D EX offshoots or the highly-acclaimed Alpha series? X-Men or Marvel Super Heroes vs Street Fighter? Street Fighter the Movie Game? Chances are, besides the well-known Alpha series, you lack knowledge of such titles even existing.

But that's why I'm here. I'm digging up the grave to put these titles back into the spotlight, no matter how execrable some of them may be.


First off we have Street Fighter the Movie Game.
Barring a striking resemblance to the then mega-popular Mortal Kombat series, Street Fighter the Movie Game is considered by most the lowest point of the entire Street Fighter legacy. Although it's worth a look-see for curiosities sake, the loathsome visuals and game play really drag this title down. However, it's quite a unique entry in the series. But that's for a reason.





Now let's move on to the superior X-Men/Marvel Super Heroes vs Street Fighter entries...

Although highly preferrable to the previous mentioned title, these two releases don't nearly hold up as well today as back then (pretty much due to the fact that that Capcom would raise the bar once again in the future Marvel vs Capcom series). The arcade versions were very enjoyable diversions, but the U.S. home versions (on the original Playstation) failed to capture the charm and fun of playing it in the arcade (due to technical issues).




Let's bring it into the third dimension with the Street Fighter EX series.

This intriguing part of the legacy failed to build much of a loyal fan base. Although the visuals were 3D, the EX series still (somewhat) retained the trademark 2D game play that the series is known for. However, the ability to take advantage of cheap combos and lackluster, blocky 3D graphics really dragged this series down.

Street Fighter EX3, the last entry (released as a Playstation 2 launch game way back in 2000) fixed many of the issues from the first two titles, but it came out not too long after the far superior Street Fighter III: Third Strike on the Dreamcast. Many purists were much too busy with that title to bother with another EX game, so it was ignored by most (despite being a decent game in it's own right).

Now, on to the good stuff with the Street Fighter Alpha series...

Despite being side releases, the Alpha series is considered by many to be the best part of the Street Fighter legacy. Three titles were released in this top-notch series, and these games were released and re-released across numerous platforms (in the form of single releases or collection compilations, such as 2006's Street Fighter Alpha Anthology on the PS2).

Even in today's modern, HD era, the Alpha series has still managed to hold up wonderfully. Truly great game play will always stand the test of time, y'know...

Last, and certainly least, we have Street Fighter 2010.

Although it bares the Street Fighter name, this can hardly be considered a legitimate entry in the series. More of a blatant cash in, Street Fighter 2010 is an immensely boring futuristic side-scroller that time has forgotten. If you're really intrigued by this ancient NES title, try hunting it down at the local flea market bargain bin... but don't say I didn't warn you.



And so that wraps this up. I'm now in the mood to play some Street Fighter...