Anticipating the return of Street Fighter
When people think back to the nostalgic games they grew up with, Street Fighter II is there more often than not amongst the usual suspects. At the forefront of the UK golden era of arcade gaming, Street Fighter II machines were guzzling pocket money and forging childhood memories all across the country–well before they invaded living room televisions with the likes of Super Nintendo and Sega Mega Drive (Genesis) cartridges.

With the Street Fighter franchise being one year older than myself, I couldn’t claim to be there from the start.  However, when I was six, a friend called my brother and me over to play his brand-new game, Street Fighter II Turbo. Being the youngest I was the worst at it, nevertheless I couldn’t put it down.

Three months later the four of us had set up a little tournament, fighting head to head with each other.  Finally, by that point, I had somehow ended in first place. I remembered thinking, “I am the best at Street Fighter! The best!” Needless to say, I was hooked.

With many of the early Street Fighter II players well into their late-twenties or early thirties the hype surrounding Street Fighter IV’s release is fueled primarily by the nostalgia factor. While the game may have a different aesthetic, the gameplay and character roster reveal a return to the fundamentals of Street Fighter II (the franchise’s hallmark).

With die hard fans waiting years for the highly anticipated sequel, February’s release will have the kidults amongst us performing rusty Hadoukens and Sonic Booms all month long.

Release Dates:
US February 17, 2009
Europe February 20, 2009
Japan February 12, 2009
Australia February 20, 2009

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Image courtesy of: udonentertainment.com

via Mubarak Elmubarak, 12 February 2009 5:00am | 1 |