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Jaleel Beck Final Boss, Focus Attack LLC |
The first time I played Street Fighter II - the monumental sequel to Capcom's 1987 game "Street Fighter" - was in the Dorney Park and Wildwater Kingdom arcade in Dorneyville, Pennsylvania back in 1991. Next to Capcom's Final Fight, no one had seen graphics so sharp and polished before, nor the powerful sound effects and voices that defined it. Each of Street Fighter II's characters were large, colorful and memorable, with distinct appeal that compelled you to choose a favorite (mine was Chun Li back then).
Capcom's now timeless formula for fighting game-play was first felt in Street Fighter II. A slight pause in animation upon each hit made each fierce punch and kick feel crisp. The subtlety and timing of canceling a frame animation sequence to start the next one resulted in an unavoidable hit. It was the birth of "combos" in fighting games.
One could argue that it Street Fighter II represented the first time players would not only watch others play with absolute fascination, but to actually "quarter up". It was a makeshift honor system that held your place in line to play, and in many cases, demonstrated the best skilled player. The phrase, "I play next" among players became as common "Round 1...Fight!" from the game announcer. No longer was it just fun to play a game; Street Fighter II became a competition.
Never has a video game created, defined, revolutionized an era of 1990's gaming. Street Fighter became one of the biggest selling arcade and home console games in history. Its popularity was near stratospheric, spawning countless clones eager to emulate or improve the game's formula. The characters themselves became icons - very few back then didn't know the names "Ryu", "Ken", "Chun-Li", "Dhalsim", "Guile", "Blanka" or "Zangief". We all celebrated the fighting game era, becoming passionate gamers and for some, professional competitors. Capcom's Street Fighter series changed the life of many.
Fighting games themselves enjoyed a golden age in the 90's. To many, however, it was an age that came and went. But therein lies the appeal of Street Fighter and many of Capcom's fighting games. Its extensive game play and iconic characters possess a sophisticated formula that very few fighting games could match. It is a formula that would spawn a tight-knit community worldwide that was fit to endure the fall and subsequent rise of fighting games we now enjoy today.
FA, or focusattack.com, is an ever-growing arcade parts e-commerce shop and community platform for console-based fighting and home arcade enthusiasts around the world. First established in 2010, our main focus is to provide both joystick building and customization solutions for you. Full joysticks, joystick cases, buttons, electrical wiring, PCBs, and other necessities are combined with unique items made for players by players in the FGC and arcade entertainment market.
If you have any questions not covered in the F.A.Q, or need to reach us, you can contact our order fulfillment staff at orders@focusattack.com, or technical staff at support@focusattack.com. You can also send us a message by clicking the red "Help (?)" icon located at the bottom left of each page as you scroll.
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