Charts Genres Community
Charts Genres Community Settings
Login

Street Fighter

Developer / Publisher: Capcom
30 August 1987
Street Fighter - cover art
Glitchwave rating
1.57 / 5.0
0.5
5.0
 
 
205 Ratings / 3 Reviews
#102 for 1987
Rate / catalog Rate / catalog another release
In collection Want to buy Used to own  
Write review
Title
It's Good. Great, even.
I beat this game for the first time recently, and had a fantastic experience with it.

There are a few things that need to be learned for it to be as fun as it can be, which is the big pitfall of this game in my opinion. The most important of these things is negative edging, where you hold the attack button while you input the directions, then release it to perform a special attack, such as a Hadouken.
Once you learn that the attack fires on the release of the button instead of when the button is pressed, you can do all sorts of amazing things with the timing of the attacks, holding the button and releasing it at the perfect moment. The game is frustratingly difficult, and impossible without learning this aspect, but once you get in the swing of it you can start to learn each enemy's pattern.
It took me many, many tries to beat the game, but after playing it I feel like I have a much better understanding of the Street Fighter franchise as a whole, and the intrinsic reward of knowing I've beaten the very first game in the series is well worth the hours of striving for perfection required to do it.
So don't listen to the haters. Give it a shot. You can give it 0 stars if you hate it, but my experience with it was wonderful after the initial learning curve.
Body
tips
Formatting
[b]text[/b] - bold
[i]text[/i] - italic
[s]strikethrough[/s] - strikethrough
[tt]text[/tt] - fixed-width type
[color red]text[/color] - colored text (full list)
[spoiler]text[/spoiler] - Text hidden with spoiler cover
[https://www.example.com/page/,Link to another site] - Link to another site

Linking
When you mention an album, artist, film, game, label, etc - it's recommended to link to the item the first time you mention it. Doing so will make it easier to search for your post and give it more visibility. To link an item, use the search box above, or find the shortcut that appears on the page that you want to link. You can customize the link name of shortcuts by using the format [Artist12345,Custom Name].
Paste the address (or embed code) below and click "embed".
Supported: YouTube, Soundcloud, Bandcamp, Vimeo, Dailymotion
Embed
BlackMagicRites 2023-01-21T02:46:42Z
2023-01-21T02:46:42Z
4.5
In collection Want to buy Used to own  
Supplement
tips
Formatting
[b]text[/b] - bold
[i]text[/i] - italic
[s]strikethrough[/s] - strikethrough
[tt]text[/tt] - fixed-width type
[color red]text[/color] - colored text (full list)
[spoiler]text[/spoiler] - Text hidden with spoiler cover
[https://www.example.com/page/,Link to another site] - Link to another site

Linking
When you mention an album, artist, film, game, label, etc - it's recommended to link to the item the first time you mention it. Doing so will make it easier to search for your post and give it more visibility. To link an item, use the search box above, or find the shortcut that appears on the page that you want to link. You can customize the link name of shortcuts by using the format [Artist12345,Custom Name].
Paste the address (or embed code) below and click "embed".
Supported: YouTube, Soundcloud, Bandcamp, Vimeo, Dailymotion
Embed
Show more
Show less
Attribution
Requested publishing level
Draft
Commentary
Review
draft
en
Expand review Hide
Title
I’m not going to says anything anyone hasn’t said before.
It’s FINE. It’s totally beatable. However, it’s clearly a relic of a time when this sort of fighting game was not understood. It pales in comparison to something like Kung Fu which is a bonafide classic, and that’s because SF tries to do something far greater in scope… but the jumping is weird, the inputs are awful in their timing and precision, and how much damage you do feels like pure luck.
And yet the satisfaction I get by pulling a DP and taking away half the enemy’s health is very, very addictive. An almost avant-garde, experimental FM soundtrack reverberates during some of the fights that gives the game this mystical atmosphere, making big seem far out from the future. The vision it has is clear, and it’s not struggling in the way a budget game is trying to compete with its much larger inspirations. Rather, it’s a pioneer being held back by technological restraints and the cryptic knowledge on the developers’ parts in that they don’t really know how to make such a game… yet. They work it out eventually. But every good idea needs a draft.
Body
tips
Formatting
[b]text[/b] - bold
[i]text[/i] - italic
[s]strikethrough[/s] - strikethrough
[tt]text[/tt] - fixed-width type
[color red]text[/color] - colored text (full list)
[spoiler]text[/spoiler] - Text hidden with spoiler cover
[https://www.example.com/page/,Link to another site] - Link to another site

Linking
When you mention an album, artist, film, game, label, etc - it's recommended to link to the item the first time you mention it. Doing so will make it easier to search for your post and give it more visibility. To link an item, use the search box above, or find the shortcut that appears on the page that you want to link. You can customize the link name of shortcuts by using the format [Artist12345,Custom Name].
Paste the address (or embed code) below and click "embed".
Supported: YouTube, Soundcloud, Bandcamp, Vimeo, Dailymotion
Embed
SpiderInStockings 2022-12-12T17:25:54Z
2022-12-12T17:25:54Z
3.0
In collection Want to buy Used to own  
Supplement
tips
Formatting
[b]text[/b] - bold
[i]text[/i] - italic
[s]strikethrough[/s] - strikethrough
[tt]text[/tt] - fixed-width type
[color red]text[/color] - colored text (full list)
[spoiler]text[/spoiler] - Text hidden with spoiler cover
[https://www.example.com/page/,Link to another site] - Link to another site

Linking
When you mention an album, artist, film, game, label, etc - it's recommended to link to the item the first time you mention it. Doing so will make it easier to search for your post and give it more visibility. To link an item, use the search box above, or find the shortcut that appears on the page that you want to link. You can customize the link name of shortcuts by using the format [Artist12345,Custom Name].
Paste the address (or embed code) below and click "embed".
Supported: YouTube, Soundcloud, Bandcamp, Vimeo, Dailymotion
Embed
Attribution
Requested publishing level
Draft
Commentary
Review
review
en
Expand review Hide
Title
Very few successful video game franchises can have their stories told without acknowledging their very first chapter. Pokémon, Super Mario Bros., Resident Evil, Metal Gear and the like had early installments that range from standing the test of time to being forgiven for their less-refined attributes. The commonality between these franchises is that their first installments left such powerful imprints on players that all future titles would go on to be compared to that initial first impression. It's both a blessing and a curse; you made a game so memorable that the demand for more is overwhelming, and yet you can never seem to get out from under chapter one, which, in the case of most franchises, you will never be allowed to totally forsake. Street Fighter is not one of those franchises.

Oddly, the phenomenon of Street Fighter II: The World Warrior never seemed to prompt much inquiry as to whatever happened to Street Fighter I. I assume most people just figured Street Fighter II was likely just an upgraded version of the original. Capcom themselves certainly seemed happy to have people believe exactly that, considering the sparsity of the game's re-releases, including a sheepish Turbo-Grafx re-release that didn't even bear the "Street Fighter" mantle, as well as being added to a couple of Capcom Arcade Collections and the Wii Virtual Console, although truth be told, I don't actually remember ever seeing it there. Finally, the game was given its widest release yet as part of the Street Fighter 30th Anniversary Collection, where I first got to play it in all its infamy.

Apparently, the original arcade release was based around some convoluted-sounding system in which the pressure you applied to the buttons determined the impact of the move being executed. Evidently it didn't work very well, considering Capcom immediately shuffled it out in favor of a version with normal buttons, which is the version "most people" have played, although mercifully, relatively few people have ever actually played this game. I can't comment directly on the controls of the original, I can only comment on the controls of the re-released version, and, in so many words: they suck. They suck so, so bad. In theory, they're a dumbed-down version of Street Fighter II's controls, except you're limited to only playing as Ryu, so you just get the Hadouken, the Shoryūken, and the Tatsumaki Senpū Kyaku in your arsenal, as well as some pathetic kicks and punches that you're best left just ignoring. The inputs (again, in theory) are the exact same as they are in SFII, yet the game never gives any indication what these inputs are. They're "secret" techniques! And because they're so secret, they do a ridiculously high amount of damage. So you would figure that going in knowing what these commands are would give you an unfair advantage, right? You wish. Even if you know what the correct inputs are, the inputs are unresponsive on a level I don't think anyone, not the least myself is capable of adequately describing. You're honestly better off just mashing buttons in the general direction of the desired maneuver; you're more likely to correctly input it by accident than with timing and skill.

This strategy basically translates to free wins across the initial two "worlds", the U.S. and Japan, but when you reach China, the cheapness of the AI begins to interfere with our foolproof plan. My strategy for the last three worlds is to give up and go play Street Fighter II, or literally any other game for that matter, because beyond this point, even the bragging rights of telling anyone who will listen that you beat the shittiest fighting game ever made just isn't worth it. It's not particularly time-consuming, considering that your attacks will drain about a third of the opponent's life bar, but every time you lose and you remember that you'll have to endure at least two more rounds of the same goddamn match, your brain will loathe you that much more for the time you're wasting with this mind-numbing garbage. By the time you reach Sagat, who is the final boss of this sorry journey, you'll be getting your ass kicked up and down until you're seeing stars before you finally manage to cheese the AI and squeak by for a win. Anyone who would actually get this far and then feel any sense of accomplishment needs to go touch some grass.

Does this game have anything going for it? Not really. The only positive takeaways from this game have little to do with the actually gameplay. For one, the visuals aren't horrible. Not good, but not bad either. Some levels like Mount Rushmore or the Great Wall of China have some real scaling problems. Did you know that Mount Rushmore is only as tall as two Ryus stacked on top of each other? Or one "Mike" and half of another? Oh, I forgot to mention, you would think that the very first installment of the series would be host to at least a smattering of beloved characters like Chun-Li, Dhalism, or maybe Blanka, but nope, this game only features a lineup of generic tough guys, a handful of which would later return in the Street Fighter Alpha series before getting shitcanned like they deserved. The standouts are a disappearing ninja named Geki and this dickhead named Lee who will mill about the level for a while before kicking the shit out of you without warning. Incidentally, Ken debuts alongside Ryu here as the 2P opponent, but you would never know that because where in the fuck are you going to find somebody willing to play Street Fighter 1 with you? It bears a little mentioning that the sound, contrasting the decent visuals, is garbage. The sound effects are pretty goofy, like this weird bubbling sound that plays between rounds or when you insert a coin. The voiceovers feature some pretty brutal Engrish, as every opponent mumbles out the same generic, confusingly-worded pap between fights in no way that makes any sense to the English-speaking ear. I wonder if Ryu got sick of being told that there are "guys like you all over the world." Speaking of which, it's weird how the game progresses as well. You can start from Japan or the U.S., but you don't move in a logical order from world to world; instead you move from Japan to the U.S. or vice-versa, to China, to England, then back again to Thailand. I can only assume that this whole tournament was a Frequent Flier Miles scam being orchestrated by Sagat, which is why for the most part we never see these assholes again. Anyways, the bad speech is sort-of masked by some equally brutal audio crunch that makes the single voice behind each character sounds like he began talking before clearing his throat. The music tip-toes between the generic and the offensive. Mount Rushmore's only distinctive instrument sounds like it was sampled by slamming on an aluminum table, and both tracks in Thailand but especially Sagat's Theme are garbled disasters that attempt gamelan but only achieve aleatory cacophony.

So it's a vile game presented lousily, not exactly three strikes, but who's counting? Is there anything else that could be said for this game? There is exactly one other thing besides having graphics that on the best of days could be worse - creating Street Fighter. Try and fathom a video gaming landscape without Street Fighter. For one, we never get a whole host of great fighting game franchises, including but not limited to Mortal Kombat, Guilty Gear, Tekken, Super Smash Bros., and even Capcom's own Darkstalkers and Marvel vs. Capcom. Going even beyond that, it's unlikely that Capcom ever becomes the massive company that they would eventually become as a result of this game as well as Mega Man the very same year (a series which would similarly need a second attempt to reach its full potential, although not nearly to the same degree). Without those two, but mostly Street Fighter, we never see the likes of Resident Evil, Monster Hunter, Ace Attorney, Devil May Cry, Dead Rising, or the litany of Disney games released by them on the NES. Now try and imagine a gaming landscape without all THOSE games, and we're left with a pretty bleak situation. All this largely credit to this very game; this lousy, clumsy, joyless mess of a game that I just devoted over a thousand words to ripping apart. And rip apart I shall, for I feel no regret in doing so, no matter what good might have come from this game. For all the good this game may have done, there is absolutely nothing good about playing it.
Body
tips
Formatting
[b]text[/b] - bold
[i]text[/i] - italic
[s]strikethrough[/s] - strikethrough
[tt]text[/tt] - fixed-width type
[color red]text[/color] - colored text (full list)
[spoiler]text[/spoiler] - Text hidden with spoiler cover
[https://www.example.com/page/,Link to another site] - Link to another site

Linking
When you mention an album, artist, film, game, label, etc - it's recommended to link to the item the first time you mention it. Doing so will make it easier to search for your post and give it more visibility. To link an item, use the search box above, or find the shortcut that appears on the page that you want to link. You can customize the link name of shortcuts by using the format [Artist12345,Custom Name].
Paste the address (or embed code) below and click "embed".
Supported: YouTube, Soundcloud, Bandcamp, Vimeo, Dailymotion
Embed
AntennasToHeaven 2023-07-01T08:59:24Z
2023-07-01T08:59:24Z
1.0
In collection Want to buy Used to own  
Supplement
tips
Formatting
[b]text[/b] - bold
[i]text[/i] - italic
[s]strikethrough[/s] - strikethrough
[tt]text[/tt] - fixed-width type
[color red]text[/color] - colored text (full list)
[spoiler]text[/spoiler] - Text hidden with spoiler cover
[https://www.example.com/page/,Link to another site] - Link to another site

Linking
When you mention an album, artist, film, game, label, etc - it's recommended to link to the item the first time you mention it. Doing so will make it easier to search for your post and give it more visibility. To link an item, use the search box above, or find the shortcut that appears on the page that you want to link. You can customize the link name of shortcuts by using the format [Artist12345,Custom Name].
Paste the address (or embed code) below and click "embed".
Supported: YouTube, Soundcloud, Bandcamp, Vimeo, Dailymotion
Embed
Attribution
Requested publishing level
Draft
Commentary
Review
review
en
Expand review Hide
Title
Who would've thought this humble little game would start a franchise that singlehandedly changed the world of gaming? I would wholly support giving this game a remake because the story of Ryu's quest to become the world's strongest fighter didn't have exactly a flying start. Not only are the mechanics an absolute nightmare, little about this is memorable apart from a few of the tunes here and there.
Body
tips
Formatting
[b]text[/b] - bold
[i]text[/i] - italic
[s]strikethrough[/s] - strikethrough
[tt]text[/tt] - fixed-width type
[color red]text[/color] - colored text (full list)
[spoiler]text[/spoiler] - Text hidden with spoiler cover
[https://www.example.com/page/,Link to another site] - Link to another site

Linking
When you mention an album, artist, film, game, label, etc - it's recommended to link to the item the first time you mention it. Doing so will make it easier to search for your post and give it more visibility. To link an item, use the search box above, or find the shortcut that appears on the page that you want to link. You can customize the link name of shortcuts by using the format [Artist12345,Custom Name].
Paste the address (or embed code) below and click "embed".
Supported: YouTube, Soundcloud, Bandcamp, Vimeo, Dailymotion
Embed
asadv 2017-08-30T20:03:58Z
2017-08-30T20:03:58Z
2.0
In collection Want to buy Used to own  
Supplement
tips
Formatting
[b]text[/b] - bold
[i]text[/i] - italic
[s]strikethrough[/s] - strikethrough
[tt]text[/tt] - fixed-width type
[color red]text[/color] - colored text (full list)
[spoiler]text[/spoiler] - Text hidden with spoiler cover
[https://www.example.com/page/,Link to another site] - Link to another site

Linking
When you mention an album, artist, film, game, label, etc - it's recommended to link to the item the first time you mention it. Doing so will make it easier to search for your post and give it more visibility. To link an item, use the search box above, or find the shortcut that appears on the page that you want to link. You can customize the link name of shortcuts by using the format [Artist12345,Custom Name].
Paste the address (or embed code) below and click "embed".
Supported: YouTube, Soundcloud, Bandcamp, Vimeo, Dailymotion
Embed
Attribution
Requested publishing level
Draft
Commentary
Review
draft
en
Expand review Hide
Title
The first one. But it's after Street Fighter Alpha chronologically. But Street Fighter II is recognized as the "real" first one.

My thoughts

A sort of one note, stiff, and bland fighting game that just wasn't quite there yet.
The sprite work is good enough, and the interface is clear. But you're not likely to have fun playing this game if you're already used to the expectations set by Street Fighter 2.

Recommended to

Street Fighter completionists
Fighting games archivists
Body
tips
Formatting
[b]text[/b] - bold
[i]text[/i] - italic
[s]strikethrough[/s] - strikethrough
[tt]text[/tt] - fixed-width type
[color red]text[/color] - colored text (full list)
[spoiler]text[/spoiler] - Text hidden with spoiler cover
[https://www.example.com/page/,Link to another site] - Link to another site

Linking
When you mention an album, artist, film, game, label, etc - it's recommended to link to the item the first time you mention it. Doing so will make it easier to search for your post and give it more visibility. To link an item, use the search box above, or find the shortcut that appears on the page that you want to link. You can customize the link name of shortcuts by using the format [Artist12345,Custom Name].
Paste the address (or embed code) below and click "embed".
Supported: YouTube, Soundcloud, Bandcamp, Vimeo, Dailymotion
Embed
Supplement
tips
Formatting
[b]text[/b] - bold
[i]text[/i] - italic
[s]strikethrough[/s] - strikethrough
[tt]text[/tt] - fixed-width type
[color red]text[/color] - colored text (full list)
[spoiler]text[/spoiler] - Text hidden with spoiler cover
[https://www.example.com/page/,Link to another site] - Link to another site

Linking
When you mention an album, artist, film, game, label, etc - it's recommended to link to the item the first time you mention it. Doing so will make it easier to search for your post and give it more visibility. To link an item, use the search box above, or find the shortcut that appears on the page that you want to link. You can customize the link name of shortcuts by using the format [Artist12345,Custom Name].
Paste the address (or embed code) below and click "embed".
Supported: YouTube, Soundcloud, Bandcamp, Vimeo, Dailymotion
Embed
Attribution
Requested publishing level
Draft
Commentary
Review
review
en
Expand review Hide

Catalog

zakduece Street Fighter 2024-03-26T02:51:53Z
2024-03-26T02:51:53Z
In collection Want to buy Used to own  
Plan on Playing (Might 100%)
TheLich13 Street Fighter 2024-03-19T15:02:16Z
2024-03-19T15:02:16Z
1.0
1
In collection Want to buy Used to own  
liamdude5 Street Fighter 2024-03-07T03:16:21Z
2024-03-07T03:16:21Z
1.5
1
In collection Want to buy Used to own  
Gibbous Street Fighter 2024-03-06T18:20:49Z
2024-03-06T18:20:49Z
1.0
1
In collection Want to buy Used to own  
BoreCanal Street Fighter 2024-02-28T12:42:57Z
2024-02-28T12:42:57Z
1.0
In collection Want to buy Used to own  
UnveiledRook206 Street Fighter 2024-02-18T22:45:01Z
2024-02-18T22:45:01Z
In collection Want to buy Used to own  
JeuneEpsy Street Fighter 2024-02-01T22:29:51Z
2024-02-01T22:29:51Z
1.0
In collection Want to buy Used to own  
idkpokeit Street Fighter 2024-01-30T17:43:46Z
2024-01-30T17:43:46Z
1.5
In collection Want to buy Used to own  
japan
SauloCav Street Fighter 2024-01-26T22:20:33Z
2024-01-26T22:20:33Z
1.0
1
In collection Want to buy Used to own  
2024 ARCADE
Rap_Prodigy Street Fighter 2024-01-24T06:43:59Z
2024-01-24T06:43:59Z
1.0
In collection Want to buy Used to own  
Gavel Street Fighter 2024-01-19T20:57:12Z
2024-01-19T20:57:12Z
1.5
In collection Want to buy Used to own  
LukeBrassai Street Fighter 2024-01-17T05:15:36Z
2024-01-17T05:15:36Z
2.0
In collection Want to buy Used to own  
Also known as
  • ファイティング・ストリート
  • Fighting Street
  • View all [2] Hide

Comments

Rules for comments
  • Be respectful! All the community rules apply here.
  • Keep your comments focused on the game. Don't post randomness/off-topic comments. Jokes are fine, but don't post tactless/inappropriate ones.
  • Don't get in arguments with people here, or start long discussions. Use the boards for extended discussion.
  • Don't use this space to complain about the average rating, chart position, genre voting, others' reviews or ratings, or errors on the page.
  • Don't comment just to troll/provoke. Likewise, don't respond to trollish comments; just report them and ignore them.
  • Any spoilers should be placed in spoiler tags as such: [spoiler](spoiler goes here)[/spoiler]
Note: Unlike reviews, comments are considered temporary and may be deleted/purged without notice.
  • Previous comments (2) Loading...
  • MisTurHappy 2022-03-05 10:03:08.554352+00
    Struggling to think of any other franchises of comparable quality/success to Street Fighter that had a first entry as bad as this.
    reply
    • MisTurHappy 2022-03-05 10:04:38.154404+00
      For the record, my point isn't that this game is offensively bad or anything, just that I can't think of any other franchises with a bigger jump in quality between the peak and the first entry, or even the first entry to the second.
    • More replies New replies ) Loading...
  • bejesus 2022-03-22 05:23:13.108806+00
    Unplayable if you like good controls
    reply
    • More replies New replies ) Loading...
  • UnmistakableRin 2022-05-01 12:43:53.069324+00
    nothing redeemable about this game. at all.
    reply
    • More replies New replies ) Loading...
  • slib 2022-07-20 17:35:40.185767+00
    Finally beat this

    Never again
    reply
    • More replies New replies ) Loading...
  • dostovei 2023-04-17 09:33:48.312675+00
    Probably would have been better if it had got 5 revisions
    reply
    • More replies New replies ) Loading...
  • UnmistakableRin 2023-07-18 03:33:41.363911+00
    hide Removed by mod
    This post was removed by a site moderator.
    • More replies New replies ) Loading...
  • Aysenthesys 2023-09-16 16:52:42.283496+00
    Some of the most unresponsive controls I've ever experienced. Could hardly beat the first character and didn't feel like trying the second stage. This is my first Street Fighter game, btw, and I know the others can't be as bad.
    reply
    • More replies New replies ) Loading...
  • Lowbattery 2023-10-23 21:00:53.372372+00
    You've got a lot to learn before you beat me. Try again, kiddo.
    reply
    • More replies New replies ) Loading...
  • More comments New comments (0) Loading...
Please login or sign up to comment.

Suggestions

There was an error saving your submission.
ADVERTISEMENT

Contribute to this page

Examples
1980s-1996
23 mar 2015
8 apr - 12 may 2015
1998-05
Report
Download
Image 1 of 2