We have a Street Fighter thread specifically for 6. But I like talking about all things SF: games, comics, anime. So here's a general Street Fighter thread.
I'm going to start this the same way I start most gaming threads, by making tier lists.
Street Fighter
I actually did find an arcade machine once. I've also played it on a Capcom collection on PSP as well as several recent collections on PS5 and Switch. None of them were good. From character selection (Ryu or Ken depending on which player you are), controls, stiffness in gameplay...it's just bad.
Since you don't get II without first having I, I hate to give it a flat-out F. But with all its flaws, I can't give it any kind of good score either.
D-
Street Fighter II
If I were to make a separate entry for each version of SF II, I'd never get this thread posted. So I'm just going to have to combine them all into one.
Positives
It took a rather crappy first attempt and made a whole new genre. Without Street Fighter II, we very likely wouldn't have Tekken, Mortal Kombat, Soul Calibur among others. It also created iconic characters like Chun Li, Cammy, M Bison, Blanka and many others. And though the graphics may be dated, the gameplay most definitely isn't. I can still go back and play this and have fun with it.
Negatives
For a while, people unironically wondered if Capcom knew how to count to 3. Even after 3, 4 and 5 were out, they were still remaking 2. And it wasn't DLC upgrades like we get today. For each iteration, there was a new, full-priced cartridge out for Super Nintendo.
Final grade
As irritating as the retoolings became by the end of it all, it's impossible to deny the cultural impact Street Fighter II had. It was a sophomore effort that turned a lackluster freshman start into a long lived franchise as well as a new genre. It would be unthinkable to give this anything less than an...
S
Street Fighter 3
Well now, let's see. They got rid of all of the World Warriors except Ryu and Ken. They didn't even bring Chun Li back until Third Strike. Gill's a cheating bastard. It was so hard to find in Arcades, I never even had a chance to play it until I got the 30th Anniversary Collection.
But on the positive side, some interesting characters (Ibuki, Makoto, Elena) made their debut here. The gameplay is smooth as buttered silk. Plus there was a little thing called Evo Moment 37.
A+
Street Fighter IV
It was a dark time. It had been nearly a decade since the last SF game. Fans had no hope of a new SF game ever coming out. As far as even Capcom was concerned, Street Fighter was a dead franchise. But thanks to a pitch made by Yoshinori Ono, this dead franchise was given a second life.
Positives
This game wisely brought back the iconic World Warriors. Thus my main strike against 3 was averted here. Focus Attacks and Ultra Combos were simple enough for newbies but added some depth for the more experienced. It brought Sakura among others over from the Alpha games into the mainline. It also introduced Juri and C. Viper. It also marked the point where my main changed from Chun Li to Cammy
Negatives
It introduced Rufus and El Fuerte.
S
Street Fighter V
It started off very rocky. It released with very little single player content and it took what some would say was entirely way too long to add it. Unfortunately, by the time they did add single player content, for many it was too little too late.
While I totally understand that feeling, I personally stuck it out and it got to a point of being a really good game. They added several arcade modes allowing you to see the entire story of Street Fighter from 1-5. The final roster was also impressive with a bunch of new favorites (Rashid, Menat) along with a slew of old favorites. And honestly, the V-Gauge is still my favorite system, even beating out SF6's system.
F for the initial release. S for the final product.
Street Fighter 6
It may be too early to rate. The arcade mode has pretty graphics. The story mode has ugly graphics. I like Kimberly. I hate Luke. The rest of the roster is also hit and miss. I don't quite know how I feel about the drive gauge yet. I still need some practice with it. Also, with a hit and miss starting roster, I think what I ultimately rate it will depend a lot on DLC characters. Right now I can only give it a tentative rating.
A
Street Fighter Alpha
Remember how there was a Street Fighter 1 before there was a Street Fighter 2? Well, neither did anyone else. This was set between the two games. It had an interesting roster: Ryu, Ken, Birdie, Adon and Sagat comes back from SF1. Chun Li is the only SF 2 returner (though Charlie plays similarly to Guile). Guy and Sodom brings Final Fight firmly into the Street Fighter Universe. Rose and Charlie now exist.
It's a fun enough game. It plays quickly and smoothly. But dang! That is one small roster!
A-
Street Fighter Alpha 2
This gives us a larger roster than the first Alpha. More Final Fight characters, more World Warriors and most importantly...Sakura makes her debut. Plus this is the last SF game that made it to the SNES.
A+
Street Fighter Apha 3
Well, you talk about a huge cast of characters, the arcade version had a starting roster to be envied by most final rosters with 25 characters. Then you get the Advance and PSP versions that were pretty much Street Fighter Armageddon.
Negatives include Bison being a cheating bastard and you can't continue if you lose to him on most versions.
S
I'm going to start this the same way I start most gaming threads, by making tier lists.
Street Fighter
I actually did find an arcade machine once. I've also played it on a Capcom collection on PSP as well as several recent collections on PS5 and Switch. None of them were good. From character selection (Ryu or Ken depending on which player you are), controls, stiffness in gameplay...it's just bad.
Since you don't get II without first having I, I hate to give it a flat-out F. But with all its flaws, I can't give it any kind of good score either.
D-
Street Fighter II
If I were to make a separate entry for each version of SF II, I'd never get this thread posted. So I'm just going to have to combine them all into one.
Positives
It took a rather crappy first attempt and made a whole new genre. Without Street Fighter II, we very likely wouldn't have Tekken, Mortal Kombat, Soul Calibur among others. It also created iconic characters like Chun Li, Cammy, M Bison, Blanka and many others. And though the graphics may be dated, the gameplay most definitely isn't. I can still go back and play this and have fun with it.
Negatives
For a while, people unironically wondered if Capcom knew how to count to 3. Even after 3, 4 and 5 were out, they were still remaking 2. And it wasn't DLC upgrades like we get today. For each iteration, there was a new, full-priced cartridge out for Super Nintendo.
Final grade
As irritating as the retoolings became by the end of it all, it's impossible to deny the cultural impact Street Fighter II had. It was a sophomore effort that turned a lackluster freshman start into a long lived franchise as well as a new genre. It would be unthinkable to give this anything less than an...
S
Street Fighter 3
Well now, let's see. They got rid of all of the World Warriors except Ryu and Ken. They didn't even bring Chun Li back until Third Strike. Gill's a cheating bastard. It was so hard to find in Arcades, I never even had a chance to play it until I got the 30th Anniversary Collection.
But on the positive side, some interesting characters (Ibuki, Makoto, Elena) made their debut here. The gameplay is smooth as buttered silk. Plus there was a little thing called Evo Moment 37.
A+
Street Fighter IV
It was a dark time. It had been nearly a decade since the last SF game. Fans had no hope of a new SF game ever coming out. As far as even Capcom was concerned, Street Fighter was a dead franchise. But thanks to a pitch made by Yoshinori Ono, this dead franchise was given a second life.
Positives
This game wisely brought back the iconic World Warriors. Thus my main strike against 3 was averted here. Focus Attacks and Ultra Combos were simple enough for newbies but added some depth for the more experienced. It brought Sakura among others over from the Alpha games into the mainline. It also introduced Juri and C. Viper. It also marked the point where my main changed from Chun Li to Cammy
Negatives
It introduced Rufus and El Fuerte.
S
Street Fighter V
It started off very rocky. It released with very little single player content and it took what some would say was entirely way too long to add it. Unfortunately, by the time they did add single player content, for many it was too little too late.
While I totally understand that feeling, I personally stuck it out and it got to a point of being a really good game. They added several arcade modes allowing you to see the entire story of Street Fighter from 1-5. The final roster was also impressive with a bunch of new favorites (Rashid, Menat) along with a slew of old favorites. And honestly, the V-Gauge is still my favorite system, even beating out SF6's system.
F for the initial release. S for the final product.
Street Fighter 6
It may be too early to rate. The arcade mode has pretty graphics. The story mode has ugly graphics. I like Kimberly. I hate Luke. The rest of the roster is also hit and miss. I don't quite know how I feel about the drive gauge yet. I still need some practice with it. Also, with a hit and miss starting roster, I think what I ultimately rate it will depend a lot on DLC characters. Right now I can only give it a tentative rating.
A
Street Fighter Alpha
Remember how there was a Street Fighter 1 before there was a Street Fighter 2? Well, neither did anyone else. This was set between the two games. It had an interesting roster: Ryu, Ken, Birdie, Adon and Sagat comes back from SF1. Chun Li is the only SF 2 returner (though Charlie plays similarly to Guile). Guy and Sodom brings Final Fight firmly into the Street Fighter Universe. Rose and Charlie now exist.
It's a fun enough game. It plays quickly and smoothly. But dang! That is one small roster!
A-
Street Fighter Alpha 2
This gives us a larger roster than the first Alpha. More Final Fight characters, more World Warriors and most importantly...Sakura makes her debut. Plus this is the last SF game that made it to the SNES.
A+
Street Fighter Apha 3
Well, you talk about a huge cast of characters, the arcade version had a starting roster to be envied by most final rosters with 25 characters. Then you get the Advance and PSP versions that were pretty much Street Fighter Armageddon.
Negatives include Bison being a cheating bastard and you can't continue if you lose to him on most versions.
S
