Street Fighter EX

Street Fighter EX
250px Poster for the arcade version.
Developer(s)	Arika
Publisher(s)	Capcom
Designer(s)	Junichi Ono Akira Nishitani Noritaka Funamizu Kazuko Kawanaka Masashi Tanaka
Composer(s)	Takayuki Aihara Shinji Hosoe Ayako Saso
Platforms	Arcade, PlayStation
Release date(s)	Arcade (Plus) PlayStation (Plus α)
Genre(s)	Fighting
Mode(s)	Up to 2 players simultaneously
Display	Raster, 640 x 480 pixels (Horizontal), 65536 colors

Street Fighter EX (ストリートファイターEX) is a 2D head-to-head fighting game with 3D graphics, originally released as a coin-operated arcade game for the Sony ZN hardware in 1996. It is a spin-off of the Street Fighter series co-produced by Capcom with Arika and was the first game in the series to feature 3D polygon graphics. It was followed by an updated arcade version titled Street Fighter EX Plus, as well as a PlayStation-exclusive home console version titled Street Fighter EX Plus α, both released in 1997.

Gameplay

The Street Fighter EX fighting system uses fighting systems of the Street Fighter II and Street Fighter Alpha series. In many ways, EX still plays like a 2D fighting game, but the linear plane in which characters fight often changes along a 3D arena. The game uses special moves and super combos familiar or similar to previous games in the series. Like in Alpha and Darkstalkers, the super combo gauge, used to do Super Combos and other moves, was divided into three levels. The game introduces various new features to enhance the player's choices while fighting.

Aside from throwing the opponent or wearing away their health by using special moves to drain it, another way to fight blocking is the "Guard Break". The Guard Break is a move that, if it connects with the blocking opponent, breaks the block and makes the opponent dizzy. The Guard Break can be used at any time with one level of the Super Combo gauge.

A special move can be done after a regular move or another special move; this is called "Canceling". In the process of doing a Super Combo, another Super Combo can be performed. This is called "Super Canceling" and can be done with Super Combos.

Characters

The original Street Fighter EX features 17 characters. With a total of 18 new characters in the three games of the Street Fighter EX series, this represents the largest original set of characters introduced in a single Street Fighter series.

Default characters

• Ryu (voiced by Katashi Ishizuka)
• Ken (voiced by Tetsuya Iwanaga)
• Chun-Li (voiced by Yuko Miyamura)
• Zangief (voiced by Wataru Takagi)
• Guile (voiced by Tesshō Genda)
• Hokuto (voiced by Yuri Amano)
• Doctrine Dark (voiced by Wataru Takagi)
• Pullum Purna (voiced by Chika Sakamoto)
• Cracker Jack (voiced by Banjo Ginga)
• Skullomania (voiced by Issei Futamata)

Hidden characters (EX)

• Allen Snider (voiced by Osamu Hosoi)
• Blair Dame (voiced by Hikari Tachibana)
• Kairi (voiced by Kaneto Shiozawa)
• Darun Mister (voiced by Takashi Nagasako)

Characters added in EX Plus

• Evil Ryu (Satsui no Hadō ni Mezameta Ryū in Japan)
• Bloody Hokuto (Chi no Fūin Tokareta Hokuto in Japan)
• Cycloid-β
• Cycloid-γ

Characters added in EX Plus α

• Dhalsim (voiced by ?)
• Sakura (voiced by Yuko Sasamoto)

Boss characters

• Akuma (Gouki in Japan, voiced by Tomomichi Nishimura)
• Garuda (voiced by Osamu Hosoi)
• M. Bison (Vega in Japan, voiced by Tomomichi Nishimura)

Versions

Street Fighter EX Plus

A few months after the original version of Street Fighter EX was released, an upgraded version titled Street Fighter EX Plus was released in arcades on March 3, 1997. In this version, all of the hidden time-released characters are available by default. This version also adds four new hidden characters, increasing the total number of characters to 21: Evil Ryu from Street Fighter Alpha 2, an alternate version of Hokuto named Bloody Hokuto, and two cyborgs named Cycloid-β and Cycloid-γ.

Street Fighter EX Plus α

The PlayStation version of the game, titled Street Fighter EX Plus Alpha and promoted as Street Fighter EX Plus α, was released on July 17, 1997. All of the characters from the arcade version of EX Plus are included, along with two characters exclusive to this version, increasing the total number of characters to 23: Dhalsim from Street Fighter II and Sakura from Street Fighter Alpha 2. In addition, there is a hidden bonus stage where the player has to smash barrels, similar to one of the three bonus stages from Street Fighter II.

The PlayStation version also includes several game modes in addition to the Arcade mode: a dedicated two-player Versus mode, Practice mode, Team Battle mode, Survival mode, Time Attack mode, and Watch mode where the player witnesses a match between two computer-controlled characters. The PlayStation version also includes an arranged soundtrack and CG animated endings for all of the characters.

Regional differences

The Japanese versions of both EX and EX Plus contain text-only epilogues which are displayed on-screen after the player defeats M. Bison in single-player mode. The PlayStation version features new epilogues (different from the ones featured in the arcade versions) in addition to FMV endings.

Music

The music was written by former Namco composers, Takayuki Aihara, Shinji Hosoe, and Ayako Saso. The themes are predominantly jazz, with rock and electronic dance music elements. Entitled Street Fighter EX－SCITRON 1500 SERIES, the complete 20-track CD album was released on February 21, 1997 by Pony Canyon, complete with a 19-track voice collection. The 13-track live band CD Street Fighter EX Arrange Sound Trax was released on March 5, 1997, with a drama CD released on March 21 of the same year.

Sequels

A sequel to Street Fighter EX, Street Fighter EX2, was released on May 26, 1998. It was also followed by an upgraded version titled Street Fighter EX2 Plus, which was released in arcades and ported to the PlayStation in 1999. The third game in the series, Street Fighter EX3, was released exclusively for the PlayStation 2 on March 4, 2000. The Street Fighter EX games all run at a vertical resolution of 480 lines, which makes them the only Street Fighter games to run at a definition above 256 lines until the release of Street Fighter IV (which also has 3D graphics) in 2008.

Reception

Critical reaction

Reception
Aggregate score Aggregator Score GameRankings 86.44% Review scores Publication Score CVG Edge 80% GamePro 90% GameSpot 8.3/10 IGN 83% PSM 8/10 Electric Playground 9.5/10 N4G 7/10 PSX Nation 9/10 Video Gamers First 8.9/10 Absolute PlayStation 88% Gamecenter 8/10
Awards Publication Award GameRankings 10th best PlayStation game of 1997 PSM Star Player PSM 9th best game of all time

The game received very positive reviews. GameSpot gave the game 8.3/10, and stated "In the video and audio departments, Street Fighter EX Plus Alpha is pretty solid. Its old characters closely resemble their 2D predecessors", and that "taken as a whole, Street Fighter EX Plus Alpha is a fun game with great gameplay, better than average aesthetics, and a large number of characters." They summarized as "a 3D Street Fighter game worthy of its heritage"

The Official UK PlayStation Magazine said that the "gameplay is as recognisable as the Taj Mahal", and that it was "the most fun we've ever had with Streetfighting since Turbo", rating the lifespan as 10/10. They concluded "this is like a second honeymoon. The true master of martial arts games remains unrivalled."

Electric Playground scored the game 9.5/10, with PSX Nation giving the game 90%, Video Gamers First awarding 8.9/10, and Absolute PlayStation with 88%.

Edge magazine commended the "multitude of console-only extras" and gave the game 80%, while GamePro gave it 90% and proclaimed it a "worldwide fight-night favorite". IGN gave the game 83%, stating "this is one of the best Street Fighters I've ever played, and I think it's a good switch. It's still a 2D fighter, but it looks a whole lot better"

GameRankings listed the game as the 10th best PlayStation game of 1997, while official magazine PSM said it was the 9th best game of all time.

The characters Skullomania and Jack were both featured in UGO's list of Top 50 Street Fighter Characters, while V. Rosso was featured in their list of The 25 Most Memorable Italians in Video Games. In the same year, Tekken 5 champion Ryan Hart listed Hokuto, Darun, Allen and Kairi in his top 20 Street Fighter characters

Commercial

The game sold over 400,000 total copies worldwide after its first year on sale.

External links

• Street Fighter EX at the Killer List of Videogames
• Street Fighter EX Plus at the Killer List of Videogames
• Street Fighter EX 2 at the Killer List of Videogames
• Street Fighter EX 2 Plus at the Killer List of Videogames
• Shoryuken.com (the online center of competitive Street Fighter)
• Arika - the developers of the Street Fighter EX series.
• J-pop.com interview with Akira Nishitani about Street Fighter EX