The hype for Street Fighter II on the Super Nintendo/Super Famicom in 1992 was unlike anything the gaming industry had seen before. The "impossible" port: before July 1992, playing a major arcade hit at home usually meant a compromised, stripped-down home port. When Street Fighter II: The World Warrior was announced for the SNES, the idea that an arcade game of that scope could run at home felt like witchcraft. Magazines like EGM built massive anticipation with cover features and deep dives into the 16-megabit cartridge, the largest and most powerful SNES cartridge of its time. Costing US$79.99 at launch (roughly US$175 adjusted for inflation), but millions of players didn't hesitate to pay for it. In fact, it sold over 6.3 million copies on the SNES, becoming Capcom's best-selling single software title for decades and a massive system-seller that convinced many people on my surroundings to buy a Super Nintendo. Sega had no answer to that until September 1993, which was too late for many.

The original Street Fighter (Capcom, 1987) is historically important and marks the chronological beginning of the franchise's lore. But it's famously clunky and very difficult, and not talked about. It ends at this fight between Ryu and Sagat.👊 ⚠️SPOILERS for 2026 movie follows: Street Fighter 1 arcade game concluded with Ryu defeating Sagat, with the Shoryuken leaving a scar on Sagat's torso. The movie begins with a flashback to 1987, in great 2D hand-drawn animation, showing that event in a serious tone. If you know a bit of Street Fighter lore, it wins you over right there. Live action campiness apart, it'd be a waste to not have more of that animation style telling key parts of the SF lore in the future.