The legacy of 'Street Fighter II'

You know that competitive rage that surges through your body when you are playing a one on one match in "Soul Calibur," "Tekken" or any other fighting game? That raw competitive spirit was not your own creation.

Well, sure it might be your own but someone else is responsible for tapping into that raw human emotion. Who might that be? It belongs to a group of legendary developers (most famously Yoshiki Okamoto) at Capcom who constructed the "Street Fighter" franchise.

The franchise began back in the late '80s in the arcades. Yes, this was when arcades were still cool and the primary source of gaming. The first game, simply dubbed "Street Fighter," focused on the main character, Ryu, fighting his way through a world martial arts tournament. If players wanted to join in, they could challenge Ryu as his rival, Ken, and the winner would continue on in the tournament.

It was a simple premise for a simple game that showed people what fighting should really entail. It was sometimes labeled as "Fighting Street." For the next game, they got the title straight and saw success that they could only dream of beforehand.

If you have ever played a street fighter game from the early '90s, then an itineration of "Street Fighter II" was most likely the game you played. This is the game that perfected fighting games in the arcade and the consoles.

Players from all over the world flocked to arcades to get their names on the scoreboards because the game was nearly flawless. With the addition of core characters like Chun-li, Bison, Zangeif and Dhalsim the game became a phenomenon.

"SF II" also had many versions and updates, as gamers became savvier and found glitches within the original version. Updates like "Super Street Fighter II," "Turbo Hyper Fighting" or "Champion's Edition" flooded consoles with their own respective tweaks.

Regardless of the different versions, the game had a fluid framerate, detailed animations and background, responsive controls and a very simple control scheme allowing for anyone to play.

This was the game that changed everything for the fighting genre.

"Street Fighter II" also spawned legions of wannabes. As arcades ordered more and more "Street Fighter" machines, other companies tried to get in on the action with games like "Fatal Fury" and the more famous "Mortal Kombat." The latter was recognized for pushing the barrier in violence as opposed to gameplay, and while the game was by no means bad, it was also no "Street Fighter."

The game was even revolutionary in terms of gender as well. While it catered mostly to teenage boys, the game introduced the first female character in a fighting game with Chun-Li. That character paved the way for characters like Lara Croft and Jill Valentine in a male-dominated industry.

Chun-Li also just happens to be the title character in the upcoming "Street Fighter: The Legend of Chun-Li" live action film. Kristin Kreuk takes the reigns as the female lead in a movie that looks to already be way better than the Jean Claude Van Damme debacle over a decade ago.

Fast forward to the present, and gamers have finally gotten what they wanted after nearly 18 years: a direct sequel to "Street Fighter II." For whatever reason, Capcom chose to go in a different direction with their subsequent "Street Fighter" games (most notably the Alpha and EX series). The games were good, but just did not have that same flair or elegance of "Street Fighter II" and Capcom knew this. With the release of "Street Fighter IV" they have given us one of the best fighting games in years.

As online gaming in full swing these days, that old competitive spirit of the arcade days might just be reignited. So grab those joysticks everyone; the fighting genre is back in full force.