X-Men vs. Street Fighter
Encyclopedia
X-Men vs. Street Fighter(エックスメンＶＳ．ストリートファイター) is a fighting game
originally released as a coin-operated arcade game
in . It is Capcom's third fighting game to feature Marvel Comics
characters and the first game to match them against their own, with characters from Marvel's X-Men
franchise being matched against the cast from the Street Fighter
series.
It was the first game to blend a tag team
style of combat with the Street Fighter gameplay, as well as incorporating elements from Capcom's previous Marvel-themed fighting games, X-Men: Children of the Atom
and Marvel Super Heroes
. It was ported to the Sega Saturn
in 1997
and PlayStation in 1998
. However, the tag team feature was omitted from the PlayStation version due to memory limitations.
crosses paths with Cyclops
and the X-Men
, who show interest in Ryu's power. When Apocalypse appears, stronger than ever before, Ryu's friends and the X-Men band together to combat Apocalypse, some for the purpose of saving the world, and some for their own evil agendas.
There are other ways to bring the character's partner in; the "Variable Counter", which replaces the Infinity Counter of Marvel Super Heroes, breaks the players guard to bring the teammate in with a counter attack at the cost of a level of super meter. Also, the "Variable Combination" is a two-character Hyper Combo (the super moves featured in the game) which costs two levels, and will switch the players current character as long as neither character gets hit during their Hyper Combos.
The X-Men characters come largely unchanged from X-Men: Children of the Atom and Marvel Super Heroes, and three characters new to the series are introduced in the form of Rogue
, Gambit
and Sabretooth
. The Street Fighter characters use their Street Fighter Alpha 2
forms and their special moves were given upgrades to match the larger-than-life atmosphere of the Marvel games (for example, Ryu
's Hadouken is much larger than it is in other games). This game marks the first appearance of "Shadaloo" depiction of Cammy, who would reappear in the console versions of Street Fighter Alpha 2 Gold, as well as in Street Fighter Alpha 3
.
Apocalypse
is the final boss
of the game and lacks a tag partner. After defeating him, the character that defeated Apocalypse is forced to fight his or her teammate (the game will not accept new challengers at this time). Once the CPU-controlled teammate is defeated, the game will show the player-controlled characters ending.
The PlayStation port of the game received a mixed to negative response by press and fans alike, earning a "passable" 6.0 at IGN
and a "bad" 3.6 at GameSpot
. Due to RAM limitations of the PlayStation, this port was significantly inferior to the arcade in both graphics and gameplay. A lot of frames and sprites were removed(making the game look awkward and choppy), performance was still unacceptable with slowdowns during special moves that made the game essentially unplayable, and also the tag-team setup was not included; instead, it used a traditional best-two-of-three round setup in a similar manner to Rival Schools: United By Fate
. It was possible to have a tag-team match through two-player "Crossover Mode", provided that each player uses a clone of their opponent as their partner. For example, if the player is controlling Ryu and his opponent is Wolverine, then the player's partner will be Wolverine and the opponent's partner will be Ryu.
The Sega Saturn version received much better reviews, getting a 7.4 "good" review at GameSpot. The Saturn version makes use of Sega's 4MB RAM expansion cartridge(which came packaged with the game) to retain all the frames, sprites, and the tag-team setup, thus making this version arcade perfect. This version also features faster loading times. However, the Saturn version was available in Japan only.
Fighting game
Fighting game is a video game genre where the player controls an on-screen character and engages in close combat with an opponent. These characters tend to be of equal power and fight matches consisting of several rounds, which take place in an arena. Players must master techniques such as...
originally released as a coin-operated arcade game
Arcade game
An arcade game is a coin-operated entertainment machine, usually installed in public businesses such as restaurants, bars, and amusement arcades. Most arcade games are video games, pinball machines, electro-mechanical games, redemption games, and merchandisers...
in . It is Capcom's third fighting game to feature Marvel Comics
Marvel Comics
Marvel Worldwide, Inc., commonly referred to as Marvel Comics and formerly Marvel Publishing, Inc. and Marvel Comics Group, is an American company that publishes comic books and related media...
characters and the first game to match them against their own, with characters from Marvel's X-Men
X-Men
The X-Men are a superhero team in the . They were created by writer Stan Lee and artist Jack Kirby, and first appeared in The X-Men #1...
franchise being matched against the cast from the Street Fighter
Street Fighter
, commonly abbreviated as SF, is a series of Fighting Games developed in Japan in which the players pit the video games' competitive fighters from around the world, each with his or her own unique fighting style, against one another...
series.
It was the first game to blend a tag team
Tag team
Tag team professional wrestling is a variation in which matches are contested between teams of multiple wrestlers. A tag team may comprise two wrestlers who normally wrestle in singles competition, but more commonly are made of established teams who wrestle regularly as a unit and have a team name...
style of combat with the Street Fighter gameplay, as well as incorporating elements from Capcom's previous Marvel-themed fighting games, X-Men: Children of the Atom
X-Men: Children of the Atom (arcade game)
is an arcade game that was produced by Capcom and released on the CPS-2 arcade system in 1994. It is the first fighting game produced by Capcom using characters under license from Marvel Comics, widely praised for its faithfulness in capturing the spirit of its namesake comics, by using colorful...
and Marvel Super Heroes
Marvel Super Heroes (arcade game)
is a fighting game developed by Capcom. Originally released in the arcade in 1995 on the CPS-2 arcade system, it was later ported to the Sega Saturn and PlayStation in late 1997...
. It was ported to the Sega Saturn
Sega Saturn
The is a 32-bit fifth-generation video game console that was first released by Sega on November 22, 1994 in Japan, May 11, 1995 in North America, and July 8, 1995 in Europe...
in 1997
1997 in video gaming
-Events:*October 4 — Gunpei Yokoi dies after a double car accident.*November – Interactive Entertainment Merchants Association launched.*3rd annual E3...
and PlayStation in 1998
1998 in video gaming
-Events:*Academy of Interactive Arts & Sciences hosts 1st Annual Interactive Achievement Awards; inducts Shigeru Miyamoto of Nintendo to the AIAS Hall of Fame*British Academy of Film and Television Arts hosts the 1st annual BAFTA Interactive Entertainment Awards...
. However, the tag team feature was omitted from the PlayStation version due to memory limitations.
Story
During his travels, RyuRyu (Street Fighter)
is a video game player character created by Capcom, the main protagonist of the Street Fighter series. Having premiered in the first Street Fighter in 1987, Ryu appears as the lead character from the game along with his best friend Ken Masters participating in the Street Fighter tournament...
crosses paths with Cyclops
Cyclops (comics)
Cyclops is a fictional character, the leader of the X-Men superhero team in the . A mutant, Cyclops emits a powerful energy beam from his eyes...
and the X-Men
X-Men
The X-Men are a superhero team in the . They were created by writer Stan Lee and artist Jack Kirby, and first appeared in The X-Men #1...
, who show interest in Ryu's power. When Apocalypse appears, stronger than ever before, Ryu's friends and the X-Men band together to combat Apocalypse, some for the purpose of saving the world, and some for their own evil agendas.
Gameplay
X-Men vs. Street Fighter uses a system similar to the style developed in Marvel Super Heroes, and adds the tag team gameplay feature. Instead of the usual best-two-out-of-three round format, the games matches consist of two-on-two battles between tag teams. The player controls one character at a time, while the other awaits off-screen. The starting character can tag the waiting one in at any time by hitting the Hard Punch and Hard Kick buttons, which activates the "Variable Attack"; the tag partner will jump in with an attack and taunt briefly. During their taunt, they are vulnerable to counter attack. The dormant character will able to recover a portion of their vitality, while the current character is fighting. If one character loses all of their vitality, then the tag partner will automatically come to play. A match is over when both members of a team are defeated.There are other ways to bring the character's partner in; the "Variable Counter", which replaces the Infinity Counter of Marvel Super Heroes, breaks the players guard to bring the teammate in with a counter attack at the cost of a level of super meter. Also, the "Variable Combination" is a two-character Hyper Combo (the super moves featured in the game) which costs two levels, and will switch the players current character as long as neither character gets hit during their Hyper Combos.
The X-Men characters come largely unchanged from X-Men: Children of the Atom and Marvel Super Heroes, and three characters new to the series are introduced in the form of Rogue
Rogue (comics)
Rogue was first slated to appear in Ms. Marvel #25 , but the book's abrupt cancellation left her original introduction story unpublished for over a decade, before seeing print in Marvel Super Heroes #11 in 1992. Rogue's first published appearance was in Avengers Annual #10...
, Gambit
Gambit (comics)
Gambit is a fictional character, a Marvel Comics superhero that has been a member of the X-Men. Created by writer Chris Claremont and artist Jim Lee, the character first appeared briefly in Uncanny X-Men Annual #14 , weeks before a more comprehensive appearance in Uncanny X-Men #266...
and Sabretooth
Sabretooth (comics)
Sabretooth is a fictional character, a Marvel Comics supervillain created by writer Chris Claremont and artist/co-writer John Byrne. The character first appeared in Iron Fist #14...
. The Street Fighter characters use their Street Fighter Alpha 2
Street Fighter Alpha 2
Street Fighter Alpha 2, known as in Japan, Asia and South America, is a fighting game originally released for the CPS II arcade hardware by Capcom. The game is both a sequel and a remake to the previous years Street Fighter Alpha: Warriors' Dreams, which is itself a prequel to the Street Fighter...
forms and their special moves were given upgrades to match the larger-than-life atmosphere of the Marvel games (for example, Ryu
Ryu (Street Fighter)
is a video game player character created by Capcom, the main protagonist of the Street Fighter series. Having premiered in the first Street Fighter in 1987, Ryu appears as the lead character from the game along with his best friend Ken Masters participating in the Street Fighter tournament...
's Hadouken is much larger than it is in other games). This game marks the first appearance of "Shadaloo" depiction of Cammy, who would reappear in the console versions of Street Fighter Alpha 2 Gold, as well as in Street Fighter Alpha 3
Street Fighter Alpha 3
Street Fighter Alpha 3, known as in Japan and Asia, is a fighting game by Capcom originally released for the CPS II arcade hardware. It is the third game in the Street Fighter Alpha series, following Street Fighter Alpha: Warriors' Dreams and Street Fighter Alpha 2...
.
Characters
| X-Men characters | Street Fighter characters |
|---|---|
| Apocalypse Apocalypse (comics) Apocalypse is a fictional character who is an ancient mutant that appears in comic books published by Marvel Comics. The character first appeared in X-Factor #5 , created by writer Louise Simonson and designed by artist Walter Simonson... |
Akuma Akuma (Street Fighter) Akuma known in Japan as , is a video game character from the Street Fighter series of fighting games. Akuma made his debut in Super Street Fighter II Turbo as a secret character and hidden boss. In the storyline of the Street Fighter video games, he is the younger brother of Gouken, Ryu and Ken's... |
| Cyclops Cyclops (comics) Cyclops is a fictional character, the leader of the X-Men superhero team in the . A mutant, Cyclops emits a powerful energy beam from his eyes... |
Cammy |
| Gambit Gambit (comics) Gambit is a fictional character, a Marvel Comics superhero that has been a member of the X-Men. Created by writer Chris Claremont and artist Jim Lee, the character first appeared briefly in Uncanny X-Men Annual #14 , weeks before a more comprehensive appearance in Uncanny X-Men #266... |
Charlie |
| Juggernaut Juggernaut (comics) The Juggernaut is a fictional character that appears in publications published by Marvel Comics. The character first appeared in X-Men #12 , and was created by writer Stan Lee and artist/co-plotter Jack Kirby.... |
Chun-Li Chun-Li is a video game character produced by Capcom. First introduced in Street Fighter II, she has since appeared as a player character in nearly all subsequent games.... |
| Magneto Magneto (comics) Magneto is a fictional character that appears in comic books published by Marvel Comics. He is the central villain of the X-Men comic, as well as the TV show and the films. The character first appears in X-Men #1 , and was created by writer Stan Lee and artist Jack Kirby... |
Dhalsim Dhalsim , is a video game character from the Street Fighter series of fighting games.Dhalsim made his debut in the original Street Fighter II as one of the games original eight main characters. In his backstory, Dhalsim is characterized as a pacifist who goes against his beliefs by entering the World... |
| Rogue Rogue (comics) Rogue was first slated to appear in Ms. Marvel #25 , but the book's abrupt cancellation left her original introduction story unpublished for over a decade, before seeing print in Marvel Super Heroes #11 in 1992. Rogue's first published appearance was in Avengers Annual #10... |
Ken Masters Ken Masters , originally spelled in Japanese as , is a video game character created by Capcom. As a main character, he has appeared in all of the Street Fighter games along with his best friend and rival, Ryu... |
| Sabretooth Sabretooth (comics) Sabretooth is a fictional character, a Marvel Comics supervillain created by writer Chris Claremont and artist/co-writer John Byrne. The character first appeared in Iron Fist #14... |
M. Bison M. Bison M. Bison, known in Japan as Vega, is a video game character created by Capcom. First introduced in Street Fighter II: The World Warrior, he is a recurring character in the Street Fighter series of fighting games, acting as the final boss and primary antagonist of the Street Fighter II and Street... |
| Storm | Ryu Ryu (Street Fighter) is a video game player character created by Capcom, the main protagonist of the Street Fighter series. Having premiered in the first Street Fighter in 1987, Ryu appears as the lead character from the game along with his best friend Ken Masters participating in the Street Fighter tournament... |
| Wolverine Wolverine (comics) Wolverine is a fictional character, a superhero that appears in comic books published by Marvel Comics. Born as James Howlett and commonly known as Logan, Wolverine is a mutant, possessing animal-keen senses, enhanced physical capabilities, three retracting bone claws on each hand and a healing... |
Zangief Zangief is a fictional character in the Street Fighter series of video games. Created by Akira Yasuda for Capcom, Zangief first appeared in Street Fighter II, later appearing in other games, media, and promotions related to the Street Fighter franchise... |
Apocalypse
Apocalypse (comics)
Apocalypse is a fictional character who is an ancient mutant that appears in comic books published by Marvel Comics. The character first appeared in X-Factor #5 , created by writer Louise Simonson and designed by artist Walter Simonson...
is the final boss
Boss (video games)
A boss is an enemy-based challenge which is found in video games. A fight with a boss character is commonly referred to as a boss battle or boss fight...
of the game and lacks a tag partner. After defeating him, the character that defeated Apocalypse is forced to fight his or her teammate (the game will not accept new challengers at this time). Once the CPU-controlled teammate is defeated, the game will show the player-controlled characters ending.
Reception
The arcade version of X-Men vs. Street Fighter was met with a widely positive response. It streamlined the style and introduced the concepts of the Vs. series.The PlayStation port of the game received a mixed to negative response by press and fans alike, earning a "passable" 6.0 at IGN
IGN
IGN is an entertainment website that focuses on video games, films, music and other media. IGN's main website comprises several specialty sites or "channels", each occupying a subdomain and covering a specific area of entertainment...
and a "bad" 3.6 at GameSpot
GameSpot
GameSpot is a video gaming website that provides news, reviews, previews, downloads, and other information. The site was launched in May 1, 1996 by Pete Deemer, Vince Broady and Jon Epstein. It was purchased by ZDNet, a brand which was later purchased by CNET Networks. CBS Interactive, which...
. Due to RAM limitations of the PlayStation, this port was significantly inferior to the arcade in both graphics and gameplay. A lot of frames and sprites were removed(making the game look awkward and choppy), performance was still unacceptable with slowdowns during special moves that made the game essentially unplayable, and also the tag-team setup was not included; instead, it used a traditional best-two-of-three round setup in a similar manner to Rival Schools: United By Fate
Rival Schools: United By Fate
is a competitive fighting game produced by Capcom originally released as an arcade game in 1997 and ported to the PlayStation in 1998.- Gameplay :The main fighting game is best described as a polygonal Marvel vs. Capcom game, with some notable differences...
. It was possible to have a tag-team match through two-player "Crossover Mode", provided that each player uses a clone of their opponent as their partner. For example, if the player is controlling Ryu and his opponent is Wolverine, then the player's partner will be Wolverine and the opponent's partner will be Ryu.
The Sega Saturn version received much better reviews, getting a 7.4 "good" review at GameSpot. The Saturn version makes use of Sega's 4MB RAM expansion cartridge(which came packaged with the game) to retain all the frames, sprites, and the tag-team setup, thus making this version arcade perfect. This version also features faster loading times. However, the Saturn version was available in Japan only.
External links
- X-Men video games at Marvel.com
- X-Men vs. Street Fighter at SegaSaturn.co.uk - Information, box scan, screenshots and review of the Sega Saturn version.