Due on September 18, it’s the ultimate collector’s set for the ultimate Street Fighter fan that celebrates 25 years of fireballs, dragon punches, and the iconic World Warriors.
In 1987 Street Fighter hit arcades, and despite offering a totally unique control set-up – the original arcade cabinet used two, large red round punching-bag buttons for attacks that were horribly unreliable and costly to fix – the game itself was… umm, not so good. Pretty “meh”, really.
Let’s just say the game was nowhere as refined as its more-beloved sibling; special moves like Hadoukens were almost impossible to pull off, the computer A.I. was incredibly cheap – ah, how times never change – and in-fight animations looked horribad. Seriously, I’ve seen still-life paintings animate better than the original Street Fighter.
But I shouldn’t be too hard on Capcom’s first foray into video game fisticuffs, because mistakes are absolutely essential in order to make a better creation. In this case, that better creation was Street Fighter II (1992), a fantastic fighter that ignited the fighting-game craze in North America and parts elsewhere.
Twenty-five years later the Street Fighter series is still going strong. A bit surprisingly, too, when you think about that funky period during the 2000s, when it felt like Capcom buried it in the same wasteland ditch the Mega Man series currently resides – I feel your pain Blue Bomber fans, *hugs*.
And now, available September 18, Capcom is literary boxing up a celebratory package fit for twenty-five memorable years of quarter-circle motions, saying “JAPAN!” (or any other country) in that loud announcer’s tone, and all those fun Saturday afternoon tournaments between you and your best buds.
Here it is in all its grand splendor, and boy, is it grand: the Street Fighter 25th Anniversary Collector’s Set. Priced at a hefty $149.99 USD, the set includes 15 discs in total, a glorious statue of poster-boy Ryu, and other fine Street Fighter-related extras that put the final touches on one of the most bodacious collector’s sets ever seen.
This is what potential buyers will get, detail by detail:
Games (your choice of either PlayStation 3 or Xbox 360)
– Street Fighter X Tekken (including all character and Swap Costume DLC)
– Super Street Fighter IV Arcade Edition (with all costume DLC)
– Super Street Fighter II Turbo HD Remix
– Street Fighter III: Third Strike Online Edition
Exclusive Video
– The two-disc Blu-Ray set includes a documentary that highlights the profound influence the franchise has had on fans – and vice versa – throughout the years.
– Street Fighter IV, Super SFIV anime movies
– All episodes of the Street Fighter animated series
– Street Fighter II: The Animated Movie
Light-up Ryu Statue
– A specially commissioned and highly-detailed collectable Ryu statue stands prominently at 8″ tall and features the iconic character in mid-Shoryuken, with flames lit from below.
11-Disc Soundtrack
– Street Fighter game music spanning the past 25 years, in addition to remixes and fan-created music inspired by past Street Fighter games.
64-page Hardcover Art Book
– A tribute to Street Fighter game fans from all over the world, the art book includes fan pieces submitted by professional and aspiring artists alike.
Ryu’s Belt
– Created to regulation specs, the full-size martial arts black belt is a replica of the one Ryu wears and even includes his classic “F?rinkazan” in kanji!
Certificate of Authenticity
– Each Collector’s Set comes individually numbered complete with a certificate of authenticity.
Along with the 25th Anniversary Collector’s Set announcement, Capcom also revealed its plans for a sponsored global tourney beginning in July, with upwards of $500,000 worth of cash to winners, plus a Street Fighter X Tekken top prize that gives away a brand new custom-designed Scion FR-S Sports Coupe.
- July 28-29 in Austin, TX
- August 11-12 in the NY area (location pending)
- August 26 in Taipei, Taiwan (location pending)
- Mid-September in the Tokyo Region, Japan (date and location pending)
- September 27-30 in London, England (in conjunction with Eurogamer Expo)
- October 13-14 in Sao Paulo, Brazil (in conjunction with Brazil Game Show)
- October 27-28 in Los Angeles, CA
- October 31 – November 4 in Paris, France (in conjunction with Paris Games Week)
- December 8 Finals in San Francisco, CA
Keep watch over at Capcom Unity or Streetfighter.com/sf25 for further information on these tournaments and to share your burning Street Fighter passion with other fans as the year-long festivities kick off for one of best video game series out there. Hey, what are some of your favorite Street Fighter moments? Are they as cool as these gigantic Warhammer 40,000 Space Marine costumes or these awesome villainous steampunk art images? Why don’t you stick with Walyou and find out!
