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Title: Street fighter - the 60 second debate

The Street Fighter Series is undoubtedly CapCom's biggest selling videogame franchise. It was the first of its kind and set off a genre of one-on-one combat games.

The First Street Fighter was released in 1987 in Japan and although it wasn't very successful due to difficult controls, it gained popularity when it crossed over in America and on home computers. Street Fighter II was released in 1991 and was an instant success worldwide.

Ryu and Ken have been at the forefront of every Street Fighter game. Originally they were the same character other than the fact that Ryu was Japanese, wore a white karate suit and a head band, whereas Ken was an American blonde who wore red. Over time CapCom's designers have worked hard to provide them with different personalities.

They are both best known for their special techniques, the fireball (Hadoken), Dragon Punch (Shoryuken) and the Spinning Hurricane Kick. Initially these moves were hard for gamers to execute now they have become the blueprint for power moves and beat-em-up language within the genre.

2002 was the year CapCom celebrated Street Fighter's 15th year anniversary. Many of the fighters have become famous in their own right. A third sequel and a number of spin-offs have allowed them to face new challengers, including characters from the Marvel Comics Company. Fans are looking forward to the future of this incredible videogame saga.

Justin Archibald