Line #16 VideoGame/StreetFighterEX


1	[[quoteright:300:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/street_fighter_ex_flyer_large_2386.jpg]]
2	[[caption-width-right:300:This is how fans see the relationship between Capcom and Arika.]]
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4	In 1996, ''Street Fighter EX'' was developed by Creator/{{Arika}} and published by Creator/{{Capcom}} as an attempt to bring the normally 2D ''Franchise/StreetFighter'' series into true 3D. The game saw the return of Ryu, Ken, Chun-Li, Guile (in his first game since ''[[VideoGame/StreetFighterII Super Street Fighter II Turbo]]''), Zangief, Akuma and M. Bison. [[CanonForeigner New characters]], who are fully owned by Arika, were also added. These characters include:
5	* Hokuto, Japanese Kobujutsu master and archer
6	* Cracker Jack (just Jack in later installments), American bouncer
7	* Doctrine Dark, AxCrazy German mercenary
8	* Skullomania, Japanese salaryman turned hero
9	* Pullum Purna, Saudi princess
10	* Allen Snider, American ex-Karate champ
11	* Blair Dame, Monegasque {{Ojou}} and socialite
12	* Kairi, the long-lost amnesiac brother of Hokuto.
13	* Darun Mister, Indian pro wrestler
14	* Garuda, demon samurai
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16	Two [[UpdatedRerelease Updated Re-releases]] were created as ''Street Fighter EX Plus'', adding dark versions of Ryu (Evil Ryu) and Hokuto (Bloody Hokuto), and Cycloid-β (Beta) and Cycloid-γ (Gamma), two cyborg {{Ditto Fighter}}s with no faces (Gamma's a wireframe). Platform/PlayStation-exclusive ''Street Fighter EX Plus α'' added familiar faces Dhalsim and Sakura.
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18	The game played similar to ''VideoGame/StreetFighterAlpha'', but with the addition of sidestepping (albeit only as an aesthetic element of certain specials; unlike, say, ''Franchise/{{Tekken}}'', it was not a universal mechanic), [[UnblockableAttack guard-breaking attacks]] that make the opponent temporarily dizzy, and special moves and Super Combos [[LagCancel that can be cancelled into other Super Combos]].
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20	In 1998, ''Street Fighter [=EX2=]'' was released and added Excel Combos ("Excel" being an abbreviation for "'''Ex'''tra Can'''cel'''"), Custom Combos similar to the ones seen in the ''Alpha'' series. This game also marked the first time that a ''Street Fighter'' game within its own sub-series [[PutOnABus removed characters from the roster]] as Akuma, Sakura, M. Bison, Cycloid β, Cycloid γ, Pullum, Darun, Allen, and Blair were cut. In their place came ''Street Fighter II'' veterans Blanka and Vega and four newcomers:
21	* Hayate, Japanese [[MasterSwordsman swordsman]]
22	* Sharon, French (?) secret agent [[TheGunslinger gunslinger]]
23	* Nanase, Hokuto's staff-wielding sister
24	* Shadowgeist, masked [[AntiHero anti-hero]]
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26	''Street Fighter [=EX2=] Plus'' brought back Pullum, Darun, and Bison and then added Ryu's rival Sagat, Area (a young inventor with a giant mechanical arm), and Vulcano Rosso ([[LiteralMetaphor fiery]] Italian fighter). Hayate was dropped from the arcade version of ''[=EX2=] Plus'', but returned for the [=PlayStation=] version. ''[=EX2=] Plus'' also added [[LimitBreak Meteor Combos]], a precursor to the Ultra Combo system later introduced in ''VideoGame/StreetFighterIV''. Aside from Super Cancels, ''[=EX2=]'' allowed for Super Combos to be [[LagCancel cancelled into]] a Guard Break (Cancel Break, which could then be followed up by another Super Cancel if the player had enough/infinite meter) or a Meteor Combo (if the game allowed the player at the time to have infinite super meter or more than three bars).
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28	In 2000, ''Street Fighter [=EX3=]'' came out exclusively for the Platform/PlayStation2. A TagTeam and Dramatic Battle system was added, complete with various new gameplay mechanics such as [[CombinationAttack Meteor Tag Combos]]. Everyone from ''Street Fighter [=EX2=] Plus'' (except Hayate) returned, as did Sakura from ''Street Fighter EX Plus α''. Ace, the sole new character for the game, was a character that could have [[PowerCopying moves from other fighters]] [[AllYourPowersCombined added to his move list]] at the player's discretion. Guard Breaks were replaced by the somewhat similar Surprise Blow, losing their unblockable properties but able to stun crouching opponents, floor airborne ones, and [[ScratchDamage inflict chip damage]] as well as costing no meter to use, while Momentary Combos, two special inputs for each character allowing them to cancel from one special move to another unique special with the press of a precisely timed single punch or kick, were added. The Excel from ''Street Fighter [=EX2=] Plus'' was essentially replaced with the [[CombinationAttack Critical Parade]], a new mechanic added to ''Street Fighter [=EX3=]'' wherein the standby character in a partner match would join their teammate and both characters could use unlimited Super Combos for a brief period of time, not unlike the Duo Team Attack from ''VideoGame/MarvelVsCapcomClashOfSuperHeroes''.
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30	In 2011, [[http://www.fightersgeneration.com/np8/arika-fightingsample.png screenshots]] and [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7Nxb-mcn6wg gameplay footage]] of a test project for the Platform/Nintendo3DS known as ''Fighting Sample'' (alternatively, ''Project EX'') featured [[CanonForeigner (some of) the cast]] of the ''EX'' series. However, this only proved to be a tech demo of sorts, and Arika currently has no plans to make it into an actual game. On September 19, 2016, Capcom [[http://game.capcom.com/cfn/sfv/column-130853.html released a profile and artwork on Darun Mister]] which also mentioned Pullum Purna and connected him to the plot of ''VideoGame/StreetFighterV''.
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32	[[SequelGap In 2017]], Arika [[https://twitter.com/miharasan/status/847840152223268864 announced]] a follow-up to ''Street Fighter EX'' and its [[SpiritualSuccessor loose spin-off]] ''VideoGame/FightingLayer'' under the WorkingTitle (later made the official title) of ''VideoGame/FightingEXLayer'' [[note]]as it incorporates a mix of gameplay mechanics from both titles, such as the Guard Breaks of ''Street Fighter EX'' and sidestepping and walled arenas from ''Fighting Layer'' (though the 3D elements would be removed in later stages of development); despite this, it is colloquially known by many fans as "''Street Fighter [=EX4=]''"[[/note]] with [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o2x8c-RFGnA gameplay footage]] to show off. The announcement, [[MilestoneCelebration meant to celebrate Arika's extended 20th anniversary]] [[note]]the company was founded in 1995[[/note]], came on AprilFoolsDay, [[DidntThinkThisThrough leading many to initially believe it was a joke]]. Others thought the game looked [[OverlyPrePreparedGag way too real and polished]] to possibly be a joke (explained in part [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IuXXbQJHqgc#t=2m27s here]]), and as it turned out, [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U1UShcCfcl4 the game was indeed playable]] and was even [[http://shoryuken.com/2017/03/31/its-real-check-out-arikas-livestream-of-their-new-street-fighter-exfighting-layer-based-fighter/ live]][[http://www.fightersgeneration.com/screens2/arika-sfex-april2017.htm streamed]] [[https://pvplive.net/c/arika-confirms-new-fighting-game-for-20th-annivers later that day]] at [[https://www.facebook.com/co.arika/posts/1334036619965033 a promotional exhibition event-slash-location test]] featuring Arika staff members and notable ''Street Fighter'' player [[UsefulNotes/FGCAces Ryota "Kazunoko" Inoue]]. (According to Akira's vice president Ichiro Mihara, the development of ''Fighting EX Layer'' being hidden for so long was, in fact, the joke.) At EVO 2017, the game was confirmed to be under development for the Platform/PlayStation4 with a simultaneous launch in 2018.
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34	----
35	!!Tropes distinct to, or introduced in, this game:
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37	* TwoAndAHalfD: Contrary to popular belief, and much like ''[[VideoGame/StreetFighterIV IV]]'' would do years down the road, the combat system remained strictly 2D, the only changes being the 3D polygonal models and certain moves taking advantage of more dynamic camera angles as opposed to being set purely on a 2D plane.
38	* BlindIdiotTranslation: The original game had Blair's nameplate under the life gauge spelled as "[[JapaneseRanguage Brair]]." Also the original game misspelled the gauge as "GAGE." This was corrected in the ''Plus'' update.
39	* {{Bowdlerize}}: The blood from Garuda's attacks was removed from the U.S. version.
40	* TheBusCameBack:
41	** Sakura was exclusive to ''EX Plus α'' [[LongBusTrip until]] she was brought back in ''[=EX3=]''.
42	** Bison, Pullum, and Darun were retired in ''[=EX2=]'' before they returned in ''[=EX2=] Plus''.
43	** As far as alternative version of characters go, Evil Ryu and Bloody Hokuto were completely absent for ''[=EX2=]'' and ''[=EX2=] Plus'', only returning in the third installment (Evil Ryu as a SecretCharacter again, Bloody Hokuto as [[CompositeCharacter part of her regular form's moveset]]).
44	* TheCameo: For reasons known only to Arika, the background texture of Bison's stage in the third game has a low-resolution picture of Creator/MrT.
45	* CanonForeigner: The characters introduced in this series belong to Arika. In ''Street Fighter [=EX2=]'', they retconned the backstories of most of the new characters to distance them from the canon characters, while Blair and Allen were actually included in a non-Capcom, Arika-developed fighting game titled ''VideoGame/FightingLayer'' that never left the arcade. An interview with Seth Killian states that both Capcom and Arika own the ''EX'' characters, and that the only reason why a new ''EX'' game hasn't been made was Capcom's wish to have Arika make it happen.
46	* CanonImmigrant: As of ''VideoGame/StreetFighterV'', it's revealed on Capcom's CFN website that [[spoiler:Zangief gave his Chess Piece to Darun Mister to keep safe]]. The CFN website has since added other characters from the ''EX'' series, implying that while their game of origin has no place in the ''Street Fighter'' canon, the characters themselves are still a part of the ''Street Fighter'' universe, even if they never show up as playable characters again.
47	* CombinationAttack: The [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_gcSlEaLg4w Meteor Tag Combos]] from ''[=EX3=]''.
48	* EasterEgg:
49	** ''EX Plus α'' [[http://strategywiki.org/wiki/Street_Fighter_EX/Secrets#Character_quirks was swarming with them]], ranging from an alternative version of Hokuto dressed as a {{Miko}} to Ryu's headband continually growing larger after winning five consecutive matches to C. Jack's aluminum baseball bat to Akuma's prayer beads breaking apart and flying off of him if struck by a Super Combo.
50	** ''[=EX3=]'', upon either completing Original Mode eight times with Sakura on Normal/Hard or earning all of the bronze medals, provides the option of having Sakura featured as the announcer of your matches.
51	* FictionalCountry: If the map in vanilla ''[=EX2=]'' is any indication, every stage in the game is set in a fictitious country meant to stand in for a real life one. Stranger still is the fact that ''Street Fighter'' heavily features real life locations, with most of the characters (''EX'' cast included) explicitly hailing from an actual nation.
52	* GaidenGame: Where this series is generally assumed to fit within the larger ''SF'' canon, with theories abounding that it's specifically a sidestory to ''Alpha'' and/or ''II''. In fact, the working title of the first game was actually ''Street Fighter Gaiden''.
53	* GratuitousEnglish:
54	** Various characters aside, ''[=EX3=]'' featured the mildly Engrishy '''[[ItemGet YOU GOT MEDAL]]''' when obtaining medals in Original Mode.
55	** Even the naming conventions for some of the music aren't safe. Take Garuda, for instance. In ''EX'' and ''[=EX3=]'', his theme is entitled "Stronger." That's not bad by any means, but his ''[=EX2=]'' boss theme and ''[=EX3=]'' Original Mode mid-boss theme are respectively "More Stronger" and "Great Stronger" as opposed to "Even Stronger," "More Strong," "Strongest," etc.
56	* LagCancel:
57	** One of the ''EX'' series' claims to fame is the ability to, by default, chain multiple Super Combos into one another for big damage so long as the player has enough meter to burn. On the rare occasions players are provided with infinite meter (such as after the second Bonus Game in ''[=EX2=] Plus'') or more than three bars (such as when [[TeamSpirit Emotional Flow]] activates in ''[=EX3=]''), this can lead to some [[DeathOfAThousandCuts truly ludicrous]] combos, sometimes capped off with a Super Cancel into a [[LimitBreak Meteor Combo]]!
58	** Guard Breaks in ''[=EX2=]'', in addition to [[ExactlyWhatItSaysOnTheTin breaking an opponent's guard]] and being able to [[LauncherMove juggle airborne foes]], can be used to cancel normal and super moves alike in what is known as a Cancel Break.
59	* LimitBreak: The Meteor Combos, introduced in ''[=EX2=] Plus''.
60	* MiniGameCredits:
61	** The practice session in ''[=EX2=] Plus'' with a Cycloid after winning the fight over M. Bison.
62	** Beating up random {{Mooks}} in ''[=EX3=]''.
63	* MovesetClone:
64	** Three sets: the ex-Trope Namers Ryu and Ken, Allen and Kairi ([[{{Shotoclone}} who are similar to Ryu and Ken]]), Zangief and Darun.
65	** A case can also be made for Skullomania and Shadowgeist, the later of whom made his debut in the second game.
66	** Downplayed with Sharon, who was introduced in ''[=EX2=]'' as [[SuspiciouslySimilarSubstitute a replacement of sorts]] for Blair, though she had only a few of Blair's techniques and additionally used firearms. They'd {{diverge\|ntCharacterEvolution}} further in ''VideoGame/FightingEXLayer'' (the first time both women were present on the same roster), Blair focusing more on her [[KickChick kicking combinations]] and Sharon focusing more on [[TheGunslinger gunslinging]] outside of Super Combos.
67	* PromotedToPlayable: Bison II, the TrueFinalBoss of ''[=EX2=] Plus'', returned in the third game as a SecretCharacter, though he's only usable in Original Mode. True Bison (aka Final Bison from ''VideoGame/StreetFighterAlpha 3'') would take over as that game's (unplayable) TrueFinalBoss.
68	* PutOnABus: Aside of the characters mentioned in TheBusCameBack above...
69	** Akuma, Allen, and Blair in all the entries after ''EX Plus α''; the latter two were dropped due to Arika including them as {{Guest Fighter}}s in the Namco-published ''VideoGame/FightingLayer'', though neither returned for ''[=EX2=] Plus'' or ''[=EX3=]'', which released after ''Fighting Layer''. Akuma's exclusion is not entirely clear, although it's possible that Arika preferred to keep Garuda and Kairi in in his place, making Akuma irrelevant. [[note]]Akuma and Garuda are basically [[TheDreaded the same type of character]] while Kairi is the {{Shotoclone}} closest in function to Akuma (including a Raging Demon-style move in the form of the Kyoja Renbu), to the point [[CompositeCharacter that he gained a few more of Akuma's moves]] (notably an Ashura Senku equivalent in the Makuu Shihai) in ''[=EX2=]'' to coincide with Akuma's departure.[[/note]]
70	** Hayate was retired from the arcade version of ''[=EX2=] Plus'' in order to get around a ban in South Korea that prevented the depiction of samurai-like characters in media, but the [=PS1=] port brought him back as an unlockable fighter. He would not return for ''[=EX3=]'', however.
71	** The Cycloids first appeared in ''EX Plus'' and only returned for ''EX Plus α''; their DittoFighter shtick would be subsumed and expanded upon by [[AllYourPowersCombined Ace]] in ''[=EX3=]''.
72	** As far as bosses and mid-bosses go, [[RedAndBlackAndEvilAllOver Shin Garuda]] made his one and only appearance in ''EX Plus α'' as the TrueFinalBoss.
73	* {{Retcon}}: The original backstories for most of the new characters featured ties to numerous established ''Street Fighter'' characters (Hokuto is a student of the Bushin school of ninjutsu, Doctrine Dark was a former subordinate of Guile who was injured by Rolento, Jack is a former Shadaloo enforcer, Allen lost to Ken once, Pullum Purna's family has ties to Shadaloo and Darun is a rival to both Zangief and [[VideoGame/SaturdayNightSlamMasters Victor Ortega]]). In ''Street Fighter [=EX2=]'', all of these backstories were rewritten to downplay and even contradict these connections (such as claiming that Hokuto and Kairi's school is known as the Mizukami style and that Doctrine Dark's insanity was due to him being raised as a child mercenary) once it was established that Arika owned all of the new characters. Capcom's CFN website would later take elements from both backstories, i.e. saying Hokuto is descended from Bushin ninjas as well as being an heir to the Mizukami clan.
74	* SharedUniverse: With ''VideoGame/FightingLayer''.
75	* {{Shotoclone}}: Ryu, Ken, Sakura, Akuma, Allen, and Kairi. DivergentCharacterEvolution between them mostly began in the second game, although Allen was unique from the start with the inclusion of kickboxing moves, his Justice Fist (which could [[AttackReflector deflect projectiles]]), and two command throws. On the other hand, Kairi mostly played like a more balanced Akuma at first, although with Akuma's [[PutOnABus absence]] starting in ''[=EX2=]'', Kairi essentially ''became'' Akuma. [[labelnote:However...]]He did have his own odd quirks, such as his projectile not being thrown like a typical Hadoken (instead appearing onscreen and staying there for about half a second, its distance being gauged by the strength of the punch button used) and the [[KamehameHadoken Shouki Hatsudou]], a [[LimitBreak Meteor Combo]] [[HPToOne that brought his health down to a tiny sliver]] and [[DeathOrGloryAttack was best used as a finisher]].[[/labelnote]]
76	* SituationalDamageAttack: Cracker Jack's Final Punch is a ChargedAttack using three punch/kick buttons; depending on how long you charged it, it can deal low to massive damage (more than half a life bar, even). As Jack's moveset is lifted almost wholesale from [[VideoGame/StreetFighterII Balrog]], the Final Punch is his answer to Balrog's Turn Punch.
77	* SkeletonMotif: Skullomania wears a full body suit that has a skeleton painted over his whole body. Subverted in that not only he's a hero, he's a clear-cut and rather silly one as well, with ''[=EX2=]'' onward turning him into a full-on {{Toku}} hero pastiche.
78	* SpriteMirroring: Averted; all the characters are 3D models.
79	* TagTeam: In ''[=EX3=]''.
80	* TeamSpirit: With ''[=EX3=]''[='s=] partner matches, if one character is defeated, their accumulated Super Combo Gauge will be transferred to the remaining teammate in what is known as Emotional Flow. At this point, the second character will now be able to hold up to six bars of super meter as opposed to the normal three.
81	* UnblockableAttack: The Guard Break. In ''[=EX3=]'', this was replaced by the Surprise Blow, which no longer cost super meter, but can be blocked (albeit for minor [[ScratchDamage chip damage]]). It still stuns the opponent, but only if they are crouching; if it successfully strikes a midair opponent, they'll immediately be knocked to the ground instead of how Guard Breaks [[LauncherMove would pop them up into the air for a juggle]].

Context VideoGame / StreetFighterEX