street fighter 2 arcade machine
Street Fighter 2, if you’re a certain age it’s an arcade game that you will almost certainly remember seeing for the first time. And so released in 1991, it pretty much single-handedly created a brand new one-on-one fighting genre. In addition to to the new control system with an unprecedented 6 action buttons, Street Fighter 2 spawned a whole new franchise. Namely involving 2 players effectively playing tic-tac-toe with each other, a battle of tactical ensues complemented by an array of special moves.
These days, fully dedicated Street Fighter 2 machines are almost impossible to source. This is due mainly to the fact that the arcade PCB was usually installed into generic JAMMA cabinet. For the most part unfortunately they didn’t last the test of time. But no need to worry, SF2 (and its many variants) can be played on most of our multi-game arcade cabinets. Along with 100s of other great titles so when buying one of our arcade machines you can be sure to get your SF2 fix – PERFECT!
All Bespoke Arcades machines come with Street Fighter 2 arcade. So which machine suits you best?
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Street Fighter 2 GT JAMMA Commercial Arcade Cabinet
Bespoke Arcades Premium Machines
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Apex Arcade Cabinets
View CollectionThe best-regarded, award winning classic compact 20” square-screen 2 player upright arcade machine. Fits anywhere.
- Fits Anywhere
- T3 Group Test Winner
- 4:3 Authentic Screen Size
- Great in any Living Space/Office
- Full 2-Player Panel
- Light Gun Compatible
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Evo Arcade Cabinets
View CollectionWhere past meets modern in the largest, most comfortable 28” widescreen 2 player upright arcade cab.
- Huge 28 " Widescreen
- Great for Classic and Modern Gaming
- Add Spinner & Trackball
- Awesome For Light-Gun Games
- As used by Capcom
- 4 Player Panel version available
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Synergy Arcade Cabinets
View CollectionThe ultimate 20” square screen classic compact tabletop.
- The Original Tabletop 20"
- 4:3 Ratio Screen
- Both Vertical & Horizontal panels
- Perfect for the living room
- Sleek, Elegant Design
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Synergy X Arcade Cabinets
View CollectionThe ultimate 28” widescreen modern larger tabletop.
- 28' Widescreen Display
- Easily Fit Trackballs & Spinners
- The Best Tabletop Money Can Buy
- Perfect for Modern & Classic Gaming
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Nu-Gen Arcade Cabinets
View CollectionOur modern Japanese-style 32” widescreen 2PL/4PL arcade machine with its smart curves and elegant design.
- Available in Sit-down and Stand-up models
- Massive 32" 4k Screen
- Perfect for 4 Player Gaming
- Huge 95cm Control Panel
- As Used For MK 10 & 11 Tournaments
- Often copied- never bettered
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Apex Racer Cabinet
View CollectionThe only Genuine arcade racer on the market with Real Arcade Controls!
- Real Happ Suzo Arcade Controls
- Meant for Arcade Racing
- Play All Your Favourites
- No Compromise In Quality
- Add A Light Gun For Extra Fun!
- Available in Play, Media & Elite
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GT Arcade Cabinets
View CollectionThe most versatile and budget-friendly cabinets on the market today.
- Available in stand-up, cocktail & coffee table styles
- 19” 4:3 HD MVA Screen + Arcade Game System
- Handmade in the UK to Highest Standard
- So Simple to Use – Just Plug and Play
By 1993, the franchise had earnt capcom $1.5 billion. By 2017, it was $10 billion thanks to over 14 million console copies sold worldwide
In short, Street Fighter 2 became the biggest hit in not only the arcades but across the home console arena. The killer game made parents cry when in 1991 they were pestered into shelling out £120. Equivalent to over £250 in 2019, this was for the Super Nintendo title alone. However we witnessed a near perfect conversion which complemented the release of the SNES console admirably.
At the time, Final Fight had commercial success in the United States. And so Capcom were reluctant to work on the concept with only 35-40 developers on board. The project took 2 years to complete.
With attention to the resolution of 384 x 224- Capcom squeezed the most out of the CPS-1 hardware. Especially revolutionary for the time. Coupled with cost cutting measures – each CPS-1 game mounts on a system board which is cross compatible with other CPS-1 titles.
In particular, notable classic Capcom titles on the CPS-1 board includes the likes of Strider, Forgotten Worlds, Mercs, Ghouls ‘n Ghosts and U.N Squadron.
* We made some arcade machines for Capcom back in 2013
Other classic Capcom titles on the CPS-1 board includes the likes of...
Subsequently the Street Fighter 2 arcade machine had many firsts including adding perspective on the floor. For the time being, most games of the time had only 2 or 3 layers of scrolling. The sprites were huge and balletic. Particularly new was the ability to string together special moves and combos (which was discovered by accident apparently).
There was another first- the need for a “Kick Harness”. JAMMA- (a wiring configuration allowing game boards to be swapped around. Therefore this new standard allowed the arcade boards to act like large game cartridges. The standard JAMMA connector only came with 4 fire buttons, so another 2 had to be added.
Subsequently Capcom entered the home living room market off the back of Street Fighter 2 arcade machine’s success. So they therefore released the CPS Changer system. Basically a “Supergun” (a system to run JAMMA boards). Incidentally, Super Nintendo pads were also compatible. Together with the pad compatibility, they manufactured their own 6 button joystick (one of which we have in a display cabinet in our showroom!).
Every single character in the Street Fighter 2 arcade roster is a winner with their playable style, benefits and flaws. Thereby now ingrained in popular culture.
The Original 8 Street Fighter 2 Arcade Characters
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As a rule- the most recognisable character in Street Fighter 2. Characterised by his bare feet and sleeveless white karate uniform.
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Together with Ryu, Ken Masters was the 2nd playable character in the original Street Fighter arcade. Subsequently trained under the same master. To summarize, he’s Ryu’s clone but became his own distinct character as time went on.
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At first he was originally named “Sumo” and crowned Yokozuna. He’s famous for his crushing “hundred hand slap”. Later, his moves were tweaked in Super Street Fighter 2 and Hyper Fighting.
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The only female character in the original roster. What she lacked in strength, she certainly made up for with her lightning speed in moving, hitting and of course kicking.
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The green jungle beast was originally Jimmy, however was involved in a plane accident. Therefore he was added to the character list as an all human roster was thought to be a bit boring.
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Originally monikered “Vodka Gobalsky and trained by wrestling Polar Bears”, Zangief is unique within the original 8 in the way he has no projectile moves, relying on close quarters wrestling.
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Guile enters the competition so he can avenge his pal Charlie. In essence he is a defensive character with one of the best “zoning” characteristics – being able to keep a distance and control the play.
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A pacifist fighting to raise funds for his village. Conversely, he has perhaps the most fantastical abilities out of the playable characters. Teleportation and telescopic limbs make for a highly interesting experience.
The Bosses
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A former disgraced boxer he joined Bison’s cronies. Moreover a similarity in looks with the best boxer of the time – Mike Tyson – cannot be denied. Thus- all 6 buttons act as punches for Balrog, unlike the traditional 3 punch, 3 kick layout.
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Of noble Catalonian birth, his fighting style is half Ninjitsu and half bullfighting. Consequently Vega is the only character to fight with a weapon as standard and whose speed/stealth around the arena is matched only by Chun-Li.
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Originally the boss character of Street Fighter, “The King” of Muay Thai was demoted. Sagat has always been considered as one of the strongest characters whose immense power was lessened in later iterations.
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Driven by “Psycho Power”, M. Bison is your archetypal end of game boss. Devoid of any essence of humanity – his “good” is transferred to Street Figher Alpha’s “Rose” so she got all his good energy. He’s evil incarnate and is always hard to kill in the final battle.
The New Challengers
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She is from the UK but has a murky past. Cammy is said to be a brainwashed former lover of Bison and in another timeline she’s created from Bison’s DNA. Her character is similar to Fei-Long. Lacking a projectile move – the player is either in close quarters combat or from a distance using her special moves to close in. **Check out an Atomiswave title called “Cannon Spike” featuring our Cammy and Charlie – great side-scrolling shooter 🙂
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Originally (and perhaps insensitively) named “Geronimo”, T.Hawk’s tribe had been run off their ancestral home by Bison and Shadoloo so seeks revenge. There’s a bittersweet ending as he regains his land however its been pillaged and decrees to restore it. He’s in the same weight category as the larger characters like Zangief, however he’s much quicker.
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An obvious homage to the legend Bruce Lee (whose name in Chinese next translated to “Flying Dragon”) The English version further pays tribute with the character stating “there could never be another legend like the great one and his son” He is perhaps regarded as the favourite of the four newer characters with a similar style to the UK’s own Cammy.
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Based on real life kickboxer Billy Blanks he received a mixed reception, some saying he was racially stereotypical. His track suit trousers were originally meant to say “Mantis”, but was changed to “Maximum” as the mirror image of the text is identical (when he’s facing the other way). He is a good all round character to play with and can adapt to many styles of play.
Street Fighter 2 Arcade Machine Revisions
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Champion Edition (April 1992)
The first revisions feature the changes we were all waiting for at the time – the ability to choose the same character and we could also finally play as the bosses. The speed was tweaked a tad and our favourite duo Ryu and Ken are altered to make them differ a little more.
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Hyper Fighting (December 1992)
Some people say this version was made to combat the inordinate amount of bootlegs flooding the market. This is the fastest (official) version of the game and is geared for competitive play featuring further balancing of the characters along with new colour schemes. The original roster of 8 characters also get a special move each.
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The New Challengers (October 1993)
With The New Challengers comes a new motherboard- the CPS-2. We’re granted another four characters to choose from, new scenery, intro, colour palettes and further meddling with the gameplay to fine tune things a little more. A major first is the new scoring system which takes into account combos, reversals and preliminary attacks.
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Turbo (April 1994)
This builds on the previous version allowing for choice of speed and major changes in the gameplay. Many new gameplay firsts were introduced such as Super Combos and much more which makes this the definitive version for competitive gaming. The icing on the cake is the once mythical “Sheng Long” makes an appearance (under the right conditions) as Akuma.
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The Anniversary Edition (Dec 2003)
With Super Street Fighter 2 released almost a decade before- this celebratory release was limited to only a few territories and allowed you to choose from various versions of the characters throughout the many iterations.
Taking Street Fighter 2 arcade emulation up another level
Thanks to later versions of MAME, we can tailor make the visual experience to suit our own tastes. Using the extra graphics card on our Media and Elite, advanced hardware generated effects can be used to make the screen appear more akin to the original 90’s arcade monitor.
One of the biggest arguments we rage about at our workshop is whether to have scan lines (which also emulate the Red, Green and Blue pixellation of an original arcade monitor). Screen curvature can also be simulated like an original CRT arcade monitor. Some of us love the original effects whereas some prefer a cleaner, crisper SF2 experience – with our arcade machines the choice is now yours!
On top of this, you can add a high definition bezel (the graphic which surrounds the screen) particularly handy for our Evo or Nu-Gen models. This adds that extra element of the game’s individuality if this is something that you like.
On a Bespoke Arcades Machine you will be pleased to hear all our machines come with Street Fighter 2 Champion Edition as standard. This is thanks to Hanaho Volume 1 which comes with your arcade machine. The other variants are included via our Retro Cloud ™ software which comes preinstalled on your arcade machine.
Simply connect to your home wi-fi network, launch Retro Cloud and choose which version you would like to play- it downloads it in seconds and you’re playing.
Once the game has launched- the file is deleted, you can change this option however so you can play offline. You can play the entire Street Fighter collection via the arcade section as well as thousands more games across the seminal eras of cartridge based gaming.
Original Street Fighter 2 JAMMA Board Replica Arcade Machine
At Bespoke Arcades we are proud hoarders of all things JAMMA and have amassed an impressive collection. We manufacture replicas using the original arcade board- all serviced and tip-top and can have a brand new identical facsimile of your favourite arcade using up to date modern parts. Street Fighter 2 primarily came in a kit form, so there is no definitive Street Fighter 2 arcade machine there (unlike Pac-Man and Donkey Kong for example). We can even add scan lines on a current display with the original JAMMA board for that close as possible gameplay using 21st century parts (except the JAMMA board of course.
Contact us for a stock list and we can make your arcade collection look brand spanking new!