'I Am Street Fighter' documentary officially released online

Last year on August 30th, 2012, fans went up in arms and joined fellow gamers in celebrating one of the most groundbreaking video game franchises ever created. Thus, Capcom decided to hold an official celebration for “Street Fighter 25th Anniversary,” hosting tournaments in various locations worldwide and giving players a chance to participate and share their experiences by way of online contents and entry submission.

That being said, Capcom has officially released their documentary video of “I Am Street Fighter” online—a collection of history, details, and stories from the creators and fans who have made this beloved fighting game series what it is today and beyond.

It was previously released as part of the SF 25th Anniversary Collector’s set, but now it’s free to watch online for fans worldwide.

Originally released in 1987, the first Street Fighter was a simple fighting game that had players controlling a Japanese martial artist named Ryu as he set to conquer a global tournament filled with all sorts of combatants from across the globe.

Although it was one of the first games to demonstrate the potential of fighting games, Capcom struck gold only with Street Fighter II's release a few years later. With improved graphics and gameplay that featured special moves, addicting gameplay, and quarters thrown into arcade cabinets, the generation of Street Fighter truly began at this point.

As a result of the game’s popularity, Street Fighter II saw some rereleased and upgrades released in the months following its release. The series would not see a true sequel follow until after some time, and instead took a step back in the timeline by releasing a prequel series called Street Fighter Alpha (or Street Fighter Zero in Japan). The unique style of gameplay the franchise inspired led to several VS games and spinoffs in Capcom’s umbrella, such as the Marvel Vs Capcom and Darkstalkers line of fighting games. Finally, a true follow-up came with Street Fighter III, which was released in 1997 and featured main protagonists Ken and Ryu returning with a whole new cast of fighters. That as well saw its own line of upgraded rereleases, and it would be over a decade until Capcom would revisit the franchise anew, with the release of Street Fighter IV and its own subsequent upgrades.

A new upgrade, Ultra Street Fighter IV, has been announced for release on 2014. — VC, GMA News