Street Fighter Week: The evolution of Chun-Li and Blanka

Table of Contents
Street Fighter II|Alpha series|Street Fighter III|EX series|Marvel vs. Capcom series|SNK vs. Capcom series|SF: The Movie and Gem Fighter|Sprite comparison|SSFIITHDR and Street Fighter IV|Comics and cosplay|Film, figures, and more

Street Fighter EX Series - 1996 - 2000

The EX series was Street Fighter's first foray into 3D, developed by Arika.It received mixed feelings from critics, and was not abig success in the arcades, the popularity of which was waning after the initial Street Fighter II excitement.Street Fighter EX is a typical early 3D fighter - polygon vomit.

Above: Chun-Li in EX Plus Alpha

Despite the ugly in-game graphics, the character art isn't hard on the eyes. This depiction of Blanka (right)is, in our opinion, a much better rendition than seen in the Alpha series.

Blanka'sin-game look, however, is once again typical of early 3D games.Despite containing updated graphics, EX 2didn't represent a massive improvement for the characters, as apparent in the screen below.

Above: A bunch of green polygons from EX 2 Plus

Street Fighter EX 3, on the other hand, was part of the "next generation" of 3D games after EX 1 and 2, and was ported to the PlayStation 2. Some critics felt that, regardless of its improvements, it couldn't stand up to other early PS2 fighters, like Tekken Tag Tournament.

This is not a particularly grand step forward in Blanka and Chun-Li's evolution, except that it is the precursor to Street Fighter IV's "3D rendered" style, which is obviously significantly smoother and more detailed.