Yeah, but you know what I mean: The old games were one string of events. Minor retcons, sure, but still basically one on-going storyline:
SF1, SFA2, SFA3, SF2
With SF4, it is the first time where major events (that are not just what-if ending sequences) were removed completely.
In the new canon, Charlie being alive and well in SFA3 doesn’t count anymore.
A majority of SFA3 and SF2 has been made non-canon, but without there being a new version of these games.
In the SF4/SF5 canon, you don’t have a canon game SF2/SFA3 anymore. Therefore, the current canon consists of:
SF1
SFA2
Bits and pieces of information from SFA3 and SF2, but not the actual full games
SF4
SF5
So, if you go to “Super Street Fighter II Turbo” and ask: “What can you tell me about the canon story of this game?”, then I would ask you: “Do you want to hear about the old canon that this game actually belongs to? Or do you want to hear about the new SF4/SF5 canon where this game is not part of in its entirety anymore?”
In the old days, SF3 for example was an actual sequel to SF2. So, there was no different SF2 canon and SF3 canon.
But in the current days, you can decide:
Do you talk about the SF4 canon? In this case be aware that SF2 the game is not its prequel anymore.
Or are you a fan of SF2 and want to talk about this game? Then be aware that the events shown in this game and its prequel SFA3 present a completely different story that would not lead into the events of SF4.
Iirc the fighter is an unknown person who’s supposed to resemble Robert Garcia and Ryo Sakazaki. The intro is based off the artwork I previously posted that was made around the SF2 era, which was intended to poke fun at those two characters from SNK. Dan is actually a secret character for SFA, so to have an intro alluding to himself would be interesting.The intro itself is actually referencing artwork, which was eventually used as the design for Dan himself.
Really? Old SF2 texts emphasize it quite a bit. His whole “world domination” schtick has always been secondary to his lust to be the best fighter in the world. He doesn’t *just * scheme and plot and try to increase his Psycho Power - he also trains a lot (or at least he used to, circa SF2; post-SF2, he’s gotten more generic anime power villain in his style and demeanor, so perhaps he doesn’t physically train as much as he used to, though I would doubt he does zero training).
As an example, there was a tidbit about Bison’s training his kicking strength to the point that he was capable of launching a football (soccer ball to you yanks) 450 meters, which is about three football field lengths (i.e. insane).
This is also reflected in his fighting style. He’s not all energy punches - he has normal punches and, telling, has regular kick attacsk, including a number of signature kick attacks (Double Knee Press, Head Press, Knee Press Nightmare).
Yes, even if a game is non-canon, if it refers back to a canon game, the information about that canon game is usually canon. Just like Evil Ryu’s ending in SFA3: His character is a non-canon what-if character, but the ending shows a flashback to SF1, confirming that Sagat got his scar while yu was under the influence of the satsui no hado.
What I don’t understand, though: In “X-Men vs. Street Fighter” in Dhalsim’s ending, we see the picture from his SF2 ending where he stands with Bison and Sagat on the winners’ podium: http://www.vgmuseum.com/end/arcade/b/xmvsfdha.htm
You don’t see the characters here, but you can make out that it’s a podium.
In SF2, this made sense since his ending was the what-if ending if he had won the tournament. But how does this work in this game here? Does “X-Men vs. Street Fighter” play in a continuity where Dhalsim was the winner of SF2?
Funny detail: The same guy is still seen in SFA3 intros between Ryu and Sagat. So, if this is supposed to be Dan, then it doesn’t really make sense since SFA3 specifically mentions that Dan got his revenge against Sagat in the previous game (because Sagat let him win) and therefore he doesn’t seek out Sagat anymore.
If it’s a different person, then it’s strange that they use Dan’s sprite.
How eerie… I’ve been playing Bison since 1992 as well, from the very first moment I laid my white pupils on him, and played him in every game since regardless of tiers too. I also mained Dhalsim before CE…
Hmmmm, I’m sorry my friend but…
Just to clarify here, Evil Ryu’s flashback is not necessarily to SF1 but to his SFA3 midboss fight with Sagat. Sagat refused to fight him in this state but Evil Ryu forced the fight and beat Sagat. We also see Evil Ryu standing over the bodies of all his defeated foes in SFA3.
The SNH still is probably involved in Sagat’s SF1 defeat, regardless of this though.
Evil Ryu was disappointed by his mid-boss battle because Sagat didn’t fight with all of his power. Why is it this battle that he remembers when he thinks about the fact that his fist is soaked in blood? Obviously nothing particularly violent or intense happened in this fight.
The other scene with Evil Ryu is obviously just an abstract image since he didn’t literally fought all of those people in the same location, so that they could be piled up.
If the first scene is a flashback to SF1, those two scenes fit pretty well together anyway: The first scene is when the satsui no hado awakened for the first time in Ryu. And the second scene is a summary of what Ryu has become as of now, after he defeated Akuma.
So, if the first scene is a flashback to SF1, it is nice symbolism. If it is a flashback to the sub boss battle, then the image is pretty weak, showing a scene from such an unspectacular, disappointing and unimportant fight.
Also, wouldn’t it be a bit redundant if Sagat was defeated with a Sho-Ryu-Ken again?
You forgot to mention Capcom VS SNK. Gouki kills Vega when you meet certain criteira to face him…
Also, that trailer shows what happened AFTER SF2, not what happened during it’s end…
That’s EXACTLY what happens…
Back in 1994, if you face Gouki with one of those characters, their endings happens the same way just as if you only defeated Vega.
However, the japanese text quite changes in the beginning. For Cammy and Hawk there’s one added line, something like “How could I lose…?”, but for Guile… Guile asks what’s the meaning of all of this (him being defeated and he having to fight against Gouki), and Vega says that’s his end and to Guile finish him.
In SSF2X, Gouki never KILLED Vega, only defeated him with the SGS. This is reinforced in the SF3 Fanbook Q & A section where it mentions that Shadoloo and Vega are “alive and well” during SF3.
But…
When Zero 3 came out, Capcom wanted to finish Vega off for good by having him exploding in almost each ending.
Then in 1999, in Gamest #255 that covers 3rd Strike, there’s a character relation chart where it says that Gouki pulverized Vega’s body shortly before Ryu’s arrival… If Ryu was the tournament finalist or if he went to Vega to fight him without following the tournament rules or if he was drawn by Gouki’s SNH… it remains unknown.
@Daemos and @AriesWarlock
I’m terribly sorry that I had to stop scanning the SF2 Movie book. I’ll continue it ASAP.
That was mentioned in Hawk’s Zero 3 story. During his dialogue before his fight with Vega.
See, I don’t think that was the case here. Vega/Bison really foreshadowed his inevitable return. In almost every other ending you hear Bison saying that he is immortal, and that he will never die. In 2-3 endings he makes it undoubtedly clear that he will return after this body is destroyed, and in one ending we actually saw him take possession of Rose’s body. As a story teller, you don’t tease and hint stuff like that if you don’t intend to use it at sometime in the future. It is the same reason why I don’t think SFA2/A3 ever intended Charlie to be dead. They wanted to leave it open ended and hint to a possible return so that they can backtrack whenever they wanted.
Anyway, I don’t think Capcom wanted to ever finish off Dictator for good. The only time they might’ve was during the SF3 era, but like you said they backtracked on that during an interview and left it open ended instead.
No need to apologize btw, take your time with scans. <3
It’s a little more complicated than that.
In SFA/Z3, Bison had the foresight of knowing that his body was deteriorating. It was never outside the realm of plausibility that he had a contingency plan or two set up in case he doesn’t get Ryu’s body in time - Something he himself strongly implied. The change that happened in SF4 wasn’t a true retcon of SFA3, rather it was a continuation and clarification of the internal logic of that game. It was a retcon of SF2 though, but what isn’t a retcon of SF2?
