Where do games go when they’re forgotten or left behind by fans and developers? That’s a good question and it’s one that’s been making gamer news as of late.
For example, one group of “nostalgia nerds,” per this Kotaku article, are working to make sure those long-lost games known as “abandonware” aren’t, well, lost forever. Those particular people, however, may be going about certain game resurrections illegally. And then there’s EFF, who is pursuing a similar route but in more legal terms. Slate reported that the goal is to help older online games find new life through exemptions that would allow players to keep enjoying Mario Kart Wii despite the fact Nintendo closed its servers for that game.
So what, then, of the other games? What about the ones that have been legally saved in some way? That’s where other groups and companies come in. And in the interest of keeping this article focused, I’m taking a look at one game in particular as I remember it well from my childhood and, to be blunt, have watched it turn into something almost entirely different. The game I’m referring to is Street Fighter II, one of the most important fighting games ever created (and my personal favourite in the series).
While some will argue that other games in the franchise have been good to great, few can come close to the perfection of SFII. From its characters to the balanced fighting and everything in between, it embodies everything you would want from a game that tasks you with beating your opponent to a bloody mess. And as a means of keeping the legacy of the second Street Fighter alive and well, its creator (Capcom) has moved in two interesting directions that go beyond porting it to new consoles.
First, you have the game’s adaptation in the world of online gaming. Namely, you can find an intriguing and wholly different, albeit true to the original, spin on SFII here at InterCasino. On this site, the classic fighter takes on the role of a slot machine, though it’s not your typical, standard fare. Sure, it looks like a straightforward slot game, but you’re also tasked with fighting with a specific character to take out the final boss (M. Bison). This may not be the SFII you loved and played in the arcade years ago, but it is an interesting approach to the game.
That being said, there is a way for you to play the game in its original form online—and it’s totally legal. The team behind the Internet Archive, which is basically a library for all things web-related, recently released their latest expansion into video games. It’s called the Internet Arcade, and it’s home to nearly 1,000 classic games from the 1970s through the 1990s. Among the slew of titles you’ll find Frogger, Mr. Do, and, yes, Street Fighter II. If the Internet Arcade is overwhelming at all—chances are it will be—there is an extremely useful guide on Armchair Arcade that breaks down exactly how to play one of the 900 games.