REVIEW:StreetFighter EX was co-produced by Capcom and Arika (who actually still owns therights to some of the characters), and was the first Street Fighter titletofeature 3D graphics. An upgraded version of SFEX was released about 4 months after theoriginal, entitled Street Fighter EX Plus, whichauto-unlocked the time release characters and also made Garuda & M. Bisonplayable. This version later released for the PlayStation in 1997, dubbed StreetFighter EX Plus Alpha. The PS1 version added EvilRyu, an alternate version of Hokuto known as "Bloody Hokuto," and twocyborgs: Cycloid β and Cycloid γ.
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| Welcome to Street Fighter EX... Shoryuken still works! |
Even though EX features 3D graphics, the gameplay remains traditional,with the action taking place on a 2D planelike all of the prequels. Special and super moves are also done in thetried-and-true fashion, and a three-tiered Super Gauge is present, allowingvarious levels of super moves. EX also offers a few uniquegameplay elements, such as: Super Cancels (for longer and more devastating combos)and Guard Breaks which makes the receiving character dizzy for a brief moment,leaving them susceptible to a damaging combo or super move.
Street Fighter EX is famous for "controversially" bringing Capcom's trademark 2D fightinggame franchise into 3D for the first time ever. With many fighting games in themid-late 90's "going 3D," Capcom clearly wanted to keep up with thetimes. However, Capcom was still a major player in the traditional 2D realm,with their Street Fighter Alpha and Street Fighter III seriesstill going strong. While it was interesting to finally see some of the classiccharacters with 3D rending, the overall gameplay and graphics didn't comewithout some major flaws.
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| Street Fighter EX character selection screen. |
The infamous "blocky"character models and grainy textures really didn't do the Street Fightercharacters the justice they deserve; and for some Street Fighter fans, it was a rather depressing sight to see some of our favorite fightinggame characters turned into scary "block monsters". 
The "infinite" backgrounds which outlined a flat square ring alsoresembled several of the popular 3D fighting games of the time, such as Tekken3 and Battle Arena Toshinden 3 (and quite frankly, they were doingthe effect better).Now that that's out of the way, I can talk about the positive aspects ofthe game. For starters, the animation and "ouch factor" certainly wasn't bad for the time.Also, the artwork(done by one of my favorite artists, Edayan) is definitely top stuff... anddefinitely helps out the overall visuals and art direction of Street FighterEX. The quality production value also shines through SFEX's kick-asssoundtrack. "Replacing" the iconic SF2 tunes with new onescould've been a disaster, but SFEX's brand new BGMs are brilliantlycomposed, and breathe new life into Street Fighter. Even 15+ years afterSFEX's release, the awesome soundtrack of this game lives on!
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| Great impact and "ouch factor" for the PS1 days! |
Street Fighter EX brought some interesting newcharacters to the series, each showing off someuniquely entertaining special & super moves. However, and unfortunately, many of the basicpriority attacks are shared among ALL characters, downgrading themuch-appreciated "diversity" of the play styles. 
Thankfully, all of the super moves in EX are character exclusive, and alsopresent some pretty entertaining "ouch factor"... which was probably the best visual aspectof the game. Those big attacks (and even smaller attacks) definitely hurt a lotwhen they connect, which is one of my pet peeves when it comes to fightinggames.Another positive aspect of the game, Street Fighter EX presents somepretty cool combo possibilities. A few ofwhich are arguably frustratingly hard to pull off on a regular basis, andthankfully, the homeversion includes an innovative (and fun) Command Training mode. This mode allowsplayers to perform all of thestaple special moves, combos, and requires players to perform every combo tofully clear it(which is a fun playthrough). 
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| The OST "Precious Heart" looking a bit out of place next to... Akuma. |
TheJapanese version of Street Fighter EX contains text-only epilogues which are displayedon-screen after the player defeats M.Bison in the single-player mode. ThePlayStation version features new epilogues (different from the ones featured inthe arcade versions) in addition to some pretty cool FMV endings. All in all, EX was a solidconsole fighting game for the time, but in some ways didn't live up to what many fansexpected out of the Street Fighter series.
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Page Updated: April 17th, 2024 Developer(s): Arika Publisher(s): Arika, Capcom Artwork by: Bengus, Edayan, Dai-chan Platform(s): Arcade, PlayStation Release Date(s): Nov. 1996 Arcade
Mar. 1997 Arcade - EX plus A update
July 1997 PS1 - as Street Fighter EX Plus AlphaCharacters: Ryu,Ken Masters,ChunLi, Dhalsim,Guile,Zangief,Sakura Kasugano,Kairi,Allen Snider,Blaire Dame,Hokuto,Skullomania, Pullum,Darun Mister,CrackerJack, Doctrine Dark, Akuma,Garuda,EvilRyu, M. Bison, Cycloid β, Cycloidγ Featured Video:
Related Games: Street Fighter EX2,Street Fighter EX3, Fighting Layer, Fighting EX Layer, Street Fighter 6, Street Fighter V, Street Fighter 4, Super SF4, Ultra SF4, StreetFighter, Street Fighter 2, SF2: CE,SF2 Turbo, Super SF2,SSF2T, SSF2T: Revival,SFIII: New Generation,SFIII: 2nd Impact, StreetFighter Alpha, SFA2, SFA3, SFA3 Upper,SFA3 Max, SFA Anthology, SF Anniversary Collection, SF:The Movie,Super Gem Fighter, Pocket Fighter, Samurai Shodown 64, Mortal Kombat 4, Star Wars: Masters of Teras Kasi, Fatal Fury: Wild Ambition, KOF: Maximum Impact, Final Fight: Revenge, Tobal 2, Tekken 3, Battle Arena Toshinden 3, Soul Blade, Bushido Blade, Rival Schools, Groove On Fight
GameplayEngine 7.0 / 10 Story/ Theme 6.5 / 10 OverallGraphics 5.5 / 10 Animation 7.5 / 10 Music/ Sound Effects 9.5 / 10 Innovation 6.5 / 10 Art Direction 9.0 / 10 Customization 6.0 / 10 Options / Extras 6.5 / 10 Intro / Presentation 6.5 / 10 Replayability / Fun 8.0 / 10 "Ouch" Factor 8.5 / 10 Characters 7.5 / 10 BOTTOM LINE 7.6 /10
Review based onPlayStationversion Final Words: At the time, it was easy for gamers to scoff at Street Fighter EX and quickly claim it wasn't "as good" as ___ (insert fighting game here). However, if you allowed SFEX's blocky graphics hinder your enjoyment of the game... you actually missed out on one of the era's most interestingconsole fighting games — and an important stepping stone in Street Fighter history. Like many other underrated PS1 gems, Street Fighter EX was a treat for those who picked it up — one of my earliest personal favorite PS1 fighting games, for sure.Arika and Capcom clearly put a lot of heart into SFEX. A new twist on the classic 2D formula, hard-hitting animations and throws, a fun combo system, an innovative combo challenge mode, animated character endings, and a great soundtrack? SFEX had some special things about it. That said, many PS1 players who accepted the game's visualimperfections were treated to asurprisingly fun game...be it the cool combo possibilities or solid presentation value. Needless to say, theartwork of the EX series is top tier stuff.
Even though many 90's fighting game fans are on record for saying "Street Fighter should never be in3D"... Capcom didn't agree, and later released SFEX2and SFEX3. Over a decade later, Capcom finallyproved they could visually do Street Fighter justice in a 3D engine, with the muchmore successful and hardcore-player-approved SFIV.
~TFG Webmaster | @Fighters_Gen
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