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Undisputed Street Fighter A 30th Anniversary Retrospective
Since its inception 30 years ago, the Street Fighter™ video game series from Capcom has thrived based on a lethal combination of innovation,style and technique. From first-of-their-kind advances such as selectable characters and secret combo moves, to imagination-capturing characters such as Ryu, Chun-Li, and Akuma, Street Fighter has stayed a step ahead of the competition en route to becoming one of the most enduring and influential franchises in video game history. Undisputed Street Fighter™ features in-depth interviews and exclusive, behind-the-scenes looks into the making of the Street Fighter games, and the iconic art, design, and imagery from across the Street Fighter universe.
304 pages, Hardcover
Published November 28, 2017
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Displaying 1 - 19 of 19 reviews
December 6, 2017
I played a little Street Fighter growing up, and know enough to at least recognize the most famous characters. Still, I'm by no means "into" Street Fighter--my general gaming approach is to mash a bunch of buttons and jostle the joystick different ways until some amazing combo happens.
That said, I devoured this book.
Written in a sometimes witty and always breezy style by longtime journalist Steve Hendershot, the book is impressively easy to read. even while deep-diving into the history, culture, and minutiae of Street Fighter. Hendershot walks the reader through every iteration of the game and provides "player capsules" for every character, including specialized moves, background, and scouting reports. (The player capsule section was my favorite part!)
The illustrations and graphics are amazing. Readers can spend hours just looking at still-shots from the games, artwork from the studios (including rough drafts of characters moves), and a whole lot more. Even though the book is laid out with tons of artwork, the graphics never get in the way of the text. It's so well-designed, you find yourself spending a long time just admiring one particular two-page spread or another.
Props to everyone involved, from Hendershot to the design team and beyond.
If you're a Street Fighter person, this book is a must-have. And even if you're not, it's worth reading as entertainment and as an important pop culture touchstone.
That said, I devoured this book.
Written in a sometimes witty and always breezy style by longtime journalist Steve Hendershot, the book is impressively easy to read. even while deep-diving into the history, culture, and minutiae of Street Fighter. Hendershot walks the reader through every iteration of the game and provides "player capsules" for every character, including specialized moves, background, and scouting reports. (The player capsule section was my favorite part!)
The illustrations and graphics are amazing. Readers can spend hours just looking at still-shots from the games, artwork from the studios (including rough drafts of characters moves), and a whole lot more. Even though the book is laid out with tons of artwork, the graphics never get in the way of the text. It's so well-designed, you find yourself spending a long time just admiring one particular two-page spread or another.
Props to everyone involved, from Hendershot to the design team and beyond.
If you're a Street Fighter person, this book is a must-have. And even if you're not, it's worth reading as entertainment and as an important pop culture touchstone.
February 23, 2025
This is not a review so much as an anecdote about my childhood. When I was 12 years old, I was part of the local Street Fighter 2 scene at an arcade in a sketchy mall where I used to hang out and shoplift. Actually… since I was younger than the other kids… I was more of a sidekick. An observer. A pain in the ass. One day I decided to put 25¢ up on the machine. I waited my turn and I throughly trounced a 16 year old Cantonese boy named Kwak. In a rage, he put me in a sleeper hold and choked me into unconsciousness. I came to later on the floor of the arcade while the other boys continued playing Street Fighter 2. I think we got pizza after that. Goodreads… it’s cheaper than BetterHelp! (No seriously… I probably need a therapist.)
August 22, 2020
Don't read this book expecting pro guides, technical or programming details, or even meaningful tips from pro players. This book is mainly about the art, but it feels like a long casual magazine article. There is the occasional interesting piece of trivia information, but just get prepared to read loads of anecdotes of old arcade players from the US. I think it could have been a better approach to have let a japanese person write the book.
June 24, 2024
Undisputed Street Fighter: A 30th Anniversary Retrospective" is an exceptionally readable book packed with comprehensive information. It covers all facets of the Street Fighter mythos, from the original arcade games to toys, art, and other media. I would have rated it five stars if not for a significant error: in his account of EVO Moment #37 (2004), Hendershot mistakenly swaps Daigo's Ken with Justin's Chun-Li. As I quote from the book:
"...Umehara's Chun-Li, down to the smallest imaginable sliver of life, parried what seemed a million consecutive attacks from Wong's Ken before delivering a knockout blow and sending thousands of spectators into a frenzy..."
"...Umehara's Chun-Li, down to the smallest imaginable sliver of life, parried what seemed a million consecutive attacks from Wong's Ken before delivering a knockout blow and sending thousands of spectators into a frenzy..."
January 31, 2019
He leído la versión en español y debo decir que ha sido defraudante.
Quizá por esperar el libro definitivo sobre SF, quizá por la cantidad de errores y fallos, quizá por la mala, malísima (pésima) traducción del que hace gala.
Hay ciertos conceptos que te los cuenta varias veces (p.e. el tema Final Fight y W.Hill), da demasiado pábulo a los encargados de los recreativos y para lo que yo esperaba que era, poco a los desarrolladores más allá de frases sueltas.
El humor fuera de contexto y absurdo es algo que no valoraré, pero creo que no aporta y están fuera del tono general del libro.
El libro tiene fallos (por error u omisión) y eso es algo imperdonable. Sí, es un libro bonito, pero no tanto: imágenes exclusivas tiene más bien pocas y el diseño cuestionable. Y eso no es por la traducción.
Aquí se ha vendido como el libro definitivo para amantes de SF. Y lo que he visto es un libro caro, con poco contenido y mucho relleno (repetido por momentos, deja vu incluidos), que no ahonda en nada y sólo pasa por encima, con poco criterio y dejando mucha información e inspiraciones abandonadas.
Es un libro caro que no compensa incluso si te mola la scene de los fighting games, en la cual basa mucho de su contenido.
Desgraciadamente, el enfoque es totalmente norteamericano, cosa normal dada la procedencia del autor pero que sinceramente a mí no me importa. Eso por no hablar de cosas como defender el arte de las versiones occidentales para consolas de 16bits como obras incunables y de excelente gusto y fuerza, sin las cuales el juego no habría vendido.
Además, en los consejos de los PROs, básicamente nos reducimos a "este en buenas manos es la leche". Adornado pero así.
Una pena, sobre todo por los 40$ que cuesta y lo poco cuidado que está. Tanto en inglés como en español.
El amante de SF de verdad, con competición o sin ella, no encontrará aquí lo que busca (y que tiene en otros libros mejores o incluso gratis en webs de la red).
Una pena. Muy triste.
Quizá por esperar el libro definitivo sobre SF, quizá por la cantidad de errores y fallos, quizá por la mala, malísima (pésima) traducción del que hace gala.
Hay ciertos conceptos que te los cuenta varias veces (p.e. el tema Final Fight y W.Hill), da demasiado pábulo a los encargados de los recreativos y para lo que yo esperaba que era, poco a los desarrolladores más allá de frases sueltas.
El humor fuera de contexto y absurdo es algo que no valoraré, pero creo que no aporta y están fuera del tono general del libro.
El libro tiene fallos (por error u omisión) y eso es algo imperdonable. Sí, es un libro bonito, pero no tanto: imágenes exclusivas tiene más bien pocas y el diseño cuestionable. Y eso no es por la traducción.
Aquí se ha vendido como el libro definitivo para amantes de SF. Y lo que he visto es un libro caro, con poco contenido y mucho relleno (repetido por momentos, deja vu incluidos), que no ahonda en nada y sólo pasa por encima, con poco criterio y dejando mucha información e inspiraciones abandonadas.
Es un libro caro que no compensa incluso si te mola la scene de los fighting games, en la cual basa mucho de su contenido.
Desgraciadamente, el enfoque es totalmente norteamericano, cosa normal dada la procedencia del autor pero que sinceramente a mí no me importa. Eso por no hablar de cosas como defender el arte de las versiones occidentales para consolas de 16bits como obras incunables y de excelente gusto y fuerza, sin las cuales el juego no habría vendido.
Además, en los consejos de los PROs, básicamente nos reducimos a "este en buenas manos es la leche". Adornado pero así.
Una pena, sobre todo por los 40$ que cuesta y lo poco cuidado que está. Tanto en inglés como en español.
El amante de SF de verdad, con competición o sin ella, no encontrará aquí lo que busca (y que tiene en otros libros mejores o incluso gratis en webs de la red).
Una pena. Muy triste.
April 27, 2020
Video games as viewed from a historic, societal impact point of view will always fascinate me. In this case because I was there when Street Fighter 2 came out and I vividly remember playing it for the first time in the back corner of a Circle K by the 3.2 beer. Had I any inclination of the cultural relevance the game would have I might have approached it differently than as a wide-eyed kid drawn to the green and orange monster chomping on people's heads who loved to play video games and look at monsters.
Detailing the impact of the franchise from a design and creation point of view is initially what I wanted out of this book and it covers some of that. It probably could have covered that a bit more as well as perhaps doing more of a deep dive into the different iterations of each game but a lot of it, and what I started to find even more interesting was the origins of the professional Street Fighting scenes and players. That shit was something I wasn't even aware of until much later in my life, well passed the point of playing video games even that much (college, life shit, and other interests). I think that's really the heart of Street Fighter, the competitive, yet friendly nature and community building it helped facilitate for these people. It's kind of sweet when you think about it. That side of Street Fighter's history is what is documented and spoken about the most, how it created that competitive style of fighting game, even the fighting game as a whole but I've always been drawn to the art and design and character interaction when I think of Street Fighter. That part fascinates me as well and I wish the book went more into that. Regardless, it's a beautiful, fascinating book and I even appreciated the breakdown of each and every character with the pros weighing in on strategy for the more popular characters.
I've always loved Street Fighter but I guess I never really new the influence it's had on me until I read this book.
Detailing the impact of the franchise from a design and creation point of view is initially what I wanted out of this book and it covers some of that. It probably could have covered that a bit more as well as perhaps doing more of a deep dive into the different iterations of each game but a lot of it, and what I started to find even more interesting was the origins of the professional Street Fighting scenes and players. That shit was something I wasn't even aware of until much later in my life, well passed the point of playing video games even that much (college, life shit, and other interests). I think that's really the heart of Street Fighter, the competitive, yet friendly nature and community building it helped facilitate for these people. It's kind of sweet when you think about it. That side of Street Fighter's history is what is documented and spoken about the most, how it created that competitive style of fighting game, even the fighting game as a whole but I've always been drawn to the art and design and character interaction when I think of Street Fighter. That part fascinates me as well and I wish the book went more into that. Regardless, it's a beautiful, fascinating book and I even appreciated the breakdown of each and every character with the pros weighing in on strategy for the more popular characters.
I've always loved Street Fighter but I guess I never really new the influence it's had on me until I read this book.
April 9, 2018
Absolutely rad book that deserves a place on every Street Fighter fan's shelf. This tome is packed with so many tidbits of valuable knowledge that you can't really find anywhere else, especially on the early arcade scene that sprang up around Street Fighter II. For example, star player and half-Asian dude Mike Watson apparently used to psych his Chinese opponents out with his secret knowledge of Cantonese, and he also had a guy named VEGA (coincidence?!) backing him up.
There are also great bios on every character in the main Street Fighter and Alpha games (sorry, EX fans), aside from the new ones who were just announced in the latest season of Street Fighter V.
If this book has any tiny issues, it's perhaps the fact that it's written from a very American perspective and we don't get quite enough insight into the SF scene in Japan or Europe. Also, the author's kind of hard on the cast of Street Fighter III, and it's obvious that in certain occasions (Gill, Remy) he really doesn't have much to say about them. Ah well.
Still a damn good book. Pick up a copy and go for broke!
There are also great bios on every character in the main Street Fighter and Alpha games (sorry, EX fans), aside from the new ones who were just announced in the latest season of Street Fighter V.
If this book has any tiny issues, it's perhaps the fact that it's written from a very American perspective and we don't get quite enough insight into the SF scene in Japan or Europe. Also, the author's kind of hard on the cast of Street Fighter III, and it's obvious that in certain occasions (Gill, Remy) he really doesn't have much to say about them. Ah well.
Still a damn good book. Pick up a copy and go for broke!
October 1, 2018
Huge Street Fighter fan even wrote a paper about Street Fighter 2 for college years back but this was pretty weak.
For the price was expecting a lot more and comes across as a book written by a casual fan than an actual book.
They forgot to mention quite a few things which made Street Fighter 2 the game that revolutionised the game industry and how
Innovative it was I am quite shocked.
They even did a section about Street Fighter merch but failed to mention the Kotobuykia range.
There is also several pages about Chun Li but they omitted a lot about her creation such as the fact they were going to give her a smaller life bar and reduce her damage because she was a woman. The fact that they decided against this in the end in my opinion is a big event in gaming history.
Overall I read this hoping to find something new or interesting but nope I kind of feel ripped off for spending £30 on this.
For the price was expecting a lot more and comes across as a book written by a casual fan than an actual book.
They forgot to mention quite a few things which made Street Fighter 2 the game that revolutionised the game industry and how
Innovative it was I am quite shocked.
They even did a section about Street Fighter merch but failed to mention the Kotobuykia range.
There is also several pages about Chun Li but they omitted a lot about her creation such as the fact they were going to give her a smaller life bar and reduce her damage because she was a woman. The fact that they decided against this in the end in my opinion is a big event in gaming history.
Overall I read this hoping to find something new or interesting but nope I kind of feel ripped off for spending £30 on this.
January 19, 2019
I read the Spanish version, but it's exactly the same content, so here it goes.
Basically, I'm not a HARDCORE Street Fighter fan, but I enjoyed the book anyway. It gives the read a comprehensive look toward the history of the game without getting bogged down in useless details, but it also includes a couple of really interesting anecdotes. It tells the reader a lot about the competitive (pre-Internet and social media!) scene in the 90s, and it also goes into detail regarding character design and the reasons why they were included in each game. Some of the articles regarding the game champions can be a little dense or flat, but besides that, it was a really agile and entertaining read. Perfect for gaming fans everywhere!
Basically, I'm not a HARDCORE Street Fighter fan, but I enjoyed the book anyway. It gives the read a comprehensive look toward the history of the game without getting bogged down in useless details, but it also includes a couple of really interesting anecdotes. It tells the reader a lot about the competitive (pre-Internet and social media!) scene in the 90s, and it also goes into detail regarding character design and the reasons why they were included in each game. Some of the articles regarding the game champions can be a little dense or flat, but besides that, it was a really agile and entertaining read. Perfect for gaming fans everywhere!
February 16, 2023
The packaging! The design! The physical extras provided! I HAD to have this book!
Maybe it's my fault. I was hoping this would be an extensive look into how Street Fighter 2 the phenomenon was developed and how it became such a success! A celebration of the game that singlehandedly changed fighting games. This isn't it. While the book is BEAUTIFUL, it mostly seems to chart how expert players made the game accessible, how the franchise progressed from year to year and huge full page spreads devoted to every character, even the obscure ones.
It's a glorious tome. Yes. 100%. But chapters are barely three pages. There's zero depth. Photos are beautiful but if you're looking for an exploration into how the games were fleshed out, this isn't it.
Be warned, because this is NOT a cheap book!
Maybe it's my fault. I was hoping this would be an extensive look into how Street Fighter 2 the phenomenon was developed and how it became such a success! A celebration of the game that singlehandedly changed fighting games. This isn't it. While the book is BEAUTIFUL, it mostly seems to chart how expert players made the game accessible, how the franchise progressed from year to year and huge full page spreads devoted to every character, even the obscure ones.
It's a glorious tome. Yes. 100%. But chapters are barely three pages. There's zero depth. Photos are beautiful but if you're looking for an exploration into how the games were fleshed out, this isn't it.
Be warned, because this is NOT a cheap book!
August 31, 2019
Gorgeously illustrated, and full of a ton of details about the franchise. The only thing keeping this from being 5 stars is, despite the author going out of his way to say this book represents his opinions, and Capcom had no influence on what he wrote, he completely fails to address the marketing and public relations debacles surrounding the "trickle-down" releases of DLC. For SF IV and V which infuriated the gaming community.
March 6, 2023
Nice, beautiful overview of the pop culture phenomenon and most influential video game. Book presents a nice cross-section - development, art, spin off and community — perhaps too much focus on the community. Would’ve wanted more page time on the creators of the game and its various iterations, but overall a must-have for fans of the IP, video game enthusiasts and pop culture followers in general.
March 31, 2025
A nicely put together coffee table book. There was a fair amount of history especially regarding the early 90s arcade scene, which was pretty interesting to learn about. Less common was any depth on the development side of things, but I can imagine some of that information being more difficult to come by due to language-barriers and corporate concerns. Over all, it's a solid package that does what it needs to do to justify its existence.
December 30, 2018
I've been dipping in and out of this for ages so thought I'd finish it off
What a masterpiece
For fans of the Streetfigher series this is a huge in depth look at the history of the games and every offshoot (movies, toys, comics, etc) and is filled with gorgeous pictures throughout
Great way to end the year!
What a masterpiece
For fans of the Streetfigher series this is a huge in depth look at the history of the games and every offshoot (movies, toys, comics, etc) and is filled with gorgeous pictures throughout
Great way to end the year!
March 5, 2022
A fun retrospective for fans of the series.
May 27, 2022
Las images y fotografías de este libro son el toque que necesita para hacer un buen libro de colección
June 10, 2022
A tour de force: more things about the Street Fighter lore and history of its development and evolution than I’d ever wanted to know (but it was a fun journey nevertheless)
January 16, 2026
Porqué a casi 40 años de su creación sigue siendo el número 1.
Displaying 1 - 19 of 19 reviews