Producer Interview

Nothing defines the arcade experience like Street Fighter, the franchise that ruled the arcade for years. With the release ofStreet Fighter® II' Hyper Fighting during Xbox Live Arcade Wednesdays , we tracked down Alben Redroso, an External Producer at Capcom Entertainment, Inc. He was gracious enough to take some time out of a very busy day to tell us more about bringing this classic to the next generation.

Xbox.com: Can you explain why Xbox Live® is a perfect fit for Street Fighter II' Hyper Fighting?

Alben Pedroso: When I think of an arcade, I immediately think of Street Fighter II. It spawned a generation of gamers and epitomized an arcade era. Xbox Live is the premiere arcade destination in this era of gaming, and I felt Street Fighter II' Hyper Fighting had to take its rightful place amongst the other great titles that are currently available.

Zangief blocking with his face.

Xbox.com: Although Street Fighter II is a classic and more than a decade old, there are many new players out there on Xbox Live who have never played the game. How would you describe it to someone who had never played it?

Pedroso: Street Fighter II is the game that revolutionized the fighting game genre and brought it to the masses. To this day, Street Fighter II' Hyper Fighting, with its diverse character and gameplay styles, epitomizes competition, speed, timing, and skill.

Xbox.com: How does the Training Mode work?

Pedroso: Training Mode allows you to practice your moves against a dummy opponent set up in a normal or defensive stance. Within Training Mode, there's also a recording feature which allows you to record a full 99-second round.

There's nothing more satisfying than
talking trash and having people witness
the beatdown you dish out or fall victim to.

Xbox.com: Why did you choose to include Training Mode?

Pedroso: Including the Training Mode is essential for players that want to be the very best and have the highest rankings. This will be a vital tool for practicing those hard to perform special moves like Zangief's Spinning Piledriver, as well as the numerous precise timing combos that can devastate an opponent.

Xbox.com: How does Training Mode differ from CPU Battle Mode?

Pedroso: Training Mode is strictly for practicing. CPU Battle Mode is an unlockable mode which pits a primary character against a CPU opponent of choice. This mode is unlocked when you defeat the game with any character.

Xbox.com: Please tell us about Quarter Match mode.

Pedroso: Quarter Match is our tribute to the arcade era of Street Fighter II' Hyper Fighting. There were numerous days when I would go to the local arcade or convenience store to play Street Fighter and putting a quarter on the monitor symbolized my position in the queue for challenging the winner.

We feel like we've recreated this community atmosphere with the game's Quarter Match mode. Player can select from the available Quarter Matches or create their own Quarter Match lobby. As two players are battling it out, up to two other spectators can watch and wait to be the next challenger with their position symbolized by a quarter icon on screen.

Even the old-school title screen is included.

Xbox.com: It sounds like you're trying to make the arcade experience a big part of the game.

Pedroso: I alluded to this in the previous question, but I think community is a big aspect of the arcade experience. There's nothing more satisfying than playing a game with a group of people, talking trash and having people witness the beat down you dish out or fall victim to.

Xbox.com: In what ways did you use Xbox 360™ technology to enhance this arcade favorite?

Pedroso: Street Fighter was originally a 16-bit game with a resolution of 384 x 224, but with the technology of Xbox 360 we were able to improve the graphics engine to 32-bit color with HD resolution. Also with Xbox Live, we were able to create a very robust online gaming experience.

Xbox.com: Can you tell us what kinds of achievements you plan to include in the game and possibly list a few?

Pedroso: We implemented a good mix of easy to difficult offline and online achievements. I challenge gamers out there to try and obtain all the achievements.

Xbox.com: How many gamer points will you be able to earn?

Pedroso: You can rack up 200 total.

Xbox.com: How do you think people will use Xbox Live to compete in Street Fighter II? Do you foresee player-organized tournaments, for example?

Pedroso: I do see the potential for player-organized tournaments, but I think we'll see players gravitate to two types of competitive environments. There will be those that will focus on being the number one ranked Street Fighter player in the world, and primarily play Ranked Matches. Others will go for the social experience of hanging out and playing matches in Quarter Match.

Xbox.com: We've got our quarters ready, and we'll see you at the Arcade. Thanks so much for your time, Alben!

by Beau Prichard