Back on August 30, 1987, Capcom released Street Fighter in arcades, which seemed relatively innocuous until you gave it a second look. The graphics were average for the time, the voice acting was quite muffled, and the controls were strict and unforgiving. You could normally only choose a single character – a redheaded, red-shoed martial artist named Ryu – unless a second player came on, in which case they could play a blonde clone named Ken. Most people who play it would agree that it’s not the best game in the series, but there were people who saw its potential, and decided to continue the franchise with Street Fighter II. With that, one of the video games’ biggest icons stepped into the spotlight.

Over the past 25 years, Street Fighter has worked itself up from humble beginnings in the arcade to being a cultural phenomenon throughout the world. Millions of people interact with it every day, in a myriad of ways. In all truth, the fans define the franchise as much as the games. And it was these people who inspired the creation of the Street Fighter 25th Anniversary Collector’s Set.

This set represents the combined passion and enthusiasm of literally hundreds of people who have contributed to making Street Fighter games over the last 25 years, and serves as a love letter to anyone who cares about the franchise. When we first met to discuss the set’s creation, the two questions we asked were “What is the maximum amount of stuff we can get into this box?” and “How do we create something that celebrates all the different kinds of fans we have out there?” These questions helped lead us to one of the most intensive, thoughtful, and fan-oriented collector’s sets in Capcom history.

So, let’s look at our different sources of inspiration. What is Street Fighter? Well, the easiest place to start is with the games. Obviously, without the Street Fighter games, there would not be anything else. We included all the titles currently available for PlayStation 3, representing many of the series’ highlights. Super Street Fighter IV Arcade Edition and Street Fighter x Tekken are included as physical discs. We’re also including all of the costume DLC for SSFIVAE (that’s over 100 costumes!) and for SFxT, the 12 additional character DLC and all available Swap costumes. You can also download two of our digital titles, Super Street Fighter II Turbo HD Remix and Street Fighter III: Third Strike Online Edition. With all of that, you’ll have something to play for whatever mood you’re in.

When you get your Collector’s Set for PS3, you are in for a special treat. Sony, being a big supporter of fighting game fans and Street Fighter fans in particular, actually came to us at Capcom and told us that they want to help celebrate the 25th Anniversary by offering additional content for PlayStation 3. As such, the PS3 set includes Street Fighter Alpha, Street Fighter Alpha 2, and Street Fighter Alpha 3 as PSone Classic titles; Street Fighter Alpha 3 Max as a PSP download, all downloadable content for Street Fighter III: Third Strike Online Edition, and lots of avatars (over 170). We are proud to be working with Sony to get this to you.

We knew from fan feedback that people also enjoy Street Fighter beyond just playing the games. One of the most pervasive ways that fans interact with the franchise away from consoles and arcades is through the artwork. The games are filled with great art, and this inspires a wide variety of artists from all over the world. We wanted to capture a piece of that, and bring recognition to some of the incredible pieces that have been created, so we put a call out to artists around the world to participate. We got hundreds of entries, but were eventually able to narrow it down to a select sample to be included in a 64-page hardcover art book.

I myself am a music lover, and Street Fighter’s music is recognizable to gamers and non-gamers alike. Whether it’s the iconic Street Fighter 2 main theme or the Guile theme (it really does go with everything!), Street Fighter has proven that throwing a punch is much better with music. So, we wanted to include something for audiophiles by providing 11 discs of music. This includes nine discs of soundtracks – covering Street Fighter, Super Street Fighter II Turbo, Street Fighter Alpha 3, Street Fighter III: Third Strike, Super Street Fighter IV Arcade Edition, and Street Fighter x Tekken – and two discs of fan-created music. As with the artwork, we asked people to send in their music. The talent in the response humbled us, and made it incredibly difficult to make our selections from the 300+ entries. However, we managed to create two CDs: one with remixes/remakes of existing themes, and one which is original music inspired by Street Fighter. Some of these fans have serious futures ahead of them, and it’s an honor to be able to include them in the Collector’s Set and make them a piece of the franchise’s history.

Then, of course, you have the collectors… the people who like to showcase items on their shelves. Here again, we have this group covered. Inside the large black box (which itself is a collectible), you’ll find an eight-inch statue of Ryu flying up with a Shoryuken. Not only is it a highly-detailed statue (the texture on his gi is some of the best I’ve seen on a figure that size), but the flames in the base even light up to show off at night. Then we have the life-size, embroidered Ryu replica belt, complete with the furinkazan kanji.

Continuing on, we have a two-disc Blu-Ray set, with over 12 hours of content. This features a lot of animated content, including the entirety of the incredibly cheesy (but-oh-so-fun) Saturday morning cartoon show from 1995, Street Fighter II: The Animated Movie (in my opinion, featuring some of the best fight scenes choreographed for any film, live-action or animated), Street Fighter IV: The Ties That Bind, and the Super Street Fighter IV Original Video Animation, aka the “Juri anime,” which is being released in English for the first time ever. However, the most exciting piece of video content is “I am Street Fighter,” a brand new documentary we commissioned. As you may have been able to tell through this post, Street Fighter has impacted many people’s lives, and vice-versa. That’s what this documentary looks at – the people who have influenced the Street Fighter franchise, and the people whose lives have been influenced by it. It’s a fascinating, and occasionally heartwarming look into the cultural phenomenon.

As you can see, we kept every type of fan in mind when creating the Street Fighter 25th Anniversary Collector’s Set and we’re incredibly proud to bring it to fans. In fact, there has never been a better time to be a Street Fighter fan. Whether you were there from the beginning, or just began in the past couple of years, you are part of a rich legacy and vibrant community. You can see both of these in action at our anniversary website.

You make Street Fighter what it is. You are Street Fighter. So from all of us at Capcom – thank you!

…Also, SHORYUKEN!!!

Drumroll, please…

We’ve tallied up the votes, slipped into our tuxedos, polished up the trophies and are now ready to reveal the winners of the second annual PSN Gamers’ Choice Awards. Votes were cast this year across 10 categories in the PlayStation Store, including the community award for Best PSN Indie, which was voted online by the community.

First off, we’d like to thank all of the nominees for being a part of this year’s PSN Gamers’ Choice Awards. All of the games that we showcased were some of the highest and most user-ranked games released in 2011, which is an honor in and of itself. Second and most importantly, we want to thank all of you for casting your votes both online and in the PlayStation Store to determine our winners.

We had an incredible turnout during the voting period this year, which made for an intense competition. Things got so heated, in fact, that the battle for Best PS Move Game literally came down to the last day between Dungeon Defenders and Dungeon Hunter: Alliance. But only one could come out with top honors.

Without further ado, here are your winners for the 2012 PSN Gamers’ Choice Awards:

• Best PSN Exclusive: inFAMOUS Festival of Blood (PS3)
• Best PSN Game: Resident Evil 4 (PS3)
• Best PSN Game Playable Online: Street Fighter III: Third Strike Online Edition (PS3)
• Best PS3 Full Game: Assassin’s Creed: Brotherhood (PS3)
• Best PlayStation Move Game: Dungeon Hunter: Alliance (PS3)
• Best 3D Game: God of War: Origins Collection (PS3)
• Best PlayStation Classic: Chrono Trigger (PS3/PSP)
• Best Mini Game: Angry Birds (PS3/PSP)
• Best PSP Game: DISSIDIA 012 [duodecim] FINAL FANTASY (PSP)
• PlayStation Community Award – Best Indie: LIMBO (PS3)

The celebration continues as the award-winning titles will be discounted 30% in the PlayStation Store for one week, starting later today, with a 50% discount available to all PlayStation Plus subscribers. Don’t miss out on the chance to score these great games! And don’t forget to start rating the games that you’re playing throughout 2012 so your favorite games can get nominated next year.

Starting tomorrow, head into the PlayStation Store to cast your vote for your favorite games in nine of the 10 categories and receive a free Gamers’ Choice Awards XMB theme for each vote cast. New this year, you can also cast your vote online in one special community category, Best PSN Indie, and you’ll receive a voucher code to be redeemed in the PlayStation Store for a free exclusive XMB theme. Your votes exclusively pick the winners in every category, and your award winners go on sale.

Don’t go too far because the winning games in each category will be announced right here on the PlayStation Blog in just one week–on March 6, 2012–and that same day, the winning game in each category will be discounted 30% in the PlayStation Store for one week, with a special 50% discount for PlayStation Plus subscribers.

Drum roll, please! The 2012 nominees for PSN Gamers’ Choice Awards are:

Best PSN Exclusive:

• inFAMOUS Festival of Blood (PS3)
• PixelJunk Shooter 2 (PS3)
• TETRIS (PS3)

Best PSN Game:

• inFAMOUS Festival of Blood (PS3)
• Plants vs. Zombies (PS3)
• Resident Evil 4 (PS3)

Best PSN Game Playable Online:

• Hard Corps: Uprising (PS3)
• Street Fighter III: Third Strike Online Edition (PS3)
• TETRIS (PS3)

Best PS3 Full Game:

• Assassin’s Creed: Brotherhood (PS3)
• Assassin’s Creed II: Deluxe Edition (PS3)
• Midnight Club LA Complete Edition (PS3)

Best PlayStation Move Game:

• 4Elements HD (PS3)
• Dungeon Defenders (PS3)
• Dungeon Hunter: Alliance (PS3)

Best 3D Game:

• Dungeon Defenders (PS3)
• God of War: Origins Collection (PS3)
• The Sly Collection (PS3)

Best PSone Classic:

• Chrono Trigger (PS3/PSP)
• Parasite Eve (PS3/PSP)
• Xenogears (PS3/PSP)

Best Mini Game:

• Angry Birds (PS3/PSP)
• The Impossible Game (PS3/PSP)
• PAC-MAN Championship Edition (PS3/PSP)

Best PSP Game:

• DISSIDIA 012 [duodecim] FINAL FANTASY (PSP)
• DISSIDIA 012 Prologus FINAL FANTASY (PSP)
• TACTICS OGRE: Let Us Cling Together (PSP)

PlayStation Community Award – Best Indie:

• Dungeon Defenders (PS3)
• LIMBO (PS3)
• PixelJunk Shooter 2 (PS3)

Don’t forget to head into PlayStation Store tomorrow to cast your vote. You decide the best of PSN, so make your voice heard!

One of the deepest and most sophisticated fighting games of all time, Street Fighter III: Third Strike Online Edition maintains an arcade-perfect experience while including additional features such as updated graphics, a deep online experience, and a new challenge system that encourages players to push themselves and reap rewards for accomplishments that go far beyond mere wins and losses.

Street Fighter III: Third Strike Online Edition will be available to download later today on PlayStation Network for $14.99. Check out a sampling of reviews Third Strike has been getting:

“The best Street Fighter game to be released on the downloadable market yet. It’s the same game many of you have been playing for the last 12 years, only improved in every area”
IGN – 9/10

“It’s my opinion that this is the single most compelling and well-balanced roster in a Street Fighter title to date”
Destructoid – 9/10

“A fantastic fighting game given new life in an example of a re-release crafted to perfection… it will kick your arse and make your knuckles bleed”
ReadyUp – 9/10

“It’s your duty as a fighting game fan to pay homage to the game that gave us one of the greatest moments in fighting history and showed the masses what makes the genre so special”
1UP – A

“3rd Strike [is] one of the most technical and tactical fighting games ever… you owe it to yourself to play this classic”
NowGamer – 9.2/10

“Few would argue that it’s anything but the pinnacle of 2D competitive Street Fighter design”
EuroGamer – 9/10

Get hyped guys, because it’s time you realize that it’s the Third Strike that counts!

Hey everyone! This is Derek Neal, and I’m the producer on Street Fighter III: Third Strike Online Edition. I’m here to tell you all the things that make this game awesome. You might want to take a seat and get comfortable, because that’s quite a list!

Available August 23rd, Street Fighter III: Third Strike Online Edition takes one of the most revered fighting games in CAPCOM’s history and brings it Online. Quite frankly, the feature set we’ve included in this downloadable is jaw dropping. In addition to upscaled graphics, we have hundreds of trials, dynamic challenges, and a huge Vault full of all kinds of unlockables. We have multiple training modes, integrated Tournament support, and 8 player lobbies (with spectator mode!). We have GGPO for near-lagless online play, a robust replay system, and the ability to upload matches straight to YouTube – from within the game! All of this, and much, much more.

We are also very excited to be the lead title in the brand new PSN PLAY program. Now with PSN PLAY, you’re able to pre-order this game now. This is actually the first time a pre-order program has been offered for a downloadable PSN title, and we couldn’t be happier than to help lead that charge. The pre-order period for the game runs through August 18th, and people who pre-order during this period will receive a special gift: a custom Third Strike theme for their PS3! Here’s a sneak peek of what it will look like:

If that wasn’t enough, we are also announcing that we’ll be giving a free gift to everyone who purchases the game between now and through September 19th: a free key that unlocks the hidden boss character, Gill. This boss character is a ton of fun to play, and can be used in all of our casual game modes, such as Arcade and Player Match. (He is not available in Ranked matches or in Tournaments.)

Finally, PlayStation Plus members will be excited to hear that they’re getting a special deal: an additional 20% off on this already great value! So what are you waiting for?! Pre-order now. Buy this game…it’s time you realized that it’s the THIRD STRIKE THAT COUNTS!